Janus

She's reluctant as she breaks her gaze from yours.

"You were like a brother to me, Luke," she says to him, almost whispering, because through everything she is still human and doesn't have the strength to speak any louder. "But I didn't love you."

And it's small, microscopic, you might have just made it up – but you think she put a little emphasis on you.

As if she means, I love someone else.

You heart rate has been tripled by her lingering look in addition to its already-high pace and you wonder if you're going to have a heart attack from your realization (and how great that would be, to survive the Styx and Kronos and die of heart failure), what Annabeth has said to you without saying it to you; and you know she's done it this way because you aren't the only one who's a coward when it comes to things like this and you have to be wise enough to figure it out to be worthy of her, anyway.

It's stupid, it's horrible, you should suffer in the Fields of Punishment for it, but for a second – just a second – you completely forget to care that Luke is dying.

Then you remember when he takes hold of your sleeve and burns you as though trying to brand you, make sure you never forget his next, last words:

"Ethan. Me. All the unclaimed. Don't let it… Don't let it happen again."

He isn't just talking about the gods. He's talking about Annabeth. About her getting hurt. He's telling you to protect her with your life, take the poisoned knives, never break a promise to her, don't let anyone even dare to touch her. He's asking you to save his sister, even though he couldn't.

"I won't. I promise."

And you, at least, won't be breaking that any time soon.

She's made her choice. For some reason, it includes you.

But you won't question it.

a/n: this is in the throne room as luke dies... it never says that annabeth puts emphasis on "you" - but it never says that it didn't. ;D ah, loopholes. and also - ah, percy's sarcasm. who else loves that boy so much and hopes he stays awesome in son of neptune?

hey, know how you can tell me that? in a review! :DD

before i go, a couple of shameless plugs: i have a series, called "distractions", up right now if you haven't read it, in which annabeth does something stupid/embarrassing/ooc around percy's charm; and then i have a harry potter freeverse up and seven-deadly-sins fic going up tomorrow. if that's your thing.

thanks for reading!

~whispered touches

disclaimer: i don't own percy jackson. it, and any dialogue you recognize from this scene, belong to rick riordan. no copyright infringement is intended.