Jason had never been one to believe in love at first sight until he met Annabeth during college orientation. She had a gorgeous athletic body, striking red hair, sky-blue eyes, with a cute whisper of freckles, and a smile that could brighten even the darkest day. But she was more than just a pretty face; she was brilliant. He had fallen for her brain when they were paired in a freshman math b. Four months ter, they were dating, and a year and a half after that, she moved into his apartment.

  She read the same books, loved the same movies, and ughed at his stupid jokes. Her dreams became his dreams. Jason had thought he had found a missing part of his soul—one he hadn’t realized was missing.

  For Annabeth, she had known from the moment she met Jason that he was special, and if circumstances were different, he would be the ‘one’. He was also easy on the eyes, with his blonde hair and green eyes.

  He kept fit by pying amateur soccer and even coached the younger pyers in his free time. She knew Jason would make a great dad one day. But he was so very kind, not just to her, but to everyone, and he had a smile that made her feel warm and safe.

  During college orientation, they seemed to hit it off. She was still amazed that they had made pns to see one another that very weekend, with her mother giving her a knowing smile. The whole thing felt so perfect, it was difficult to believe it was real.

  Much to her shame, it wasn’t, at least not in the way Jason believed it to be.

  Annabeth had never intended to fall for him, and now she was reaping what she had sown because she was also in love with someone else. Her childhood love, who was always there for her, the boy who had asked her to marry under an old oak tree when they were twelve, and made it official right before high school graduation.

  Her entire world was falling apart because she wanted to experience college life to the fullest, even if it meant lying to everyone, including herself.

  To Jason, the st four years had been like one of those Hallmark movies his mother loved to watch. And in many ways, it was the same for Annabeth. However, their love story was not some whirlwind romance because it had been built on lies from the very beginning.

  And now, it was about to end.

  When he proposed that evening, it wasn’t spontaneous. The two had spoken about marriage many times, with Annabeth always insisting she wouldn’t consider it until after graduation. And now, it was only a few months away.

  "Jason, I’m sorry," she murmured sadly, reluctantly returning what she knew was his great-grandmother’s engagement ring.

  "I thought—" He coughed, composing himself. "Maybe I was moving too fast, but graduation is not that far off. And really, we don’t have to get married right away. We could have a long engagement, if you want. Make sure our work lives are all in order first, maybe save some money."

  “No, that’s not the reason.” She hesitated for a moment before turning away, her face flushed with embarrassment

  Finally, she spoke softly, almost at a whisper, "I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Jason. I’m sorry I lied to you, but I never broke up with Greg. I’m actually engaged to him."

  Her words hit like a gut punch. Staggering, Jason struggled to stand, ignoring her frantic protests as he spped her hands away before stumbling into the bathroom.

  Annabeth hunched over, her face covering her hands, wanting to follow him, to say something, anything that could fix this, but nothing could. It was such a fucking mess, and it was all her fault.

  In the bathroom, trying not to throw up, Jason spshed cold water on his face, staring at his reflection, before finally returning to the kitchen.

  "Expin."

  It had been a week since Jason’s world had come crashing down. The woman he had pnned to marry had been living a double life. Apparently, she had been engaged to her childhood sweetheart since the end of high school, but agreed to postpone the wedding until after college. Some sort of screwy arrangement - what happened in college, stayed in college, or some other such nonsense.

  He was furious and ashamed, but what could he do? His parents were mortified. Even Annabeth’s mother called, apologizing; she and her husband had been under the impression that their daughter had ended things with the other boy long ago. Her father was especially livid, since Jason had sought and received his blessing to marry her—something the so-called boyfriend had never done.

  God in heaven, did he ever truly know her?

  For Annabeth, it had been a week of crushing guilt mixed with lots of alcohol. It was also a week of questioning every decision she had made over the st four years. Her parents had called angrily, of course, thinking Greg was long gone, that she had chosen Jason. A man they had come to think of as their son. In many ways, he had chosen him, but he wasn’t her first love.

  Was it wrong for her to want both? And now, both Annabeth and Jason had to live with the consequences.

  When she showed up at his door a week ter, he gave her a tired half-smile. At least she looked just as bad as he felt. When she leaned in to kiss him, he turned his face, letting it nd on his cheek. Pain flickered in her gaze, mirroring his own, fuck her—she had intended to break up with him soon anyway.

  She lingered in the doorway, eyes cast downward, noticing what was on the floor. Annabeth hadn’t expected him to forgive her. She hadn’t even expected him to let her in. But despite everything, he had packed her things.

  He gestured to several boxes. "I packed up most of your things. There’s more in our—my bedroom. I’ll let you pack your clothes."

  "Right… thanks," she whispered, kneeling to sort through the remains of the life they had built together.

  Afterward, Jason grabbed a bottle of her favorite beer and set it in front of her while he prepared lunch. Even now, he was thoughtful and kind.

  They sat in silence as he worked—he knew what she liked, so it didn’t take long.

  Finally, as he pced a sandwich and a bag of pretzels in front of her, he asked, "So… who else knows?"

  Annabeth swallowed hard. "Just Meredith."

  "Which means Jack knows." He nodded grimly, taking a long pull from his bottle. "Fucking fantastic. I’ve got some great friends."

  She grimaced, then started to protest, but he waved her off. "Don’t worry about it."

  "Are we still going to Shelby’s birthday party?" she asked, hope creeping into her voice.

  Jason stared at her for a long time, as if thinking of her as an idiot, then surprised her.

  "Saturday? Sure, why the hell not? Oh, I already returned the pne tickets I bought for us to visit my parents after graduation. But a birthday party? Sure, no big deal." Jason ughed his voice almost cracking.

  Annabeth tearfully lowered her gaze. "I liked your mom."

  He scoffed, shaking his head. "She liked you, too. Oh well."

  "Jason—"

  "Don’t make promises you can’t keep," he said firmly. "It’s better this way, right? A clean break, no mess, no drama. Better than ghosting me or feeding me another lie—like every time I said I loved you, and you said it back."

  “I didn’t…I never…”, she began, then the ground shook violently.

  They were nowhere near a fault line, but Jason barely had time to process that before Annabeth screamed. The world turned to chaos. Objects flew from the walls, crashing to the floor. Instinct took over—he grabbed her, shielding her body with his own.

  And suddenly, everything disappeared into a blinding blue light with the world twisted and warped. It felt as if their bodies were being torn apart, reassembled, then ripped apart again—over and over.

  Then everything went still.

  A raspy, unfamiliar voice sliced through the darkness. "It worked!"

  "Of course it did, idiot," snapped another, high-pitched and smug. "Arzbea really thought he was as powerful as the old masters? Laughable."

  A third voice, rough and sickly, chimed in. "Most of the summons didn’t survive."

  "He couldn't even manage that properly, could he?" The squeaky voice let out a cruel ugh. "Arzbea might have been a master of the Old Tongue, but as a mage? Pathetic. Still, with the ritual complete, we can finally locate a summon worthy of the Council."

  A pause.

  "What about the others? Some might still be alive—we could recover some of the gold we spent."

  "Too much trouble. Transport the bodies to the pit." The squeaky voice dismissed the idea without hesitation. "I'll have the servants clean the chamber while we speak with the Council."