Annabeth didn't know why she had decided to stay. She told herself it was a responsibility. Maybe Curiosity or even guilt. But deep down, she knew the truth. She wasn't staying for Jason.
From the moment Luke had walked into the gymnasium, her attention had drifted to him without her meaning to. There was something different about him—something quiet and steady that didn't match the tense, arrogant atmosphere everyone else carried. While others flaunted their power or postured for attention, Luke had simply stood there, calm and unreadable.
And he was… undeniably attractive.
Not in an aggressive way. Not sharp or intimidating like most of the awakened students. There was something almost gentle about him—something human. That was why she'd wanted to talk to him. When word spread that he had awakened a darkness attribute, the room had shifted instantly. Faces twisted with disgust and fear. Annabeth hadn't joined in.
She wasn't like the others. She didn't blindly accept the stories drilled into them since childhood—the idea that darkness meant corruption, cruelty, or bad luck. She believed people were more complicated than their attributes. She wanted to judge Luke for herself. That was why she had gone to watch the duel. She'd expected a simple match. Maybe a loss. A lesson. She hadn't expected him to crush someone twelve levels above him without hesitation.
The lightning, the silence afterward, the look in his eyes, it wasn't madness. It was sadness. That realization had shaken her more than the violence itself. She wants to know, Why do you seem so sad. Her instincts told her to comfort the man sitting in front of her.
He was sitting across from her, watching her with that same quiet intensity. Not predatory, not arrogant, just… observant. For some reason, every time their eyes met, her stomach fluttered with butterflies.
Annabeth hated that feeling, it made no sense. He was dangerous—everyone could see that. And yet, she didn't feel afraid of him. If anything, she felt drawn in, as if something deep inside her recognized him before her mind could catch up.
Get it together, she told herself.
So when Jason woke up, and Luke looked away, Annabeth quickly activated her wind attribute and quickly existed before anyone could notice.
She didn't know why he felt familiar.
She didn't know why his presence made her chest feel tight.
And she didn't know why part of her hoped—just a little—that he'd notice her. She wasn't ready to answer questions, and she definitely wasn't ready to explain why being near Luke felt like standing too close to a forgotten memory.
She left without a word but as she stepped into the hallway, one thought lingered stubbornly in her mind:
That won't be the last time our paths cross.