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Thanks to MKDemigodZ-Warrior for the review!

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Music I listened to was Traitor by Daughtry and Not Alone by Red.

The next morning Percy woke up to the sound of shouting outside. He groaned and rolled over to see Annabeth watching him with her stormy grey eyes.

Gods, she was so beautiful.

"Morning, Percy." she beamed.

"What's the commotion out there?"

"I don't know and don't care. It's probably just the Stolls pranking someone again." She kissed him deeply. "All I care about right now is you."

Outside, the yelling faded. Percy wrapped Annabeth in his arms. He buried his face in her neck, and drank in her beauty. She was one of those people who could look fabulous even in the morning.

"We should get up before Chiron comes," he mumbled.

"Fine." Annabeth paused. Her eyebrows furrowed and her head perked up. "Percy, do you sense something wrong, or is it just me?"

"That's what I thought, and I was trying to tell you. We should go see what everyone's up to. It doesn't sound good. It was too loud for morning and now it's too quiet."

They came out of Percy's cabin to Thalia standing there worriedly with Clarisse.

"Have you seen Luke? I just came out and he's missing. I can't find him anywhere and everyone from the Ares cabin is gone too. I'm worried, Percy," Thalia confided anxiously.

Clarisse was shaking her head. "I've got a bad feeling, hun. My siblings can be crazy and a little thick-headed sometimes."

"Aren't they always?" Annabeth muttered.

"Shut up."

As they stood there wondering what to do, the crowd of Ares' kids came back from in the woods. They seemed to be trying to sneak back into camp without being noticed. Percy got a nauseous feeling in his gut.

He shared a look with the others, and they left Clarisse and ran into the woods. There they found Luke, moaning in pain. He was bruised and beaten badly, lying at the foot of a tree, and trying to stand.

"LUKE!" Thalia ran over to him. He had the word traitor cut into his arm.

"Oh, Luke." She knelt next to him and cradled him in her arms.

"I ... I deserved it." Luke gasped, as he continued trying to get up.

"No, Luke, you've already paid. This is wrong! This is so horribly wrong! I'm going to tell Chiron what happened and he'll make them sorry they dared to hurt my boyfriend, Kronos or no. This should never have happened!"

"No. Just ... just help me get up. I'll be fine. Don't tell him, or it will get worse. I'm alright, Thalia. Stop worrying. It's ... completely understandable that they would want to hurt me since I hurt them so much. I'm responsible ... for the deaths of people they loved. Their friends, their family. It's ok. Don't tell Chiron, please."

Thalia looked at him pointedly. "No, you did not deserve this. But I won't tell him if that's what you want. I promise."

"Thank you."

Percy came over and gave Luke a shoulder to lean on. "Here. Let's get you to your cabin. Annabeth, go get some first aid stuff."

"Of course. I'm on it." And she hurried away.

They finally reached the Hermes cabin. Travis and Connor were waiting there.

"One of the Ares kids was bragging and told us what happened. C'mon Luke, I'll help," Travis offered.

"I'd help, but I can't stand the sight of blood," Connor apologized sorrowfully.

They got him to a bunk and helped him onto it. Annabeth came in with a first aid kit and Clarisse.

"Just want you to know, I didn't make that happen. You may be a jerk, but I wouldn't have let that happen. Honestly."

Luke nodded. "I believe you."

Thalia started applying alcohol to a cut on Luke's head. Luke yelped. "Ow!"

"Oh, hold still, you." Thalia said. "It's just a little alcohol."

She finished cleaning his cuts and then stepped back. "There you go. I still think we should be telling Chiron, but whatever."

"Dude, I am so going to tell off those kids right now. I don't care what happens. No one does this to my big brother and gets away with it. I repeat, no one," Travis declared.

"Me, too," Connor agreed.

"Don't. It's not worth it." Luke entreated.

"Ugh, fine. But we are going to majorly prank them all. Big time." Connor grinned almost ferociously.

"Oh, yeah." Travis' grin matched his twin's.

"Alright, nothing too crazy," Annabeth warned them.

"No promises," said Travis.

"Oh, dear," Percy sighed. "You two are impossible."

"Yep," they said in unison.

That afternoon Chiron noticed Luke sitting at the edge of the lake while everyone was at sword practice. He was staring at a tree hard enough to bore a hole through it, deep in thought.

"How are you, Mr. Castellan?" he asked.

Luke turned around to face him. He noticed how Chiron didn't use his first name like before. It stung a little.

"I'm fine, of course."

Chiron noticed Luke was wearing long sleeves. It was very strange since it was August and practically 90° out.

"Why are you wearing long sleeves? Aren't you a little warm?" he questioned.

"Nope, not at all," Luke answered quickly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"What are you hiding? Let me see, now."

Luke sighed and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the large bandage covering his arm.

"And what might that be?"

"It's nothing."

"If it were nothing you would not be hiding it. Let. Me. See."

Luke pealed the bandage off and showed Chiron the word imprinted there.

"Do you want to explain that?"

"NO!"

Chiron raised his eyebrows. Then a look of horror crossed his face.

"Did you do that to yourself?!"

Luke paused for a minute. "No."

"Or is this what the Ares cabin is trying to hide from me."

"The latter."

"Why did you get into a fight after everything that is happening?"

"I didn't! Leave me alone! Why are you even here?"

"I came to check on you and I am glad I did." And with that Chiron trotted away.

As soon as he was gone, Luke sighed and leaned back against a tree, pulling his sleeve back down.

Couldn't he get anything right anymore?