I couldn't sleep that night. Visions of bloody boars and Ares' cruel sneer filled my mind. I could remember my few encounters with him, seeing him battling Percy on the surf when we were kids, to seeing him on Olympus. Why Ares? Of all the gods Ares was one of the worse. Athena didn't like many of the Olympians, but her and Ares got along as well as Midas and Medusa would. Matthew's stony face glared at me from my mind. When had he changed so much? Was it really all because I had left the two of them? Had I destroyed the sweet boy my brother use to be? I could remember Matthew hugging my knees before I left for camp one summer.
"Annie please stay with me! We can still build Legos! I promise I'll share with you and Bobby!" I'd smiled and ruffled his hair.
"I'll be back in a few weeks. Then we can play again ok?"
"Pinkie promise Annie?" His tiny hand held out a curled pinky to me, his face filled with hope. I smiled and knelt down beside him. I grasped his pinky with my own and his face broke into a grin.
"Of course Matthew."
The memory ended and I felt tears slipping down my face. Furious at myself for crying, I wiped at my face and silently slipped out from my bunk. I didn't care that I was still in a ratty T-shirt and pajama shorts, I had to calm down and forget for a night. I needed Percy. We'd been through too much together for me to be embarrassed. I slipped out into the night, watching for the harpies. Nothing moved in the camp, but for some reason I still felt eyes on me. I shook the feeling off, cutting across the green. I knocked on his cabin door, pushing it open when I heard stirring behind the door. Percy sat up in bed, wiping at his face to probably clear it of drool and then his eyes to wipe away the sleep.
"Annabeth? Are you ok?"
He swung his legs out to catch me as I stumbled in and threw myself at him. I wouldn't cry, not that Percy would care. I needed to forget. My lips crushed against his, hard. I felt him pause for a second in surprise before returning the kiss. Heat burned away my thoughts of the twins and how the bloody boar had looked above their heads. I let Percy make me forget Matthew's hatred towards me. When we finally broke away, I was straddling his hips, his green eyes staring in surprise. Before he could say a word, I cut him off.
"Just hold me for the night. I don't need anything else I just need to forget. I need to be held."
Percy nodded, not saying a word, but I saw his Adam apple bob. He shifted so I could curl up beside him on the bed. I faced him, his arms making a cage as if to protect me from whatever it was that had upset me. We didn't need words, he could read me better than anyone in the world. His lips pressed a kiss to my forehead and his eyes looked at me like a lazy smile.
"I've got you Wise Girl. I'll protect you for the night."
Smiling, I curled up to him and fell asleep fast. I didn't have any normal dreams, but instead dreamed of my father holding the twins, reading from a story book to them. They laughed and smiled at my father until his kind face and eyes suddenly changed. Deep scars itched their way through his skin, his hair growing dark and his eyes filling with flame. Ares sat reading to the two boys, but they didn't seem to notice the change. They continued to laugh and smile, but it was the god that confused me. Ares laughed along with his children, a strangely genuine smile on his face. It was so different from the sneer he usually tried to pass off as a smile. His flame filled eyes looked up at me and spoke two words."Protect them."
I woke up with a jolt, but luckily Percy had rolled over in his sleep so he didn't notice. The sky outside was pink, like the sun was just barely peaking through. Silently I stood, leaving a note on Percy's bed that told him I was ok and had gone back to my cabin. I knew what I had to do now. I had to protect the ones I loved.
