A/N: Hello! It's been so long. Sorry for the horrible wait. Finals hit me hard, so I had to spend most of my time doing schoolwork (yuck). But I'm back now, thanks to Winter break. This can be like an early Christmas present. :)

Percy the Elder

I was getting really tired of nightmares. You'd think that after having them nearly every night, they'd be old news. But that wasn't the case. Each new bad dream just brought with it new terror. Life sucked that way. The nightmare I found myself having this time wasn't the normal post-hell dream; instead, it was one of my memories.

A jar of thick green liquid was suddenly tossed into my hands, along with a roll of duct tape.

"Slap that one on the console. I'll get the turbines."

It was Beck who said it. A flash of grief mixed with guilt washed over me as I looked at my dead best friend. He was only a year older than me now. He wore black camo pants with a golden chest plate. Sadly, I couldn't watch him for very long as the memory continued to play out.

We went to work planting the bombs in the Princess Andromeda. The room was hot and humid, leaving us drenched in sweat. I tried to stop myself. These were the bombs that cost Beckendorf his life. Maybe if I just broke free, I'd be able to save him, but it was like I was a robot going through the motions.

Then I heard the pounding of feet on metal steps—so many creatures coming down the stairwell I could hear them over the engines. Not a good sign. My eyes locked with Beckendorf's. "How much longer?"

"Too long." He tapped his watch—the detonator. "I still have to wire the receiver and prime the charges. Ten more minutes at least."

But we only had about ten seconds.

"I'll distract them," I said. "Meet you at the rendezvous point."

"Percy—"

I wanted to say how sorry I was that I couldn't save him. I wanted to hug him, or at least tell him bye. Instead, all that came out of my mouth was, "Wish me luck."

The son of Hephaestus frowned, looking like he wanted to argue. "Good luck," he said.

I charged out the door.

Time sped up after that, like someone had pressed the fast-forward button on a TV remote. I bulled through the sea-demons on the stairs in the blink of an eye. The giant crab on the deck of the yacht was no match for me and was reduced to dust in seconds. Now weaponless, I climbed up the stairwell, only stopping briefly to tell a young demigod to round up all his friends and abandon ship.

I burst outside onto the main deck. Off the port bow, the sky was darkening from purple to black. A swimming pool glowed between two glass towers with more balconies and restaurant decks. The whole upper ship seemed eerily deserted.

All I had to do was cross to the other side. Then I could take the staircase down to the helipad—our emergency rendezvous point. Maybe this time, Beckendorf would meet me there and we'd jump into the sea. My water powers would protect us both, and we'd detonate the charges from a quarter mile away. Then Beck wouldn't have to die.

I was halfway across the deck when the sound of a voice made me freeze. "You're late, Percy."

Luke stood on the balcony above me, a smile on his scarred face. He wore jeans, a white T-shirt, and flip-flops, like he was just a normal college-age guy, but his eyes told the truth. They were solid gold. Unlike Hazel's warm, melted gold eyes, these were hard and sharp—as if just looking into them would be enough to cut me in half. They were the same eyes that continued to haunt my dreams to this day.

"We've been expecting you for days." At first he sounded normal, like Luke. But then his face twitched. A shudder passed through his body as though he'd just drunk something really nasty. His voice became heavier, ancient, and powerful—the voice of the Titan lord. The words scraped down my spine like a knife blade. I resisted the urge to shudder at the familiarity of it. "Come, bow before me."

"Yeah, that'll happen," I muttered.

Laistrygonian giants filed in on either side of the swimming pool as if they'd been waiting for a cue. Each was eight feet tall with tattooed arms, leather armor, and spiked clubs. Demigod archers appeared on the roof above Luke. Two hellhounds leaped down from the opposite balcony and snarled at me. Within seconds I was surrounded. The trap had been sprung.

I looked up at Luke, and anger boiled inside me. Kronos was in control of his body right now, but I knew Luke was still in there. He'd eventually fight the Titan for control and win long enough to kill himself.

"Come forward," the possessed son of Hermes announced. "If you dare."

A cruel smile twisted on Kronos's face, distorting the scar that ran down his cheek. A wave of hatred roared up in my gut. The Titan lord had killed so many of my friends. I knew where his weak spot was now. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could stab it with my blade.

The crowd of monsters parted around me as I moved up the stairs, my heart pounding. I was sure somebody would stab me in the back, but they let me pass. I felt my pocket and found my pen waiting. I uncapped it, and Riptide grew into a sword.

Kronos's weapon appeared in his hands—a six-foot-long scythe, half Celestial bronze, half mortal steel. Just looking at the thing made my knees turn to Jell-O. I remembered how much it hurt to be touched by that thing. But before I could change my mind, I charged.

Time slowed down. I mean, it literally slowed down, because Kronos had that power. It felt like I was moving through syrup. My arms were so heavy, I could barely raise my sword. The Titan smiled, swirling his scythe at normal speed and waiting for me to creep toward my death.

I tried to fight his magic, but it was like trying to lift a ten ton boulder. Concentrating on the sea around me, I channeled all my powers into it. Like the first time, nothing happened.

I took another slow step forward. Giants jeered. Dracaenae hissed with laughter. Hey, ocean, I pleaded. Any day now would be good.

All of the sudden, there was a wrenching pain in my gut. The entire boat lurched sideways, throwing monsters off their feet. Four thousand gallons of salt water surged out of the swimming pool, dousing everyone on the deck. The water revitalized me, breaking the spell, and I lunged forward.

I struck at the Titan, but I was still too slow. I made the mistake of looking at his face—Luke's face—a guy who was once my friend. I didn't want to kill him. But Kronos had no such hesitation. He sliced downward with his scythe. I leaped back, and the evil blade missed by an inch, cutting a gash in the deck right between my feet.

I kicked Kronos in the chest. He stumbled backward, but he was heavier than Luke should've been. It was like kicking a refrigerator.

Kronos swung his scythe again. I intercepted with Riptide, but his strike was so powerful, my blade could only deflect it. The edge of the scythe shaved off my shirtsleeve and grazed my arm. Immediately, my entire side exploded with agony. I could feel my strength, my will, my identity draining away.

Everything seemed to slow down, though this time it wasn't from Kronos. My eyes locked onto the Titan, whose face held a triumphant smirk. My vision tunneled. Dripping from his large scythe was a trail of dark, red blood—my blood.

Time resumed. I stumbled backward, switched my sword to my left hand, and lunged desperately. My blade would've run him through if he was normal, but it deflected off his stomach like I was hitting solid marble. He still had the Curse of Achilles, which meant that he only had one weak spot. I knew that I'd never be able to reach it in my condition.

Kronos laughed. "A poor performance, Percy Jackson. Luke tells me you were never his match at swordplay."

My vision started to blur. There wasn't much time now. "Luke had a big head," I said. "But at least it was his head."

"A shame to kill you now," Kronos mused, "before the final plan unfolds. I would love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus."

"You'll never get this boat to Manhattan." My arm was throbbing. Black spots danced in my vision.

"And why would that be?" Kronos's golden eyes glittered. His face—Luke's face—seemed like a mask, unnatural and lit from behind by some evil power. "Perhaps you are counting on your friend with the explosives?" He looked down at the pool and called, "Nakamura!"

"Success, my lord," Ethan called back. "We found him just as we were told."

A teenage guy in full Greek armor pushed through the crowd. His left eye was covered with a black patch. I knew him, of course: Ethan Nakamura, the son of Nemesis. I'd saved his life in the Labyrinth last summer, and in return, the demigod had saved mine when he refused to share my mortal spot with Kronos. Seeing him again was like a slap in the face.

Ethan clapped his hands, and two giants lumbered forward, dragging Charles Beckendorf between them. My heart almost stopped. Beckendorf had a swollen eye and cuts all over his face and arms. His armor was gone and his shirt was nearly torn off.

"No!" I yelled.

Beckendorf met my eyes. He glanced at his hand like he was trying to tell me something. His watch. They hadn't taken it, and that was the detonator. Nausea swelled in my stomach.

"We found him amidships," one of the giants said, "trying to sneak to the engine room. Can we eat him now?"

"Soon." Kronos scowled at Ethan. "Are you sure he didn't set the explosives?"

"He was going toward the engine room, my lord."

"How do you know that?"

"Er..." Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "He was heading in that direction. And he told us. His bag is still full of explosives."

Of course, that wasn't true. Beckendorf had thought on his feet and managed to fool them. When he'd realized he was going to be captured, he turned to make it look like he was going the other way. He'd convinced them he hadn't made it to the engine room yet. The Greek fire was still primed.

Kronos hesitated. The pain in my arm was so bad now I could barely stand. "Open his bag," he ordered.

One of the giants ripped the explosives satchel from Beckendorf's shoulders. He peered inside, grunted, and turned it upside down. Panicked monsters surged backward. If the bag really had been full of Greek fire jars, we would've all blown up. But what fell out were a dozen cans of peaches.

Anger rolled off the Titan in waves. "Did you, perhaps," he seethed, "capture this demigod near the galley?"

Ethan turned pale. "Um—"

"And did you, perhaps, send someone to actually CHECK THE ENGINE ROOM?"

The son of Nemesis scrambled back in terror, then turned on his heels and ran.

Now we had only minutes before the bombs were disarmed. I caught Beckendorf's eyes again. They were filled with grim determination. He knew he wasn't getting out of this alive. The zero sign he gave me confirmed it.

Kronos turned toward me with a crooked smile. "You'll have to excuse my incompetent help, Percy Jackson. But it doesn't matter. We have you now. We've known you were coming for weeks."

He held out his hand and dangled a little silver bracelet with a scythe charm—the Titan lord's symbol.

The wound in my arm was sapping my ability to think, but I muttered, "Communication device… spy at camp." And I knew exactly who the spy was, but she had made up for it with her heroic death. Still, that didn't erase all the death her actions caused, including her own boyfriend's.

Kronos chuckled. "You can't count on friends. They will always let you down. Luke learned that lesson the hard way. Now drop your sword and surrender to me, or your friend dies."

I swallowed. One of the giants had his hand around Beckendorf's neck. I was in no shape to rescue him, and even if I tried, he would die before I got there. We both would.

Beckendorf mouthed one word: Go.

I shook my head. I couldn't just leave him. I wouldn't do that. Not again.

The second giant was still rummaging through the peach cans, which meant Beckendorf's left arm was free. He raised it slowly—toward the watch on his right wrist.

I wanted to scream, NO!

But it was too late.

Suddenly, my eyes ripped open, the sounds of the explosion echoing in my ears. I sucked in a panicked breath, only to grimace as my ribs grinded together.

"You still drool in your sleep."

I whipped my head up so fast it almost gave my whiplash. A twelve-year-old girl with curly blonde princess hair stood in front of me with her arms crossed. Narrowed gray eyes glared at me suspiciously.

And then today's events came rushing back like a tsunami. I was in the past. Schist. I'd hoped that that had been part of the dream, but apparently not. Why did this kind of stuff always happen to me?

I tried to stand but met resistance. Looking down, I saw that someone had tied my arms to the armrests of a wooden chair. A quick glance at my surroundings confirmed that I was tied up in the basement of the Big House.

"We had to restrain you," mini Annabeth informed me.

"Why's that?"

The daughter of Athena clenched her little fists. "Don't play dumb with me, Jackson. You attacked Luke out of nowhere. I want to know why you did it."

Although Annabeth hated things being kept from her, I automatically knew that I couldn't tell her the truth. It would ruin her. Luke was practically her big brother; she idolized him.

"I didn't wait an hour for you to wake up just to talk to a brick wall," she said angrily. "Some of the others think you've gone rogue."

"Do you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I think you deserve a chance to explain yourself before I pass judgement."

"That's very wise of you, Wise Girl."

"Again with the nickname?" She made a face.

"C'mon, you love it."

Annabeth scoffed. "One would think that after five years, you'd finally manage to grow up."

I pouted. "Now that hurt, Annabeth. I am very mature."

She rolled her eyes. "I've met ten-year-olds more mature than you."

Crisis averted? Check. Point one for Percy.

"And don't think I've forgotten that you haven't answered my question."

Well, it was worth a shot. Annabeth had laser-focus for someone with ADHD. Before I was forced to come up with a somewhat convincing lie, the door at the top of the staircase squeaked open.

The twelve-year-old version of my girlfriend gave me a look that said, 'don't think this conversation is over,' before slipping on her Yankee's cap and disappearing. Footsteps thudded down the stairs until the person finally reached the bottom. Let's see… furry legs, bearded chin, and a Rasta hat? There was only one person who fit that description: Grover Underwood. His horns weren't as grown, and he wasn't as tall, but he was still definitely my satyr friend. In his hand, he carried a tall glass of golden liquid.

Seeing that there was no serious threat of being caught, Annabeth shimmered back into view. Grover jumped, the cup nearly slipping out of his fingers. "Blah-ah! Annabeth, don't do that!"

Annabeth shoved her baseball cap into her back pocket. "What are you doing here, Grover?"

"What am I doing here?" Grover bleated. "What're you doing here?"

The young daughter of Athena rolled her eyes. "Did you seriously think I'd go back to my cabin without answers?"

"She has a point," I piped in.

Grover sniffed. "Chiron told me to give Percy this for his injuries. Lee already fixed the stitches."

Annabeth nodded before addressing me. "Why did you need stitches anyway? I thought both ambrosia and water worked to heal you."

"A Krok bit me." I shrugged.

The satyr's eyebrows skyrocketed. "You got attacked by a crocodile?"

"Not this time." At their confused faces, I quickly continued. "It was a Leukrokottas. Decided I looked like a chew toy."

"The hyena-like monsters that mimic voices? I thought they were only found in Africa." Annabeth said skeptically.

"Yeah, well, the monsters are scattered all over the place now."

"And why's that?" She questioned.

I cocked an eyebrow. "Wasn't it you who told me not to share about the future? Something about butterflies and stuff?"

"It's called the butterfly effect," she corrected. "And that's only one theory about time travel. Another is the paradox theory, which states that anything you do in the past has already been played out in your future, meaning that attempting to change the past is impossible, so everything you do now is moot as it has already happened."

I blinked. "I only understood about half of that."

Grover sniffed again. He put the drink in my face. "Here, drink."

I scrunched my nose. "Can't you untie me so I can do it myself?"

Grover shook his head. "We can't risk that until we know you're safe. Sorry, man."

Scowling, I did as I was told. The nectar tasted like Mom's cookies, making me homesick. At least I could breathe properly again.

"So…" Grover shifted on his hooves. "Why'd you go all crazy on Luke?"

"I didn't go crazy on him," I defended myself.

"Dude," he deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure all of Long Island felt that earthquake."

So I might have lost control of myself for a little bit. But my anger was justified. There was only one person I knew of who could control time, and if he had gathered enough power to send me back in time, then that was bad news. Worse than bad news, actually. And right now, Luke was the only one who might have some answers. So I had shoved him into a wall. Definitely not the most diplomatic approach. But hey, there was a reason I was only a praetor for a day.

Annabeth frowned. "When did you learn how to generate earthquakes in the first place? No child of Poseidon has had that power before."

"It was, like, three years ago. Long story." I stifled a smile. The first time I summoned an earthquake had been after Annabeth first kissed me. Of course, the moment had been ruined when that volcanic eruption was triggered, but that was besides the point.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips—her signature thinking face. I could practically see the puzzle pieces clicking together in her mind. "The evil voice in the pit… it was Kronos, wasn't it?"

She already knew the answer, but my nod confirmed it.

"And that's why you freaked out when I mentioned the time stream. You think he's the one behind this."

"I hope I'm wrong. I really, really do. But if I'm not…" I stared into her swirling gray eyes, trying to push down the growing sense of doom in my gut. "A lot of people will die, Annabeth."

And it would be my fault. It had been my job to kill Kronos in the first place. His essence was supposed to have been scattered too far for him to ever come back. So if I had failed to do that, then all the inevitable deaths would be on me.

Grover looked horror-stricken. He gulped, twiddling with the pipes around his neck. "H-how could you be sure it's him? I mean, maybe you just fell into a wormhole or something?"

I shook my head, coming to a realization. That weird, familiar feeling I got right before being tossed back in time—I recognized it now. It was the same knife-scraping-down-my-spine feeling I had whenever the Lord of Time was near. "I'm positive."

Annabeth bit her lip. "When you attacked Luke, you said something about him working for someone. Is he working for Kronos? Is he the Lightning thief?"

Even now at age twelve, Annabeth's quick thinking astounded me. I couldn't think of a good response. Taking my silence for what it was, Annabeth stumbled back.

"But I… he's not… Luke wouldn't…" She took a deep breath. "I knew that he had changed after his quest, but I never thought he'd go that far."

"So you believe me?"

The young half-blood ran her fingers through her hair. "Gods, Percy, I don't want to. But all the clues add up. He's the only one who could've stolen a god's weapon, and the shoes were given to us by him. The motivation is there, too. Hades, that means that he was the one who sicked that hellhound on you!"

She paced back and forth, tugging on a curl absent-mindedly. Grover awkwardly stepped back so that he wouldn't get trampled.

My eyes followed her. "Kronos has been speaking to him in his dreams—manipulating him. It's not Luke's fault."

She stopped suddenly, her back to me. "You said Kronos coming would lead to death. How do you know that?"

My breath hitched in my throat, but I forced myself to remain calm. "Well, the big bad Titan lord gets raised from hell, it's probably not going to end in a nice family dinner."

She turned on her heel, facing me. Her eyes burned into mine. "Don't lie to me. I know you. You wouldn't say something like that without knowing from personal experience."

I tried to keep eye contact with her, but her gaze was too intense. It was like trying to stare straight into the sun. I looked down at my lap.

"Who died, Percy?" She whispered.

My nails dug into the wooden armrests of the chair. All of their names flashed through my mind. There was Zoë, and Bianca, and Castor. Lee, Michael, Ethan. Beckendorf and Silena and so many others. Each name was seared into my memory. I wouldn't be surprised if when I died, the names would be found engraved in my skull.

"Luke was only a pawn in it, just like the rest of us." I didn't know if I was convincing Annabeth or myself.

"I-I have to think this through. It's a lot to take in," the daughter of Athena murmured.

"Y-yeah," Grover stammered. "I'm not ready for anymore revelations, either."

I nodded. "You can take all the time you need, but me coming here has already screwed up my timeline. We don't know what Luke's next move will be now that I'm here."

"Okay." Annabeth rubbed the bridge of her nose like a headache was forming. "We'll talk to Chiron in the morning and see what he thinks about this. In the meantime, get some rest. Time-travel probably messed up your sleep cycle."

"So, um, g'night, Perce." Grover waved before trotting back up the stairs.

Annabeth moved to follow him, but paused right at the bottom step, her hand hovering over the railing. She glanced back at me. "Don't worry, Seaweed Brain. We'll get you back to the future in no time."

I'd learned a long time ago to never bet against Annabeth. But this seemed like an impossible task, even for her.

But then again, she's managed to do the impossible before.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I jerked awake feeling like I had just drunk five Red Bulls. Going from fast asleep to so-awake-that-I-could-run-a-marathon was disorienting, to say the least. Dreams blended with reality. I had no idea where I was.

"Good. You're awake."

Luke stood in front of me, an empty plastic bottle in his hands. For a moment, his eyes were pure gold, but I blinked and they were blue again. Glancing down, I saw a puddle of water around my feet.

"You know, there are nicer ways to wake people up than dumping water on them," I grumbled.

The son of Hermes shrugged, tossing the water bottle aside. "It worked, didn't it?"

I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to the small basement window to my left. Morning light filtered through. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

I rolled my shoulders back to try to crack them. Being tied to a chair for over ten hours was killer on my back and neck. Sleeping in that position hadn't helped any. "So… I'm assuming you didn't come down here to release me?"

"You're smarter than people give you credit for."

"Uh, thanks?"

The nineteen-year-old leaned against one of the support pillars. He crossed his arms. A shadow passed over his face as he shifted, throwing half his face into darkness and making the jagged scar down his jaw stand out. He looked weary, and angry. It was the same look I saw every time I looked in the mirror. I tried not to dwell on that.

"So, why did Chiron make a big deal about your shirt?" Luke asked after seconds of nothing but imaginary cricket noises.

I glanced down at my purple SPQR shirt, regretting my choice to not change before going to bed. Then again, this was better than showing up at the campfire in a pair of boxers. "I got it in California. Some of my friends live there."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "And you just felt like getting a matching brand for your arm?"

I shrugged. "It's like a permanent friendship bracelet."

That was close enough to the truth. I mean, it did show that the Greeks and the Romans were united now. Sadly, Luke wasn't buying it.

Before he could push further, I interrupted. "Enough small talk. You came here for a reason, and I think I know why."

The blonde cocked his head. "Fine, I'll bite. Why do you think I came here?"

"You're working for Kronos." I got straight to the point.

He didn't look surprised or frightened that I called him out. In fact, he smiled at me. "Well, I can't deny it now, can I?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You don't have to do this, Luke. You haven't done anything yet that can't be forgiven—you can still walk anyway."

"Why would I walk anyway? The gods have done nothing for me. They just use us like pawns and throw us away when they're tired of us. All the heroics? It's all useless."

My fists clenched. "Luke, believe me, I know how it feels to be a pawn to the gods more than anyone. But siding with Kronos? Come on, even you know that's not the answer."

"The gods should have been overthrown thousands of years ago. The only reason they've managed to hold on this long is because of us half-bloods. But even then, they don't treat us with the respect we deserve. They kill us whenever they feel like it, like Thal-" his voice cracked.

"Thalia wouldn't want you to do this," I said.

A sword was suddenly in my face. The blade gleamed in the dim light, mortal steel and Celestial bronze merged together in one deadly weapon. "Don't talk about her," he growled.

I gritted my teeth together. "She sacrificed herself for you, and this is how you repay her?"

His jaw clenched. "You should have died in Tartarus."

The water at my feet froze. It took me a minute to realize he was talking about the cursed flying shoes that almost dragged Grover into the Pit. My mind was in hyperdrive. I couldn't let Luke fall into Kronos's clutches again. But what could I say to get him to change his mind?

"I know how to bring her back."

The demigod froze. "What?"

"Thalia. I know how to-"

"I know what you said! How?"

"Maybe if you put that away…"

Luke reluctantly sheathed his weapon. "Now talk."

"Well, Thalia didn't actually die die. Zeus just turned her into a tree before she did, and I know how to turn her back."

Luke rubbed his jaw. He began pacing, just like Annabeth had hours before. I wondered if it was a habit she had picked up from him, or if it was just from the ADHD.

"Luke," I started, "Whatever Kronos promised you, it's not going to happen. He just wants power, and he'll do whatever it takes to get it."

The son of Hermes ran his hand through his hair, his face conflicted. "The Titan lord, h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail him again," he muttered.

Luke was teetering on the edge, but I was running out of counterarguments. If I didn't sway him fast, then I'd lose him. But what could I say that could change months of brainwashing and years of bitterness? "If you help Kronos, he'll just kill everyone. That's not what you want, is it?"

The half-blood shook his head. "Western civilization is a disease, Percy. The gods are killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground—start over with something more honest."

I wanted to scream in exasperation. "Kronos will kill the gods. But, he's not gonna stop there. Demigods will be next, and then the mortals. Do you really want to be the reason for the genocide of billions of innocent people?"

Luke turned his back to me. His muscles were all tensed. I could tell that his mind was at war with itself, trying to contemplate all the information I shoved at him. After several moments of tense silence, he deflated. "I may not like the Titan lord's ways, but the gods can't keep ignoring their children. Have you seen all the unclaimed kids in my cabin? No one should have to go through that."

"I can change that—I have changed that."

Luke spun around, his blue eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, in my time, I made a deal with the gods a year back. They promised to pay more attention to their kids. And there are cabins now for the minor gods, too."

"How do I know you aren't lying?"

I shrugged. "You can't. But trust me, Luke, you don't wanna keep going down the path you're headed for. A lot of good people will get hurt."

Luke sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You really changed, you know that?"

"So, does that mean you reject the dark side? No turning all Darth Vadar on us?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I take it back." Luke rolled his eyes. "But, I guess I won't poison you with scorpion venom now."

I smiled. "That's a relief, 'cause it hurt like Hades the first time."

Shoving his hands into his pockets, the blonde frowned. "The campers aren't going to handle the truth well, are they?"

"Annabeth already knows."

Luke chuckled. "Of course she does. She's too smart for her own good."

"She'll get over it eventually, but it really hurt her. You were her hero, and more importantly, her family."

Luke looked properly ashamed of himself. "Yeah, I screwed up. He got in my head, and I didn't even try to stop him."

I wasn't good with the whole comforting thing, especially with the guy whose bad decisions resulted in a terrible war. But I had to remind myself, this Luke hadn't done all those things yet. Sure, he had stolen two of the most powerful weapons in the world to frame me and start World War III, but that could still be forgiven. He hadn't done something irreversible yet, like say, host the soul of the Lord of the Titans. My beef wasn't with this version of Luke.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, I spoke up. "So, can you untie me now? Sorry for shoving you into a wall and everything."

The nineteen-year-old grabbed Backbiter, using it to cut the ropes around my wrists. Once I was freed, I rubbed my sore upper left arm. "Thanks, man."

Luke nodded. "Chiron will want to speak with you."

"And you should probably talk with Annabeth," I replied.

He scratched his neck. "Yeah, I need to."

After I stretched my limbs to get them working again, I headed for the staircase, eager to get out of the mildewy basement. When there weren't any footsteps behind me, I turned back around. Luke stood exactly where I left him, his hand still clasped around Backbiter. Part of his face was dark, but I could see some unreadable expression in his eyes.

"You coming?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. Just a minute."

I frowned. Maybe we weren't out of the ballpark just yet.

A/N: This chapter was basically just two big confrontations, which made it difficult to write (another reason why I took so long to update). I had to start over because I didn't like how I first had it. Did you guys like it? Originally, Annabeth was't going to figure out about the whole Luke thing, but then she was just too smart for that. Also, did anyone feel like Luke switched over to the light side too easily? Don't worry, like Percy said, we aren't out of the ballpark yet. Maybe it might call for a Luke POV sometime soon? (And yes, I had to throw in a Star Wars reference, because the seventh episode came out, and how can you not reference Star Wars when there's a character called Luke?)

The dream that Percy had is mostly paraphrased directly from the first chapter of The Last Olympian. Luke's reasons for joining Kronos are also partially taken from the scene in The Lightning Thief when Luke betrays Percy.

If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to send me a PM or review. I looooove it when you guys share your opinions with me, because then I know if I'm doing good/bad and what to do in future chapters. Next chapter we'll visit little Percy and maybe little Annabeth as well.

Until then,

~Wrendsor