Rachel's POV

Screams echo down the hallway, the same hallway Percy and Piper disappeared down. Should I follow? I don't want to get in trouble again.

A few guards shoulder me aside as they run to where the screams are coming from. I push my red hair behind my ear and jog after them, a feat that's near impossible in a long dress and heels.

I finally see the other guards, Piper McLean, and the prince leaning over two figures lying on the ground. I rush over to Percy, but he stands up before I can meet him. He lunges at the guard who is holding a whip.

"Why would you hurt them?" he shouts at the guard. "They did nothing to you, and they were unharmed! Silena is a lady of the Selection!"

"She was, but not anymore. She has to go back to where she came from," the guard growls. "Now the dirty, filthy little-"

I almost miss another guard hit the whip-holding one. The new guard is handsome, with blonde hair and electric blue eyes. The blonde guard holds the other one in place.

I've never seen Percy this angry. There's a fire in his eyes and his hands are clenched tightly, forming fists. Since the start of the Selection, I've seen a caring and sympathetic Percy. I don't know who this Percy is. 

"No harm will come to Silena, or the guard," Percy says slowly. "They will return home safely and resume to their normal lives. This doesn't leave the room, understood?"

"Your highness," the blonde guard says just as the Prince turns away. "It was announced while the Report was being aired. The information has already been broadcasted to the homes of everyone in Illea."

Percy spins around and punches the wall with an audible force. I gasp in shock and for the first time, he looks at me. His eyes seem to clear a bit, as if there was a fog that I managed to eliminate.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?"

I straighten up and smooth down my dress. "I'm here to help. When the guard came and shouted, I wanted to find out what was wrong."

"So you're just here because you were curious?" His voice is accusing. "Just go away, Rachel. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do to help."

"How do you know? All you've done lately is ignore me, and I'm sick of it," Percy lowers his gaze back to Silena and the guard. "Look at me!" I shout.

His eyes snap back to me. I see the fire that was in his eyes is back, this time directed at me. "Rachel, go back to your room or so help me-"

"Both of you shut up!" A new voice shouts. I look down, surprised to see Piper. I thought she left. "Silena and Charles Beckendorf are dying, and all you two are doing is arguing! After this is over, have at it. But now, I need one of you to go to the hospital wing and get help," she snaps.

"Officer Grace, take Justin to your head guard, then go to the hospital and get all the doctors and two stretchers," the Prince says. "And do it quickly."

The blonde guard, Officer Grace, drags the other guard down the hallway and disappears from sight. I turn back to Percy, only to find that he's on the ground next to Piper. I edge closer to them, hoping to hear a bit of their conversation.

"...were right, you know. I'm sorry to have lost myself so much. I'm just angry that things like this keeps happening. First it was Willow who attacked you, and now a guard attacked Silena. Is this a sign that I should end the Selection?"

"No," Piper says firmly. "If you end it, you're world will be one of 'what if'. If you end it now, you'll regret it later. Trust me, you'll regret it if you leave words unsaid."

"How do we stop the blood?" He asks, changing the subject. In response, Piper rips off a piece of her dress.

"It's thin, but it's better than nothing." She presses it to Silena's arm. Percy undoes his tie and puts it on the fallen guard's chest.

"Is this a bad time?" A new voice asks. I turn and see a boy a few years younger than myself. He's all dark hair and pale skin, the kind of person I would love to draw. His pallor sets off his dark hair just right.

"Nico?" Percy asks. "What are you doing here?"

Nico's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I was invited by you, remember? Or did I get that wrong? Because I can leave if-" he breaks off, finally seeing Silena and the guard. "What the heck happened here?"

"Long story, but I need you to go to the hospital wing to get help. I already sent Officer Grace, but I don't know if he got there yet," Percy orders. "I'm sorry you had to come at such a bad time."

"I'll be back," Nico promises before taking off.

"Who was that?" Piper asks.

"Nico di Angelo. He's my cousin from Italy. I invited him to stay with us since he hates it at home."

"Do you think Silena will be alright? And the guard?" Piper asks, her voice filled with worry.

"I hope so," was all Percy said.

"Earlier today, I saw them together. But I didn't want to tell anyone, I didn't want them to get in trouble," Piper confesses. "Yet they were found anyways."

"I don't like that rule of the Selection. You ladies shouldn't be restricted to only me. This should be a chance for you to meet others."

I inch backwards, feeling as if they already forgot I was there. I'm almost out of earshot when I hear it.

"Piper, looking back now, I realized that I never checked up on you after the incident involving Willow. It's my responsibility to watch over the ladies remaining here, and I didn't. To make up for it, would you care to meet me in the palace movie theater later?"

Piper cocks her head to the side in a bird-like way. "I didn't know there was a movie theater here?"

Percy laughs. "Yeah, there's also a bowling alley, and we just installed Narnia."

"It's a date," she chuckles.

Someone behind me clears their throat. I see Officer Grace with several nurses and one boy who appears to be my age with golden blonde hair. Percy's cousin, Nico di Angelo, if with them as well. For some reason, Officer Grace's blue eyes look hurt and betrayed.

"I can help them," the boy Officer Grace brought announces. "What happened?"

"One of the guards whipped them," Percy explains. "The bleeding won't stop, no matter what we do."

Two nurses scurry forward, holding a stretcher. They carefully load Silena on to it. With a small gasp, she opens her eyes.

"Charlie," she says softly. "Where's Charlie?" The guard laying on the floor stirs, as if hearing his name.

"He'll be right behind you, miss," the golden haired boy reassures her. "We just need to bring you to the hospital wing."

"Charlie," is all she says. The boy injects something into her arm and Silena falls silent.

"Morphine," he explains. "It should help with the pain." He injects the morphine into the boy, Charlie, as well.

The two nurses carrying Silena retreat back towards the dark hallway. Her pink dress is bloodstained and ripped.

"Thank you, Will," Percy says to the golden haired boy. "Make sure no one else visits them. One of the guards seemed to be a bit too keen to hurt them."

"Of course, your highness," Will says before turning around to leave.

I clear my throat and finally talk. "Percy? Do you think that they'll be alright?" Nico gives me a stern look before kneeling beside his cousin.

Before he can answer, the majority of the Selected fills the corridor. I hear multiple gasps and one person stifles a sob at the sight of Charlie being loaded onto a stretcher. I'm glad they already took away Silena.

I hear an almost gagging noise from Percy's direction. I turn and see that Nico is standing, clutching his heart. His face is white as if he saw a ghost.

"Bianca?" He whispers.

A/N
Hopefully this was a good enough to make up for not updating for almost two months. I know, another cliffhanger, but this one will be resolved sooner than the last.