After Time

One

"Luke," Annabeth growled. "Why did you poison Thalia? She loved you!"

Luke's expression hardened when he looked at her. "I loved her, too. She hated the gods just as much as I do!" He was nose-to-nose with the daughter of Athena. "She would take my side if she were here!"

"No, she wouldn't!" Annabeth insisted, tears appearing in her eyes. "She was better than that. Better than you."

Luke growled, turning to me. "And what of you, Andromeda Jackson?" He asked, "Don't you recall what Poseidon said to you when you met? He said you were never meant to be born. A mistake! Come on, Andy. My offer stands from the last time we saw each other. You can join me. You can finally get back at your miserable excuse of a father!"

I glared at him, "No thanks, Sneakers," I said. "I don't talk to murderers."

Luke shrugged and stood up, "Worth a shot," he sighed. "Lord Kronos wants the Sea Spawn unharmed, but the others?" He looked us over. "Injured will be acceptable."

The door behind us burst open, "Luke," a female voice called in a sing-song tone. "We found the one Lord Kronos wanted."

"Kelli," Luke greeted passively. "Where is it that you found him?"

The girl was dressed as a cheerleader, but she had a metal leg and demon features. She grinned savagely, throwing a boy to the ground next to me. He had a bag over their head and was clearly unconscious. "He was sitting alone in some alleyway in Brooklyn," Kelli said happily. "He didn't talk much, if at all."

Luke rolled his eyes, "It's alright, but if you kidnapped some random homeless kid..." Kelli rolled her eyes back and skipped out of the room. "I apologize for that." He said to us.

There was shouting outside, and I could hear cheering. The door slammed open again and a whole crowd of centaurs in wacky clothing ran in. Within minutes they rescued us from Luke, as well as the unconscious boy from Brooklyn. Chiron was with the centaurs, somehow. "Annabeth, my dear, how is it that you came across this boy?" He asked as he carried him to the wall. We had stopped in a hotel that the 'Party Ponies' had rented. He set the (still masked) boy in a chair in the lobby.

"I don't really know," she told him. "As far as we know, he was captured by Luke's forces in Brooklyn. We met him at the same time you did, and he's been unconscious the whole time." The boy stirred and then sat up. Chiron carefully removed the burlap sack from the boy's head, but in doing so he blocked my view of his face.

To my dismay, the centaur stepped in front of me to examine him. Annabeth and Grover gasped, looking between me and the boy in shock. "Andy..." Annabeth said.

"What?" I asked, stepping around Chiron. As I did so, my breath caught in my throat. The boy had raven-black hair, just like mine. Sea-green eyes, just like mine. A slim form and high cheekbones, just like me. It was like looking in a mirror. "P-Percy?"  He tackled me into a hug, and I returned it with equal intensity. I was crying quietly, and I could hear his tears staining my shirt. I took his face in my hands, "Is it really you?" He nodded.

He made a fist with his hand and rubbed a circle on his chest.

"Don't you dare be sorry," I snapped. He winced. I hugged him. "I'm sorry. I would have joined you, but I was-" I cut myself off with a sob.

"Um, Andy?" Annabeth cut in suspiciously, "Who's this guy?"

"Oh! Right!" I smacked my forehead. "This is my brother, Percy." The boy in question waved, causing him to notice Grover's goat legs. He stared at them in astonishment

"That's your Brother?" The satyr asked. I nodded.

Annabeth turned to Chiron. "Chiron, this means Poseidon broke the oath twice!" The centaur ignored her and looked at Percy seriously.