The Trials of Chaos

3

The image of his mother screaming, thrashing as they dragged her son away, was forever burned into Percy's mind. He could still hear her voice—desperate, broken—begging them to bring him back. But they didn't. They never did.

Percy had learned, in the years since, that survival meant keeping your head down and trusting no one.

He shoved those memories back into the darkest corners of his mind and focused on the present. On getting out of this place.

"Then what is this?" Percy asked, his voice sharper than he intended. "Why are we here? Why are you here?"

Annabeth's expression shifted, something flickering behind her stormy gray eyes. "We're survivors, just like you," she said after a pause. "But we're also careful. You've seen the world out there—you know what it's like. If we let every stranger we meet into our camp, we wouldn't last a week."

"So you handcuff people to beds?" Percy shot back.

Annabeth sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It's not like we enjoy this, okay? But we have to make sure you're not with the New Order."

"We're not," Percy said, his tone softer now. "I swear, we're just looking for somewhere to be safe. We've been running for so long, and—" He cut himself off, unsure how much to reveal. He didn't know if he could trust her yet. "I just need to know that Piper and Leo are okay."

"They're fine," Annabeth reassured him, though her voice remained cautious. "They're being watched. Just... cooperate, and we'll see where this goes."

Percy opened his mouth to say something else when the door behind Annabeth creaked open. A tall, muscular guy stepped into the room, his presence commanding immediate attention. His blond hair was tousled, and he carried himself with an easy confidence, but there was something calculating in his eyes that made Percy wary.

Luke, Percy thought, remembering the name Annabeth had mentioned earlier.

"Everything good in here?" Luke asked, his gaze flicking between Percy and Annabeth.

"Yeah," Annabeth replied, though there was an edge to her voice. "He's awake. Says he's not with the New Order."

Luke studied Percy for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That's what they all say."

"I'm telling the truth," Percy said, his frustration rising again. "We're not a threat."

Luke didn't respond right away, but after a long pause, he finally nodded. "We'll see."

He turned to Annabeth, his expression softening just a bit. "Thals wants to talk. She's still not sure about them."

Annabeth sighed, clearly tired of the back-and-forth. "Of course she does," she muttered under her breath, before glancing back at Percy. "We'll be back soon."

"Wait—what about me?" Percy asked, his voice tinged with desperation. "You're just going to leave me here?"

Annabeth hesitated, her eyes meeting his for a long moment. Then, with a resigned sigh, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small key. She stepped forward, unlocking the cuffs around Percy's wrists with a quick twist.

"Don't make me regret this," she warned, her voice low and serious. "We're still not sure we can trust you."

Percy rubbed his sore wrists, but nodded. "I just want to find my friends."

Annabeth and Luke exchanged a look, before Luke gave a small nod. "Alright. But if you try anything, we won't hesitate."

Percy's heart pounded in his chest as he stood up, finally free from the bed but still shackled by uncertainty. He glanced around the room, noting the small details: the cracked stone walls, the dim light filtering through a tiny window, the stale air. Wherever they were, it wasn't some makeshift camp—it was a stronghold. Built to last. And that meant there were more people here, more than just the three who had attacked them.