Chapter 8: Friendly Faces

A/N: Ok. I know you're mad, and probably don't wanna hear it, but I'm gonna say it anyway – I'm sorry. I know, it's been forever. But… this past year has been rough for me. Heavy school workload, emotional turmoil, mild depression… oh, and writer's block, big time. But, I realized, that retreating from my writing wasn't helping. So, I'm back. I've outlined the whole rest of the story, so I can't claim I have writer's block anymore. I mean, I can't guarantee a weekly update because I still have to actually write the chapters, but now I know where I'm going. I'm aiming for a weekly update – just bear with me. The story should finish up by the end of the summer. Yay! So don't worry, I shouldn't disappear anymore.

Oh, and a special thanks – this chapter is especially dedicated to someone:

erinwritesfanfics

Thank you for your review, coincidentally, a year after my last update. It wasn't a flame, or anything, it was… nice to hear. And so I went back and read my story – and the rest of the story poured out. I guess it's not exactly how I was originally going to write it – I mean it's the same plotline and the same general events, just differently.

So, erinwritesfanfics, this one's for you! That reminds me, I have to update The Awkward Moment…

Hope you enjoy!

Luke's POV

"Hahahahaha! I've got you now!"

"Not so fast!" I lunged.

Percy's voice came over the headset.

"Surrender, Castellan!"

"Never!"

Our swords clashed. I could hear the ring of our blades meeting over the sound speakers in the room.

Clang!

"Whoo-hoo! Go, Luke!" I heard Thalia scream.

"Hey!" I took Percy's distraction as an advantage and struck his chest.

"Oomf!"

GAME OVER flashed across my screen, WINNER: LUKE.

"Yeah, Luke!" The doors to my side of the makeshift arena opened. My friends flooded in, congratulating me. My screen retreated upward, revealing a large window. Through the window, I could see Percy taking off his headset and hanging it up. He removed the clip that connected him to the game. I knocked on the glass.

His eyes shot up to me. He raised his eyebrows quizzically. I pushed the button to open the door that would connect our rooms. Percy stepped in.
"You know," I said, "You would've beaten me if you hadn't gotten distracted."

Percy was a cool guy. He was also the best (electronic) swordsman Club Half-Blood had ever seen. So when I came in and started beating him every now and then, as cool as he was, and as little it seemed to bother him, I knew it had to sting. It would sting for me, too, if some new guy fresh off a plane from Virginia came into my domain and just beat me, first try, no experience. So I tried to make him feel better. After all, I didn't always win. He beat me most of the time. But I was getting better. And beating him only two or three times was enough to set off the other kids.

He smiled. "You would've won, anyway."

It was a genuine smile. I knew Percy didn't have hard feelings. It was nice that he didn't resent me, but rather used the fact that I was as good as he was to improve. He was definitely my best friend… in New York.

I still think about Annabeth. I haven't talked to her in forever. Maybe I'd get home early and I could call her. I felt the need to check on her, just to make sure she was okay, maybe because I'd already forgotten her once and I didn't want it to happen again.

"Hey, you alright?" Percy asked. 'I blinked. "Yeah, why?"

He shrugged. "You look a little down… how's Annabeth?"

I sighed. "I don't even know."

"Talk to her. If she isn't calling you, you call her."
But if she isn't calling me, she doesn't want to talk to me. What if she doesn't even pick up?"

"Call her. Even if she doesn't pick up, it'll remind her you care and haven't forgotten her again."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll call her later."

Percy grinned. "Great. But for now, don't worry about it – I want a rematch."

I trained with a few different people. Actual battles were set up in a very similar way to the test you take to get into the club. It was a giant video game. You wore a headset to communicate with the person you battle with. You aren't actually in the same rom as the other person; you see them on a screen. The screen stands out in a sort of holographic, life-size image, so your blade will actually be 'touching' the other blade or person. Whenever your blade touches the image, the person you're fighting can feel what you've done through their armor if you have touched them, or the sword if you hit the sword. The armor is special that way. It wouldn't hurt the other person, but they'd know they've been hit, a little bit like how your suit would vibrate when you play laser tag and get hit. The walls of the room are made of glass, so anyone walking by can see you. Once you strike a person ten times, you win. You wear this clip on your clothing so your scores, victories, and losses all get recorded.

I've made a lot of friends at the club. I met my 'siblings' (other children of Hermes) as well as kids from other locker rooms. That's how the club is divided – whoever your parent is, there is a section where lockers are set up as well as cabin-like housing for over-the-summer camps and sleep-away programs the club hosts for members. It was really cool.

Right now, I decided to try my luck with Clarisse, a girl from the Ares room. She was big and strong, and kind of intimidating, but I wanted to battle her anyway.

After a few minutes, she won. She stuck her tongue out at me through the glass and disappeared. Slightly baffled, I walked over to Connor and Travis Stoll, two mischievous brothers (actual brothers) in my room.

"Aw, don't feel bad, Castellan – no one's beaten her… you know, except, Percy." Connor tried to cheer me up.

"Yeah, and even he had a hard time," Travis interjected.

"Has he beat everyone here?"

"Yup. That's how he got his award for "Best Swordsman' last summer," Connor answered.

"He's like Hercules," Travis added, "Except he isn't famous."

"What are you morons up to?" Katie Gardner, a girl from Demeter, was suspiciously eyeing the brothers. They particularly liked using Katie as a lab rat for new pranks. Her eyes fell one me and she smiled.

"Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Katie."

"Whatcha doing hanging around this pair of goons?"

"Keeping them out of trouble, naturally."

Travis frowned. "Goons?"

Katie ignored him. "Good. It's about time someone with some sense came into that room and-"

"Katie!" Two boys were running up to Katie. The younger one was Nico. He was a cousin of Percy and Thalia. He was rather pale, which sharply contrasted his dark hair and clothing. Behind him came Will. He was a blue-eyed blonde Apollo, known for his great musical talent, impeccable archery skills, and gift in medicine and healing.
"What is it?"

"One of your sisters got hurt. You should come see."

Katie nodded quickly.

"Bye, Luke." She started to walk away.

"Hey! What are we, a bundle of wheat?" Travis protested.

Katie glared at him. "No, I like wheat."

He smiled and wiggled his eyebrows.

"How 'bout you put one right here?" He tapped his cheek.

Katie leaned forward slightly, as if she was actually going to kiss him, before punching him in the jaw.

"Ah!"

"You might have to come back in a minute, Will," Katie said, surveying the damage. She then left with Will and Nico at her heels.

I helped Travis to the infirmary. Club Half-Blood was a lot of fun.

Annabeth's POV

I clutched my stomach. It hurt from all the laughing.

"Kids? Are you hungry?"

Malcolm's dad poked his head through the door.

Malcolm looked at me. I smiled.

"I can eat."

I've been spending every day after school with Malcolm. My excuse was homework. It wasn't a lie, since we did do our homework together, but I would stay a bit longer after that. Sometimes, I got carried away and lost track of time; Malcolm's dad wouldn't say anything, just call my parents and say I was staying for dinner.

Over these past few months, Malcolm and I have really bonded. He was a great friend. We shared a lot of interests, but enough differences to make our friendship unique. He listened whenever I needed to talk and he was a lot of fun to be around. My parents loved him. Malcolm has been over my house for dinner many times. My brothers liked him, too, even though he was 'a nerd'. Overall, Malcolm was the best thing that had happened to me since moving to San Francisco. I had other friends at school, but none of them were as close as Malcolm. He was definitely my best friend… here in Frisco.

I still thought about Luke. I probably should've called him, but I got carried away with hanging out Malcolm. It made me feel bad – just because Luke had accidentally forgotten about me didn't me I had the right to do the same. When I get home, if it isn't too late, maybe I'll call him.

A/N: And there it is. So, what'd you think? Still interested in this story? If not, that's understandable. So, we see a little more of the club, we see Annabeth and Malcolm really getting close – that was the main purpose of this chapter. This is mostly a filler chapter because I need more time to pass before we can keep moving to the plot. Also, I figured it was a good time to bring some other clubbers in, as well as emphasize the developing friendship between Annabeth and Malcolm.

Alright, I'm gonna go work on the next chapter. My apologies, again. But please…

R&R!

- Promise