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A Game of Fate

Chapter Nine

Annabeth didn't waste any time.

Hazel's apartment was a lovely little place, simply furnished but cozy. A small fire burned in the fireplace, and soft candlelight illuminated the room. On the walls hung guns and weapons, but the overall homeliness of the apartment drowned the supposed menace.

"Get him on the couch," Hazel ordered as she ran into the room, reappearing with a medical kit on her hands. Annabeth tossed a sheet over the couch while Jason and Frank set Luke down. Hazel leaned forward and started using a rag to wipe away the blood. Luke grunted when Piper poured in the alcohol to clean the wound, and Annabeth bandaged the cut quickly.

"Do you have any painkillers?" Annabeth asked Hazel. Hazel's golden eyes were as wide as the eyes of an owl while she shook her head.

Annabeth swore. Luke was still conscious, and the pain would have been overpowering. Frank left the apartment for painkillers, and Annabeth hoped that he would be back soon.

Percy sighed loudly and took a seat. "Everything is going crazy."

Jason nodded. Piper moaned in agreement.

Annabeth found a seat and sat down as well. "So far, we know that someone in Olympus has framed us as traitors. Luke's hurt, and we have to convince the Olympians that we're not the traitors."

"How?" Hazel asked. "They'll shoot you dead the second you even take a step into their headquarters."

"That's our problem." Percy agreed. "We have to convince them without getting killed."

Annabeth tapped her chin thoughtfully. Frank came back into the room, and Annabeth immediately felt more relieved when Luke slipped into unconsciousness while Percy and Jason filled Frank out onto what had happened.

"We could go for a truce," Annabeth suggested. "Maybe Percy and I could go to the hotel and convince the Olympians, while you guys hold the base here."

"You could get killed!" Piper protested.

"We could," Annabeth agreed. "But we could go in quietly and sneak into their meeting room or something. When they arrive, we can just explain quickly and stop them from summoning the guards. They'll have to see the truth."

Slowly, they nodded. Maybe it was the best chance they had.

"So that's settled!" Annabeth clapped her hands.

Soon, they dispersed. Hazel, Annabeth, and Piper found a place to sleep in Hazel's bedroom, and the boys slept in Frank's room. Only Luke slept on the couch. The order wasn't incredibly comfortable, but it was definitely better than sleeping on the cold, hard floor.

Annabeth slept at the edge of the tiny bed. Her mind was spinning, and she fought the urge to throw up. Everything had changed so quickly in the previous few hours.

Slowly, Annabeth slipped into an uneasy sleep.

()(())()

The next morning, Annabeth woke at dawn. She considered going back to sleep, but gave up on the idea when she thought about Luke. The painkiller must have worn off by then, and the wound would still hurt pretty badly.

Annabeth slipped out of bed and changed into the soft cream-colored gown Hazel lent to her the previous night before. Annabeth made sure to stay very quiet to not wake Piper and Hazel.

Annabeth tiptoed to the door, but looking back, Annabeth suddenly felt a rush of guilt. Piper looked so sweet and beautiful in her sleep. She should be a carefree young woman living a life of freedom and excitement. Hazel looked so young and innocent. She shouldn't be working at a bar packed with men that could do unspeakable things.

Now, they were fugitives, because of Annabeth.

Turning away, Annabeth left the room and made her way down the hall, forcing the thoughts out of her mind. When she arrived at the living room, she saw Luke on the couch, sitting up, his face tight with pain, but much better than before.

"Oh my gosh," Annabeth said hurriedly as she reached for a bottle of painkillers.

"No," Luke shook his head. "I don't want that stuff getting into my head."

"Are you sure?" Annabeth asked, worried.

"I'm sure," Luke reassured her.

Annabeth sighed as she took a seat next to Luke on the couch. They were barely inches away from each other, and Annabeth felt her face flush. She glanced at her hands.

"You know," Luke said slowly. "Sometimes, I just feel as if everything's moving too fast for us to follow, with the traitors running everywhere. It's as if we've just stepped into a Game of Fate, and we couldn't get out."

"I agree." Annabeth echoed. A Game of Fate did seem like the right phrase to describe their situation.

"Sometimes, I kind of feel like committing a suicide," Luke said, almost sheepishly.

"Luke Castellan, don't you dare!" Annabeth yelled.

Luke held up his hands defensively. "All right! I just said I feel as if I'll commit a suicide, but I'm not suicidal enough to actually commit one!"

"That's better!" Annabeth said, scowling.

Luke laughed, and Annabeth felt her heart melting.

"Well, I'm going to continue to live because of one special person," Luke said. Annabeth didn't even have any time to process that information when Luke leaned down and promptly kissed her on the lips.

Annabeth froze. Luke was kissing her. Luke, the one she really loved, was kissing her.

Slowly, Annabeth began to relax. Luke was actually a pretty nice kisser, to be honest. Annabeth would have loved it if the moment could last forever, but naturally, it was far too much to ask for.

Suddenly, both of them pulled apart when they heard footsteps down the hall, coming to the living room.

"Quick!" Luke hissed. He lay back down and pretended to be asleep. Annabeth ran over to a bookshelf and started flipping through a random book.

"Hi," Percy said as he entered the room.

"Hi, Percy! How are you doing? It's a nice morning, right?" Annabeth said quickly. Maybe she spoke a little too quickly, because Percy gave her a weird look.

"Did anything happen just now?" Percy asked, glancing at Luke. Luke continued to sleep.

"No, nothing happened." Annabeth reassured him as she placed the book away. Her lips still tingled.

"All right." Percy seemed to buy it as he walked into the kitchen, no doubt searching for more food. Once Percy left, Annabeth nudged Luke, and Luke sat up again. Both of their eyes were wide, and shakily, they started to laugh.

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