Exams are over, which means a new chapter! Yay!

Does anyone actually read this story, other than the couple of people who review? (I love you guys, by the way.) Either way, this story is my favourite coping method until HOH.

Enjoy the chapter, my few readers, and see you soon with more!

Percy had never been good at making plans.

What with ADHD, dyslexia, and his girlfriend being held captive by evil eveningwear- Percy was seriously having a hard time strategizing.

Without turning away from the captured Annabeth, Percy scanned the area for Salmoneus while cursing himself for being so unprepared. Never trust a man in a clown wig. The endless racks of clothes suddenly felt stifling. The psychopathic king had seemingly vanished, yet his laugh still echoed all around Percy.

Annabeth struggled against the dresses holding her, but let out a loud whimper when the gag was suddenly and harshly pulled tighter into her mouth. At the small, involuntary sound of pain from her, Percy's blood pounded in his ears.

"Let her go!" He looked for a path, an opening, but was surrounded. He'd never be able to free Annabeth without cutting her in half, and even if he did they couldn't escape.

The voice of Salmoneus rang out again, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "No, no I don't think I will, just yet. Didn't you hear me? You, dear boy, have a choice to make."

The floating orange shirt in front of Percy suddenly seemed too bright, letting off a kind of light that reflected from the various bottles and jars littered along the shelves.

As if realizing what Percy had, the voice sounded again, "I was sent to Tartarus by your mighty King of the gods. Those first years," his voice took on a darker tone, "were horrible. Now, however, my patron has saved me. She gives me my costumes, and my drinks, and my news of the world above... Such a lovely place, that camp of yours. A little after my time, you know, but still- it's where you and your lovely companion met isn't it?" Upon being mentioned, Annabeth struggled more vigourously against her captors, but Percy could see she was drained. "It really is lovely there." repeated Salmoneus, "It would be a shame if anything was to happen with, say, a vengeful, angry Roman army?"

Percy exhaled sharply. As soon as this guy had started talking, Percy had suspected he was insane- and not even in a cool, party pony way either. He'd known, but he hadn't done anything. And now he was stuck in this utterly impossible situation, berating himself. Annabeth was glaring at him fiercely, silently commanding him not to pick her. Percy couldn't look at her, so he stared at the sword in his hand. Then- slowly, dejectly, he lowered it.

Percy Jackson had never been good at making plans, at the best of time.

Now? He was trapped.

"Okay." he said, then raised his voice so Salmoneus could hear him. "Okay. I'll choose." As soon as he finished, the cross dressing king stepped out of the shadows, watching eagerly.

The worst part?

It was barely even a choice.

"Annabeth. Save her."

Instantly, the gag dropped from Annabeth's mouth. "No!" screamed Annabeth shrilly, as she tumbled to the ground and the Camp Half Blood shirt went up in flames.

Percy didn't hear her. He was too busy hoping that his powers extended to watered-down alchoholic beverages.

Because, really, it was barely a choice.

Certainly not a choice he was going to make.

Percy concentrated all of his energy on the bottles lining the shelves, some part of him wondering if his father could hear him praying from down here. Finally, something seemed to go his way, because the bottles exploded all at once. Liquid and shards of glass rained down, soaking the costumes. Salmoneus screamed in rage, but Percy was already running. He grabbed Annabeth's hand, pulling her to her feet, and slashed through the jumpsuit that was shooting towards them. Scarves were tangling themselves around their feet, pulling them back, but they struggled on, and Percy managed to grab some unbroken jars of what he hoped was food from the ground.

Percy turned, looking desperately to see if his madcap plan had worked. His eyes landed on the bright orange shirt. Orange- not ash black. No flames, and the shirt was intact. Before Percy had the chance to feel a sense of truimph, however, his eyes landed on the insane king.

Clutching his soaked, ruined costumes to his chest, Salmoneus had a kind of insane anger in his eyes. Any illusion of sanity was long gone. "Percy Jackson!" he screamed, "You have done nothing but doom your precious camp! Your choice was made- you cannot cheat the Earth Mother!"

Percy's stomach dropped. He glanced at the Camp Half Blood shirt, only to see it ripple, then disappear. He froze, but Annabeth tugged his hand, and he had no option but to run beside her; and kept running until the sound of Salmoneus' cries had long faded, and they were sprinting headlong into the neverending dark.

He probably would have kept going, but she stopped.

He heard her start to say something, but didn't catch the rest, because he slumped to the ground. Breathing hard, he gripped his hair in his hands so tightly it seemed as if he'd pull it out.

"I didn't mean to. I wanted to save... both." he panted, finally looking up at Annabeth, pleading her to understand. He gazed into her eyes searchingly, but she seemed almost wary, closed off.

Percy let out a strangled breath, desperate to make her see. "Frank told me... when his mom died... she had the chance to choose. The one of her men, who was injured, would slow down the rest of them. She had to choose," he repeated, "but she didn't. She saved them all."

"Percy," Annabeth said incredulously, "Frank's mother died."

Percy sighed shakily. "Didn't really think about that part."

Annabeth's breath caught in her throat, and she caressed Percy's cheek, looking at him differently, somehow, yet all too familiarly. "Percy, it's your fatal flaw. You would give up anything for a friend. Even yourself."

"Yeah well, it didn't do anything in the end."

"You tried not to choose."

"Did I?"

She didn't respond, because it was clear that he'd been asking himself as much as her. For once, she didn't have the answer- and Percy wasn't sure he wanted one. And for a long time, it was quiet, silence pressing in on the until it became almost unbearable.

At that point, she got to her feet, pulling him up with her. "Let's go." He didn't respond. "Percy." He met her eyes, and her voice was unusually soft. "There's nothing we can do now."

And then Percy saw that, despite her strong words, she was weaker than before. Her capture had shaken her, and he'd left her to pick up the pieces alone.

He couldn't leave her alone.

So he picked himself up.

Grabbed her hand in his.

And began the walk forward all over again.

Because, after all, they were in this together.

In that, they didn't have a choice.

"Reyna."

She looked up at the annoyingly familiar voice, and sighed. "What is it, Octavian?"

The auger glared at her. "The people are becoming agitated. They want to attack."

Reyna glanced out towards the Greek camp in the distance. It was slightly blurry, because of their defences, but still- demigods couldn't hide from other demigods. Greek, or Roman.

Part of her wished they could.

"They are Jason's family."

Octavian scoffed. "What they are is our enemies. Unless you think we should go down there and invite them over for a barbecue at- oh. Oh wait a minute. We can't invite them to our camp, because they destroy-"

"Enough." Reyna cut him off, looking once more at the camp on the horizon. Whatever sign she'd been hoping for obviously wasn't coming.

She was the daughter of war, and the praetor of New Rome.

She would do what she had to do.

"Attack."