Chapter 5

I Disappoint Everyone

The rest of the day was a blur to me. All I could think about was what I was about to do (Annabeth and Percy holding hands didn't help either). I kept going back and forth between if I was really going to do, even though in the end I always came back to the same conclusion, I will leave camp tonight. How I will get to Kronos, I don't know; I just know I am going to.

It was around dinner time that Grover and Percy started to notice something was wrong. I guess moping around camp and acting completely miserable wasn't a big enough hint.. Anyway, Grover was the first one to figure it out.

I was walking up to the dining pavilion when Grover came up behind me.

"Nat, what's wrong."

I completely lost it. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks and landed on my t-shirt.

"Just forgive me Grover, please. I could never live knowing you hated me."

Grover pulled me into a hug. "Shhh, Natalie, it's okay. I could never be mad at you."

"Y-you don't e-even know w-what I'm about to do."

"It doesn't matter what your about to do, I will never hate you."

I managed a smile. "I don't feel like eating." And with that I sprinted all the way to Athena's cabin. I closed the door behind me and fell back against the wall and slid down as tears fell down my face. I put my head to my knees and sobbed. I don't know how long I was there sobbing, but apparently long enough for everyone to come back from the dining pavilion. I heard Malcolm sit down next to me.

"Natalie, what's wrong?" he asked.

I looked at him and shook my head. "Nothing."

"Natalie, I'm not stupid, what's wrong?"

By now Clara had noticed that I was crying and came over. "Natalie, are you okay?"

"No, I'm not. Happy? You want to know why I'm not. Maybe it's because of the oblivious little…butthead right over there, who's in her own little perfect bubble and doesn't care who she hurts in the process of maintaining said bubble as long as in the end she has Percy." I retorted as I pointed to Annabeth.

Everybody else in the cabin was shocked, but Annabeth was still on her bed listening to her iPod. Malcolm looked over at Annabeth and said, "That's cold."

"It's a love story, baby just say yes!" Annabeth sang loudly and off key. Malcolm held out his arms for a hug, but I was already out the door. I was planning on going to the beach, but when I passed the Poseidon cabin, I stopped. I crept up the stairs to his cabin and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Percy called.

I opened the door and found Percy fiddling with Riptide on his bed. I smirked, despite myself. Leave it to Percy to find something completely unproductive to do with his time.

"Hey Natalie, what's up?"

My chin started to quiver when he asked me that. I couldn't tell him that I was going to betray him, just like I couldn't tell Grover. I held out my arms for a hug. He looked surprised before he returned the offer.

"Natalie, it's okay." He whispered, patting my back to stop the tears. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed in the salty sea smell of the cabin. Percy's green eyes bore into mine.

"I- I'm sorry." I sobbed.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He answered.

"Yes I do, but Percy, remember, I'm not doing this because of you."

He looked confused for a second and I took the opportunity to slip away from the embrace.

"I'm sorry, I really am." And with that I took off towards the woods, away from Percy, away from the Athena cabin, and away from life as I knew it.

I was running through the woods as fast as my legs would take me. I didn't know where I was going, or why. I just knew I had to. Running through the dark woods I passed monster after monster. Most people would be terrified to run through these woods unarmed, but that thought never crossed my mind as I sped through the large trees. That is, until a scythe intercepted me.

The scythe radiated with an evil aura, and I knew somehow, that one touch would severe my soul from my body. I stopped suddenly, something only a true huntress could do.

"So, Natalie. You decided to come after all. I thought for sure Percy would dissuade you." The Titan Lord grinned evilly.

"Kronos." I bowed my head.

I could feel a presence nearby, not an evil presence, but a presence none the less.

"Your loyalty will put our army in a place of great power. We will be undefeatable." He stated as if he expected this all along.

"I give you my loyalty Lord Kronos. I am your servant, do with me what you will." I said, the words bitter on my tongue. I had given myself to the one being Percy had taught me to hate. The one being that wanted to destroy my friends. I have just become my own worst enemy.

There was a rustling in the trees before Percy jumped out looking like he had just run a marathon. He had his bronze sword drawn and pointed at Kronos. But his eyes got me. His sea green eyes pleaded with me. But there was something beyond that, something I just couldn't stand. The biggest thing his eyes told me was disappointment.

"Ah, Perseus Jackson. I figured you wouldn't let your girlfriend go without a fight. Come, attack. Just remember that you drove her to this. She doesn't want to be saved." Kronos said, his golden eyes glinting evilly.

Percy just shook his head and lowered his sword. "I thought you were bigger than this Natalie. I thought you would be different." Then he left.

As he walked away I felt a tear slide down my face. The words itself weren't that bad. It was the fact that Percy had left without a fight. He had completely given up on me. What hurt was that now I was dead to Percy. I was no longer his best friend that had saved his sorry butt that day in the alley. I was no longer Natalie, the girl he told all his secrets to and never judged him. I was Natalie, traitor.

Kronos only smiled as he watched him walk away. Then he turned to the shadows and said, "Kill him."

I caught my breath, after everything I had just done; he was going to kill Percy!

"No!" I shouted. "P-Percy could still be of further use to us. Please Lord Kronos, don't kill him."

"Very well, I suppose the girl is right." He called off the monsters that had just come into view.

I looked sadly in the direction where Percy had just walked away.

"Let's go before I change my mind." I muttered.

Kronos laughed an evil, cold laugh. "Don't you see Natalie? There is no turning back now. You are a titan."

"Why are you so desperate for me to join your cause?" I asked as we started walking through the woods.

"Natalie, you are the prophecy child. You will train to become the best warrior the world had ever seen. Camp Half Blood will not know what hit them as you alone kill every child of those good for nothing gods."

"Everyone?" I asked meekly.

"Yes, as I was saying you are the prophecy-"

I wasn't stupid. From my short time at camp I had learned of the Great Prophecy. The next child of the Big Three who turned 16 would make a choice that would either save or destroy the gods. "But I'm not a child of the Big Three." I told him.

He regarded me with a look that said I should not have just interrupted him. "As I was saying, Camp Half Blood had it wrong.. The prophecy never said a child of the Big Three. It simply said the most powerful Half Blood. Since no ¾ blood had ever been born at the time, everyone assumed that it mean the elder gods. The prophecy says, when the most powerful half blood is born, Olympus must be warned the 16th birthday of this child, a choice she makes will not be mild. With love and friendship the only weapons, only two will choose what happens. Be warned Olympus, so powerful and strong, your time for downfall may not be long."

I felt my world closing in around me. Percy was not the prophecy child after all. I knew in my mind that Percy would have been glad to hear this, but he will never hear it. Suddenly a new thought struck me. "So that means no one will be prepared for battle on my birthday."

Kronos smiled his evil, cold smile. "Exactly."

Kronos took me to the Fireworks beach where Percy and I had once chased each other carefree through the waves. I was the least bit carefree now. Fear for Percy, Grover, and everyone else at camp I had come to love. But I knew that there was no turning back now. As Kronos and I slowly made our way to the large cruise ship docked a little ways off shore, I thought of my few days I had had at Camp Half- Blood. My dream of Artemis being my mother, the moment I realized that I was in love with Percy Jackson. But even these few moments did not compare to the betrayal and hurt that this camp held. As much as I liked some of the people here, even that could not compare to those I hate.

Eventually we made it to the boat. In the pale moonlight I could make out the name of the ship, Princess Andromeda. This reminded me of my necklace that still hung around my neck. The crescent moon that had sent me back to the time when Andromeda was really chained up to the tree and the relief her mother had shown we she was saved by Perseus. I wished my mother would have shown some form of love towards me. She brought me to camp, sure, but when my dad had struggled with money, she hadn't even sent a lousy child support check. My mother, the goddess of the moon and hunt, could kill horrible monsters without breaking a sweat, but the one thing she couldn't do was love a daughter.

Kronos led me down narrow corridors in the ship. We passed so many monsters that I couldn't even name them all. There were dragons, and half women –half snake, and every other combination of man and animal you could think.

We kept walking until we came to two doors. "Natalie, this is where you will stay. You are second in command in my army and will be treated as such."

He opened the doors and my mouth completely dropped. It was my dream room! There were shelves and shelves of books. A large king sized bed was in the middle of the room, one look at it and I was already tired. But out of all the things the room had, my favorite was the floor to ceiling window showing a gorgeous view of the ocean.

I was still staring at the view when Kronos directed my view towards a single hairclip glowing in the moonlight coming through the window. I was enchanted by the clip, I walked slowly over and picked it up. Instantly it changed from a hairclip to a sword. "Like Percy's sword." I muttered in awe.

"Very much so, but yours can do more. Turn the moon on the handle."

I did as I was told and the sword changed form. Once a sword, now a bow and arrow. "Wow." I breathed.

"It can change into whatever weapon you desire by turning the crescent moon." Kronos said.

I turned the moon and each time I held a new weapon in my hands.

"You shall call it Lunar Eclipse, because no matter what side you are on, the power of the moon is in you." Kronos told me.

"Lunar Eclipse," I repeated. It had a nice ring to it.

Kronos smiled, this time a smile that was not so cold, and just for a second, I could see Luke the way he was before changing sides and giving himself to Kronos. He looked happy and carefree, but that smile was instantly dashed away and was replaced by the familiar cold smile.

"Get some sleep, yu have a long day of practice ahead of you," Kronos commanded.

"Yes sir," I answered yawning from exhaustion. Kronos walked out the door. At the time I was too tired to realize that he locked the door behind him.

I climbed into the bed and put my head down on the fluffiest pillow I have ever seen in my life. Within seconds I was asleep.