Five Minutes

I was reading my copy of Pride and Prejudice – written in ancient Greek – when I had an unexpected and most definitely unwelcome visitor.

My step family and dad had gone to get ice cream, and wouldn't be back for an hour or so. I had my knife in hand for emergencies, and got to the part when Mr. Darcy first proposed to Elizabeth when the doorbell rang. I closed the book and headed to the door's peep hole to see who it was. But when I did, the last person in the world I wanted to see was standing on the porch.

Luke.

Rage reining my system, I drew my knife and yanked open the door.

"You answered," Luke said, sounding relieved.

"Why are you here?" I spat at him, contempt ringing in every word.

He flinched. "I just want five minutes to talk, Annabeth. Please." I then noticed that he was under a white flag of truce. Grudgingly, I let him in.

"Fine, but only five."

He looked me in the eyes, and said, "I can't do it. I can't finish the job Kronos set out for me."

I glared. "It's too late for repentance. You chose your path, and now you're too far down it to turn back."

"No, it's not too late," he said a little desperately, as though trying to convince himself.

"Do you honestly think that we'll just welcome you back at camp?" I said. "You've gone insane."

Luke laughed without humor. "You think I want to go back? No, you're right as usual, I'm not welcome there."

"Then what are you suggesting to do?" I demanded.

He took a deep breath. "I want to run away, and I want you to come with me."

I stood there in stunned silence for a few minutes, trying to process what he said. When I recovered myself, I asked, "Why would I do that? This is not the sort of thing you can run away from, Luke."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Luke sighed.

"Why don't you just leave?" I said. "The door's behind you."

"Please," Luke said, his eyes pleading. "Please, run away with me. It'll be just like old times."

Just like old times, eh? Yeah, right. I took a deep breath. "Thalia was with us in the old times, Luke," I told him. "It could never be the same. How could I live with the memories of your choices? How could you live with them? And besides…well, a lot of things have changed since the old times..." My voice got small, and I glanced at one of the framed pictures on the mantel. They were a variety of camp, my brothers, and my dad's friends.

Luke followed my glance, and growled deep in his throat. "You can't be serious, Annabeth," he snarled. "You cannot possibly be staying because of Jackson?"

I growled back at him, "Percy is not the only reason I'm fighting. We're talking about our parents. But at least he's been an unswervingly loyal friend. Unlike you" – I paused to glare – "who trapped me under the sky. Percy did the exact opposite. Would you travel three thousand miles to save me? Would you endure several trillion pounds for me? Would you battle the greatest Titan warrior for me?" Luke was speechless. "That's what I thought."

The traitor looked flummoxed, but scared. Finally he said, "You don't understand, Annabeth. Kronos is going to use me like a stepping stone."

I looked him straight in the eye. "No."

That's when he couldn't seem to take it anymore. "Why don't you just kill me now, then?" He yelled. "Maybe you should fight me here and now!"

"Maybe I should!" I shouted back at him. "It might actually stop this war before it really starts, and save me and my friends loads of trouble."

"Is that all you care about? That stupid camp and all the precious heroes?"

"They're family! They're people I care about, people the gods care about!"

"Please! The gods don't care about us! They never did. If they did, we wouldn't be having this war."

"We wouldn't be having this war if Kronos hadn't twisted your mind until you weren't even recognizable anymore!"

Luke stared at me, his breathing heavy. "If that's the way you want it," he said. "You and Jackson are perfect for each other. You're both blinded, clueless, and wrong. You're wrong, Annabeth, for the first time in your life."

All I could do was stare in shock as he stomped out the door and slammed it shut behind him. When I regained control of my body, I walked unsteadily to the picture Luke got upset about, of me and Percy at Camp Half-Blood that was taken last year. I picked it up and dropped into a seat, staring at it. I had to admit to myself that he was the main reason I wouldn't go with Luke. I was falling for my best friend.