First Lie || Deception Book I ||

Choices

"Can you believe that camp is almost over?" Ally asked as we lounged on the shore of the lake, soaking up the warm sunshine.

"Mmm," I replied sleepily. "Today's, what, the ninth?"

"Yeah." Ally suddenly sat up. "Hey, Anna."

I blinked at her and rose, slightly alarmed by her serious tone. "What's wrong?"

Ally pushed her brown hair back and sighed. "What are you going to do once summer's over?"

"Oh, . . . . go with Luke to wherever he's going, I suppose," I replied half-heartedly. "I don't know. Why?"

"You know how you told me to reconsider my choice and tell you at the end of camp?" Ally asked, her brown eyes serious. "Well, I've made my decision."

I flopped back down onto the sand. "I'm guessing that you're coming with me. Are you sure?"

Ally nodded. "I'm sure. Dionysus may have been," she wrinkled her brow, "nicer? But that doesn't make up for fourteen years of absence. He can't just show up and say, 'Oh, I'm sorry I ditched you and your mother when you weren't even born and did nothing when everything went to hell, but I do love you.' That's . . . . horrible."

I sighed. "I agree. But are you sure? What about your brothers?"

Ally smiled sadly. "They'll survive. But I'm gonna need Luke's promise that they won't be hurt."

I nodded silently. "You have my word."

Ally sighed. "I don't want to hurt them. I know they love me and I love them too. Both Castor and Pollux are great, you know? But they didn't go through what I did so they can never fully understand me. Not the way you or Luke do."

She turned to face me, her gaze steady. "I'm coming with you."

"I don't like it, but fine," I grumbled. "I don't have the right to stop you from joining us. But you're not coming with me and Luke after the summer. You're only fourteen and you have to go to school."

"What?" Ally asked. "What does that have to do with anything? You're only sixteen!"

"Yeah, two years older than you. Besides, you can't just drop out of high school."

"You did," Ally pointed out.

"Well, that doesn't mean you have to too," I said. "Besides, nothing's gonna happen during the school year. I'll come to pick you up during the winter break and then when summer starts next year."

"But-"

"Nuh-uh," I said, waving my hand. "You have to learn to compromise. End of discussion."

Ally glared at me. "You're not my mom."

"Compromise," I repeated.

"Fine." Ally sank back into the sand. "What about Percy and Annabeth though? If you go with Luke, you're making yourself their enemy."

I sighed. "Believe me, I don't want to. But the gods are poison. This is the only way. They'll understand eventually."

Ally and I lapsed into silence, each of us caught up in our thoughts about turning.

"You two shouldn't be so mopey on such a sunny day," Annabeth said as she sat down beside us.

I jolted upright, shaking sand out of my ponytail. "Annabeth? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Percy?"

She pointed to the lake. "He's kayaking. With your boyfriend and the rest of the Hermes cabin."

"Oh? Who do you think will win?" Ally asked, nudging me.