Annabeth Chase and the Titan's Curse

Chapter 13 - The enemy tempts me

Being a prisoner is so boring. Even if I was strong enough to move there was still nothing to do. My room was so bare and dull that I was losing my mind just looking at it. I wished more than anything to be able to do anything, even hold the sky again. Actually, on second thoughts, maybe not so much that. That was horrible.

I had no idea how long it had been before Luke visited me the first time. I was lying on my side, not having the strength to even raise my head when I heard the door creak open. I watched in a mixture of disgust, hatred and, frustration as he stepped through, closing the door behind him even though I had no chance of escaping. Even if I was strong enough to get up, there was no way I could beat him in a fight.

Annoyingly I had to admit that he looked good. His dark shirt fitted him perfectly, just tight enough to show off his lean and muscular body. His sword hung on a belt by his hip and his hair was wet and tousled like he'd just come back from a dip in the sea.

Part of me wished he'd drowned. The other part hoped that he had a nice time. I revolted myself sometimes.

I closed my eyes so I didn't have to look at him as I couldn't roll over.

I heard him sigh in exasperation at my childishness. "Annabeth, I'm not a monster."

"You sure act like one," I snapped back, really wishing I could roll over.

I heard him move, a chair scraping back and a heavy thud. I peeked one eye open to see him sitting at one of the chairs by the table, watching me expectantly. I jammed my eye shut again.

"It wasn't my idea to have you hold the sky," he whispered.

"Oh really?" I exploded, anger giving me strength. I managed to raise myself up on one elbow to glare at him. "You sure didn't do anything to stop it. And I sure didn't see any reluctance when you walked away and left me there!"

"I had to!" he yelled back, face flushed with anger. "I had no choice."

I stared at him, my teeth gritted. Under that anger I could see he was afraid. There was something that even he feared. But at that moment, I didn't care.

"I should never have trusted you," I growled. "All you've ever done is hurt me. You betrayed us, all of us. I can't trust a word you say anymore."

All my energy drained out of me and I fell back on my side, feeling dizzier and more sore than ever before. I wanted him to go away and leave me to sleep, but he didn't.

Instead he got out of his chair and came over to me, crouching down beside my bed so we were face to face. He looked earnest, like some bright idea had occurred to him. I merely stared coldly back at him, wishing he would step back but also wishing he'd close the gap.

"It's not too late to join me," he said, eyes searching me face. "Kronos would welcome you, I know it. Then I wouldn't have to hurt you or betray you. We would be working together! It'd be like the old days, you and I against the world."

"What about Thalia?" I asked, seeing his obvious excitement.

"She'll join us, I know she will. I know Thalia. She'll be on my side. It'll be the three of us again, back together. Come on, Annabeth. What are you afraid of?"

I looked at him and couldn't help but think of what I told Percy not long ago. It felt like years but it was only on our last quest. He'd asked me whether Thalia would join Luke and I'd told him that if he didn't, she wouldn't either. I still believed that that was the case. I knew that Percy would never join Luke. I had to believe that Thalia wouldn't either.

As I looked at Luke now, it was hard to remember everything he had done in the last couple of years. All of the destruction and death he had caused. All of the destruction and death that was still to come. And I knew that I couldn't be apart of that.

"No," I whispered. "I can't join you. I will not help you destroy the world."

"I will destroy it to make it better!" he protested, looking amazed that I refused. "Annabeth, don't you understand? The world is corrupt and the gods are at the heart of it. If we bring them down, we can start a new world, a world free of corruption and pain. All you have to do is join me and you can design that new world."

I knew what he was doing. He was using my weakness against me. My fatal flaw, hubris, was that I believed I could be better than any one else, even the gods. What he didn't know was that I had faced my flaw before and I was stronger now. There was so much he didn't know about me now.

"You would kill thousands of people," I said. "Thousands of innocents. I will not help you do that."

"Some people deserve to die!" he shouted. "What about your father? Doesn't he deserve to die after throwing you away, abandoning you? Doesn't he deserve to die?"

I stared at him harshly. There was so much he didn't know about me now. "I've made my peace with my father. Maybe you should move on and do the same."

He reeled back, shock on his face. He looked at me as if he didn't know me.

"You've changed, Annabeth," he said, wonder and what sounded like sadness on his face.

"So have you," I countered. "The Luke I once knew was kind and selfless. He wouldn't kill thousands of people for no reason. You are not the boy I once knew."

He stared at me, anger returning to his face. "You disappoint me, Annabeth. I can protect you better than Camp Half-Blood could. I offer you everything you want. I can give you anything you need. And yet you are still too stupid to see that."

"Is it stupidity, or is it being human?" I snapped.

Luke kept his eyes fixed on me for a few more long moments. I could feel my gaze wavering as exhaustion came over me, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of breaking eye contact.

He stood abruptly and kicked the chair he'd been sitting on before against the wall. I flinched, closing my eyes to get back my composure. When I opened them again, he was standing by the door, glaring at me with anger all over his face.

"You will join me," he threatened. "I don't care what it takes. You will come over to my side. You and Thalia."

"They're coming for me!" I yelled, trying to get in the last word. "They'll find me, and when they do, you'll wish you never betrayed us."

A cruel smile spread over his face. It was the look of someone who knew something that I didn't. My heart squeezed hard in my chest.

"There is no rescue team, Annabeth," he told me harshly. "Your friends believe you are dead. And if you don't join me, you will be."

With that, he stormed through the door and slammed it shut behind him, leaving me alone again.