Hey, Everyone!

So, this chapter is a little bit shorter than the last one...not as eventful...not really.

But, anyway, I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter 6

I was rocking back and forth on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest, feeling the tears well up in the creases between my knees and chest.

I bet Percy's never felt this way, I thought bitterly.

He was just being stupid yesterday. Being mean for no reason except to be mean. He didn't like that you were happy.

Oh, yeah, sure. He said he was being honest. That was how he felt about our relationship. Don't try to deny it, you know it's true.

Just then, my phone rang.

I shook my head and told myself to stop arguing with myself. I was starting to sound crazy.

I ignored my cell phone, as usual. It was probably Luke calling for the umpteenth time today, wondering if I was okay, how I was feeling, blah blah blah.

A weighted filler.

I sighed. I fell over onto my side and closed my eyes. All my gathered tears spilled onto my covers.

I squeezed my eyes tighter and tried to ignore the ringing of my cell phone and tried to fall asleep again.

Luke was sinking.

He was sinking in quicksand. I reached out to help him, but as soon as my hand got near him, he started sinking faster.

He was screaming for me to help him. "Annabeth!" he sounded so scared. "Annabeth, help me, please!"

I tried to reach for him again, but he shot down another inch before I pulled back.

He only had his upper body left.

"Please, Annabeth, do something!" he cried.

"You can't help him," Percy was suddenly beside him. "You're only weighing him down."

I was crying. "You did this to him."

"No, I didn't," Percy was completely calm, his expression neutral as Luke continued to scream and beg me for help. "You did."

And suddenly Rachel was there. She clung to Percy's side and said, "Percy would know all about that. I'm so glad I was there to save him."

"Annabeth!" Luke cried.

It was like he couldn't even see Percy and Rachel beside me.

"Would you two go away?" I asked, frustrated, still crying. "I'm trying to think."

"You can't help him," Percy said.

"ANNABETH!" Luke's cries were hysteric. "ANNABETH, PLEASE, DO SOMETHING!"

I cried out in frustration.

"You're only dragging him down," Percy said.

I reached out for Luke.

He shot down two inches before I was able to pull back.

"You're only dragging him down," Percy repeated.

I backed away from the quicksand pond.

"Annabeth?" Luke called. "Annabeth, where are you going?"

But I could see it, even as I backed away. Luke was rising. He was safe.

"Annabeth?" he called again. "Are you leaving me to die here?"

"I'm leaving to protect you!" I called. "You were sinking!"

"Annabeth? Come back!" it was like he couldn't even hear me. "Annabeth?"

There was no point in trying to talk to him if he would ignore everything I was saying.

I turned on my heel and ran away from them all, into a world of extremely bright colors and suddenly, just shadows.

I took deep breaths.

And suddenly, Percy's voice echoed around the space. "I'm way, way happier with Rachel than I ever was with you."

"She's just better than you in all categories."

Those two phrases bounced around the space and I tried to cover my ears but it made no difference.

"I'm way, way happier with Rachel than I ever was with you."

"She's just better than you in all categories."

There was a sudden ripple in the darkness in front of me, and out of the bottom, or what I assumed to be the bottom, wispy blonde hair, gray eyes, and my pajamas stood in front of me.

An exact replica of me had just grown out of the shadows in front of my eyes.

But I looked into her eyes, and there was nothing but anger and…something else, something I couldn't place.

And then she lunged for me.

I opened my eyes and sat up in bed.

I looked around my room at the afternoon sun.

What was wrong with me?

Okay, so this story might be kind of short, I'm hoping to make it at least fifteen chapters, but it might end up being a little less. Hopefully longer.

Thanks for Reading!