Hi readers!

Uhhhhh school is the worst. Luckily I don't have it tomorrow or the day after! I'm actually writing this before I start walking to school in an hour so…. Yeah.

Anyways- I am so glad you liked last chapter!

This is part 2 of the dodgeball game.

Enjoy!

Both sides glared at each other.

It was like everything was passing in slow motion.

Their friends yelled shouts of encouragement to them but they couldn't hear.

It was just them in that one moment.

And only one side would win.

Percy and Annabeth were together. That was their strength. They would win by working as a team. This was also a weakness. Who knew if one was able to function without the other.

Luke had been using Rachel however. That was his strength. All he had to do was make sure HE wasn't hit by a ball. He didn't care about Rachel.

If only she knew that.

For what felt like forever they threw and dodged balls.

Without stopping, they were like robots, programmed to function in only two ways.

Sweat glistened on their foreheads, in their hair and on their arms.

Both sides were seething with angry determination.

Determination to win.

Determination to pulverise the enemy.

Finally Percy threw a ball directly in front of Luke.

The ball was so well thrown it should have hit the blonde in his smug nose.

But it didn't.

It didn't because Luke pulled Rachel in front of him and just in time too.

The ball hit her stomach and she fell onto the battlefield with a groan.

"Nice try!" He sneered.

"That's just cowardly, pushing someone else to take the fall for you." Percy retorted. "Even if I hate her, you shouldn't have done that to Rachel."

Luke's sneer transformed into a grimace. As if he'd just sucked a lemon or smelt something foul.

Probably himself.

He threw a ball straight at Annabeth but Percy pushed her away and got hit himself.

"Percy!" She gasped. He clutched his arm and groaned.

"I'm fine! Just win the game. Not for me or the gang, but yourself." He urged her. "Whatever terrible thing he did to you in the past you can have some revenge by winning this game."

He went with Travis to the nurses office since they were both pretty banged up.

Annabeth stood still in time facing Luke.

It terrified her.

HE terrified her.

She threw a ball clumsily.

It landed at his feet.

"That all you got?" He sniggered.

She could hear the titters of his team.

She looked at the gang.

They were trying to hide looks of concern for her.

She knew they cared about her but sometimes it was too much.

It made her feel helpless and weak.

She couldn't bear it.

Percy on the other hand believed in her.

She thought of his words.

"Don't do it for me ore gang, but yourself."

She put on a grin of sheer determination.

Leaning over with her head still lifted she picked up her only ball.

The rest were on Luke's side.

She held it in one hand and drew her arm back.

Luke prepared to dodge but she knew him too well.

He didn't have a human shield anymore and a ball wouldn't be enough to protect him.

She brought her arm forward in a sudden movement and released.

It spun through the air and hit him on the nose.

The impact of the force caused his nose to bleed.

The gang all rushed to Annabeth screaming and yelling victory.

Thalia winked at her.

"How did it feel?" She asked.

"Amazing!" She replied because it truly did.

It felt like she was waking up from a slumber or a butterfly spreading its wings for the first time.

She felt more free.

She laughed and went to the nurses office with Katie so she could check on Percy.

It was thanks to him she felt – stronger.