'Go For Gold'

Annabeth Chase couldn't help but snigger at the slogan that was plastered across, not only the gym, but the entire city, or so it seemed like. It was ridiculous. She couldn't even bother denying it, the slogan was ludicrous. Whoever came up with these things clearly needed to get a better creative designer. Annabeth herself could think of at least ten slogans that would fit the upcoming event much better. But she wasn't here to think. She was here to perform.

However, a performance did not seem like a possibility at the moment. Not when a party was being thrown in her honor. Joy. Her favorite thing in the world. The banners spread across the San Francisco Atlas Gym did not only display the simple, and understated slogan, but they also bore slogans of their own, such as 'Good Luck Annabeth', 'Beat The Best' and 'Get Her To The Greek'. With the exception of the last one, Annabeth found them all to be boring. She was known as the wise one of the gym, but she couldn't have planned her own surprise party. If she had, then it would have been nonexistent.

Smirking at her friend's discomfort, Thalia Grace, best friend of Annabeth Chase, led the blonde gymnast reluctantly across the floor. Thalia had attended her own going away party back in New York, and she'd actually had quite an enjoyable time. It was only fair to force Annabeth to enjoy hers.

"C'mon Annie, it's not every day you leave for the Olympics!" Thalia cried, happily dragging her friend across the gym. Annabeth, for her part, was not swayed. "Well hopefully we'll at least get two trips. Besides, we aren't even leaving for Athens for two more weeks." Annabeth's face grew wistful, probably thinking of all the lost chances for sightseeing. Athens was her dream vacation, and she wouldn't even get a chance to see the Parthenon! Oh well, it couldn't all work out. Besides, like Thalia said, not every girl got the chance to go to the Olympics!

Realizing that Thalia was not going to let her escape the party, Annabeth sighed, and consented to be dragged towards the party. Several of the girls were already going at the Sun Chips and punch. Both Thalia and Annabeth sighed as they looked over the refreshments. Though both of them loved their sport, one thing they could do without was the strict diets. Annabeth loved salad as much as the next gymnast, but that didn't mean she didn't have a chocolate craving on average of once a day.

But for now, she simply grabbed a handful of grapes, and chewed them thoughtfully, while some of the younger girls chattered away with Thalia. Annabeth never tried to act stuck up or prissy around the other girls, it was simply the fact that she didn't have time to spend quality time with them, gossiping about the latest gymnastics scandals. Annabeth was far more concerned with staying out of the scandals, and focusing on her performance.

Thalia however, had no problem with it. "So is it true that you're dating the Olympic swimmer?" A younger gymnastic, Lydia, gushed at Thalia. The dark haired gymnast snorted. "As if." The girls sighed disappointedly, but Thalia smirked, and continued. "No, we're just friends. But sometimes mortal enemies. And then other times allies. Yeah, that describes us pretty well."

By this time Annabeth was actually interested in the conversation. Thalia was never one to shy away from a guy, or dislike him without good reason. So her being 'frienemies' with someone was an interesting thought. And the fact that the guy was going to the Olympics as well was interesting. Annabeth just hoped there wouldn't be any boy drama. She had experienced enough of that in the past few months.

Opening her mouth to steer the conversation away from where it was edging dangerously close to, the party was interrupted by the sharp whistle coming from Stephan Alexander's mouth. "Alright ladies, party's over. Chase and Grace, what the hell are you still doing in my gym?" Both Thalia and Annabeth grinned at Stephan. Though he struck quite a threatening pose when he wanted to, he had taught the both of them how to do somersaults when they were five with the tenderness of an older brother. They could never see him as anything but that.

"Hold on Thals, I've got to grab my duffle bag." Annabeth told Thalia sheepishly, a tad embarrassed that she had left it so long. Thalia smirked, and rolled her eyes. "Well I'll be out in the car anyways, once you get done."

Hurrying into the locker room, Annabeth quickly found her red locker, and spun the dial on her combination. For some reason, it just wouldn't open. Her locker had been giving her trouble lately, for some unknown reason. She had no idea why, but it had been happening that past two months. She had meant to ask Stephan for a new locker, but with the Olympics coming up, she had more important matters on her mind. But she'd have to remember to do so after the trip to Athens. Even if this was the best locker in the gym.

Absentmindedly twirling the combination lock once more, Annabeth wondered if it might be the lock, and not the locker. That was a more reasonable thought certainly, compared to a demon haunting her locker. Annabeth snorted. She, and she alone, had made it through both the Paranormal Activities without screaming or losing all the color of her skin, a fact she was quite proud of. She was hardly about to ruin that with something as trivial as the thought of a demon haunting her locker. An absolutely absurd thought as it was.

However, as she finally managed to open her locker, and pull out her red white and blue duffle bag with the Team U.S.A. logo embellished largely on the front, she saw a photograph at the bottom of her metal locker. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the face. For a moment, she froze, unable to breathe, unaware of everything other than the frantic thumping of her heart.

Noticing a flash of green, Annabeth reached with shaky fingers to grab the green sticky note on the wall of her locker. Reading the familiar writing, Annabeth sucked in a gasp. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, it read. Reading the familiar phrase, Annabeth slowly looked down to the picture. Only one person could have accessed her locker.

Only one person knew what a photograph of her ex-boyfriend Luke Castellan would do to her.