When We Were 'Us'

Some Of Us Like To Bend Rules- Luke POV

"Hey lets play twenty questions."

I laughed. "How cliche. I love it."

Annabeth shook her head. "Well there's one that's cliche and one that's not. The one that's cliche isn't actually twenty questions though."

I turned my wheelchair to look more directly at her. "How so?"

"Whenever I play twenty questions with people here at camp they play this version where you go back and forth answering questions that the other person asks," she explained, "but proper twenty questions is one of us thinking about something and the other one trying to guess it by asking twenty yes or no questions."

"Oh, yeah, I think I saw one of those machines in a bookstore a while back," I nodded. "I wasn't doing any actual reading - remember when that pack of hellhounds were chasing us? Turns out books are just as effective bludgeoning tools as a golf club."

Annabeth snorted. "I would assume so, blunt force trumps most weapons. But yeah, that game. Have you ever played it?"

"Not really. Haven't had too much time to myself before. First I was running, then I was running to camp, then I was questing, then I was being team leader, and then I was in the army, and then I've been in a coma," I shrugged.

"Fair... it's one of my favorite games though, so do you wanna play?"

"Yeah, sure, let's go," I said, cracking my neck. "Who thinks first?"

"We could rock paper scissors to decide?"

"That's fair." I brought my hand up, narrowing my eyes and trying to guess her move.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"

"Hah! Suck it!" I grinned. "Wait, does that count as my first thinky bit time?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, smiling. She knows me well enough to know that joke. "Yes, you pick something first. If you can 'thinky' of something unique."

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, hit me." I continued quickly. "But, like, in the leg so I won't feel it."

"Oh no, if I was going to hit you I'd make sure you could feel it. Okay, so is it an animal?"

"Yes," By technicality, but I don't have to say that.

"Okay... does it breathe air?" Annabeth tipped her head.

"Yes." honest answer this time. No trickery.

"Can it fly?"

"If hit hard enough, and or put in a plane? Yes," I laughed. "Otherwise, no."

She shook her head, smiling. "Okay, does it have fur?"

I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "No."

"Alright... is it bigger than a cat?"

I nodded.

"Bigger than a wolf?"

I paused. "Paw to back, or standing on hind legs?"

"Standing up, like all feet and or paws that should be on the ground are there."

"I think so? I've never seen the two in the same room so it's kinda hard to visualise," I said hesitantly. "Yeah I think so."

"Well that's not helpful..." Annabeth frowned. "Okay, does it have four legs?"

"Nope."

"It's stuck in my head so I'm getting it out of the way. Is it an ostrich?"

"No," I snorted. "How many is that?"

"Eight, I think... no fur, two legs, breathes air... does it wear anything? I don't know."

"I never said it's got two legs," I grinned. It does, but I never said that. "And yes, yes it does."

"Right but bugs are a no so I'm going with other things. Are you thinking of humans?" Annabeth raised her eyebrows.

"No," I said slowly, thinking of a human. A specific one, too.

"Is it a human?" She shot me a teasing look. She knows how I think.

"Maybe." My grin probably confirmed it.

"Is it me?"

"Nope, but I think about you a lot anyway."

She laughed. "Is it someone at camp?"

"Yes." Sorta.

"At Camp Halfblood?" She clarified.

"Well, not anymore," I shrugged.

"Not anymore... oh, is it Percy?"

"No, that'd be incredibly mean. 'Oh who am I? Your ex'," I shook my head.

Annabeth snorted. "Okay so is it someone who's not alive?"

"Ehh, you could say that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She frowned.

"I thought these are yes or no," I teased.

"You didn't answer the last question with a yes or no!"

"It's a yes, by technicality," I finally said.

"Not alive by technicality. That's so weird... are they immortal? Wait that doesn't make sense...."

"Is that your question?"

"Yeah why not." Annabeth shrugged.

"No. Two left," I reminded her.

"Um... is it Zoë Nightshade?"

"Who?"

"Oh right, forget it." Annabeth waved me off. "Okay last one... I don't know."

"What, you're just gonna give up?" I teased.

"I don't know what goes on in your messed up head." She stuck her tongue out. "Is it the Oracle? She was human once, and she is now, kind of."

"Nope. Any last guesses?"

"No."

"It's me, but with functional legs." I shot her a teasing grin.

Annabeth laughed. "That's not fair! I was thinking of things that exist now!"

[A/N as always, @LordOfThePen helped with dialogue]