Trust No One

Chapter 17

Annabeth POV

We came back to Percy's apartment being empty. Jason was on a short mission while Thalia had gone to work at Lake Valor. 

Percy and I were eating breakfast cereal alone. 

We were in a state of tranquil and comfortable silence, especially after the night that we just had. Sometimes, I wished that we could just exist like this forever. 

But, of course, that was impossible given our line of work. 

Percy's spoon clanged in his empty bowl as he set it down on the coffee table. His fingers were lightly scratching his bandaged hand as he waited for me to finish. Percy wasn't looking at me, but I could see the guilt and pain in his eyes. 

I finished quickly because I was ready to talk. 

"Percy, we need to talk now. I want to know everything about what happened to you and what you're planning. Everything."

Percy turned towards me with storming eyes. 

"I'm sorry that I lied to you all this time. Pretending to not know you and care for you was one of the hardest things that I had to do," Percy said genuinely. 

"I understand why you had to do it, but I still want the whole explanation," I said softly. 

Percy came forward suddenly and his arms wrapped around me. For a few moments, I froze as the familiar warmth, comfort, and love spread over me. Then, I hugged back as my eyes burned with pent-up emotions and tears.

After a few minutes, Percy pulled away and started to explain everything. 

I knew that he was hiding details of his torture and all of the pain and betrayal that he felt. He was cautioning the story but giving me enough to understand everything in detail. 

I was intelligent enough to fill in the gaps. 

Things were probably so much worse than Percy was telling. Of course, I didn't want to pressure him into reliving those experiences. 

"Annabeth, when I said 'don't trust Luke', I meant it," Percy said firmly. 

Percy stood up abruptly. He walked over to a picture frame on the wall. It was a picture of him and his mom on the day that he became an official agent at Lake Valor. 

"I comprehended that you meant every word, Seaweed Brain. I just didn't know why," I said genuinely. 

Percy chuckled softly as he took the picture from the wall. His smile was apparent as he walked back towards me. 

"You p[probably thought I was jealous or something," Percy said slyly. 

"Well, you certainly acted jealously," I said slyly. "Of course, this didn't make any sense considering you supposedly didn't remember our relationship. I think it was at that moment when I suspected something." 

"I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide from you for that much longer," Percy said. 

I smiled as he looked at the picture. 

"Things were so much easier then, huh," Percy said sadly. "I had complete faith and loyalty in the system. Now, I'm not so sure."

I sighed sadly before asking, "Who else knows?"

"My mom knows. I told her my secret and then told her to leave. Hazel, Nico, and now you are the only one to know," Percy expressed. 

"You haven't even told Chiron?" I asked. 

Percy turned to me. He had so many raw emotions in his eyes, and I knew that he needed to rest his mind and body before he crashed down. 

"I wanted to, but I didn't yet. Gods, I still have so much stuff to do. I found a lead on Kronos, and it was a complete bust. Now, I know that I can't even go to Chiron for a secret mission," Percy said in agitation.