A/N: This is dedicated to two people:
~ momo347, because I checked my email to find that she had reviewed, favorited, and alerted me.
~ VinylPrincessof1986, because her review made me get my butt into action and update. Plus, her peppy review was really sweet.

Chapter 3- Luke's Betrayal

It was quiet in the dark, but it was not a pleasant dark. It was a suffocating, panicky dark that made me want to scream and wish I was never born. My eyes focused in the blackness and I immediately wished I was still enveloped in the gloom. There were tall outcroppings of rock that rose jaggedly from the cold, hard-packed ground like the spires of an foreboding castle. The room was dimly illuminated by an etherial light that floated from a giant pit which dominated the area. Ignoring all my instincts to run away as fast I possibly could, I crept closer towards the edge of the pit, an intangible force drawing me closer and closer. The earth started to tremble and I stumbled backwards as a loud voice rumbled. It scared the shit out of me and I tried to run.

The voice chuckled, the weak golden light growing a little bit stronger. I scrambled on my hands and knees and tried to get away, away from this pit, away from the voice, away from the evil that radiated from everything.

"Run little one," the voice taunted me. "You can run but there's nowhere to hide."

I whimpered. My legs seemed to be stuck, as if time had slowed my body but not my mind. Blind terror washed over me as the voice spoke again, shaking the room with the power inflected into his tones.

"Just wait my pretty one, he's coming for me. He's going to help me regain my strength and return to full power. And you shall play an important role, young one. Help me, and you shall see rewards better than your wildest dreams. Defy me. . . and it shall not be pleasant."

Again, the voice laughed, and I screamed bloody murder.

I woke up panting and sweating, my sheets tangled about my body. I kicked my way free and lay there, trying to get my heartbeat to return to normal. I looked at the clock on my bedside table. It was nearly time for breakfast. The cabin was empty, my siblings off meeting their friends and lovers I assumed.

I got up, still lightheaded from my dream. I braided my long hair in two and threw on a pair of jean shorts and a shirt, too dazed to worry about makeup. I made my bed and cleaned up a few things, trying to distract myself from thinking about my horrible dream.

I mindlessly shuffled out of the cabin and out into the circle of cabins. A few stragglers like me were hurrying on their way to breakfast. When I got to the dinning pavilion, I grabbed and apple, not hungry enough to eat anything else. I threw a second apple into the brazier and said a quick prayer to my mother, all though I doubted she was listening to me, seeing that the summer solstice was the night before. I received a few looks and questions from my siblings about my state, but offered the excuse that I was tired and not feeling too well.

Breakfast was relatively quiet until the end, when a commotion at the end of the pavilion made me snap out of my daze. It was Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. A few of the younger Aphrodite kids started whispering furiously when Percy stepped into view, but I ignored them. Annabeth had a few leaves caught in her hair, and all three had dirt smeared on their faces and arms. Chiron immediately stood up and hurried over to the kids.

Everyone was talking and shouting at the same time, but quickly quieted down when Mr. D threatened to turn them all to shrubs. I listened while Percy, Annabeth, and Grover began to recount their quest. I glanced over to Luke, who was watching and listening to the story with mild interest.

They were the first people-besides Luke- to return home from a quest in a long time. Of course, returning from a quest meant a big celebration. That night, we had a special campfire; the questers were crowned with laurel wreaths and got to burn their own shrouds. Sing alongs and s'mores, as well as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover telling everyone about their quest again. And, that night, I forgot about my nightmare, even if it was only for a few hours.

July passed in a blur of Capture the Flag games, training, and campfires. August was relatively the same, except that the temperature increased about ten degrees. Before I knew it, it was the last night before almost everyone went home for the year. At the campfire that night, myself, as well as the other senior counselors, handed out the end-of-summer beads, which were black with a sea-green trident on it, to recognize the importance of Percy's claiming and quest.

Luke stood up with the rest of us counselors after he finished giving the beads to the Hermes' cabin. "The choice was unanimous," he announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war."

The entire got to their feet and cheered loudly, even the Ares cabin. The Athena cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share the glory of applause too. I smiled as I saw Percy and Annabeth exchange smiles and briefly touch hands. It was a beautiful way to end the summer.

I awoke the next morning, helped my siblings pack, and then went to breakfast. After breakfast, I decided to go for a walk in the woods and try to escape the sadness. I loved summer, but hated the end of it, when all of my brothers and sisters left. I wished I could leave too, but living with my dad was just too dangerous for a demigod as old as I was. I saw Luke and Percy walk into the woods with a six pack of Coke, and decided to follow them so that I could speak to Luke before he left too.

I followed them until I saw the two boys stop in a small clearing and sit on a large, flat rock. I hid myself in the shadows, not wanting to be seen. After all, I wasn't going to talk with Luke when Percy was right there.

I watched the two of them as they both opened a can of Coke and started to talk. At first, it was friendly, but it then soon grew tense. Unconsciously, I drew closer and closer until I could almost make out what they were saying. I watched in horror as Luke snapped his fingers and a small fire burt a hole in the ground at Percy's feet. Out crawled something shinny and black. A pit scorpion the size of a man's hand. They were the most lethal of scorpions; they could pierce you right through your clothes and you would be dead in sixty seconds.

"-a new Golden Age is coming. You won't be part of it!" Luke yelled. Startled, I stumbled back into the bushes and watched as Luke slashed his sword in an arc above his head, and then he disappeared into a cloud of darkness. Percy swatted the scorpion away with his bare hand as it leapt at him. He succeeded at knocking the insect on its back, and then he whipped out his sword and slashed the scorpion into a cloud of dust. He fell to the ground after it stung him, desperately seeking water from the river to heal his stung hand

I would have helped Percy if not for Luke. From my vantage point in the bushes, I was nearly invisible. Luke reappeared at the crest of the hill, just before Half-Blood Hill started its descent downwards towards the road. He turned and looked to where I was, and I shrank back.

Because, just for a second, it seemed as if his eyes flashed a brilliant gold.

Cliff hanger! Do not despair, my readers-Christmas break is in FIVE days and then I will have two WEEKS to write. And, to those of you who read or have read my story "Saltwater Tears," an update is coming soon. I have th next chapter written on my computer, and it's turning out to be pretty EXCITING if I do say so my self :P

Love Always,
imaginethatt