what's left to lose, anyways?

Chapter 2: All My Demons

~o:O:o~

"All my demons,

Greeting me here as a friend

I'm home,

Waiting for time to let go

Peace in my body and soul."

~All My Demons, AURORA

~o:O:o~

Annabeth sat in her chair, fidgeting with the bond Ikora had given her. The symbol of a warlock, apparently. Piper had taken her to a small ramen shop for dinner (Come on, Annabeth! Girl's night out, please?), but despite it's size, the shop was packed. Annabeth straightened when she saw her friend come up to her, biting her lip and blushing. Annabeth smirked.

"Annabeth, do you mind if I join you in a bit? I-"

"Jason's here, isn't he?" Annabeth said smugly. Piper noticeably blushed and pouted.

"You're no fun, Annabeth."

She laughed. "Go ahead, I can wait."

Piper's face lit up with a smile and planted a kiss on Annabeth's cheek.

"Girl, you rock!" she said happily. Annabeth smiled and waved her away. She sighed and put her head against the table. Eventually, she looked up to observe her surroundings.

The walls of the old shop were lined with old newspaper articles, some even pre-golden age. Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombed by United States, one of the headlines read.

Suicide bomber kills 5 people at New York City Airport.

Mother and her child reported to have gone missing on Long Island.

Pope found assassinated with knife wound in his neck.

Annabeth sighed. She understood the necessity of war, but did not enjoy it. Sometimes blood had to be shed to protect one's home. She soon forgot about Piper and her business at the shop, instead pondering and sorting her thoughts on war. What caused war? Well, argument, when you boil it down. Why did they fight the war? That depended on one's own self. Why was she fighting this war? Yes, she had seen the power of the Light numerous times. Just the previous day, she had seen one of Cayde's hunters use it to become nearly invisible (she later learned that the name of said hunter was Evie Frye; she made a mental note to keep her distance as was more than fierce on the battlefield). She had seen Percy summon twin blades that crackled with Arc light, and she herself had managed to pull off a fiery, trance-like state, which Piper called Daybreak.

But Power was not something Annabeth appealed to. She felt drawn to Knowledge, and no amount of Power could compare to its value in her eyes.

So why did she fight?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a certain Hunter slid into the seat opposite of her. "Fancy seeing you here," he said with a smirk. Annabeth scoffed. In the two months she had known Percy, she felt like they were already best friends. Or something.

He was still a huge dork, no matter how Annabeth tried to look at it.

"What did you do this time, Seaweed Brain?" she said, rolling her eyes. He smirked and pulled off his gauntlets. He was dressed in his gear and looked like someone had shoved his face in the dirt.

"Just here with some buddies. Why?"

"Just got back from the Crucible, huh?"

"Wow, how'd you guess?" he deadpanned. She rolled her eyes. "Lucky guess?"