~Playlist: "Treacherous" by Taylor Swift~

"I can't decide if it's a choice getting swept away"

Reyna's POV

"So, this is it, huh?" Hazel says. "After today, I'm out of the Selection."

"It's not over. We still have to go to the Demigod Institute, see what they want. This entire thing is far from over, Hazel."

She sighs, and wraps her arms around herself. "Yeah, I know. It just won't be the same. We won't be at the palace anymore, and who even knows what they'll have us do there. I mean, do any of us really know what it even means to be a demigod?"

"That's why we're going: to learn."

"Thirty-five girls came here," Percy says, his voice interrupting our conversation. I shift in my chair so that I'm facing towards him. "The number dwindled until it became the six Elite. And now, the five Elite. And today, that number will become three Selected girls left in the Selection."

Excited murmurs fill the room, but I don't listen to a single one of them. I focus on Thalia Grace's figure as she sips a glass of apple cider casually, as if she doesn't care about whatever the Prince is about to reveal, unlike the rest of the room. Everyone except for her is practically leaning forwards in their seats. The click of her glass as she sets it back onto the table is the only audible noise.

Thalia catches me looking at her and after a confused look, a sharp grin replaces it. She winks at me from across the room. Caught off guard, I inhale sharply.

Hazel looks at me, frowning. Her eyebrows furrow together as she tilts her head to the side, the universal body language for, You okay?

I nod briefly before turning my attention back towards Percy, purposefully not looking anywhere near Thalia's direction.

"Leaving today are Hazel Levesque and Piper McLean," Percy says. "Due to the turn of recent events, it has been decided that the Selection needs to come to a close soon, and unfortunately, that means that Miss Hazel and Miss Piper will be leaving. Thank you both."

Hazel and I exchange a frown. This wasn't what he was supposed to say. This wasn't sticking to the script we had so meticulously planned this morning. What was Percy doing?

"And-" he starts to say.

But something interrupts him. A pretty girl, who looks to be around sixteen, slams open the doors. The crowd turns to look at her at the same time, a rippling wave of moving heads. It takes me a moment to recognize her.

For some reason, Bianca di Angelo is storming through the ballroom, panic written across her face.

"Bianca?" Percy asks, sounding just as confused as I feel. "Bianca, what are you doing here? You're not ready to leave the infirmary yet."

"Nico," she says, still walking. As she comes closer, I can make out the tears in her eyes. "Someone came into the infirmary and took him. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't."

Whispering breaks out, and I have to clench my hands into fists to keep from yelling at them. They act as if our lives are some soap opera that will be safely resolved. What they're not aware of is that we have no control over what happens, including Nico's disappearance.

"Do you know who it was?" Percy asks as several guards file in behind Bianca, as if they were drawn by her cry for help. Jason, Frank, and Leo are among them, and they automatically walk towards the podium where I and the other Elite are seated.

Bianca shakes her head. "It was a girl, and she had green eyes."

Willow, I think immediately. From Hazel's hardened stare, I can tell that she thought the same thing that I did.

"Willow?" I ask. She turns her head towards me, and I can see that, despite her tears, her gaze is strong and unwavering.

"No, not Willow. Someone else."

I look around me, searching to see if anyone else has an answer. Everyone appears to be as dumbfounded as I am. Except for Annabeth.

She's looking at the wall sharply, as if she's looking for somebody. Annabeth scowls and stands up.

"Percy," she says, and he turns towards her. "The DI."

"I swear to God, if I could just have one gathering without someone trying to mess it up, that would be great," he mutters bitterly. "Do you know where she would go?"

Annabeth pauses to think. "Somewhere obvious."

"Let's go," Percy says, this time to the rest of us. Then, he addresses the crowd. "A brief intermission, if you will. Talk amongst yourselves."

The rest of us stand up and walk down the stairs.

"Why are they the only ones to be protected?" I hear a man whisper to his table. "They're not the only important ones here."

Though I want to, I don't stop to correct him. We're not going to a safe place: we're headed towards the middle of the action, if there is any.

We pass Thalia's table, and I seem to be the only one that notices her as she continues to drink from her glass.

"That means you, too, Grace," I say while I grab her wrist and pull her out of her seat. She falls into line with the rest of us.

"Do you know who it was?" Thalia hisses in my ear from behind me once we exit the ballroom.

The group breaks into a jog. Well, more of a fast walk for us girls, since running in heels and a dress that weighs more than I do isn't a good combination for running.

"No clue, but I think Annabeth does. She won't tell us anything except for 'the DI'."

I hear Thalia chuckle. "Classic Annabeth. But why would the DI try and hurt one of us? Aren't they supposed to be on our side?"

"I don't know if you realized this, but this entire Selection hasn't made any sense. I think rules are now made to be broken."

"That doesn't make any sense," Jason says. I realize that the entire group was listening in on our conversation. For some reason, that upsets me. Did they not respect our privacy? "Nothing is made to be broken."

"Pinatas," Leo says cheerfully from the back.

"Glowsticks," Rachel points out.

"Rules," Thalia says with a wicked grin.

"Yes, yes, and no," Hazel says, shaking her head.

"Anyways," Thalia says. "Where are we even going?"

"It's Esmerelda," Annabeth explains from the front of our large group. "She's taken Nico. Why, I'm not sure. But if I were her, I'd go somewhere obvious, like mine or Percy's bedroom. That way, no guards find her, but we will."

"But what does she want with Nico?" Bianca demands.

"I don't know, Bianca, but I know that he isn't hurt. He's perfectly fine. Esmerelda would never hurt him," Annabeth consoles her.

"This is the same Esmerelda that practically killed everyone at the trial, right?" Leo asks unhelpfully. "You know, the tiger-roach one."

"Yes, Leo," Piper says with a sharp glare for him. "But if Annabeth trusts her, then I do, too." She smiles at Annabeth, who returns the gesture.

"So, where are we going first?" Frank questions. "Percy's room, or Annabeth's?"

Percy and Annabeth exchange a brief look. "Percy's," they say in unison.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Leo stops, causing everyone else to do the same. "How did you two do that?" he demands, placing his hands on his hips for emphasis. "Read each others minds like that?"

They shrug at the same time, and Leo jumps. "Stop that! It's freaky."

"We have to find Nico!" exclaims Bianca. "We've already wasted enough time as it is."

She continued to move forwards. Leo shrugged before following her.

We went the rest of the way in silence. With each step, we seemed to quicken the pace ever so slightly, until we reached a full-on run. At one point, I stopped to take off my shoes. Thalia grabs one of them off the floor before I have a chance to, and she runs ahead of me. I grumble, pick up my other shoe, and follow.

Percy slams open his door. Sure enough, Esmerelda is lounged on the bed, laying diagonally. Meanwhile, Nico is slouched in a large chair.

"Nico!" Bianca cries, her voice filled with relief. She lunges to his side, and examines him to make sure that he isn't really hurt. "Mi fratello, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," he says, shrugging out of her grip.

She turns towards Esmerelda, her eyes burning with angry while the other girl gazes forwards blankly. "You," Bianca growls before standing up and pouncing on the bed.

Esmerelda is gone in an instant. A large tiger takes her place, and Bianca stops herself before she falls onto the large animal. The tiger licks it's chops, and growls.

"I don't know if anyone else cares, but there's a tiger on my bed," Percy says incredulously. "A tiger. On my bed."

"We can see that," Annabeth says calmly. "Esmerelda, what do you want with Nico?"

She shifts back into a girl, and continues to lay on Percy's bed. "You're welcome."

"Excuse me?" I ask sharply. "Why would we be thanking you?"

"Because right now, an attack just happened in the ballroom," Esmerelda says, waving her hand in the direction of the door. "Some of Willow's followers decided today would be a good idea to storm the palace, and kill the Prince."

Percy pales noticeably. "You left people in there!" he cries. I realize that the look of fear on his face isn't for what could have happened if we stayed, but rather what will happen because we left. "Innocent people that will now be killed."

"Relax, Prince," she says casually, stretching her long limbs as she sits up. "I sent several of my soldiers in there to protect them. Now, I'm in charge of delivering you lot to the Demigod Institute safely. Could I have done that if Willow's men got to you?" When no one answers her question, she grins and nods to herself. "Exactly. So, you're welcome."

"I'm still not going to thank you," Bianca says while crossing her arms.

"I think I can live with that, surprisingly enough," Esmerelda says. "Now, we only got one shot at this, so no one better mess this up."

"Mess what up?" Jason asks once she pauses.

"We have to make a run for it," she says with a frown. Esmerelda cocks her head to the side, like she's listening to something no one else can hear. "We can't spare any men at the moment, so we're on our own. Oh, come on! The Prince and them are more important!"

After a second, she grumbles, "Yeah, I know this is exactly why I'm not in charge. Well, if any of them end up dead, I'm going to blame you."

"A-are we going to die?" Frank stammers.

"Relax, I was just trying to scare Sam. He's the only one that's going to meet us. Now, when I say we run, you run like your life depends on it."

"Which it does," Thalia adds with a wicked smile. Though I roll my eyes, I can't help but want to smile.

"So this is it?" Piper asks. "We're leaving right now? The palace, the Selection? Everything? There's no engagement announcement?"

"Not anymore, there isn't. Don't worry, we have a plan. The DI isn't just going to leave you to fend for yourselves," Esmerelda says. She opens the door widely. "On the count of three, we run. Understood?"

We nod as she holds up a finger.

"One. Two. Three!"

My heart pounds. Especially when I feel a light hand press against my back as someone pushes me forwards.

It only accelerates as I realize that it was Thalia Grace.

A/N
This may be my only update for a bit since this is exam week. I have my three hardest exams tomorrow and the day after. So I'll be studying for that.