Annabeth felt ridiculous. She always hated crying, it made her come across as weak to her fellow demi-gods. She only cried when it was absolutely necessary, and she felt that now was not one of those exceptional times when she could justify tears.
Of course, she was crying because she was remembering Luke. She inwardly scolded herself, it's not like Luke was dead or anything… no matter what Percy said. Luke couldn't be dead, he just couldn't. So why couldn't Annabeth stop crying?
It was late, probably close to midnight. Annabeth couldn't sleep, and she had quickly gotten sick of tossing and turning. Careful not to disturb her fellow campers, she had crept out into the dark night. She was currently sitting in the dirt by a patch of strawberries, soaking her night shirt with her own tears. Once again, Annabeth felt ridiculous.
Shuffling footsteps startled her, and Annabeth spun around quickly. She swore under her breath that she had forgotten to bring her Yankees cap. She squinted into the darkness, trying to make out who was coming towards her.
"Annabeth, is that you?" A familiar voice called out. Annabeth sighed and turned around again.
"Yes, Percy. It's me." Annabeth replied, furiously trying to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. It was just her luck that it was Percy who was going to see her in this moment of weakness. She shouldn't really care, it's not like Percy hadn't seen her cry before, but it still bothered her.
"What are you doing up at this hour? Have you been crying?" Percy asked, concern spreading over his features. He was looking carefully at Annabeth's red eyes, secretly hoping that she didn't want his comfort. It's not that he wouldn't comfort her if she wanted him to, but he always felt a little awkward and vulnerable when he hugged Annabeth.
"I couldn't sleep, and so what if I have been?!" Annabeth snapped, stumbling to her feet. Percy gently took her arm and pulled her down to sit with him. Annabeth didn't fight him; she was too tired and upset.
"Were you thinking of Luke again?" Percy asked, carefully not meeting Annabeth's gray eyes.
"What are you doing here? Why aren't you in bed?" Annabeth demanded, desperately changing the subject.
"I was… talking to Chiron." Percy hesitated, still gazing at Annabeth like she was unstable. "We're going to have a new camper joining us soon."
"So we're going to have a new camper, what's the big deal?" Annabeth asked, more curious than hostile at this point.
"It's interesting actually; apparently she calls herself a three-quarter blood." Percy admitted, bemused. Annabeth gave him a blank look.
"A what?"