The Half-Blood Project

8- Secrets That Come From The Grave

Annabeth Chase 

This is why Dad didn't want you. 

You're a monster. 

No-one loves you. 

That night I do not sleep, my head hit's the pillow and my eyes are still open staring at the green wall of the bedroom in the Bunker. The snores of Piper and Katie only keep me awake, so many thoughts are running through my mind. 

In honesty, I don't even know what to do with the information I gave Percy. He was right not to tell everyone, best keep it until we truly know what we are dealing with and it's already killing me. If everyone else was like I was right now, it would be chaos. 

Percy was right. Sometimes it's best to keep secrets until the secrets are safe enough to tell. 

Is that what Dad thought? Did he even know who Mom was? And then was he so revolted that he had to forget about her, but couldn't bear to give up his supposed child to foster care as he would feel guilty? 

Yeah right. I've been presumed dead for years. If Dad had any conscience he would have filed a police report the day he found me went from my bed and the window slightly open. 

I couldn't take it anymore. I got up and went to the bathroom, maybe to find a glass of water and drink it until I felt drowsy or go upstairs and flick through my laptop, I could even find a movie to watch. I hadn't done that in years.

Not since Luke. 

I stare at myself in the mirror, bags underneath my eyes, my blonde hair, as always was in its usual braid down my shoulder, a little messy, a couple of curls around my forehead and ear. 

Closing the door and locking it, I take off my sweatshirt, standing in my sports bra, looking at the wreckage of a body I have. Scars, all across, mostly small ones from monsters and some people. Two large ones. The first snakes up from my back, over my shoulder, and then to my ear, the only visible one without long-sleeves. The second stretches across my back and down to my tailbone, that one is the oldest this when I was eight years old. 

I stare at it nearly every night. 

Ugly. They are so ugly, I feel the hot prickly tears form, the bubble of my throat. But no sound comes out and no tears fell down my cheeks. 

You're weak

A monster. 

No-one will love you. 

The words I hear every-night in my head return. 

This time I shake my head, braid flying. No. I won't listen to them. Give in to their wants for me to feel weak and useless. I throw my navy blue sweatshirt on, glare at the ugly reflection, unlock the bathroom door, and shut the lights off. 

Then I fall asleep on my mattress, letting the comfort take me away. 

I know they will come back in the morning, but for now, I let myself rest in the time that I have to. 

---

The world spins around and around, making my vision blurry. It takes me a few moments to realize I haven't woken up yet and this is a dream. 

The dreams do not come every night, sometimes I only get a few words and gimmicks from the darkness and I usually forget by morning but I already know this is different. Because the voice's in the dark this time, have faces and those faces are real. 

Kronos. The ugly man perched on top of an obsidian throne, it looks uncomfortable, I would rather much sit on a wooden throne than something crudely made from precious stone. 

But here, Kronos looked different than he did before, I always figured that he wore wigs and did really good make-up to hide from the real world, but now...something is wrong. The way his nose is upturned slightly and there a brownish blue behind the golden glow of his eyes. 

Is he possessing someone's body?

This sickens to me to the core and I want to barf, but it's a dream, not reality.

"Sir, Commander Castellan is waiting for you." A guard holding a long burnished bronze spear said to Kronos. A sickly smile crosses his snake-like lips. 

"Bring him in." The voice was like a knife scraping on concrete, metallic and harsh, cold, and unforgiving. I shuddered at this but my heart dropped when Luke walked in. 

He looked healthier like he had gained weight, not as thin as he used to be. His blonde hair was close-cropped and his blue eyes shone with this happiness I've never seen before. 

He's happy serving a criminal master-mind who is probably a Titan who swallowed his kids two thousand years ago. 

"My lord." He bows and Kronos still has an ugly smile.

"What do you have for me today Luke? Good news I hope." 

"They are slowly figuring us out sir, the Half-Bloods, a new figure has joined their team. One I hoped wouldn't." In an instant I know he's talking about me. But why did he hope this? Was there still care left in his motionless body. I see something flicker in his bright, baby blue eyes, but it passes just as quickly as it came. 

"The Chase girl." Kronos spat and another shiver ran down my spine. "I told you to kill her when you got the chance. She disrupted out shipping in Boise. We're down on Celestial Bronze because of her. Where are Half-Blood-Project's whereabouts?" 

Luke gulped like he had wished he hadn't angered his boss. "Somewhere out West, I've had teams scouting them for months. As disorganized as they seem, they do know how to keep themselves concealed." 

"Are you complimenting the enemy Castellan?"Kronos roared all of a sudden making Luke jump back a few steps.

"N-no, sir! Not at all, just merely noticing that it's taken months to even find out what direction they are in." Luke explains quickly. Kronos leans on his hand, the golden eyes flickering from brown to gold.

"I want all of them dead. Especially Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase. I want their heads for my collection." He crooned, stroking the armrest of his throne-like it was a pet or something. My stomach turned upside down, at the thought of my head hanging on his wall for his entertainment.

"Yes sir. Are we going to send Krios back to Tam or not?"

Kronos sat up and his gold eyes hardened into stone.

"When we officially declare war on the half-bloods, yes. But for now, my dear brother needs to gather his strength. And we need to rebuild Mount Tam or as I call it, Orthys."

The darkness started to spin again and the evil laughter faded into nothing.

I woke with a cold sweat, I checked my wristwatch. 6:10 am. The sun was probably rising by now. Everyone else was asleep. I stretched, sitting on my bunk and staring into the darkness of the room.

It takes me a moment to realize the events of the dream. Luke, Kronos, someone named Krios. Declaring war on us.

We just want to live our lives separate from the real world and enjoy ourselves.

Declaring war will only end with the bloodshed we don't need.