Chapter 4: The Weight of Regret

The dawn filtered through the clouds, and the soft murmur of the waves was the first thing to wake Annabeth. Her body still lying on the cold sand reminded her of the intensity of the previous night, but that warmth had been replaced by a knot in her stomach that grew with every passing second. The euphoria of the moment had given way to guilt, a heavy burden pressing down on her.

Annabeth slowly sat up, hugging her knees as she gazed at the horizon. The images from the previous night came rushing back like gusts of wind, and each one brought with it a wave of anguish that made her shudder. "What would Percy say?" she thought. "What would the others think if they knew? More importantly, what did I think of myself now?"

"This was a mistake," she whispered to herself, although she knew those words couldn't undo what had already happened.

Beside her, Inti lay with a look of complete serenity, as if guilt and regret didn't exist in his world. His arrogance and the indifference on his face were almost insulting. He calmly rose, shaking the sand off his shoulders without showing the slightest sign of remorse. For him, what had happened was just another experience in his life full of fleeting adventures and encounters.

"Are you okay?" Inti asked, his voice soft but lacking real concern. To him, the night had been pleasurable, and his seductive nature hadn't dimmed.

Annabeth looked at him, feeling betrayal consume her from the inside.

"No. I'm not," she replied, her voice trembling slightly, unable to hold his gaze.

Inti raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not surprised. "Why? Last night was... incredible." His words echoed with disdain, as if what had happened held no more weight than a game.

"That's not the point," Annabeth shot back with more force, struggling to regain her composure. "I have a partner. I have Percy. What happened last night... shouldn't have happened." Her voice cracked, and the guilt suffocated her.

Inti let out a light laugh, almost amused by Annabeth's reaction. "And what does that matter now? What happened, happened. It was one night, Annabeth. No one has to know if you don't want them to."

His words hit Annabeth like a punch in the chest, and his indifference was disarming. To him, what had occurred didn't hold the same weight or consequences.

"You don't understand," she said, looking out at the horizon, feeling her voice fade. "This means something to me. It's not just another adventure, it's not just a night I can forget. I'm not like that. I'm not like you."

Inti shrugged, as if what she was saying held no true importance. "We're all something until we discover what we really want. Last night, you wanted this, Annabeth. That's the only thing that matters."

She stepped away from him, feeling his words cut through her. She wanted to scream, to tell him he was wrong, that she hadn't wanted it, that it had been a mistake. But deep down, she knew that a part of her had desired that moment. "And that's what haunts me the most," she thought.

Inti, seeing her reaction, simply sighed and looked out at the horizon. The morning breeze played with his hair, and his lofty posture showed that, for him, there was nothing to regret. He leaned toward her, brushing her cheek with a soft hand, almost tenderly, but with that same indifference that characterized him.

"Don't punish yourself for how you feel, Annabeth. It's the most natural thing in the world."

She gently pushed him away, but with determination. "You don't understand. You don't have someone to whom you owe loyalty. For you, this is just a game."

Inti watched her for a moment, and for the first time, a faint shadow of doubt crossed his face, though it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Maybe you're right," he said, turning away and walking toward the water. "But that doesn't change what happened."

Annabeth watched him walk away, feeling that the distances between them were much deeper than the simple steps that separated them on the beach. As he walked farther, she hugged herself as though somehow trying to protect herself from the chaos within. She had betrayed Percy, and that would follow her like a shadow.

The cool morning air couldn't calm her thoughts, and she knew she had to return to camp soon. "How will I face Percy? How will I face my friends knowing what I've done?" The guilt would follow her, even if they never found out. But the worst part was the internal confusion she felt. She had been so sure of her feelings for Percy, of her life at Camp Half-Blood, but now everything seemed to be falling apart.

The soft sound of water behind her announced that Inti had returned. When she looked at him, the same carefree smile remained on his face, and she felt the emptiness inside her grow deeper.

"I have to go," Annabeth said, quickly standing up and gathering her clothes. She couldn't stand to stay on that beach for another second, not with him.

Inti shrugged again. "If that's what you want."

Before he could say anything else, Annabeth had already begun walking toward the edge of the beach, her steps determined but heavy with guilt. When she was at a safe distance, she pulled out her dagger and with a swift movement, drew a glowing circle in the ground that vanished in an instant. In a blink, the portal opened, and she returned to camp, leaving Inti alone, indifferent, and calm as always.

For him, it was nothing more than an anecdote, a small adventure among many. But for Annabeth, it was the beginning of an internal struggle that would follow her far beyond that morning.