Hi, everybody :) I actually wasn't going to post again today, but today was the last day of school, and with no billion question homework or impossibly long reports to work on, I actually had some free time. Ah, the wonders of Summer Vacation. Anyway, free time = writing time, so I'm back with a update. Also, you all seemed to really like my Thalico idea, so that's what I'll be doing. Shout outs:

allen r- I'm glad you liked it :)

WindRainFire- Yah, this isn't really a Thaluke story…

Myusernameisorigional- If you mean will Rachel and Leo date, then no, probably not. Sorry :( If you mean will this story go into their back stories and such, it would be hard to do this far into the story, but I can try. If I write a sequel, I can try to incorporate it there. I do agree that they seem to be "outcasts" of sorts… Also, thanks for the awesome review! It just absolutely made my day :)

PepsiCola541- No problem :) And, sadly, you are right. Things only go downhill from here… :(

XxbethamphetaminexX- :)

Also- this story isn't over yet, but it will be in another 4 or 5 chapters. There are two ways I can end this story- one sets up for a sequel, and one doesn't. So, do you guys want a sequel? I need to know so I know which ending to set up for.

Disclaimer: This was a long authors note, and RR didn't write it… :(

Luke's POV

I lounged in my swivel chair, studying the report on my desk.

Cameras 5a and 6a down.

Camera errors were something I took seriously, and this one was particularly disturbing. My boss was coming today, and I couldn't afford anything to go wrong. Headmasters shouldn't need bosses, I scowled as I opened my laptop to see what area of the school cameras 5a and 6a were. When I did, I felt my blood go cold. The cameras were located in the third hallway, second floor- the hallway Annabeth's dorm was in. Why didn't she take my warning? I thought angrily as I typed in the code to reset the camera. Does she want to be altered?! I didn't want to alter her- I knew I should. I should have long ago, but I just…couldn't. That didn't mean I couldn't get to her, though. She had enough friends that I could alter. I could still get my message across.

"Castellan," said a voice from my oak doorway. I looked up, annoyed, and froze when I say the stiff form in the doorway. My boss.

"Sir," I said immediately, standing up and making a stiff, short bow.

"Sit," he commanded, and I obliged. "The time's coming fast, Luke. I hope you're ready."

"Of course," I replied, my voice tight. He nodded, then his eyes narrowed as he saw the red slip of paper on my desk. The camera report.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," I lied.

"Give it to me," he demanded. It wasn't a request- it was an order. Mentally groaning, I slid the paper across to him.

"Cameras down?" He asked, his voice dangerously soft, obviously realizing what the report meant. We had the best cameras money could buy- they wouldn't just crash. Not without interference.

"We're looking into it, sir," I said tightly.

"Cameras down?" He asked again, his voice rising in anger. "CAMERAS DOWN?" I flinched away from his furious outburst, the steadied my resolve and faced him. He leaned forward so that I had to look him in the eye.

"You will NOT let some student get in the way," he hissed. "I want them dead. Gone. Terminated. Do you understand me, Luke?"

"Dead? But-"

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?"

"Yes, sir." I said tensely, my thoughts flickering to the blonde girl responsible for the camera crash.

"You better," He said, a murderous glint in his eye. "Because I promise you, mercy will not be tolerated. And if I find out that you showed any mercy to this student," he spat furiously, "I will kill you myself. I gave you this position- but I will replace you with someone more qualified. Is that what you want?"

"No sir," I managed.

"Good." He said, standing up and walking to the door. "And Luke? Don't disappoint me." He warned as he opened the door.

"Yes sir, Kronos." I whispered, watching my famed boss exit the room.

Percy's POV

I was headed to Annabeth's dorm for one of our meetings with our Escape Group. Today we were working on discovering our talent- Rachel had shared hers, and the rest of us were eager to discover our "superpowers," as Leo called them. I was really looking forward to it- plus, I enjoyed spending time with Annabeth. Was I nervous about being her boyfriend? Yeah, but it wasn't because she made me uncomfortable or anything. I was nervous about our relationship because I was scared I might mess up and lose her, and trust me, I would do anything to avoid that.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by a familiar sound- an adult's footsteps. It was after curfew, so getting caught was not an option. Spotting the janitor's closet a few feet to my right, I dashed into it and closed the door, praying that it wasn't the janitor himself who was walking this way. Peeking out the window in the door, I watched the unfamiliar man walk down the hall.

"Who the…?" I muttered, trailing off as I studied the man. He seemed to be made of stone, with chiseled features and a cold, unreal atmosphere to him. Suddenly he stopped, and my heart seemed to stop as he turned to look straight at the janitor's closet I was hiding in. I quickly ducked down, praying that he hadn't seen me. I heard footsteps getting nearer to the door and held my breath. Don't open the door, don't open the door, don't open the door, I willed in my mind. He stopped just outside the door, and I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to be discovered.

The man seemed to decide that wherever he was going was more important, though, because he turned and continued to walk off down the hallway.

Thank the gods, I thought as I breathed a sigh of relief. I waited until he rounded the corner- and then left my hiding spot and followed him. Dumb? Probably, but a new face wasn't something to be ignored. Annabeth had lectured me enough about how this school worked- it was like a well-oiled machine, and this 'new part' was setting of little warning bells in my head. I stopped outside the oak doors the stranger had entered moments before and crouched next to it, struggling to hear the conversation through the thick door.

"…time's coming fast…hope you're ready…" The words drifted through the door in a cool tone that I reasoned had to belong to the stranger. My heart skipped a beat, though, when I heard the next words.

"Cameras down? CAMERAS DOWN?" I froze- Annabeth had disabled the cameras in her hallway so we could meet tonight without being caught. Somehow, they had found out. I had to warn her.

I got up and turned around and… ran right into Mrs. Brooke, making papers fly.

"What the…" She muttered, grabbing my arm. "What are you doing here?" I tried to twist away, but the woman had an iron grip. "You're coming with me," she snapped, her annoying secretary look abandoned for a firmer, much crueler look. It made me want her to act annoying again.

Before I could make up some excuse about looking for a bathroom, she was pushing me toward the oak doors. The stranger opened the door to leave, but if he was surprised to see a teen boy being dragged down the hall by a kindly secretary, he didn't show it. He just held the door open so I could be ushered to my impending doom faster. Then, giving a quick, short nod to Mrs. Brooke, he left as I was pushed into a large office.

"He was lurking outside your office, sir." Explained Mrs. Brooke, and then she too left, leaving me alone with the headmaster. One look at him and I could tell he was not happy.

"Anything you'd like to say, Jackson?" He asked coolly, examining me with distaste.

"I broke the cameras," I blurted out. Luke raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"You?" He sneered. "Like you have the brains to do that." I felt my face flush with anger at his insult, but kept my mouth shut. "We both know who it was, Jackson."

"If you hurt her…I'll-I'll" I said furiously, not even able to form a coherent thought through my anger.

"You'll what?" Luke smirked. "Why do you care, anyways?" His voice made it clear he didn't expect an answer, but my expression must have spoken wonders. He straightened up and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Why do you care?" He repeated thoughtfully, and then his expression changed. He was staring at my chest- no, not my chest. My necklace. It was a simple leather strip with a golden ring on it. The ring was Annabeth's- it had been her father's college ring, but when the necklace she kept it on snapped, she'd given it to me for safe keeping.

"Annabeth's ring." He said, thinking aloud. "Why would she give it to you? Unless…" He trailed off and his eyes hardened. "You're dating her, aren't you?"

"So what if I am?" I challenged. His eyes grew cold.

"Then she deserves what's coming to her," he spat.

"What?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Asked Luke in a falsely reassuring voice. "Your girlfriend has stepped out of line. I plan to put her in her place." He hissed.

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her," I spat, a surge of protectiveness running through me.

"Why not?" He asked, giving a humorless laugh. "She has you now! She doesn't need me!"

"I never said anything about her needing you," I said. "But it doesn't matter. You were never there for her. You abandoned her; you took her friends from her and trapped her here. You don't have the right to even think about her, so don't tell me you ever cared for her," I spat.

Faster than I thought possible Luke jumped the desk and gave me a solid punch to the jaw. I reeled back, my jaw throbbing in pain, and raised my fist to return a punch of my own.

"Go ahead," He threatened darkly. "I'll kill her so fast it'll make your head spin." I was furious, but I let my hand drop to my side. I couldn't give him any more reason to hurt Annabeth.

"Get out of here," he growled. "And tell Annabeth I'm sick of her games." He gave another short laugh. "Lets see you try to protect her when she's hooked up to my machine."

So, just when things are looking up, reality catches up to the group. Luke is sick of their games, and Annabeth's in trouble- uh oh. Reviewer's Question: Do we want the sequel? (I know it seems a bit early for this question, but I need to know which ending to use.) Until next time!