Outlaws △ Luke Castellan

02.

Chapter Two;

Kaia bent over Annabeth's sleeping form, her dark hair falling into the younger girl's face. She held Annabeth's shoulder and gently shook her.

"Psst!" she hissed. "Annabeth! Wake up!"

Annabeth groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Kaia pulled them down with a mischievous smirk, twisting the blonde onto her back.

Annabeth cracked an eye open sleepily. It continued to flutter closed on occasion, like sunlight filtering occasionally through a bank of clouds. Her face was pale in the thin moonlight.

"What is it?" she mumbled. Her words were slightly slurred.

Kaia grinned. "Midnight picnic. Luke's idea."

Annabeth gasped. She shot up into sitting position as though she'd just had a bucket of cold water thrown in her face.

"We'll get caught!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. She stared out of the window and shied away, as though the harpies had already sensed their treacherous plans and were swooping through the night to devour them.

"We won't, trust me."

"Kaia... I dunno... I wanna sleep..."

Kaia raised an eyebrow. "You can face down monsters, but not sneak out at night?"

Annabeth glowered, her grey eyes like smouldering coals. If there was one thing she couldn't do, it was turn down a challenge. Kaia knew that.

"I hate you," Annabeth muttered. She pushed the sheets back and yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Don't lie, you know love me," Kaia teased, flicking Annabeth's nose. She offered her hand. "Come on."

Annabeth placed her smaller hand within Kaia's and they tiptoed across the cabin. Kaia's heart leapt into her mouth whenever one of her siblings so much as breathed too loudly, but they made it to the door without raising any alarms.

Kaia held the doorknob like it was a bomb about to go off and pushed it open. She glanced in both directions and listened intently for any sign of the harpies. Fortunately, none were in sight. She tugged on Annabeth's hand and they slipped outside, moving so they were like shadows in the night.

Kaia guided Annabeth through the cabins, her destination fixed firmly in her mind. When Annabeth saw where they were headed, she dug her heels into the ground. Her mouth hit the floor.

"The Poseidon cabin?" she squeaked.

Kaia slapped a hand over her mouth. They froze, awaiting the harpies to converge on them like vultures on their prey, but they must have been too far away to hear.

Kaia removed her hand from Annabeth's lips.

"Nobody lives here," she whispered jovially in explanation. It had been a brainwave on Luke's behalf. The two had fantasised having a midnight picnic, but the idea had been constantly hampered by the presence of the harpies, who would tear them apart if they were spotted out of bed. Then Luke had suggested they use an unused cabin – no one lived there, so as long as they were crafty and cleaned up after themselves, no one had to know they enjoyed a midnight snack.

She pulled Annabeth onward. "Come, quick!"

"But no one goes in Poseidon's cabin!" Annabeth protested in a hiss as they hurried along. "It's not allowed!"

"It's not allowed only if you get caught," Kaia said, and winked.

Kaia had worried that the door might creak when then they opened it, as the door hadn't been used since Big Three took that oath to never again have children. But there was barely a sound as it swept open, and they stepped inside, swinging it hastily shut behind them.