Chapter 10

Annabeth's Plan Gets Underway

Days later, behind the Big House.

A bad feeling had settled in Percy's mind like an unwelcome tenant. Five days without news from Nico was like five years without ambrosia: an unbearable torture.

An ominous feeling whispered in his ear that his cousin was about to do something crazy, the kind of thing that only Nico could do, and that only Percy could fix.

His instinct, that sixth sense that had saved his life more times than he could count, roared like a caged lion.

To make matters worse, Annabeth's ghost haunted him like a banshee. The girl wouldn't stop pressuring him to have a "serious conversation." Percy, fed up with the uncertainty, decided it was time to face the ghost and close that chapter once and for all.

He had to know what Annabeth wanted, so he could focus on what really mattered: finding Nico and getting him out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into.

Just as he was heading behind the Big House, with the courage of a cat facing a pitbull, he saw her. Her eyes, like two bottomless pits, caught him and drowned him in a cold sweat.

Annabeth watched Percy in front of her, like a spider stalking its prey. A cold, calculating glint shone in her gray eyes, a glint that hadn't been seen since her last visit to Tartarus. The experience had hardened her, turned her into a ruthless strategist, willing to use any weapon to get what she wanted.

And what she wanted was Percy. She had wanted him since they were children, an obsession that grew like a poisonous ivy, enveloping her heart and mind. She didn't care if she loved him or not, she just wanted him to be hers.

Her breakup with him had been a momentary whim, a mistake she now regretted. She thought he would come back to her after he begged her, but a few months later, he hadn't.

And when she finally decided to go back, she found herself with the "New Daughter of Apollo", the goddess Artemis in disguise, "The supposed goddess who hates men". Annabeth's anger and obsession intensified.

A cruel smile spread across Annabeth's lips. From her pocket, she took out a small object: a dark purple incense, with an aroma that mixed jasmine and sulfur.

She had obtained it from Athena's palace, circumventing security measures with the cunning of a son of Hermes and the precision of a strategist. She didn't care about the consequences, she only cared about getting what she wanted: Percy Jackson, at her feet.

The incense was not just anything. It was a magical artifact, an invisible thread capable of weaving itself into people's emotions, manipulating them like puppets in a shadow theater. It was not absolute control, it would not take away Percy's free will, but it would make him more susceptible to her words, more vulnerable to her charms. With her superior intellect, Annabeth knew that was more than enough.

She lit the incense with a faint flame, murmuring an ancient incantation. The odorless smoke rose in spirals towards the sky, invisible to normal eyes, but perceptible to those with sharper senses. Annabeth watched Percy, her piercing gaze scanning every detail of his face. She expected to see a change, a sign that the incense was taking effect at first, nothing happened. Percy seemed to be normal, lost in thought.

Things with Artemis were going well: the night before they had devoured street food in Central Park, under the light of the moon and stars. Apparently, Artemis remembered everything she had done as Luna, and the thought of her finding out about his second conversation with Annabeth made him shiver.

Although, come to think of it, angry Artemis was as beautiful as an angel and terrifying as a demon when she was angry at the same time... A sigh escaped his lips. He had to end this, yes or yes.

Annabeth had been manipulating Percy for years, guiding him like a puppet in her own game. She had kept him away from other girls, pushed him towards her, all with calculated precision. And now, with this new power in her hands, she was sure she could finally have him all to herself.

A whisper cut through the silence like a knife. "So...", Annabeth's voice echoed in his ears, tense and sharp as a dagger.

"So what?" Percy replied with a dry tone, barely hiding the irritation growing inside him.

"How is your relationship with Luna going?" Annabeth's gaze was piercing, like a falcon looking for any hint of weakness in its prey.

"Good," Percy, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes., we had our problem with Zeus, but one thing was for sure we would solve it together.

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, a mocking smirk on her lips. "Really? So soon you replace her." Her voice was a whip that lashed at his pride.

Annabeth smiled with satisfaction. The incense was working. It was only a matter of time before Percy fell at her feet, begging for her love.

The goddess of the hunt had no chance against her. She was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, the brightest strategist on Olympus. And this time, she would play at being a goddess, weaving her destiny with invisible threads and a potion of submission.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air. The tension between them was palpable, a mixture of past grudges and the possibility of an uncertain future.

Percy frowned, letting out a dart of sarcasm in his voice. "Well, you replaced me first, Annabeth."

Annabeth's gaze turned icy, freezing the air around her. "Do you think I don't know that?", she snapped with a coldness that made Percy's skin crawl. "You never know how much something, or someone means to you until you let it go. But I also want to try something. Percy, would you be willing to accept me back?"

Percy couldn't help but let out a laugh of disbelief. "You... what?", he asked, with incredulity echoing in his voice.

Annabeth's plea was mixed with desperation and hope. "Try to go back to step one...", she whispered, with a voice that reflected the fragility of her heart.

With firmness, Percy shook his head. "I can't," he said, with a certainty that left no room for doubt. "I have found the girl of my dreams. I have seen beyond this illusion of love and found the real one."

However, Annabeth did not count on an important factor: Percy's heart. Despite the incense, despite her manipulations, Percy still retained a spark of rebelliousness. A fire that burned inside him, a love for Artemis that could not be controlled by any magical trickery.

A veil of bitterness covered Annabeth's face. "I see," she murmured, with a defeated tone that barely concealed the fury burning inside her. "Friends then?", she asked, hoping to find a glimmer of connection.

Percy's outrage overflowed. "What are you playing at, Annabeth, after everything you've done to me. Do you even deserve to be considered my friend?", he snapped, his gaze burning into her.

With a wry smile that masked her inner coldness, Annabeth proposed: "Friends with benefits then."

Percy's response was a icy stare, as cold as Arctic ice. He was not willing to tolerate her games or allow her to trample on his heart once again.

"Do you know what's funny?", Annabeth asked, with a glint of fury in her gray eyes that shone like daggers in the sunlight.

"I don't know," Percy replied, his face expressionless, though his heart pounded in his chest, sensing the worst.

"I've seen Artemis, disguised as her human counterpart Luna, leaving your cabin every last day," Annabeth announced, each word piercing Percy's heart like a knife.

"Ah, what are you saying?", Percy feigned surprise, though panic began to grip him, choking his voice.

"I wouldn't believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes. And she seemed happy," Annabeth said, with a venomous tone that froze Percy's blood. "And that bothers me more than you can imagine."

"You're crazy. How can Luna be Artemis?", Percy gulped, trying to stay calm as the world crumbled around him.

"There are rumors on Olympus, Jackson, that the goddess of the hunt has been dating a mortal for a year," Annabeth said, with a cruel smile that revealed that she knew more than she was willing to admit. "And now I know with whom."

Percy's world shattered at the devastating revelation. The truth, like a relentless thunderbolt, struck him with all its force. Annabeth knew. She knew about Artemis and him.

Annabeth laughed silently. Her plan was working perfectly. Soon, Percy would be hers, completely under her control. The goddess of the hunt had no chance against her. She was Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena, the brightest strategist on Olympus.

"Mmm." Annabeth tilted her head, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "So, what's going on between you and her?"

"Do you really want Luna to chase you around camp for the fifth time?" Percy replied, with a mixture of humor and exasperation in his voice, trying to steer the conversation towards lighter ground.

A grimace of ghostly pain appeared on Annabeth's face. "Really. She would see it as a foolish choice. I saw her archery skills," she said, her voice strained by her resentment. "And her dagger skills, as a master assassin considering who she really is, make sense."

"It's true," Percy nodded, unsure how to respond to her comment, a glint of discomfort in his eyes. The tension between them grew with every word.

"Why after all this time are you getting involved in my life, Annabeth?" Percy asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice, trying to understand the motivations behind her actions.

Percy stood up, fed up with the conversation. "I'm leaving," he said sharply. "I have to meet Luna anyway."

Annabeth looked at him with disappointment, but her eyes sparkled with a malicious cunning. "But that won't be until tonight," she scoffed, revealing her ability to manipulate the situation to her advantage.

Inside, Annabeth sighed with satisfaction. Her plan was working perfectly. She had resorted to a secret jealously guarded by her mother, a feat that required both her audacity and her ingenuity.

With skill and stealth, she had extracted a special incense from the most guarded confines of Athena's palace. It was no ordinary object: it had the power to soften the emotional defenses of whoever inhaled its aroma, plunging them into a state of receptivity and openness, without cutting off their free will.

From the moment Jackson and she started talking, she had been using it subtly, weaving each word in an attempt to prolong their interaction, to keep the dialogue alive between them.

"Percy...", she sighed, her voice barely a thread of silk caught in the intricate web that Annabeth had woven around him. He was painfully aware that every gesture, every word of hers, was imbued with a calculated precision, leaving him navigating a sea of strategies where every wave was meticulously planned.

"How much time do we have until Luna arrives?" Annabeth asked brazenly, glancing at her watch with a calculating look. Her determination to follow through with her plan was evident.

"An hour," Percy replied resignedly, knowing that he was trapped in a game he couldn't easily escape.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Percy felt like a fish out of water, struggling to find the right words to break what Annabeth was doing to him. She, on the other hand, watched every move, every expression, with the satisfaction of a hunter stalking his prey.

"Have you found someone new?" Percy asked with an indifferent tone, though his eyes shone with an intensity that betrayed the anger boiling inside him.

The changes in his body, a product of his transcendence to immortality, further highlighted his mood. He hated Annabeth's manipulations.

Annabeth glared at him with resentment, making it clear that she had not overlooked any detail.

"No..." Annabeth admitted, feeling a blush on her cheeks. "So, what is Luna like as a girlfriend?" She tried to divert the conversation, hoping to get some relevant information...

Percy laughed at Annabeth's question. "She really is perfect. 'Never judge a book by its cover', and more."

"How is that?" Annabeth insisted, with a hint of jealousy in her voice, revealing her vulnerability to the idea that Percy might have found happiness with someone else.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Percy replied sarcastically, aware that every word spoken increased the tension between them.

"Try me, Percy," Annabeth challenged, with a spark of fire in her gray eyes, making it clear that she would not give up easily.

"Seaweed brain," Annabeth snorted with disdain, showing her contempt for the situation they were in.

Annabeth's words hit Percy like a punch in the stomach. Her contempt filled him with a rage he could barely contain.

"Go to hell, Annabeth," Percy snapped, his voice hoarse with fury. "What are you trying to do? Manipulate me again? You won't get away with it!"

"I'm not trying to manipulate you," Annabeth lied, with an innocent look in her eyes that contrasted with the fury burning inside her. "I just want to help you."

"I don't need your help!" Percy shouted at her, his face flushed with anger. "And I never want to see you again!"

"Hey, Percy," Annabeth approached him, her voice husky with emotion, showing a vulnerability she barely managed to hide.

"What?" Percy asked, confused by her sudden change in attitude, wondering what new strategy she was up to.

"One more time, for our last goodbye to what we had?" Annabeth whispered, her pleading eyes fixed on his, making it clear that she was willing to risk everything for one last chance.

"What?" Percy repeated, stunned by her shameless request, feeling the world crumble around him.

"One last kiss," Annabeth looked at him with an intensity that took his breath away, showing her determination to fight for what she considered hers.

"Go to hell, Annabeth. Don't you understand that I don't love you?" Percy replied, glaring at her, furious at her manipulation and her attempts to return to his life.

"But I love you, Percy Jackson!" Annabeth shouted, with tears in her eyes, showing her vulnerability and her desperation to regain what she had lost. "And I will never stop fighting for you!"

Percy stormed off, furious, as Annabeth screamed like a madwoman.

"You will regret this, Jackson! You will pay for this!" she shouted with all her strength, feeling her pride shatter into a thousand pieces.

Annabeth's fury turned into an uncontrollable fire. Percy's betrayal had consumed her, filling her with a desire for revenge that blinded her.

In her mind, she had already hatched a plan. She would use all her resources, her intelligence and her cunning to destroy Percy and Artemis.

She would stop at nothing until she made them pay for the pain, they had caused her.

The battle between Percy, Annabeth and Artemis was about to begin. A game of love, betrayal and revenge that would push them to the limit and change their lives forever.

This story will be continued

Author's note

Hello people, I hope you are well, greetings and thanks for reading. If you liked it, you can leave me a review or if anyone has ideas or recommendations, you can put them in the comments.

Of all the chapters that I was able to translate so far, this was without a doubt the most difficult, there were a lot of puns and I wanted to keep it as faithful as possible to my Spanish version and I think I succeeded.

There are 2 chapters left to stay up to date with the Spanish version. I admit it. I am surprised by the visits that reach 3500 visits in the English version. I never thought it would be so popular. In fact, when I translated the first chapter into English I didn't see a future for it. It was a poorly done translation. And it would be forgotten, if it weren't for a comment he told me, he will continue translating, from there I changed the translation of the first chapter and started uploading the rest. In fact, thanks for the support.

Since chapter 13 onwards, which will be released simultaneously with the Spanish chapter, I will need a native English beta reader to review the translation. Keep in mind that my English is at most B2 and my cousin has a hard time helping me with the revision due to work reasons.

Thank you for reaching the end of the note...