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"Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong."
― Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth.

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Rachel was weak, hurt and out of options. He grabbed her by the neck. "That's not payback enough, don't you thi-"

All of a sudden, something flew through the air and he screamed in pain. When Rachel looked back, two arrows were struck on, one to his chest and another to his right shoulder - by luck - exactly to the spot where she had stabbed him before.

She didn't know why but the first thing she thought was 'Percy'. She knew it wasn't possible though. He must be in a safe room by now. This was one of the guards.

No one showed up for a second and Rachel panicked.

Was this another intruder?

To her relief, a girl came out of the shadows about 50 feet ahead.

To her utter surprise, it was Annabeth.

Wait, you're telling me that she threw these arrows FROM 50 FEET AWAY and it hit him and not me?

That too, two arrows.

In one shot.

Wasn't she horrible at archery?

In a second, she was next to her and she kicked the guard until he stopped moving. Rachel turned around and saw that he had a face shield on this time.

So that's why Annabeth didn't go for the head...

Would she kill though? That's...

The thought scared Rachel.

Rachel gaped in wonder. "Aren't you bad at archery?"

Annabeth snickered. "No thank you? No gratefulness for saving your life? That's what you ask?"

Rachel was still stunned. "But..."

Annabeth took a look at her leg. "We need to take that out. You'll hurt yourself if you walk with that."

Suddenly Rachel's leg felt numb. She leaned harder on the wall and hissed. "My legs... they feel..."

Annabeth was alarmed. "Shit, it could be poisoned."

Annabeth had a lot of annoying habits - calling Percy out in between meals and making random conversation, having a gang of actual friends in between Selection, knowing the palace like...you get the idea. Rachel didn't want to dislike Annabeth. She knew it was all because of the Selection. Maybe in another world, if these things weren't bothering them, they could have been friends - assuming Percy wasn't in the equation of course.

But this minute she purely hated her because Rachel didn't know one of the annoying habits she had was removing knives out of hurt people without a prior warning.

She hollered in pain and glared daggers at Annabeth.

Annabeth scoffed. "I'm doing this for you."

"Yeah right."

Annabeth tore a long piece of fabric out of her grey dress and used it to cover her wound as she watched in amazement.

"I fake it." Annabeth said.

"What?", asked Rachel.

"The archery. I always hit right where I want to."

Rachel's face must have done something weird because Annabeth laughed. "Why?"

"You can't let your opponent know your real weakness. So, you fake one. It's a battle strategy. The gang has one each. I chose archery because I don't use it much. That's strategy too. "

"So, Percy isn't bad with memory?"

Annabeth tensed. "You've done your research, huh?"

Rachel noticed how she didn't answer the question but maybe it wasn't her place to ask at all. "So, you're good at everything?"

Annabeth got up and helped her up too. "I'm good at weapons."

Just then, Percy came running from the other end of the corridor. He paused, looking at the two of them and then frowned. "Annabeth! I told you to stay in the saferoom. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Yeah and you were late, Seaweed brain."

He blinked and she moved forward. Rachel winced at the sudden movement.

"What happened?" He asked.

Annabeth passed Rachel to Percy as she bent down to look at the wound again. "I think there was poison on the knife. She shouldn't move."

Percy cursed something she didn't recognize. Then, in one swift movement, he carried her on his arms.

Rachel liked it of course and Annabeth clearly didn't. She started walking in front of them but Rachel stopped her. "You saved my life."

"Yeah, well... let's not make a habit of it. What are you doing here, Dare?"

Rachel was surprised she knew her full name. Maybe Annabeth did her research too.

In no time, they were in the saferoom and Percy left Rachel to go check on everyone else. Rachel felt a weird sense of attachment to him. Someone named Will Solace asked her about the wound and gave her first aid.

Rachel watched as Annabeth and Percy argued in the other side of the room. Although, with those two, you could never tell - they could just be talking. Percy said something inaudible. Annabeth held his face between her hands and said something to which he looked away.

Rachel had to admit: even after Percy literally carried her over a long distance, she was jealous.

It's just... Percy allowed Annabeth to touch him, like consent was obvious. She needn't even ask. He never did it with any other Selected and there were only so many things one could attribute to their friendship. This felt like it was more than that. Rachel knew Percy would protest if she kissed him or something, though. That wasn't appropriate with everyone (especially the Selected) around. But she wondered if he'd really protest from his heart or just his head.

She didn't like the answer that her mind gave her.

..................

Percy and Annabeth walked over to the saferoom doors.

"Did anyone else get hurt?" She asked.

"No. Just scratches. It's all good."

She hesitated. "You saw it didn't you?"

He nodded. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I thought it was a fake alarm and then Rachel..." He looked around. "I'm gonna go find out what's going on okay? Why is Jason not back yet?"

She nodded, still tensed.

Annabeth walked over to Rachel who had just got fresh stitches from Will. Piper, Katie and Maria were with her. There was no bandage downstairs so it was still open and slightly bleeding.

"Should we clean the blood?" Asked Maria.

Annabeth nodded and grabbed one of the bottles from the sides. She passed it to Katie who poured it onto her dress fabric and brought it close to the wound.

Annabeth looked at Rachel. "This won't sting much. We should make sure it doesn't get infected."

Katie pressed the fabric on the wound. Rachel cursed and wailed in pain. Surprised, Katie drew her hand away.

"Is that normal?" Piper asked.

Annabeth sat beside her. "No. Not unless it's a fracture."

Rachel shouted. "What the hades is that?"

Annabeth frowned and took the bottle. "Water, Rachel." She opened the bottle and smelled it.

It smelled like ocean air. Curious, Annabeth brought the bottle to her lips and almost immediately spat the liquid out.

It was water, sure, but it was salt water. Like it was fresh from the sea.

Piper followed and said, "Salt water."

Why exactly was salt water in bottles in saferoom A?

Did Percy drink this water before?

Annabeth smiled guiltily. "That's technically better."

Rachel scowled at her.

............................

When Percy came back this time, he was with Jason, a few councilmen and councilwomen. Annabeth approached them.

Jason asked, "You okay, Annabeth?"

Why was he so concerned?

It's Annabeth bro, his mind reminded him.

"Yeah. What's the situation?" She asked.

Jason shrugged. "False alarm."

"But..."

"I know. The other guard who helped Rachel is hurt but okay. We still can't find who attacked her. He had left by the time I went back. I should've brought him with us." Percy said.

"Man, you had to help Rachel. It's okay." Said Jason.

Annabeth was at the front. She always was when it was just the three of them. Jason walked behind Percy, just in case. The three of them walked in the narrow corridors back to back and approached another, smaller saferoom. Someone was arguing inside.

Annabeth stopped in her tracks and Percy bumped into her. "Hey, Wise-"

What Percy heard made him stop in his tracks too. Annabeth paused for a minute and looked back at the two of them, as if accusing them of hiding this information but they were as puzzled as her. She looked confused, shocked and in panic.

She then ran towards that door and threw it open. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" She demanded.

Percy knew that voice. That was councilwomen...

.......................

Annabeth ran.

And ran and ran.

She wanted to be alone. Her father (assuming he still had any right left for that title besides biologically) had just told her that her number one role model in life - Athena - was her mom. It should be an awesome feeling - knowing that you're related to someone you looked up to your whole life - but it wasn't.

Not when that person spent 23 years of their life away from you because they didn't want you.

Years back, Annabeth had thought she knew what rejection felt like - when she was despised by her step-mother and kept away from her own half-brothers. She thought she knew what heartbreak felt like after confirming Percy's shenanigans first hand. Even, just a few days back, when she was practically disowned by her family, (who are, very conveniently, moving across the kingdom in the middle of the Selection) Annabeth had thought that that felt like a dagger to her heart.

It just kept getting better, didn't it?

If Annabeth was paying any attention, she would have realised someone was following her. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she panicked. She thrashed around and hit anything her elbows could reach.

"IT'S ME! ME!" Said Percy.

She stopped and turned around. Percy was looking at her with such concern that it made her want to push him away. She couldn't look weak. However, when he forced her to lean against a wall and brushed hair out of her face - she just melted. He kept wiping her tears and muttering comforting words but all of it slipped from one ear to the other. She couldn't concentrate properly on anything he said as she uncontrollably sobbed.

"Hey. Hey. It's okay. It will be oka-"

All those dramas, the movies and books - they mention that when your heart breaks, it shatters into a million pieces. Annabeth - for the thousandth time in her life - understood that painful broken pieces was the books' way of maintaining a PG13 rating and putting things lightly. The process of breaking is way more agonising than seeing the actual broken pieces themselves.

"Let it out. That's it. You're doing so good." He squeezed her shoulders and bent down to make her look at him but she couldn't do it.

Here's what they don't tell you: it feels like every negative emotion one's ever felt, every insecurity, every little doubt crushing your ribcage. Your throat constricts in painful spasms. There are majorly two options: If you cry, you feel your throat burning and it hurts. If you hold it in, all that pain flows like acid down your esophagus and it hurts harder. Every minute you make that decision between those two options, all of your past heartbreaks cloud your mind in red, opening old scars and reminding you of everything you spent years trying to heal.

Every time you mend your heart, it never feels complete. Why? Because some small pieces that break, they fly away in the wind before you gain enough strength to mend it. Your walls become higher, insecurities more, and trust less.

Annabeth? Well, she wasn't even sure she had a heart anymore.

What was she even thinking? How does a mere 18-year-old get a personal invite from a councilwoman for her 'future potential'? She didn't really have any potential, did she?

She sobbed even harder. Percy looked pained. He stopped saying anything and pulled her closer. Annabeth didn't even think, she just grabbed his shirt and cried as he rubbed comforting circles on her back. After a good few minutes, she calmed down enough for the sobs to be, still painful, but, controllable.

She took one deep breath and turned her head towards him and that is when she realised that a door was open a few steps away and someone was - No, it was Jason - giving them some privacy. She never felt as exposed and as grateful to him as she did now.

Then, she got angry.

The fact that Athena had recruited her in a sick attempt of self-redemption after abandoning her for years... Annabeth wasn't sure that was someone she wanted as her role model.

Annabeth would love to say things got better from there. Which, naturally, it didn't. On the bright side, no one else was hurt. By the time Percy and Annabeth (with Jason in a distance) walked through the secret tunnels a few times, holding hands and talking anything but about what they'd found out that day; the situation was under control. No casualties, no theft and no harm to the palace - all of which was more concerning than relieving for Annabeth.

If it was a false alarm then why the attack?

Did the guard try to take advantage of her?

Percy turned them around and guided her around the pillars close to saferoom A. He then turned to Jason. "We'll be back in a minute. Check the situation inside. I promise."

Jason looked between them awkwardly before nodding and leaving.

Annabeth leaned against the wall and Percy followed. "You alright?" He asked.

She snaked her arms around his neck. "Yeah. I mean, I still need some time to process but yeah..."

"It explains why she never approved of us hanging together."

"Yeah." She scoffed. "I guess the idea of her giving me the world!" She rolled her eyes. "Didn't mean tricking the Prince into falling in love with me and taking over the castle."

Percy grimaced like this wasn't what he was expecting the conversation to lead to.

She shrugged. "But hey, it pretty much covered everything else, didn't it? Royal life, ambition, goal, friends, money..." She said sarcastically and looked away.

Suddenly, she threw herself over him. Percy made a surprised sound as she kissed him. It was rough, like she was asking for it and Percy didn't shy away. He locked her face between his hands in a bruising grip and kissed back, harder.

It was probably the anger talking anyway. (Percy thought.)

When Percy tried to deepen it however, she pulled back and he was confused.

Did she not like it? But... Percy wasn't a bad kisser.

Did his breath not smell good? Probable, considering the last he used a mint was right after breakfast.

Eww. I need to take care of myself more.

She said. "We should go back. Jason will be back any second."

He laughed, trying to hide mild disappointment and embarrassment. "I'm willing to bet he never left."

On the other side of the coin, they never found who attacked Rachel which was alarming. Rachel was still injured which left Percy torn between spending time with Annabeth and Rachel. Annabeth told him to go check on Rachel though. She'd consumed too much of his time already. Besides, it was hard not to look at him without feeling vulnerable after she'd spent a good half an hour crying on his shoulders.

Annabeth was mostly glad when she found out that her gang had already left. She wasn't ready to share things with anyone but Percy yet. Even Jason felt like an invasion of privacy. She didn't hold it against him though. He couldn't possibly leave the Prince alone after someone was attacked in palace grounds, even if it was with a skilled fighter like Annabeth.

Unfortunately, that left her alone with Amber and Drew when she entered the safe-room.

Drew fake gasped. "Did you roll on the floor or something?"

Annabeth sighed. "I don't have the patience for you now."

Amber interrupted. "You should seriously consider getting a Givenchy Waterproof or Too Faced Lash Injection. Your mascara clearly didn't survive the rain." She spoke as if she was genuinely giving her fashion ideas and Annabeth wasn't sure what surprised her more: talking about makeup in the saferoom after an attack or that Amber didn't have enough substance to figure out she'd cried.

Evidently, Drew did.

What was annoying was that she looked happy about it.

But, schist.

She did not just walk around the tunnels holding hands with Percy with her face looking like a zombie.

Not to mention the kiss!

He didn't say a word about it!

Percy, you dork.

............