mastermind - percy jackson

xv. workshop

"trust your instincts"

They made camp right there in the big room. Percy found some scrap wood and they started a fire, the shadows danced off the columns rising around them like trees.

Cassandra had healed her cut with nectar, and was now left with a long scar running from her hairline to her cheekbone.

She didn't mind having a scar. To her it was actually kind of cool. But she was upset that she had allowed someone to give her one.

Maybe she wasn't as good of a fighter as she thought. 

No. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. She was a good fighter, she just wasn't as good as she had been when she was a Hunter.

"Something was wrong with Luke" Annabeth muttered, poking at the fire with her knife. "Did you see the way he was acting?"

"He looked pretty pleased to me" Percy said. "Like he'd spent a nice day torturing heroes."

"That's not true!" Annabeth argued. "There was something wrong with him."

"You're just now realizing that he's a psychopath?" Cassandra asked. "I'm pretty sure he was dropped on his head as a baby."

"He is not a psychopath!" She shouted. "You've never liked him."

"You're right. I haven't" Cassandra replied. "Because I knew that he was a crazy person, and would just end up betraying you and Thalia. And spoiler alert: I was right."

"You think that all heroes are bad because one betrayed you!" Annabeth reminded her.

"Shut up" Percy hissed, noticing Cassandra's glare.

"At least I don't hold out false hope, that the man who has betrayed me countless of times before, is still good" Cassandra said, rudely. "At least I can face reality."

"There was something wrong with him. He looked... nervous. He told his monsters to spare me. He wanted to tell me something" Annabeth said.

"Probably, 'Hi, Annabeth! Sit here with me and watch while I tear your friends apart. It'll be fun!'"  Percy said.

"You two are impossible" Annabeth grumbled. She sheathed her dagger and looked at Rachel. "So. Which way now, Sacagawea?"

Rachel didn't respond right away. She'd become quieter since the arena. Now, whenever Annabeth or Cassandra made a sarcastic comment, Rachel hardly bothered to answer. She'd burned the tip of a stick in the fire and was using it to draw ash figures on the floor, images of the monsters they'd seen. With a few strokes she captured the likeness of a dracaena perfectly.

"We'll follow the path" Rachel said. "The brightness on the floor."

"The brightness that led us into a trap?" Cassandra asked.

"Lay off her, Cassie" Percy said. "She's doing the best she can."

Annabeth stood, "The fires getting low. I'll go look for some more scraps while you guys talk strategy. Do you want to come with me, Cass?"

"I'm good. I have to go do something" She answered. "On my own."

"Okay" Annabeth said before walking into the shadows.

"Where are you going?" Percy asked. "Don't tell me you're going after Ethan."

"I'm not" She assured. "But even if I was, it's none of your business, Jackson."

Percy frowned. After all they had been through in the past six months and she was back to calling him Jackson.

"Alright" He muttered. "We'll be here."