Annabeth's POV
I run with Thalia, tears ruining my visions. Everything appears to be blurred and runny. The only thing I can see clearly is Luke's mangled body laying on gray rocks. Thalia. She was the one who did this.
No. It was Willow. She used Luke, she used me. Thalia reacted. It wasn't her fault. But it was. I thought she loved him, but I was wrong. Was Luke trying to warn me earlier this evening, when he told me to be careful? And some of my last words to him were hateful. I never told him that he was like a brother to me.
Nothing happened to me, not like Piper. I was lucky.
Percy is running towards me, a couple of guards trailing behind him. He completely ignores Thalia as he runs past her and straight to me.
"You're safe," Percy says, sounding relieved. "I thought it would be like Piper. I thought something would happen..." He rushes over to me and holds me in a hug. Surprised, I hug back.
He's not doing this to Thalia. Percy isn't hugging her. Only me. Why me? I thought he liked Rachel better, I thought I was his second choice. We always get into fights, so why me?
I see a guard rush past us, in the direction that we just came from. Finally, Percy steps back and looks at me, from head to toe, as if he's checking for any injuries. The only thing broken is my heart. He realizes that Thalia is standing there.
In all the years that I've known Thalia, I've only seen her cry twice. Once when I first met her, and the second time being during the night, after a nightmare. Now, tears continue to run down her face, her mascara starting to drip as well. I've never seen her like this before.
"Sir, there's been a causality," a guard reports. "One of us."
Thalia's eyes well up again and she runs past me, her heels clicking as she disappears down the dark hallway. I feel bad for blaming her, and I want to apologize. It's too late, though. She's out of sight.
"Thank you for the report. I'll go back in a few minutes," Percy replies absently. "And send a guard to check on Miss Grace. She wasn't looking too well."
The guard runs off and Percy takes my hand in his. His eyes lock into mine and I suddenly feel shy.
"I was so worried about you. God, I didn't know that hundreds of people weren't happy. Why would they attack? What are we doing wrong?" he asks me worriedly.
"It's not you, calm down," I whisper in his ear. "Some people have an illusion that things could be perfect, and Willow just manipulated them into thinking the Selection was part of the problem."
"She's going home," he says. "So is Drew."
"I think I already figured that out," I tease.
"They're leaving not just because they plotted against their country, but because they hurt you," he wraps his arms around me again and presses me into a tight embrace.
"I'm safe now."
"I'm sorry, Annabeth. I'm so, so sorry."
"The ball is over, right?" I ask him, an idea hitting me.
"We sent everyone to their rooms, so I'm guessing so. Why?"
I smile up at him. "Why waste a perfectly good night? I have an idea, if your free of course, your highness."
He grins at me, a sarcastic trouble makers grin. "I'm in."
I know it was a short chapter with a long wait, so I'm sorry about that. The next chapter won't be the best either, but Annabeth and Percy will be doing her "plan" in the chapter after that.
YOU ARE READING
The Demigod Selection
Fanfiction" the old gods were dying " Shadows had followed Annabeth Chase her entire life. They leaked into her dreams and chased her out of her home, causing her to run into two others, Thalia Grace and Luke Castellan, who had the same shadows. They form a s...
