A Loophole (Percabeth Selection)

49- "Of Course, Seaweed Brain. Any More Stupid Questions?"

The next day was spent with Luke. I woke up before breakfast, got dressed quietly in some comfy grey tracksuit pants and a large green hoodie and went straight to Luke's cell. Percy would know where to find me when he woke up.

Luke was lying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling when I arrived.

"You don't need to be here so early," His head flopped to the side so he could look at me. "I'm not going anywhere."

The guard opened the door for me. I crossed the cell and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're going to be killed. That means that I need to spend as much time with you as possible."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere for a while. At least a month. I have to wait at least a month."

I closed my eyes, my shoulders sagging. I brought my legs up and rested my chin on my knees. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, hey," He scooted over and placed an arm around my shoulder. I rested my head on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"It is," I whispered. "I'm the one that sentenced you to death."

"But I'm the one that asked you to. I'm the one that earned it."

I shook my head slightly. Tears brimmed in my eyes. I felt that if I cried any more I'd turn into a dried up human being. "You don't deserve death."

"Annabeth, you can't blame yourself for this. You can't. I won't allow it."

I opened my eyes and stared into his cold blue ones. "I'm sorry."

"I am too." He hugged me and sighed against my hair. "For everything."

I left Luke a couple of hours after lunchtime. I didn't want to leave him, but I had to prepare for battle.

Capture the Flag was a very important annual game held at the palace. The three Chase siblings and three Jackson siblings would face off to the death. That's what we like to tell everyone.

What really happens is the six of us are split into two teams, red or blue, and given territories to protect. Somewhere in your team's territory, you have to hide the flag of your team. There are boundaries and rules of what you can and can't do, and that sits in a book in Percy's desk. We wrote them out when we were twelve. You can have weapons too. A sword, dagger, or bow and arrow. They're made out of foam, but it's still super fun. You win the game by stealing your oppositions flag and safely take it back to your own base. The winners get to choose their own prize, within reason. One year Zoe wanted a unicorn, but we couldn't get her one so she had to settle for a toy unicorn instead.

When I got to my room Percy was sitting on my bed waiting for me. He was wearing denim shorts and a green t-shirt.

"Hey," He stood up and hugged me. "We're wearing the same colour."

"Uh," I looked down at my hoodie. "I guess we are."

He could tell that I didn't really care and that I wasn't really there. He pulled me in again for another hug. "Did you just see Luke?"

I nodded.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am. You know that. Luke still loves you, I still love you." He lent down and kissed my forehead. "So, so much."

I was about to break again so I pushed him away smiling. "What's happening today? When do we start?"

He smiled back at me, glad to see that I was trying. "Just get changed into your normal gear and we shall meet the kids in my bedroom."

"If we're on opposite teams this year, I hope you know that I will crush you." I gave him a light kiss on the lips. "No matter how much I love you."