Greetings, loyal readers! So, after I upload this chapter, I'm going to take a brief break in order to go back and revise both Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters, both to fix grammatical issues and fix a few plotholes that you've pointed out to me. Don't worry, it won't take too long! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

"Come on, Annabeth. Wake up."

Annabeth's eyes fluttered open. Her entire body trembled, her mind racing as she struggled to process her surroundings. She quickly realized that she was still in the same room, back on the bed. The light is almost blinding, not helped by the basted paintjob.

"Hey." Annabeth hadn't even realized that someone was in the room with her. Her head was pounding like a drum. She turned her head slightly. She had to blink several times to get the figure into focus. As soon as she did, her eyes shot open and her heart skipped a beat.

"Luke?" her voice croaked out weak and hoarse. Her throat was throbbing. No surprise there. He gave her a small smile. He looked better than he had before. Much more refreshed, but he still had a tired look on him, as well as the scars that struck out on his face. Not just the one from the dragon, but the one on his right cheek, the one that Gohan had given him.

"Here, don't talk." He lifted a glass to her lips. Without thinking, she immediately gulped down its contents. It was delicious, it tasted like Coca-Cola. Not just any Coca-Cola, but the classic. That was her favorite drink the one she always had during movie nights with her dad. Immediately, a rush of energy shot through her and the throbbing in her throat abated drastically. She quickly realized that it was nectar. Luke watched her drink with a look of… tenderness?

"Better?" he asked softly. Annabeth finished the last of the glass, and wiped her mouth, glaring at Luke. Annabeth started to sit up, but then froze when she felt a tug on her right hand. She looked down to see two silver bands on her wrists. She lifted her right hand to see a thick metal chain trailing down to the underside of the bed. She tugged it several times, causing a metal clang. It didn't give in the slightest. The length of the chain itself wasn't short but wasn't long either. It was enough to let her get up and move around a little, but not very far. She trust her hand out at Luke and gestured. She didn't speak, but the message was clear: "Really?"

Luke sighed. "Sorry, Annabeth. It's more for your safety than mine." She scowled at him. Luke chuckled, ruffling his hair in amusement.

"I know what you're doing." She cocked her head slightly.

"You're using that brain of yours, trying to calculate a way to escape. Analyzing every single aspect. Me, this room, the hallway outside. How many guards there are, what their shifts are. I could go on, but… eh, you get the point." Annabeth sighed in frustration, shaking her head.

"What gave it away?" she asked. Luke smiled at her.

"Your face. You always scrunch up your nose when you're thinking, same as when you were seven?" For a brief moment, it was like the past two years had never happened, and they were back at camp, best friends once again. Then, Luke reached for Annabeth's hair and ran his hand along her new grey streak.

"That's unfortunate." He muttered softly. And the fantasy shattered. Annabeth mentally took a deep breath, and steeled her heart once again. As he leaned over, she made her move. She cracked him across the left side of his face. He let out a surprised grunt and stumbled, falling out of his chair as he clutched his face, the other clutching the bed.

"ASSHOLE!" she shrieked. Luke sighed, rubbing the side of his face.

"I deserved that." Annabeth tried to slap him again, but she couldn't reach down at him with the chain. Still, she glared at him venomously, her eyes blazing with rage.

"How could you?! How could you do that to me? Use me like that? You… you forced me to hold that burden! You used me to trap Artemis! Ho- how could you?!" That last statement wasn't one of rage, but one of pain and betrayal. Luke couldn't even look her in the eye as he got back to his feet.

"We needed Artemis trapped. And I had no intention of keeping you there a second longer than needed."

"And now? You don't exactly have a use for me anymore." Luke's face blanched.

"That's not true, Annabeth. Not in the slightest."

"Why are you here, Luke? Are you going to gas me again?" Luke winched.

"Actually, I'm here to escort you to dinner. Our host wishes to..." Luke paused, contemplating his words.

"Meet you." Annabeth stared at Luke in disbelief.

"Host? Are you talking about… him?" Luke's eyebrows rose. Annabeth was referring to Kronos, King of the Titans. Of course, she wouldn't speak his name. Names had power.

"No. My partner." Annabeth's blood chilled. She flashed back to the Princess Andromeda. A figure completely cloaked in black. Blood red eyes. A voice laced with cruelty.

"Did you forget already? We've already met." Luke sighed. Clearly, he had been expecting that reaction.

"He was in… an unpleasant mood at the time. He wishes to meet you properly this time."

"Forget it. He didn't seem so friendly back on your ship last year. He almost killed Percy! He wanted to have me killed too!" Luke grimaced.

"That's all in the past now. He wants to start over. A fresh slate." Annabeth crossed her arms, an incredulous look on her face. Luke sighed in exasperation.

"And he wasn't asking." Annabeth paused, and then learned forward.

"Tell your friend to fuck off." She hissed. Luke rolled his eyes, clearly not surprised in the lease by Annabeth's response. He he had the look of a parent dealing with a stubborn child at the grocery store: understanding, but with rage and frustration bubbling beneath the surface, a moment away from flipping the screaming brat over and spanking the shit out of their backside.

"I told him you'd said that."

"And?"

"And he told me to tell you that either you can walk in calmly and with dignity… or kicking and screaming. I'll let you decide which one suits you better." Annabeth glared at Luke with her classic imposing glare.

"You make it sound like an execution."

"Did I? I didn't mean to make it sound so… grim. He can have that effect on people."

"Well… I can't go anywhere chained up, can I?" She held up her chain bound hands. Luke chuckled softly.

"No, you certainly can't." Luke held up a small gold key. A moment later, Annabeth sighed in relief as she rubbed her sore wrists.

"One more thing. He wants you to wear the dress." Annabeth tilted her head in confusion.

"What dress?" Luke pointed. Annabeth followed his gaze and froze. Annabeth stared in horror at the dress, perfectly posed in a mannequin in the doorway to the bathroom that Annabeth had somehow not noticed before that moment. It was a Greek chiton, but in black.

"That… is not me. I am not wearing that! I am a daughter of Athena, not Aphrodite!" Annabeth's eyes blazed in rage.

"Try not to kill the attendants. They have orders to make you look… proper for dinner." Luke snapped his fingers, and the door slid open. Two girls a bit older than Annabeth stepped in, one of them rolling a cart with what looked like a department store's worth of feminine care products. Both girls were both stunningly gorgeous and wearing similar outfits to the one on the mannequin. The one rolling the cart had creamy brown hair, bright black eyes, and flawless white skin. The other had light reddish hair and blue eyes. Annabeth blinked in confusion. She could have sworn she'd seen them before… camp, maybe?

"I'll see you in an hour." The door closed behind Luke, leaving Annabeth with the two girls. The redhead cleared her throat, and picked up a comb and a bottle of shampoo.

"So…" Annabeth gave them both a cold look.

"Touch my hair and I will break that hand."