Love at first Fight

Suprise of a Lifetime

"Hey, Annabeth, you dressed?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah."

"Good... You're gonna want to see this." Thalia popped her head into the room. Annabeth looked up from her phone to see the picture Thalia pulled up on her phone.

"What the..." Annabeth whispered. Zues and his wife Hera sat in the front row of the seats, with Poseidon, and Hades on either side of them. Hades' wife Persophone sat beside him, next to her mother Demeter. Aphrodite sat between her husband Hepheastus, and the guy she had an ongoing affair with, Ares. On Ares' left sat Persophone, who looked uncomfortable. Artemis and Apollo sat next to each other beside Hepheastus, arguing, although that was nothing new. There were three other people that Annabeth vaguely knew as Hestia, who was beside Artemis, Hermes, who was Lukes dad, and Dionysus, the owner of a famous wine brewery. The person who stood out most though, was sat beside Poseidon, glaring at him scornfully.

Athena Chase sat there, her grey eyes hostile and angry. Annabeth dropped her cell and took the phone. "My mom..."

"And your dad. Percy's mom is on the opposite side of the ring. Annabeth, I... Here, look at this..." She swiped, showing another picture. It was a list of fights. Annabeth knew it by heart already, but the line up before her and Percy's fight had changed, and it terrified her.

Annabeth stared in disbelief. "But that guy... The last person he fought died! Doesn't he know that!?"

"I don't think he does. I tried changing his mind, but he wouldn't listen to me. Or Jason." Annabeth's hands shook so much Thalia had to take her phone back so it would fall.

She sat down, Thalia following. "Are you okay?"

"Percy is gonna get killed!"

"I think he's trying to prove a point. To his dad." Annabeth frowned in confusion. "Poseidon all but hates Percy. He disapproves of him being in the ring. He hates the fact that Percy doesn't want to be in sports. He despises every choice Percy makes. Percy said that his dad made a deal with him, if Percy can get out of a fight alive with this guy, then... I don't know. Something about Poseidon accepting that Percy has a brain?"

"Well obviously, he doesn't! Kronos isn't even supposed to be fighting!" Annabeth groaned. She couldn't do anything, though. She'd ruined the chance of Percy listening to her when she kicked him out of her house. "I have to do something, or Percy might die!"

"Good luck stopping it, Annabeth... They're announcing him now." Thalia said, frowning.

"I gotta try. Sure, I screwed up a friendship, or whatever it could be, but I can't just let him die. I'm above that." Thalia put her hands on Annabeth's shoulders.

"Don't do something stupid, Annabeth. There's a reason he called you Wise Girl." Annabeth shrugged her off.

"I'll be fine." She grabbed her workout jacket and pulled it on, not bothering to zip it up. Sure, she was only in a sports bra sized crop top and short shorts, but that was what she always wore. She was comfortable in it, surprisingly.

She walked out of her assigned room, and into the crowded stage area. In the center of the room was a raised mat, with mesh walls on all four sides. Two sides, opposite each other had doors that could be swung open or taken off completely to let in the fighters. The seats in the front, closes to Annabeth, were empty except for one woman, a woman with dark brown hair and worried eyes. She reminded Annabeth of Percy, and since she was sitting on the opposite side of the Poseidon, Zues, Hades, and everyone else who had shown up, including Annabeth's mother, that she was Percy's mom.

Like Thalia had said, Percy was being introduced, not far from where Annabeth stood. She tried to dart down the ramp, but someone stopped her. Charles Beckendorf, he was the boyfriend of another female fighter, Silena Beauregard, and he was also one of the security guards. "Sorry, Annabeth, it's too late to go back there. The match starts in two minutes."

"I have to talk to Percy!"

"Everyone's been saying that, Annabeth. I'm sorry. I'm not allowed to let anyone back. Percy's request." He frowned. Annabeth looked at him, her eyes desperate.

She was strong, but she couldn't get past Charlie. He was almost as strong as the guy Percy was fighting. "Fine. Where's Jason?"

"Over there, by Sally."

"Who?" Annabeth glanced to where Charlie nodded. She saw the woman with the brown hair, she was fiddling nervously, but she was no longer alone. "Thanks, Charlie."

Annabeth darted through the crowd towards Jason, passing the group of business leaders, and her mother. Annabeth wanted to stop and talk to her mom, but she had to talk to Jason. She heard someone call her name, but she didn't stop until she reached Jason and the woman Charlie called Sally. "Jason!"

"Annabeth? What are you doing out here already? Your fight isn't until after this one."

"If you don't get Percy out of this, there won't be one after this."

"What do you mean?"

"Kronos, the guy Percy is fighting-" Annabeth cut off when she saw the panicked look Sally gave her.

"What about him?" Jason asked. Annabeth growled and grabbed Jason's arm, pulling him away from the older woman.

"The last guy Kronos fought was killed. The guy before him went comatose. You can't let Percy get in that ring. He'll die! Kronos shouldn't even be here tonight!"

"Someone would have to go in his place, Annabeth."

"I'll do it."

"Oh, no, you will not, young lady!" Annabeth looked to her left to see Athena Chase looking very displeased and startled. "You said yourself that he might die."

"I don't care. I've seen every one of Kronos' fights. I know how to beat him. Percy doesn't." Annabeth said firmly, turning to Jason. "I don't care what it takes, I don't care if you have to hold Percy down, and sit on him! Under no circumstances will you let him in this fight. You get me in that ring, and you keep him out. Do you understand me, Jason Grace!?"