Alright, before I begin this chapter I just want to thank some of my reviewers.

WiseGirl25 - Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad you love this so much. Your review really brightened my day. :)

Kage Wolf Girl X3 - Sorry about Percy's hair. I'll fix that eventually. And you're quite welcome for giving you an idea for your story.

Noell isthedaughterofApollo - Thanks so much! You've been reviewing all the time and I appreciate your continued support!

Mr. Technology - Thanks for all the reviews. i promise that when i finish I will go back over the entire thing and fix all the spelling and grammar.

SeaweedBrain314 - Thanks for the detailed reviews! I love it! Keep being awesome!

Sorry if you reviewed and are not mentioned here. I only recognized a few people for time and space reasons.

Chapter 15

Phoenix

Annabeth and Percy had promised not to tell, but for the rest of the week I'm extremely skittish. Every time someone looked at me, I was convinced that they knew. Lucius tried to calm me down but I was too agitated. And every day I became even more jumpy.

I was so jumpy. Day after day, everything and anything would startle me. This is why I nearly jump out of my pants when someone taps me on the shoulder after dinner a week later.

"What the fuck!" I cuss as I jump around.

"Phoenix, I didn't know you could swear so colourfully." James says with a smirk.

I glare at him. Then I notice his hand. It was wrapped in white gauze but thankfully, no red was showing.

"How's your hand?" I ask him smugly.

His smirk disappears. "You're lucky you caught me off guard. Otherwise, your boyfriend never would have had a chance."

I blush darkly. "He's not my boyfriend." I mutter, hoping he can't see through my lie.

Thankfully, he buys it. "No, but you wish he was."

"Better than you." I mutter.

"What?" His grey eyes start swirling madly.

He grabs me by the arm and forces me against the wall. We're in my cabin, but no one else was here. Lucius had gone off to see something Percy wanted him to see.

James leans in close to me. "Tell me Phoenix. Cause I just can't see. Why is he so much better than me?"

Knowing that I'm already with Lucius makes me feel brave. I manage to speak to him without stuttering. "For one, he wouldn't grab me and force me against a wall."

James automatically lets go of my arm, but he doesn't back away. His face is still hovering above mine. "How come you don't want me?"

"James," I sigh. "You were a great friend to me. One of the only friends I've ever had. But I just don't see you in a romantic light."

He looks at me with pleading eyes, but I'm not about to crumble. "Plus, you did try to kill someone."

He snorts. "Just Lucius. It's like killing a roach. You feel bad that you killed it, but only because it becomes a mess to clean up."

I nearly hurl on his shoes. Hearing him talk about a guy I might be in love with that way was starting to bring back my stomach ache.

James sighs and continues. "I'm sorry Phoenix. I'm just jealous."

"Of what?" I exclaim.

James sighs and moves away from me. He walks over to my bed and sits down on it. I don't move an inch as he speaks. "I'm jealous of Lucius. I see the way he looks at you Phoenix. When you're not looking, he gazes at you like you're the sun that lights up his world."

His body convulses from the cold. In the silence I listen to the rain. It had been going strong for the whole week and seemed to be getting worse. The clouds were always obscuring the sky and neither the sun nor the moon had shown its face in that time.

He pulls his jacket closer over him as he continues in a whisper. "I see you look at him.'

I wait for him to continue, but he doesn't go on to explain it. My heart goes out to him, and I feel extremely bad. He wasn't completely evil like I had first thought. James was just being an overprotective jealous boy. Though he was a jerk too.

He shivers again. I sigh and pick up a blanket from the foot of my bed. Without a word, I walk over to him and cover him with the blanket. He nods his head with thanks, and I sit down beside him.

We sit like that for a while, just listening to the pounding rain. I was starting to become worried about it. Maybe I should tell Chiron about me and Lucius. It wasn't natural for rain to come down this hard, for this long.

James breaks me out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry about kissing you last week."

I nod my head. I hadn't liked that at all. Unconsciously I smile to myself. All the many secret kisses with Lucius had made up for it.

He whispers. "I didn't want to lose you to him."

I turn to him. "There's no one else at this camp you like?"

He snorts. "No one as good as you."

I blush against my will. It was sort of sweet, but I knew I could never be with James. "I'm sure there are plenty of girls at this camp that like you."

He sighs. "I guess."

I smile slightly at him. "Then why don't you try and find someone like that? I'm sure you'd be much happier than with me."

He sighs. "Maybe, but I doubt it."

I hold out my hand to him. "Friends?"

James looks at my hand. After a moment of delay, he takes it. "Friends."

I let out a huge smile. "Great."

His grey eyes swirl again. "Phoenix?"

"Mmhmm?" My smile disappears.

"Can I take a picture of you?" He asks abruptly.

"A picture?" I'm surprised. "Why?"

"So I can look at that smile every time I feel sad." James whispers as he pulls out a camera from his jacket.

"I guess." I shrug.

He smiles and brings the camera up. I pretend that Lucius is in front of me, making a funny face and I let out a huge grin. James snaps the camera and smiles at the picture.

My smile fades and then he shows me the picture. I looked really happy. As I look at the picture, I smile. Lucius was more important to me than anyone ever had been before. Even more important than my own father.

Suddenly James leans over and kisses me briefly on the lips.

"James!" I cry as I push him away.

"Sorry." He mutters. "I just wanted to thank you."

"The words 'thank you' work just fine." I tell him.

Slightly disgusted, I turn around to go to the bathroom. Maybe if I hid there long enough he'd go away.

Then he grabs me by the arm. Quickly he turns me around and presses his lips full on mine. I struggle against him, but he's stronger than he looks. Finally I realize that I'm not getting free.

I go as still as stone. Just as hard, and just as cold. James whispers against my lips. "I'm sorry. I wanted to see if there was a spark."

"Well there's not. So you can get off me know." I whisper furiously at him.

He kisses me one more time, but then he releases me. In his eyes, I can see that he finally realizes that we can never be together.

"I'm sorry." He whispers again as he releases me.

James turns around and then freezes. I move slightly to the side so I can see. I'm shorter than James, so I couldn't see from behind him.

Lucius was standing in the doorway, with a look of horror on his face.