By some miracle, Grover and Luke finally caught on to the commotion and were able to force Percy off of Ares. Blood trickled down Percy's chin and Ares looked as though he had a shiner blooming on his left eye.

"You're lucky I'm feeling generous enough not to sue," Ares spat. A vein in his neck pulsed rapidly as he glared Percy down. Aphrodite was whispering reassurances in his ear as well as barking orders at the camera crew. Percy wasn't phased by the threat, the only thing stopping him from plowing into Ares was Annabeth's frightened stare.

That look, those eyes, were his undoing. Percy brushed away from Luke and Grover, turned around and ran. He ran from his past. He ran from the cruel hand he was dealt. But, more importantly, he ran from her.

It wasn't fair to Rachel that he couldn't seem to move on. The reason he had finally decided to let go was because he had felt as though it was the only way to get away from the past. Percy had only been in her presence for less than a day and she was already pulling him back into her light, her warmth.

He stopped and gulped in deep breaths as he finally let go of the restraint that had suppressed his emotions. Tears brimmed in his eyes at the thought of that awful day so many years ago.

"It's a shame that such a tight-knit group such as yours has so many scandals." It was a dark time in Oklahoma, the sky was nearing black in the early afternoon and clouds rolled by at a rapid pace. Trees swayed against the heavy onslaught of wind, leaves skittered across the brittle grass. The weather had been hectic and the changes in conditions were as much a surprise to a regular citizen as a practiced meteorologist.

"You don't know anything about me or my crew," Percy growled. He could feel his patience wearing thin and was disgusted for even agreeing to meet up with Ares. Percy turned away and stalked off towards his truck.

"It's a shame you don't realize what's hidden just underneath your nose. Your wife's affair.." Ares left off, waiting for it to sink in. Percy's steps faltered, a deep chill clasping his body. An affair? Annabeth could never do anything like that to him. Anger flared through him once he realized Ares' true intention of this meeting. He just wanted to break up the crew, no matter the consequence. He was so bloodthirsty for power that he would go so far as to destroy a marriage.

"You coward! You unimaginable bastard, are your really that struck by greed-"

"I have proof."

A tear grazed his cheek. He should have never listened to what he had to say. The moment anything negative was said about Annabeth should have been his breaking point. It should have been the end of his tolerance. Still, he listened. Not because he had any doubt of Annabeth's true character, but because he allowed his pride to get the better of him.

Red flashed before his eyes and an uncontainable anger flared through him. Ares didn't have the right to know Annabeth for who she was, much less belittle her good name. Percy rushed forward and swung his arm, his fist colliding with Ares' mouth. Ares looked away from Percy and wiped away the blood gathering below his lip. Percy stepped back, waiting for Ares to defend himself. But he never did. He just looked at Percy with sympathy.

"Here. Take this," Ares mumbled. He pulled a manilla envelope from his jacket and offered it to Percy. Percy stared at it, trying to see through it to discover the contents residing inside of the envelope. He wanted to burn it, to walk away from the temptation, but his curiosity got the best of him.

Percy blew out a shaky breath. He had so many regrets from that day. So many things he wished he could take back or re-do. He wished he hadn't of listened to that seed of doubt planted in his mind. He wished he hadn't of met with Ares in the first place. But, most of all, he wished he had Annabeth back.

Despite his gut instinct, he took the envelope. Percy stared down at the object in his hands. The smooth metal clasps begged him to open it, but he refused to do so with Ares breathing down his neck. As if realizing this, Ares began to move. He clapped Percy on the shoulder before returning back the way he came.

Once alone, Percy gave in to the temptation and gingerly opened up the fragile envelope. He pulled out two pieces of paper along with a post-it. Percy peered down at the papers and noticed that they were pictures. The first picture was of Percy and Annabeth on their wedding day. It had been a small wedding so Percy couldn't fathom how Ares had gotten a picture. Especially since he wasn't invited.

He slid the picture behind the second photo, his eyes widening at the intimate couple. It was a picture of Annabeth and Luke kissing. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and his held on tightly to her waist. Percy didn't want to believe what he held in his hands, but the longer he looked the more he reflected. The subtle touches between the two. The comfortable teasing that flowed between them. It was all too believable.

Percy shoved the pictures back into the envelope and finally eyed the post-it. The note didn't clarify who it was for, but it had familiar handwriting.

Meet with me at the lake at 8.

He'll never know.

Love,

Luke

Percy felt his eyes brim with tears as he turned the note over. He wanted to know if there was anymore information or anymore secrets. A small note resided on the back, but it wasn't in Luke's handwriting.

Told you.

Ares

The note crumpled in his hand. His body shook with sobs as he collapsed to the ground. His life was nothing without her. She was his world, and now she's gone. Because of another man. A man he had called his friend. A man who stole his wife.

Photoshop. A powerful tool when trying to conjure up something that's fake. A tool he should have questioned before he made assumptions. That same night he left Annabeth. She never knew. He never called her out for her supposed affair. Once again his pride had reared it's ugly head and prevented him from giving her the explanation she deserved.

Percy didn't find out until he and Rachel started dating that the whole thing was a ruse. Percy had been keeping tabs on his friends from Oklahoma and had found out about Luke and Alexius. They had been dating for a long time without anyone's knowledge. It had been at least a month before Percy and Ares had even had their meeting.

That was Percy's first sign that Ares' had faulty evidence. He still couldn't get over the letter from Luke. If what he found out was true, than who was the man that Luke wanted to remain oblivious? Why would his relationship be a secret in the first place?

He did a little bit of research and found that Alexius had previously been in an abusive relationship. The scum had been arrested a couple of weeks before Percy found out about Luke's relationship. Which explained the "he" part in the note. Luke was protecting her all along.

Even with all of that, Percy still couldn't get over the picture. It was so incriminating and real that he couldn't comprehend that it wasn't true. Believing the picture was faulty would mean that not only did he trust the wrong person, but he ruined his marriage because of sheer stupidity.

It took him a long time, but he finally gave in and realized the truth behind the lies. He accepted that he had made a terrible mistake and that his marriage crumbled because of it. He knew he should have told Annabeth the truth, she deserved it after all he put her through.

After everything he came to understand, he still couldn't tell her. By then his relationship with Rachel had progressed too far. If he told Annabeth the truth and, by some miracle she forgave him, Percy knew he'd try to re-build his marriage. It would crush Rachel. Annabeth didn't suspect anything so leaving her in the dark may be better than telling her the truth. Either way he would end up hurting someone and he couldn't bear to hurt them.

After some time he figured that not telling Annabeth would be the lesser of two evils. He had been away for so long that she was bound to have moved on by now. If she had found someone else, then who was he to keep her from happiness?

His feelings for Rachel never progressed, he only proposed in order to appease her. She had been hinting at marriage and he didn't want to lose the one person who had made living less of a chore. So he followed through with her wants. He loved Rachel, that he had no doubt, but he wasn't in love with her.

Seeing Annabeth again and knowing that she was alone made his guilt build even more. He had made the wrong decision. She had never moved on like he had hoped she would. At times he felt completely and utterly alone, but it was nothing compared to what she faced each and everyday.

A hand on his shoulder startled him from his thoughts. He turned around abruptly and was faced with wide, gray eyes. Annabeth. She stared at him with concern before looking down at his lips. His bottom lip was swollen and he still had blood smeared on his chin. She grabbed a piece of tissue from her bag and poured some water on it. Annabeth gently wiped away the blood, hesitating when his eyes scrunched in pain.

"You're gonna need some ice for that lip. Do you want to talk about it?" Annabeth asked, gently. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to talk to her for hours and explain every last detail and beg for her forgiveness. It would be so easy to fall back into the pattern of storm chasing and settle back into his old life.

Percy cleared his throat and shook his head. It was too late now to do any of those things. It wasn't fair to Annabeth or Rachel, they didn't deserve to suffer because of the choices he made. He was here for the divorce papers and to see to it that his invention worked.

Annabeth began to walk back towards the café, Percy trudging behind her. After walking for merely a minute, she stopped and turned around abruptly. Percy stopped and stepped back so he wouldn't run into her. A look of determination and concern clouded her eyes.

"If you ever want to talk, don't hesitate to let me know."

Before he could respond, she had turned around and started walking again. He watched her for a moment, her bright, blonde curls dancing in the wind. He smiled at how beautiful she was and how completely oblivious she was to it. A sigh escaped from his lips as he slowly began to follow her.

I'm terrible at updating so I am no longer making any promises for dates. The only thing I can promise is I will update as soon as I have time to do so. Let me know what you think of this chapter! Now we know what happened to their marriage.. will he tell Annabeth? Please R &R! Thanks :)