The Selection

The War

Piper's POV

"Hey! You have a nice hairbrush!" Drew shouts. We are stuck in my room. I really don't know why. It feels as if I don't belong here. I have this weird feeling that something bad is going to happen...

"Thanks," I say, absentmindedly, while sitting on my bed, surrounded by bad vibes.

"Ah! This is really disgusting! You got all the nice stuff... Anyways, why am I even here looking at them?" She is so stupid. I have been asking her this question since she showed up in my room.  Drew is dressed in her off shoulders vibrant red dress with her matching vibrant red lipstick. 

"Drew, why are you here?" I reiterate the words for the hundredth time, trying to control my voice.

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember. Queen Annabeth wanted me to be with you. Don't know why but she is the Queen and the best thing you can do to impress her is to obey her." Annabeth! She sent her. I can't believe it. She didn't even come to meet me before leaving! 

"Well, darling, you will never feel bored with me. This is not going to be like in your village." She turns to me. "And today, I am in a really good mood so... you are quite lucky." She goes back to rummaging through my stuff. She says it as if she might kill me if she wouldn't have been in a 'good mood'.

That feeling comes back again. I can't keep myself straight. I can't let those thoughts intrude my mind. Well, they have already harmed me, still, I need to have faith, I need to trust. I don't even have the strength to stand on my balcony, just to steal a last glance before he escorts. 

This is just a small test and I know we will get through it, I told myself. He promised he will come back and he definitely will. Whatever happens, he is going to come back. That's it. He is coming back, coming back, coming back, coming back and COMING BACK.

After a few minutes of inspection, Drew comes and sits beside me. 

"Ah! You are literally so lifeless, unspirited girl! If only Khione were here." She blabbers a lot! Anyways, I need to breathe and divert my mind or else I am going to explode with anxiety. I have no other option. "She said that she will arrange a perfect date with the Prince." She blushes, I could feel my face getting red. If only I could swear! 

"You know just he and me. She is such an amazing friend. Even though she is supposed to be my competitor in this Selection, yet she thinks a lot about me." I somehow feel bad for Drew. She is so naive. She doesn't even know that Khione had been here for a purpose and she was just misusing Drew for it.

"Well, she actually hated you, to be honest, I hate you too. You are always with him! But who cares! If this stupid war would have happened I would have been with him..." I am not sympathetic anymore! She closes her eyes and I know what she is thinking. I don't want to listen but I still do.

"She described it as 'He will be alone. Away from the castle. In a cave where no one will be able to disturb.'  I mean that so romantic and amazing..." Gods, I can't have it anymore! No, no, no! Why in this freaking world did Annabeth send her here. I stump my feet on the floor and jumped off my bed and towards my desk. 

Can anyone even imagine it! Why will he want to be in a cave and that too all alone? He doesn't... Wait, why these words sound familiar. I have read them, I have read them somewhere. I search through the books on my desk and finally, I remember where I saw them.

All alone. Away from his family. In a dark cave.  Words were spoken by Kione, who is a Rebel spy. The word from the biography of Lord Zeus, the last page of his life. This means... no, this can't happen.

I rush towards the door. I have to go there. I have to warn him right now. But when I reach out to open the door, it doesn't budge. It's bolted. Shit! I am damn sure it was Annabeth, she was afraid of me escaping the castle. No, no, no... I have to do something.