Chapter One

Annabeth POV

Please, I prayed to all the gods I've ever known of, Please don't let this happen to me, please give me one more chance.

I don't think I've ever been this nervous in all of my life, ever.

I put it down and picked up my phone and set the alarm for three minutes. After three god-awful long-ass minutes ever, the alarm went off.

I shut the alarm off, put my phone down, and picked it up. And sure enough, two pink lines. Two pink lines. My life was officially over.

I tried to hold my tears in, but that didn't work for very long. What would my mom think? What would my dad think? What would Chiron think?

Still tried to hold my tears in, but once the thought what will Percy think? crossed my mind, I was practically bawling.

I had to go to Brooklyn. Brooklyn is my best friend, a Hermes kid. Probably the closest thing to a sibling Luke even had.

I run straight out of cabin 6 and right into cabin 11.

"Brooklyn!" I scream.

"Whoa," Connor says, putting his hands on my shoulders, "Calm down. Don't come in here screaming. Some of us like our hearing. We'll get her for you."

"Yea, ok, thanks," I said quickly.

I figure Connor doesn't pick on me too much, considering I'm crying like a baby right in front of him. He walks up to the stairs of the Hermes cabin and shouts "Brooklyn! Ass down here now!"

"I don't wanna!" Brooklyn yells back.

"Just come down here, please," Connor says.

I almost don't have enough gut to stand there and tell Brooklyn. Ms. Camp Popularity. When she comes down the stairs, I can hardly believe s he even talks to me. Why can't I look like that?

Long black hair, dark blue eyes. Hooked nose, long eyelashes. I try to stop being jealous as I work up the gut to ask her to talk to me in private.

That's the only bad thing about Brooklyn, she's my best friend, but I'm pretty damn sure I'm not hers.

"Hey," my voice cracks, "Would you mind talking with me in private for a moment?"

"Sure, and I know just the place," she says as she turns around and moves past Connor. I follow. She moves to a door, opens it and begins walking downstairs. What the? Our cabins don't have basements.

"Where are we going?"

"My secret basement."

"When did you get a secret basement?"

"When Luke died. It was ours, now it's mine."

"Okay then."

When we get to the bottom, she moves over a little bit, turns to me and says, "What's up?"

"I screwed up."

"Which time?"

"Brooklyn, I'm serious, I screwed up," I start to cry again.

"Like pregnant screwed up or failed your math class screwed up?"

I started crying again.

"Pregnant screwed up?" she asks.

I nod my head. Brooklyn walks over and puts her arm around me and I cry into her shoulder.

"What am I going to do?" I ask.

"Tell your boyfriend, for starters."

Then I threw a little kid tantrum.

I stomped my foot on the ground and yelled "No!" while I was still crying.

"If you don't I won't help you anymore."

"Brooklyn, I can't…"

"Yes you can."

"No."

"Yes."

"But I can't," I say, and begin to tell her how hard it would be when Connor opens the door and says, "Brooklyn, Chiron is looking for you."

"I thought you said this place was secret."

"If they come down here they, well, I don't wanna give you nightmares, and only Hermes kids know about it, only Luke and I have ever been down here."

"Will you be there when I tell him?"

"If I must, come on, let's go."