A Loophole (Percabeth Selection)

38- "We Are."

"No!" The sound of Percy's fist banging against the metal elevator doors echoed around the room. "No, no, no, no, no."

"Perce-Percy, please stop." I placed a hand on his shoulder, his muscles tense.

"How?" He turned around. "Both Bob and Damersen are dead."

"Not yet." Luke spoke from the corner where he had his finger on the button that was taking us up to freedom.

"They may as well be!" Percy rested his forehead on the wall. "It's all my fault."

"Percy," I slipped my arms around his waist, resting the side of my face in his back. I could hear his uneven heartbeat. "Don't blame this on you. Gods, my head hurts." I winced at the sudden wave of pain I felt.

"Uh? What's wrong?" Percy turned around and cupped my cheeks. He turned my head side to side. "Styx Annabeth, you've been hit in the head. You're bleeding."

"Yay..." I mumbled, nearly loosing my balance. Percy helped me lean against the door. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around my head.

"That will have to do." He turned towards Luke. "Is everything sorted?"

Luke nodded. "Guards should be at the top. I got a letter to them ages ago, if they're not there then we're going to have to walk back home."

"How exactly are we going to do that?" I looked up drowsily at Luke, sliding down to sit on the floor.

He shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Percy nodded and crouched down in front of me. "I want you to tell me if you feel any more pain."

I nodded. "But what will you do about it?"

He smirked, something I hadn't seen in what felt like eternity. I felt an explosion of hope fire inside me. "I'll figure it out, after all Wise Girl, you're not the only one that reads."

I raised my eyebrows questioning him, smiling slightly. He nodded, pleased with my response.

He was about to get up but he paused and shuffled a little closer. "If I was you, I would have a little chat with Luke. If guards are up there, then this could be the last time you may have to have a proper conversation."

I nodded, my smile dropping as I thought about what was to come. If there were no guards up there, the three of us would eventually get home and Luke would be thrown into jail if he wasn't killed on the spot. And if there were guards up there, then he would be taken from me and thrown into jail quickly. He could be shot dead as we stepped out.

Percy kissed me lightly on the forehead and sat down in the opposite corner of where Luke was standing. With some difficulty I managed to stand up and gained my balance, walking over to Luke.

I leaned on the wall next to him. "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked. "All I've done is make everything worse."

I gripped onto his free hand tightly, staring into his cold blue eyes. "Thank you for taking me into your little hut in the middle of the woods. Thank you for looking after me when no one else really did. Thank you for being my long distance friend and my close friend at the palace. Thanks for making me laugh, smile and cry. Thank you for helping us get out of here. Thank you for being my Luke Castellan again."

He pulled me into a hug, resting his head in the crook of my neck. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Annie. I wasn't thinking, I caused you so much pain." He sighed. "I'm sorry and thank you for being my family."

I pulled back from the hug, my eyes filling with tears as I stared at my childhood heroes face. His scar was more prominent than ever, his sandy blond hair dirty as hell and his cold blue eyes filled with so much sincerity and love. "I wouldn't want it any other way."