The ranks were up.Reyna peered around the side of the initiates, scanning the names scratched on the chalkboard.

1. Percy
2. Peter
3. Reyna
4. Will
5. Annabeth
6. Christina
7. Tris
8. Thalia
9. Nico
10. Molly
11. Drew
12. Al

Molly's face was red with rage.

"What?" She exclaimed, pointing at Christina accusingly. "How is she higher than me? I beat her! I beat her!"

"So?" Christina asked smugly, her arms folded.

"You were also beaten every time following," Four snapped. "So I suggest that if you wish to gain a higher rank than bottom three, you need to start trying."

Molly turned to Tris, her face a mask of fury. "You," she snarled. "You're going to pay for this."

She turned on her heel and stalked out the door.

Peter, surprisingly, hadn't said a word. He simply sat on the bed and tied his shoe casually.

Reyna watched him uneasily. He couldn't be satisfied with second place. Not Peter.

Percy didn't look worried in the slightest as he smiled, fist bumping Will.

"Look at you, number 7!" Christina grinned, slapping Tris on the back.

Tris's brow was furrowed but she smiled anyways.

+++

That night, Annabeth lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't know if anyone else was awake either, the room was pitch black. She couldn't fall asleep, but a gentle breathing in the bunk underneath her told her that Percy was sound asleep, as usual. But as hard as she tried, sleep evaded her.

Suddenly there was a squeak of a shoe on the floor. Annabeth rolled over and lifted her head up, but her eyes couldn't see more than varying shades of black and jet black.

She tensed.

A bloodcurdling yell pierced the air.

It came from the bed beneath her. And she knew the voice in an instant.

"Turn on the light!" Thalia yelled. There was a rustle of someone running, and the lights flickered on.

Percy lay on the ground, clutching his face as he lay in a pool of blood. He curled up, and Annabeth could see his chest heaving. Mouth deprived of any moisture, she bent down and gently placed a hand on his back. He twitched and shuddered at the contact.

"Annabeth," he muttered, his voice laced with pain. Annabeth spotted a silver knife handle jutting between his fingers. Her stomach knotted, then unknotted as it was filled with rage. But she had to calm down before she accidentally hurt Percy.

"Annabeth," he groaned again. "There's a knife in my eye."

Annabeth could feel a hysterical laugh bubbling up in her but she forced it down.

"I know," Annabeth muttered.

"Get it out."

"We have to let the doctor take it out," Annabeth said gently, her voice cracking. "If we take it out now, you might die of blood loss."

"I won't," Percy promised. He hadn't moved from
his fetal position, fingers clutching his face. He mustn't have been strong enough to stop the blood flow because it hadn't ceased to trickle.

There was a noise in the doorway, and Annabeth looked up to see the Dauntless nurse.

"Stand back," she said gently. Annabeth shook her head.

"No. I'll help."

The nurse pursed her lips then nodded. "Follow me. Carry him to the hospital."

Annabeth picked up Percy bridal style (no one dared to laugh, not only because Percy was just stabbed in the eye but because of the death stare Annabeth was shooting everyone). She scanned the faces, and her gaze pinned on the door. Three faces were missing.

Peter, Thalia, and Nico.

+++

As soon as Nico saw the glint of a silver knife in Percy's eye, he turned to the door and strode out. No one noticed him, they were all gathered around Percy.

Nico turned the corner and sprinted on, his footsteps thudding against the stone floor as he spotted the silhouette of someone slinking agains the wall in the shadows. Peter turned and spotted Nico, his face paling. Then he turned and faced Nico as Nico charged closer. He got into a ready position, fists cocked.

Nico didn't hesitate and completely rammed down Peter headfirst like a charging bull. Within moments, Nico was slamming his fist into Peter's face. He couldn't speak, he was too engrossed in mutilating Peter's face like how Peter did to Percy.

Peter grunted as his face was attacked, his ribs kicked over and over. Nico hadn't shown this strength in the training, and it took Peter completely by surprise. He couldn't do anything but shield his face.

Then suddenly the weight was pulled off of him and he opened his eyes in surprise. Thalia restrained Nico, who was still swinging at Peter.

"Let me GO!" Nico screamed, his vision red-tinted with fury. "LET ME GO! YOU PIECE OF &%#*+$@^++%#$&@$... " after a minute straight of screaming profanities that cannot be repeated, he broke free of Thalia's grip and began his assault on Peter once more.

Three bajillion kicks later, Peter lay on the ground, unconscious. Nico stood above him, breathing heavily. Thalia observed unintetestedly, leaning against the roughly hewn wall. When she was sure Nico was done, she leaned over and shoved Peter down the hallway with her foot.

"Alright, let's get him to the hospital," said Thalia. "And give him some amnesia so that he doesn't pin the blame on us."

Nico scowled and the two began to kick Peter down the hallway.

+++

Percy lay in the hospital room, a heavy bandage taped around his eye. Annabeth, Reyna, and Thalia and Nico (pushing an unconscious Peter into the room) sat around him.

No one said much. There was nothing to say.

Finally, Annabeth broke the silence. "How does this work?" She asked. "When we're done with this quest, I mean. Will you get your eye back?"

Percy grunted. "Apollo better give me one," he warned. "Or Hephaestus can make me a cool mechanical eye.

Reyna grimaced. "Like Orion," she muttered. She and Thalia scowled.

"Do the Dauntless expect you to continue initiation?" Nico asked.

At that moment, the door opened and Four walked in. He glanced at Peter and his face twitched before approaching Percy.

"No one blames you if you leave," he said in a low voice, but Percy shook his head.

"I'm not quitting," Percy said firmly. "I'm not going to give Peter satisfaction. Speaking of which, why isn't he kicked out for stabbing me in the eye?"

Four rolled his eyes, looking extremely like an annoyed teenage boy. "Peter's Eric's favorite," he muttered. "And there's too little evidence besides the fact that you beat him to a pulp," he said to Nico. "Good job, by the way," he mouthed.

Nico grinned then frowned. "You expect Percy to quit?"

Four pulled a chair up and sat down on it, rubbing his temples. He had somehow gone from an annoyed teenage boy to an eighty year old man. "He just got stabbed in the eye," he said. "But it's really Percy's choice." He sighed. "All I'm saying is... try to imagine going through initiation with one eye. I know you were top before, Percy, but it's going to be really hard to maintain a good rank. Chances are, if you don't go factionless now, you probably will at the end of stage two."

Percy shrugged, and Four looked at him with a certain degree of respect but worry.

"Be careful, Percy," he said. "The second stage will not be as easy as the first."

Yeah, I realize how EXTREMELY UNREALISTIC the rankings are. In this story no one gets cut because a) I need Al in and in the book no one was cut cuz Edward and Myra left, and b) let's just say some Dauntless initiates got cut ok?