Chapter Nine

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IX-Percy

I left, thinking that Annabeth was meeting with a friend she had made. I felt a pang of jealousy, because I wasn't even her friend anymore. Under the mask of coldness and anger I had buried myself in, I still loved Annabeth. I know, I know. I shouldn't like her after all she had done to me. But my fatal flaw is loyalty. So I can't help it, right?

Right?

-Annabeth-

I saw myself holding up Atlas' burden. My arm muscles strained and nearly buckled. I held it up with renewed determination. I couldn't let everyone I cared for die. Not if I can help it. My arms burned and stung, but I endured the pain. I could see Luke smirking beside me in my periphery vision. I glared at the rocks at my feet, not being strong enough to turn around. I gritted my teeth, and heard Luke's boss chuckle maliciously next to him. A/N: This bit doesn't happen in the actual story. I think.

I was about to fall down when I heard someone call my name.

"Annanbeth!"

And I cried out, "Percy!"

I woke up, sweating. I looked around my surroundings, and no-one was here besides me. It all came rushing back to me. Percy. Agatha. The knife. My arm. My arm! I gazed down, and saw dried blood encrusted on the sides of my cuts. I then saw the time on my watch, and saw that it was nearly time for break. I grasped my cuts with my right hand and stumbled towards the Infirmary, which I saw yesterday. Luckily it wasn't too far from here, so I made it quickly and fell into the room. Two people rushed beside me and gently picked me up. They placed me carefully onto a bed. I winced as my arm thumped onto the mattress.

They treated the wound silently, and wrapped bandages around my arm. When they finished they bombarded me with questions. I replied, lying, saying that I had cooking class, and was careless with my knife. They nodded, although they seemed a little suspicious. Then they asked why it was made into a cross, and I shrugged. That made them purse their lips in a straight line.

"Coincidental" I said. They still weren't won over. Oh well. My brain wasn't working that well, and I was still a bit fuzzy.

I attempted to get up without using my left arm, and succeeded. The nurses didn't stop me, so I walked, albeit a little slowly, outside. The break was over, and I had no idea at all where Percy was, and thus no idea where and what class I was supposed to go to. So I just dawdled next to the gates, something that I wasn't used to doing. I waited and waited for something to happen, to get rid of the boringness that my ADHD brain had created. I finally decided to go to the principal's office. Maybe he would have an extra copy of my timetable. Percy didn't seem to be coming anytime soon, so that would be the better choice.

I went to the office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" I entered the room and found Mr. Stuart sitting in front of a computer, a pensive look on his face.

"Oh! It's Annabeth, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is… Alex." The name was still unfamiliar on my tongue. "I was wondering if you had an extra copy of my timetable, as I had left my own at my house."

"Sure! Here you go. Now hurry off. You are probably late for class." He said, as he handed me the sheet. I gave him a grateful smile, which he returned. I saw that I had Science, so I made my way to the room, using the map.

-Percy-

When I sat down in the seat, immediately some girls came gushing and squealing. I groaned. This happened everyday at every class. Apparently, I was the boy that all the girls wanted. This made a lot of boys direct me dirty looks. Annabeth might have pinned me as oblivious, but even I could notice that.

I tried to shoo the girls away, but when that didn't work, I stood up and moved to a different seat. The girls finally got the hint and sat back down. I wondered where Annabeth was, seeing as she was always punctual, and was never late. I saw from the clock at the front of the room, that there was only five minutes left until class starts. I was worried. What if she was hurt from a monster? Or did she get lost? Then it hit me. I left her. Without telling her what class we had. Oh, crap.

But miraculously, Annabeth came stumbling in. I saw that she was limping slightly, and saw bandages wrapped around her arm. People started to whisper, probably about the bandages. Did she encounter a monster? If she did, she was lucky that nobody saw her. The bell rang for the start of class, and she sat in the only seat left-which was next to mine.