princess // percy jackson (under editing)

i. thirty four - one more promise

words : 5663

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"luke?"

alliah's grip tightened around her sword, tears glazing in her eyes as she drew closer towards the boy. his back was turned, but she knew it was him.

"luke." she repeated, her voice shaking.

he was a traitor. what was he doing back at camp?

"luke, turn around."

her voice was laced with charmspeak and yet, he did not do as told.

"luke! turn around and face me, coward!"

he stayed still, not a single ounce of movement.

"luke!"

now angry, alliah lunged foreward and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him aggressively and forcing him to face her. the second after she did that, she wished she hadn't.

she let out a terrified gasp as she backed away from the sight.

luke was dead.

his eyes were open and absent-minded, his face was pale and unlively, and his mouth was agape like he had been screaming in his last moments of life.

but shock and fear wore off when alliah realized the dead boy in front of him was his beloved friend and she dove forward once again with her hand out for him as he suddenly collapsed to the ground. she caught him in time to let him down slowly, tears running down her face as she began to sob.

"oh gods..." she cried painfully and quietly. "what'd they do to you...luke..."

her crying came to a halt when her gaze landed on something etched across his bare arm. cut in his flesh, riding across his biceps, were four words written small yet its message might as well have been screaming at her.

'why didn't you shoot?'

at the sight of the bloody message, alliah neither backed away or leaned closer to take a look - she froze. her blood ran cold and chills shot up and down her spine, her head began to spin as the tears suddenly stopped. she was horrified. breathing suddenly became hard to do and she mustered all her strength doing so.

"he didn't die from kronos, you know."

the statement had not come from her lips or the deceased luke's. alliah whipped around to see who had joined them.

"annabeth?" she stared, wide-eyed, at her best friend approaching her from behind.

"the moment you let him go," annabeth continued and it was then that alliah noticed she had been holding something behind her back as she slowly moved walked towards her. "was the moment you marked him for death. he might die by kronos' doing, but you're the one who set him up for it first. you're his killer, alliah. you're a murderer."

"annie," alliah's voice came out small and wounded. she suddenly found herself backing away for some readon. "what are you- why- why are you saying this?"

"you had a perfect shot, alliah." annabeth ignored her. "you had the perfect shot on him - not to kill him like he is now, but you could've taken him down. you could've pried him from kronos' grip but you didn't. he could've been saved. but he wasn't. and it's all because of you..."

alliah watched as her best friend slowly revealed what she had behind her back.

"you had the perfect shot, allie," annabeth continued, her eyes empty and the look on her face almost eerie. "just like i do now..."