Hey guys! IM FINALLY BACK! IM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPPY I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH! Read these parts and I'll publish more as soon as I can! XD. Happy Reading!

Green plants and pink flowers obscured her view as she walked around the pretty bush covered with blossom. Annabeth for once forgot all her trouble seeing the sweet little petals of the flowers, the dewdrops collected on its dark green leaves. She smiled and grinned like a little girl, her eyes bright and for once happy looking at the beauty of the small scene. She wished she could live a life as beautiful as these pretty flowers.

She dreamt about the blissful times she had had with her Mother and Father, the days that had a schedule filled with beaches, the times when she had actually been happy. But that was a long, long time ago. It's all gone now, gone.

Annabeth stood transfixed on the spot gazing at the flowers which no longer had any importance while she thought her own thoughts. Her smile had now vanished, her eyes had glazed over. Even though they were her own, her very own thoughts, they troubled her more than ever. She couldn't bring herself to accept them even though she herself had thought them.

Annabeth was thinking about Luke. Luke. Just his name made her shudder, let alone to being his girlfriend. She knew that he was a rogue and wanted to play with girls. She wanted to say 'no' and challenge him to do whatever he wanted to do. What could he do? She wanted to scoff and shrug it off. But he had power. He could get away with anything. That was the biggest problem; his father. Who spoiled his son and gave him everything he wanted, wrong or right.

She sighed. She may have a bad stepmother and a bad family who didn't pay attention to her, it was better than having a spoiling father and mother like Luke had. Oh, why, why, why had she slapped him? She could have let it go. Why didn't she? Now, she had tangled herself into such a mess. And she couldn't even consult her best friend, Thalia.

For the first time in her life, Annabeth felt so helpless she could cry all over again. She had had bad dreams at night which had caused her to wake up again and again, giving her a very disturbed and broken sleep with long intervals in between. Nothing passed through her head at those times. It was just a heavy feeling like someone had given her a big rock to hold and she was struggling under its weight. Her heart wept as she stared off into the darkness and she had finally cried herself to sleep, to relieve the blue feelings. The thoughts made her want to cry again. But she held it all back. All back.

I will tell him tomorrow night.

Annabeth froze as she heard a menacing voice and felt a cold hand on her shoulder. The same voice she had been dreading. She felt the blood drain from her hands as she turned to face the person. Luke.

(A/N: Now, I'm not that bad a person to just leave this as a suspense ending. Actually I am but unfortunately this isn't as long as I wanted it to be. Sooooo It continues! Good Luck! And enjoy *wicked grin*)

"Hey, Annie? You going somewhere? I could come with you, you know." Luke's voice rang in her ears as he smiled cheekily at her.

Her voice didn't support her and she stuttered. Luke laughed and put his hand around her shoulders. "I hope you haven't forgotten what I said yesterday." He lowered his voice. "You have very less time left, you know. Or..."

Annabeth took a deep breath, partly to stop her legs from shaking from the cold touch of his hands, and partly because she had stopped breathing and needed some air. "Luke, I-" Just say it, she thought. Just say it. She took another deep breath and started. "I... n-need some more time." She groaned inwardly but also felt a sense of relief. Somehow she could manage to put it down till tomorrow night.

Luke grinned at her and shook his head. "Oh, Annie! I don't know why you even need to think about it? It's such a brilliant offer." He put his hand to force her head up to look at him. "Just accept it. Then all will be in your favor." His menacing voice echoed in her ears.

Annabeth took another deep breath. "L-Luke, I -"

"Just say 'I accept'. It will be enough." He sounded impatient now.

"Tomorrow night. You gave me time till tomorrow night. So, I will reply to you tomorrow night and not today." Annabeth suddenly found her voice. She had had enough of this jerk.

Luke scowled and then put on a winning smile. "Oh, but you don't have time till tomorrow. It was today night, my dear."

Annabeth could just gape. "Really? You said-"

"Yes I 'said', "Luke argued. "Past tense. Now, I say it's tonight. Or you can say it even now if you want." He smirked.

Intense hatred filled Annabeth as she stared at the smiling face of her detested enemy, Luke Castellan. She pointed a finger at him. "You said tomorrow night and it will be tomorrow night."

"You aren't in a position to negotiate with me, Annie. You will do what I say or ... or you know the consequences." His voice was low and cruel and he threatened her.

Fear filled as she thought of Thalia. She couldn't let her friend get hurt. Not again. Her thoughts were interrupted by a male voice and loud laughing. Annabeth turned to see the face of her best friend Thalia Grace. Laughing at a joke made by Luke Castellan's very dear friend, Dylan Tate.

Her eyes opened wide as though she had seen a ghost. Didn't Thalia know that Dylan was Luke's friend? She couldn't have known. With horror, she realized this was the same guy that she had seen hanging out with Thalia last night at the party.

"Thalia!" Annabeth cried out sharply.

Thalia looked round at her friend, too and came running to her and gave her a hug. "Oh, Annabeth! I didn't see you here. How are you? I was so worried when-" She paused when she saw the obvious anger in her friend's face. Then, she laughed. "Of course, I know why you're angry. I didn't tell you about Dylan, did I? Well, please forgive me? I really didn't have time to tell you anything. Everything happened so quickly."

Annabeth was aghast. One night had not passed and the two had begun dating so soon? So unlikely to happen with Thalia. Her thoughts were confused as if someone had mixed them together in a mixer and taken them out a sorry, soggy piece, dripping from everywhere.

"Thalia, how-"

"Oh, excuse me guys. I'm present here, too." Luke's voice rang out in the midst.

Thalia noticed him for the first time since she had come to meet Annabeth. "Oh, what are you doing here?" If looks could kill, hers would have. But unfortunately for her Luke was immune to those.

"Oh, I'm just hanging out with my Annie, you know. Early morning, nice pretty views." Luke smirked.

"What?! Annabeth! You were hanging out with him? Oh and by the way," She turned to Luke to say. "It's nine o'clock in the morning. If you think that's early you may think that three in the night is a good time to sleep.

"And, you! What were you thinking?!" Thalia caught hold of her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Are you still sick? Are you in your right mind? Are you-"

"Thalia," The word was compelled out of Annabeth's mouth by a heavy look from Luke which suggested to her what exactly he wanted her to do. This was the perfect time to say 'yes'. She would have to say it.

"Thalia, I- I think that you have no right to tell me what to do and what not to do, because I think we're both mature enough to decide for ourselves. If you can go out with a guy you just met the day before, I think I can really go out with Luke and I will." Annabeth's voice came out as not quite her own. Her voice was soft, considerate and this voice sounded vicious, sneering. This was not Annabeth. This cannot be.

Thalia's hands fell away from her shoulders. The world seemed to collapse for her and a tear slid down her cheek. "You want to break your friendship with me by going out with Luke? That monster? Don't you know he's not worth it?"

Tears threatened to fall out of Annabeth's own eyes. She held them back and replied, her face impassive, "If it means no Luke, then consider our bond broken. We can leave each other with peace and go out with our respective boys." Her words were formal, her heart shattered to pieces.

Thalia shook her head as if this were a joke. She gave a shaky laugh. "This can't be happening. This is a joke, right? Cut it out, okay? Annabeth?" Her voice shook as more tears made their way down her cheeks. As Annabeth's face remained expressionless, Thalia finally burst into tears and ran into the hotel.

Dylan grinned at Luke and the latter and the former. Then, Dylan followed Thalia, leaving Luke and Annabeth behind.

Luke grinned at her and clapped. "A very, very nice performance, Annabeth. Keep that up and she'll never, ever get hurt. She'll be just safe and sound with Dylan."

"How?" The tears accumulated in her eyes began to fall. "How? How is she with Dylan? Didn't she hate him almost as much as she hated you?"

"Yes, but deception exists in this world too, Annabeth. H went and told her that he was really sorry for her. But more than that, he told her that he was no longer my friend. He had realized that I was a bad influence on him and he had finally left me. She believed him." Luke smiled.

Annabeth could only shake her head in disbelief. Luke laughed and began to wipe her tears. "Cheer up, Annie. And get used to this. It's gonna be a daily occurrence."

"Annabeth?" Someone called out to her. Percy. No, no. Not him. Would she really have to face her two best friends in the same day to tell them the same news?

"Percy." She replied in a cold voice, which was not her own again. The same happened again. The same thing with Thalia, the same thing with Percy. Only this time, the feelings were a bit more genuine.

Soon they were arguing about why she shouldn't go about with Luke.

"Are you forgetting what he did with Thalia?" Percy said, angrily.

"You won't tell me what to do. I will go out with him just as you do with Rachel. I didn't tell you what to do, and you don't tell me what to do. Okay?"

"Not okay!" Percy ran his fingers through his hair and he always did when he was irritated. "Did you forget me? Did you forget the friendship we had?"

"Really? Don't start with that. Did I ditch you and went around dancing with someone else? Did I? Did I?!" She was fairly shouting now. It all came out of her heart. Straight and true with the exception of the last line. "Even Luke is better than you, Percy."

Percy looked at her sadly, very upset with her and with himself. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, but I like Rachel and I want to go out with her. It's only right."

"So, it's right for me to go out with Luke. If you have a problem with that, well, tough luck."

Percy turned red with anger. "You don't know-"

"Hey, hey, guys. Calm down." Luke broke in with a grin on his face. "We can all discuss this calmly, no need to-"

Percy was at Luke's neck, holding his collar. "What did you say to her, huh? What did you do to her? This is not her!"

Luke pushed off Percy. "Hold your stupid horses, Perce. I didn't do anything to her. She wants me and I accepted. Don't you?"

Annabeth walked to him and Luke put his arm around her, as if they both had the same thing in mind. "I do. So, don't come in between us."

Percy almost brimmed with anger as he saw this happening in front of his own eyes. Annabeth couldn't be like this! Something was the matter. But what?

All things drained out of his mind when he saw another event unfolding before him. Annabeth and Luke kissed. Right before his eyes. The anger and every emotion inside him were sapped out of him as he saw the pair holding each other.

"You know what?" Tears began to form in his eyes and he hung his head to hide them. "I don't care. Not anymore."

And with that he stormed off, leaving the two once more behind. Annabeth felt as if she had choked on a stone. His words rang in her ears. I don't care. Not anymore.

"Well, good riddance to bad rubbish." Luke smiled at her, as if nothing had ever happened. "Oh and I forgot to tell you. Now, since you're my girlfriend, you might as well make a trip out to my room tonight and every night."

"I'd rather not disturb you." Annabeth managed a sarcastic answer.

"Oh, no, no. It would be delightful to have you. And this is not an invitation." He hissed at her like a cat. "You must come and you will come. Get me?"

Annabeth managed a nod.

"Good." Luke smiled again. "See you around, then." And just like that, he was off.

Annabeth sat down on the ground and began to sob. Why her? Why do all problems come to her as if she was a magnet to attract them all? First Thalia, she had been really bad. Then Percy.

If he had only known that she was forced to kiss Luke and didn't do it out of her own will, probably he would have been a little consoled. But now there was no knowing.

And, on the other hand, if she had known what made Percy take the decision of choosing Rachel over her, she wouldn't have felt so bad.

They were both too broken now for anything. And Luke had caused it all. At least Percy was free to do whatever he wanted. He wasn't being blackmailed.

Then, the final blow had come. Why does Luke want to meet me every night? A small shade of fear crept into the back of Annabeth's mind. What was he going to do? Well, whatever it was, she had brought it upon herself by accepting the proposal. Now, she could only pay, and pay hard. She deserved that for the sake of Thalia and Percy.

Annabeth rubbed her tears away and was about to walk away when the sleeve caught on a thorn. A strange thought occurred to her then. The flowers were pretty, and she had said they lead such a beautiful life. But in the end they always end up hurting others. At that moment, she felt dreadfully like that flower bush, only the beauty was subtracted.

Okay, I'm crying now. This is such a bad chapter. I hate myself for writing this but... The story must go on. I wrote this looooooooooooooong chapter because you all had been missing me so much. So a surprise and a treat. Until the next time! Bye! XD!