𝒊𝒗. 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝒙𝒗𝒊.

They ran until they were exhausted. Rachel steered them away from traps, but they had no destination in mind—only away from that dark mountain and the roar of Kronos. 

They stopped in a tunnel of wet white rock, like part of a natural cave. Noelle couldn't hear anything behind them, but she didn't feel any safer. She could still remember those unnatural golden eyes staring out of Luke's face she'd seen for a brief moments, and the aching feeling that she had in her chest as she watched Percy run in slow motion. 

"I can't go any farther," Rachel gasped, hugging her chest. 

Annabeth had been crying the entire time they'd been running. Now she collapsed and put her head between her knees. Her sobs echoed in the tunnel. Despite her heaving, Rachel sat beside the blonde and wrapped an arm around her. Annabeth's head fell onto the girl's shoulder as she accepted the comfort being offered.

Noelle opted to stay standing, her bow still in her hand, while Nico and Percy sat next to each other. The younger boy dropped his sword next to Percy's and took a shaky breath. 

"That sucked," he said, which Percy thought summed things up pretty well. 

"You saved our lives," Percy said. 

Nico wiped the dust off his face, quickly glancing at Noelle. "Blame Noelle. She was practically ready throw herself in their unarmed because she was so worried." 

"Thanks for sharing, Nico," Noelle grumbled. She shone her flashlight across the cavern. Water dripped from the stalactites like a slow-motion rain. "Nico...you, uh, kind of gave yourself away." 

"What do you mean?" 

"That wall of black stone? That was pretty impressive. If Kronos didn't know who you were before, he does now—a child of the Underworld." 

Nico frowned. "Big deal." 

Noelle let it drop. She figured he was just trying to hide how scared he was, and she couldn't blame him. 

Annabeth lifted her head. Her eyes were red from crying. "What...what was wrong with Luke? What did they do to him?" 

Percy told her what he'd seen in the coffin, the way the last piece of Kronos's spirit had entered Luke's body when Ethan Nakamura pledged his service. 

"No," Annabeth said. "That can't be true. He couldn't—" 

"He gave himself over to Kronos," Percy said. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. But Luke is gone." 

"No!" she insisted. "You saw when Noelle hit him." 

"But you saw," Annabeth insisted. "When it hit him, just for a second, he was dazed. He came back to his senses." 

"So maybe Kronos wasn't completely settled in the body, or whatever," Percy said. "It doesn't mean Luke was in control." 

"You want him to be evil, is that it?" Annabeth yelled. "You didn't know him before, Percy. I did!" 

"What is it with you?" Percy snapped. "Why do you keep defending him?" 

"Whoa, you two," Rachel said. "Knock it off!" 

Annabeth turned on her. "Stay out of it, Rachel!" 

Rachel's face fell. "Sorry," she said quietly.

Annabeth shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I just can't believe he..."

Whatever she was going to say, her voice broke. She put her head down and sobbed miserably. Rachel went back to her previous job of comforting her. Noelle wanted to do the same, but didn't want to interrupt their moment.