Following the BOTL, sort of connected to TLO preview but not exactly.

Why Luke and I are the Same

"Gods Seaweed Brain, you can be so annoying!" Annabeth was running her hands through her blonde hair. Light danced across her face and softened her features even though she was clearly angry with me. Her lips were always a light pink, her nose had a few freckles from the sun, and her grey eyes were scary gorgeous.

Not that I was looking.

I kneeled by the edge of the lake of Camp Half-Blood. I had only returned because Chiron had forced me to. I would've much rather been spending the last few months with people who actually cared such as my mom or Rachel.

You know who didn't care? Annabeth, that's right. And I know I sound like a girl or something by saying this, but if she could ignore me for almost an entire year than I guess I could give her the satisfaction of trying not to talk to her.

My hands felt the strength of the lake's water. The cuts from the previous battle began to heal. I couldn't help but notice that Annabeth was wearing a pink tank top and jean shorts. Normally, she had the invisibility cap in her back pocket and her bright orange Camp Half-Blood tee shirt. Not today, Annabeth had changed a bit since I had last seen her.

"Percy Jackson," Annabeth screamed as I went to stand up. "Why are you being such a… such a jerk!" She stomped her foot. Her hands had curled into fists. I stared over her shoulder to see naiads and sytars staring at us from the thick woods that led back to camp. We were supposed to be at sword training but Chiron had insisted that Annabeth and I catch up.

For sixteen, Annabeth's life hadn't really changed too much like mine supposedly would. She was still alive for one thing. I brushed my wet hands against my jeans and wiped away the rest of the cuts with it. All the wisdom in the world, she was the smartest girl I knew, and she was the one being totally ridiculous.

"I'm sorry if I had Chiron send for you and separate you from your girlfriend but he and I both agreed that you needed to be here Percy." My eyes were on her. Of course she would bring Rachel up as if everything that had occurred between Annabeth and I was her fault. But Rachel wasn't the one who had turned around and left me standing on the hill without truly saying good-bye. I had almost said something that'd been on my mind since I first met Annabeth but now, there's no point in bothering.

"Don't put Rachel into this mess. And we're not together," I muttered, turning my eyes out on the lake, catching the light of the reflection from the afternoon sun. Although, I didn't know why I had to point out to Annabeth that Rachel and I weren't dating. I actually would've enjoyed seeing her getting upset over the whole thing just because Rachel was a mortal. "But why should that matter to you?"

Annabeth ducked her head and ran her hands through her hair again. Hard to believe she had been the one who helped me when I was first attacked by the Minotaur. Strange that she had saved me from being a guinea pig for the rest of my life. Unbelievable that I had risked my life just to get her back. Amazingly shocking that before we separated she had kissed me on the lips.

We had gone through a lot, Annabeth and I.

"Everything matters, Percy." She whispered.

"Then why didn't you call or write. Give me some sign that you were all right." I muttered back, angry and annoyed with this whole situation. But I wasn't mad with Annabeth really, I was furious with Luke, the boy Annabeth really loved and had been betrayed by. I would've never hurt Annabeth like he did but it didn't matter. I wasn't the one she constantly worried about. "It's not like I could call you. I was pretty sure you wouldn't want to talk to me."

"You're right." Woah, did those words seriously come out of Annabeth's mouth. She never admitted that I, Seaweed Brain, was right about something over her. Being wrong is like a smack in the face to all Athena children.

"So you didn't want to talk to me?" I shoved my hands in my pocket, feeling Riptide reliantly there. "Gods, Annabeth." I turned away from her to face the lake. She stood to my right, her head still facing the sand.

"Want to know a secret Percy?" She whispered.

"If it's about Luke I don't want to hear it," I snapped back. Her head darted up and there was the hurt again. She would never stop thinking that Luke was the hero even though I would have to face him and Kronos. Sometimes, Annabeth could be so blind.

"You think that's all I care about? Luke!" She screamed with rage. There was a shutter of the woods as the naiads went to hide. No one messed with Annabeth, no one made her mad unless they were asking for it. I suppose I was.

"Yes," I replied easily, sending a glare at her standing next to me. Her cheeks were a bright red and her eyes narrowed. I couldn't help but see the tears forming in her eyes. That hurt me because now I was hurting her, just like Luke had.

Annabeth screamed in fury and then turned to walk away. She was halfway to the woods, her footsteps imprinted into the sand, before she turned around to stare at me. A soft breeze blew her blonde hair away from her shoulders and I'd never seen anyone so angry so beautiful. Aphrodite and Calypso had nothing on her.

"The secret was, my prophecy last year," she stopped for a moment and rolled her eyes. She bit her bottom lip to calm herself down. I remembered the prophecy talking about how her loved one would suffer a fate worse than death. It had been talking about Luke of course. Annabeth took a deep breath and when she released it, she spoke.

"For the longest time, I was worried that it was about you."