Hi! If you might recall, some time ago an author by the penname xxanonymouswriterxx posted this fanfic, Betrayed, which suddenly disappeared (just as it was reaching climax, damn!). I'm that author, and while I won't tell what happened, Betrayed is better, and is back! The Lost Goddess, however, will not.

If you've never heard of me, or it, before, well read on anyway, and enjoy!

Please note that Betrayed's original text has been modified. And as before, while Chapter One (the original one-shot) is very long, the preceding chapters will be much shorter in comparison (maybe around a hundred words?). So if you're either for long stories or not, I hope you don't give up on this.

The waves lap gently against the sandy shore. The beach at Camp Half-Blood is empty but for one girl sitting on the sand, rocking back and forth gently.

I loved you, and I still do.

Quietly, she stands up.

What did I ever do to deserve this?

She walks forward as if beckoned by the waves.

Why did you... betray me like this?

She is now standing knee-deep in the sea. She continues moving forward.

Why couldn't you just have stayed?

"Goodbye, Percy," she whispers to the orange sunset. "I love you."

She has raised her dagger when a voice says, "Stop."

"Luke Castellan is dead!"

The words whirl around her, making her lose more faith. What could save the situation? Behind her, Percy helplessly tries to recover his sword. She's battered and exhausted, and her energy slowly leaves her.

"His body will burn away as I assume my true form!" the Titan roars. She holds firm, fighting for Percy and Luke and Grover and Camp Half-Blood and Olympus. Trying to give Percy a chance to defeat the Lord of Time.

She's accepted her sad fate as she, Percy and Grover run toward the Great Hall of the Gods. She knows it's hopeless for her, but she could give Percy a fighting chance.

The two men who keep her going: Percy Jackson and Luke Castellan. The hero and the villain.

Subconsciously, her mind rejects the last thought. She can't accept that Luke, who'd been a brother to her, would ever be capable of being… evil. Although she's seen it with her own eyes, a tiny part of her refuses to believe that it was really Luke who'd betrayed her, who'd become Kronos.

Kronos pushes against her, but Annabeth resists him. Backbiter makes its way, slowly as it's hindered by her arms, to Annabeth's neck.

Then something occurs to her. Percy's fighting chance. Maybe Luke's survival. And maybe, just maybe, she could live, too.

"Your mother," she grunts at Kronos–no, she's trying to reach out to Luke, she reminds herself. "She saw your fate."

"Service to Kronos!" the Titan yells. "This is my fate."

"No!" she stubbornly insists. She's broken through to Luke. He is still in there. She finds her eyes tearing up, because Luke is still alive; because Percy isn't dead; because of the pain and exhaustion; because it's all too overwhelming.

"That's not the end, Luke." Now that she's sure Luke was still in there, she has to try. The hardest she could.

"The prophecy: she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"

"I will crush you, child!" Kronos bellows. Her heart falls as she realizes she's lost him again.

"You won't," she insists, though she's trying to convince herself, too. "You promised. You're holding Kronos back even now."

"LIES!" Kronos pushes against her again, and she loses her balance. Kronos strikes her face with a hand, and she slides backward. Kronos looms ominously over her, sword raised.

And the irony of it all is, it's Luke's face that stares at her. Luke's hands that hold the sword. Luke's mouth that had uttered those words.

Despite the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, she croaks, "Family, Luke. You promised."

A desperate attempt. One she immediately knows is worthless. Out of the corner of her eye, she ses Percy and Grover trying to move.

Then Kronos staggers. He stares intently at her.

"Promise…" he gasps. "Annabeth…" But it isn't the Titan's voice. It's Luke.

Her heart leaps with joy.

"You're bleeding…" he rasps.

"My knife," she says. All hope of Luke's survival is erased, even the tiny stubborn thing in her mind. She tries to raise her dagger, but it clatters out of her hand. Her arm is broken.

She turns her gaze to Percy. "Percy, please…"

She watches him scoop up her knife and knock Backbiter out of Luke's hand, sending it into the hearth.

Luke steps toward her, but Percy steps in between. Oh, how she loves them both. "Don't touch her," Percy says. Anger shows plain on his face.

"Jackson…" It's Kronos again. Luke's body glows, turning gold, as if it's bathed in light from within.

Luke's voice: "He's changing. Help. He's… He's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please–"

"NO!" Kronos roars. He looks around for his sword.

"The knife, Percy," Annabeth whispers. "Hero… cursed blade…" She wants him to understand.

Understand that Luke has to die. That Percy would live. That she loves him, and that she isn't being forced by the fact that Luke has minutes left–if Percy succeeds, nor by the fact that either way, they're going to be together… she hopes.

She sees Kronos reach for his blade in the hot coals. He yells in pain and drops his sword. His hands are seared. An image of Hestia appears in the flame, flickering at the Titan with disapproval. Kronos turns and collapses.

"Please, Percy…" Percy painfully gets up, moving toward him with the knife.

Luke moistens his lips. "You can't… Can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can… Can keep him controlled." His skin starts smoking.

Percy raises the knife to strike, then looks at Annabeth, whom Grover cradles in his arms, trying to shield her. A look of realization crosses his face.

"Please," Luke groans. "No time."

Percy, for a second, hesitates. But then his look becomes determined and he hands the dagger to Luke.

Grover yelps, "Percy? Are you… Um…"

Annabeth wants to tell him that it's alright, but she's tired and hurt. She could only watch what's happening. With difficulty, she gets up and hobbles toward the two demigods.

Luke unlatches the side straps of his armor. He stabs himself just under his left arm. It's not a deep cut, but Luke howls. His eyes glow. The whole room shook. A bright light surrounds him, growing brighter each moment.

She closes her eyes and feels tears moisten her cheeks as an explosion-like thing happens.

When she opens her eyes and sees Luke sprawled on the hearth, she finds a hidden energy reserve and rushes to him. His eyes are blue again.

"Good… blade," he croaks. Percy kneels next to him. Grover rushes to Annabeth's side.

Luke fixes his gaze at her. She stares back, sad, but grateful that she has this last moment. It's more than she could ask.

"You knew," he says. "I–I almost killed you, but you knew."

"Shhh," she says, voice trembling. She could feel a sob start in her chest, but she tries to keep it in. "You're a hero, Luke. You'll go to Elysium."

Luke shakes his head weakly. "Rebirth… three times. Try… Isles of the Blest."

She sniffles. "Don't push yourself too hard."

"Did you… love me?" he asks.

Annabeth looks at Luke, then Percy, then back to Luke. "There was a time… I–I did." Her voice breaks. "But I–you're a brother to me." Then she fixes her gaze on Percy. He has a look of hurt, but he's trying to mask it. Luke just nods, a faint smile on his lips.

"We can get ambrosia," Grover says. "We can–"

"Grover," Luke says, and coughs up blood. "Best satyr ever. But… no healing."

He turns to Percy. "Ethan. Me. All… unclaimed. D-don't let it happen again."

"I won't," Percy says. "I swear."

Luke nods, and his hand goes slack. His eyes moves to Annabeth. She gives him his last unspoken wish.

She presses her lips to his, a simple gesture of love and friendship.

The last thing she remembers before blacking out is Percy's hurt look as he addresses the Olympians who have just arrived.

As Annabeth walks into the Throne Room, the gods have just finished their repairs. "Miss much?" she whispers. Percy doesn't look at her; he just shakes his head.

Zeus is doing his long speech about the bravery of the gods, et cetera.

"As for my brothers," the sky god says, "we are thankful" –he clears his throat like the words block it– "erm, thankful for the aid of Hades."

The mentioned god nods smugly. He pats his son Nico on the shoulders, which makes the demigod look happier than ever.

"And, of course," Zeus continues, embarrassed and uncomfortable, "we must… um… thank Poseidon." The king of the gods rushes his words.

"I'm sorry, brother," Poseidon says. "What was that?"

We must thank Poseidon, " Zeus growls. "Without whom . . . It would've been difficult-"

"Difficult?" Poseidon asks innocently.

"Impossible," Zeus says. "Impossible to defeat Typhon." The gods murmur agreement and pound their weapons in approval.

"Which leaves us," Zeus said, "only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes, who defended Olympus so well-even if there are a few dents in my throne."

He calls Thalia forward first, since she's his daughter, and promises her help in filling the Hunters' ranks.

Artemis smiles. "You have done well, my lieutenant. You have made me proud, and all those Hunters who perished in my service will never be forgotten. They will achieve Elysium, I am sure." She glareS pointedly at Hades.

He shrugs. "Probably."

Artemis glares at him some more. "Okay," Hades grumbles. "I'll streamline their application process."

Thalia beams with pride. "Thank you, my lady." She bows to the gods, even Hades, and then limps over to stand by Artemis's side.

"Tyson, son of Poseidon!" Zeus calls. Tyson looks nervous, but he stands in the middle of the Council, and Zeus grunts.

"Doesn't miss many meals, does he?" Zeus mutters.

"Tyson, for your bravery in the war, and for leading the Cyclopes, you are appointed a general in the armies of Olympus. You shall henceforth lead your brethren into war whenever required by the gods. And you shall have a new . . . um . . What kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?"

"Stick!" Tyson says, showing his broken club.

"Very well," Zeus says. "We will grant you a new, er, stick. The best stick that may be found."

"Hooray!" Tyson cries, and all the Cyclopes cheer and pound him on the back as he rejoins them.

"Grover Underwood of the satyrs!" Dionysus calls. Grover comes forward nervously. "Oh, stop chewing your shirt," Dionysus chides. "Honestly, I'm not going to blast you. For your bravery and sacrifice, blah, blah, blah, and since we have an unfortunate vacancy, the gods have seen fit to name you a member of the Council of Cloven Elders."

Grover collapses on the spot.

"Oh, wonderful," Dionysus sighs, as several naiads come forward to help Grover. "Well, when he wakes up, someone tell him that he will no longer be an outcast, and that all satyrs, naiads, and other spirits of nature will henceforth treat him as a lord of the Wild, with all rights, privileges, and honors, blah, blah, blah. Now please, drag him off before he wakes up and starts groveling."

"FOOOOOD," Grover moans as the nature spirits carry him away.

Athena calls, "Annabeth Chase, my own daughter."

Annabeth squeezes Percy's arm, but receives no response. She steps forward and kneels at her mother's feet.

Athena smiles. "You, my daughter, have exceeded all expectations. You have used your wits, your strength, and your courage to defend this city, and our seat of power. It has come to our attention that Olympus is . . . well, trashed. The Titan lord did much damage that will have to be repaired. We could rebuild it by magic, of course, and make it just as it was. But the gods feel that the city could be improved. We will take this as an opportunity. And you, my daughter, will design these improvements."

Annabeth looks up, stunned. "My . . . My lady?"

Athena smiles wryly. "You are an architect, are you not? You have studied the techniques of Daedalus himself. Who better to redesign Olympus and make it a monument that will last for another eon?"

"You mean . . . I can design whatever I want?"

"As your heart desires," the goddess says. "Make us a city for the ages."

"As long as you have plenty of statues of me," Apollo adds.

"And me," Aphrodite agrees.

"Hey, and me!" Ares says. "Big statues with huge wicked swords and–"

"All right!" Athena interrupts. "She gets the point. Rise, my daughter, official architect of Olympus."

Annabeth rises in a trance and walks back toward Percy.

"Oh, my gods," she whispers, momentarily forgetting Luke. Percy gives her a small smile, but she can see the sadness in his eyes. She opens her mouth, wanting to talk about all the wonderful possibilities, but instead she just says, "Don't hold a grudge on me. I–I was doing him a favor."

"PERCY JACKSON!" Poseidon thunders.

Annabeth watches with pride as the hero walks forward, bows to Zeus and kneels at his father's feet.

"Rise, my son," Poseidon says. Percy stands. "Is there anyone here who would deny that my son is deserving?" the sea god asks. Percy stares uneasily at the Olympians.

Then the full meaning of Poseidon's words hit Annabeth like a truck at full speed, and she just stands there, stunned.

"The Council agrees," Zeus declares. "Perseus Jackson, you have rightly deserved godhood!"

The whole room becomes quiet. Finally Percy stutters, "I–I would be most honored, my lord."

Annabeth just stands there, shocked, then she turns around and sprints out of the Hall of the Gods, tears falling from her eyes.

Percy doesn't know what's wrong.

He's just accepted Zeus' offer of immortality, and Annabeth runs away.

He knows he loves her–he's accepted that a long time ago. But now, his world is falling apart.

His mind flashes back to two years ago, when he'd thought Annabeth was going to pledge to Artemis. He'd desperately panicked.

The Council is stunned into silence. Percy just looks to the exit, like he wants to run after her but couldn't.

He takes a deep, trembling breath and faces the Olympians. He notices Athena looking at him stonily, with a somewhat conflicted expression, and Aphrodite, who looks to be thinking hard.

"I–I have more requests," he says carefully. Zeus' eyes widen.

"You dare–" Zeus says, but he's cut off by Aphrodite.

"I wish to hear what he will say," she says.

"I want you," he says slowly, "to swear on the River Styx. Someone once told me that you should get a solemn oath."

"Guilty." Hades shrugged. Zeus shot him a look.

"Fine," the sky god sighs. "In the name of the Olympian Council, we swear on the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."

"From now on, I want to you properly recognize the children of the gods," he says. "All the children... Of all the gods."

The Olympians shift uncomfortably. "Percy," the sea god says, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents," he replies. "They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."

Zeus is plainly angry. "You dare accuse–"

"No more undetermined children," Percy says. "I want you to promise to claim your children–all your demigod children–by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."

"Now, wait just a moment," Apollo says, but he's on a roll.

"And the minor gods," Percy says. "Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe–they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades–"

"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellows.

"No, my lord," Percy says quickly. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that. No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods. And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is my wish. Oh, and, uh… better elevator tunes for the six-hundredth-floor elevator?" He doesn't really know where that last part came from, but it has been bothering him.

Zeus snorts. "Is that all?"

"My lord," he says, and bows his head. "I have another wish."

Zeus senses that he wants the matter to be taken care of in secret.

He catches Aphrodite's sly smile as the King of the Gods beckons him forward.

Annabeth turns around, dropping the heavy bronze dagger into the surf.

"What are you doing her?" she asks, evidently anguished. "Why make it harder for me?"

"Won't you listen to reason?" he asks. "Aren't you the daughter of Athena? Besides, who's going to rebuild Olympus now?"

"So, that's all you care about, huh? Now that you'll need a home on Olympus, you have to stop the architect from killing herself." She says the words dryly, injecting dark humor in every word.

"That's not it," Percy says, stepping into the water.

"Just leave me alone!" she yells. "My life is none of your concern."

He sighs. "Annabeth, I love you. And I'm not letting you die."

"So why did you leave me?" she asks, starting to sob. She collapses into the water, and Percy runs through the surf and cradles her in his arms. She's too far gone to care.

"I–it was sort of impulsive." He runs his hands through his hair. "But I… I have a proposition for you."

"What?" she asks icily, leaning away. "Why should I listen to you anyway?"

"Just listen, okay? You're not like that."

You should know, apparently. "Percy, I... I love you and it just hurts! I can't spend the rest of my life chasing after something I know I'll never reach anyway. You'll forget me," she whispers. "You'll move on to another girl. And I'll die, still loving you, while you're eternally young, immortal and happy."

"You're wrong," he whispers, moving closer. "If–if that happens, I'll condemn myself to Tartarus."

Annabeth laughs darkly. "Sure, sure."

"Look… I, uh, had a talk with Dionysus."

Not Mr. D., she notes. "Why?"

"I suppose you know the story of Ariadne," he says.

"What about it?" Can I get on with my suicide now?

"Well, he made Ariadne immortal, right?"

Annabeth doesn't respond. Not for a while. Finally, she stands up, tearing herself away from him. "No."

"Why not? I love you, and you love me."

"It's just… I'd be leaving my friends behind. And… gods have a reputation for being quite unfaithful."

"You honestly think I'd do that to you?" he asks quietly.

Annabeth gets up. "I won't be your immortal consort, Percy. Not like this." Not when you've betrayed me like this.

"You're Annabeth," he sighs, "and you'll be hard to convince. But please, just don't kill yourself now?"

She nods, with an incomprehensible expression on her face.

And that's it! I hope you enjoyed, and you'll review. For those of you who've read my Hunger Games fanfic, Pain, it's back up on the fandom! Or if you've never seen it, and are interested in the HG fandom, check it out!