Chapter 1

Another long day was finally over. As I left the hospital all I could think about was a nice warm shower, my pajamas and a bottle of wine. Working as a nursing assistant was my dream job as I paid my way through college but some days were harder than others. Most twenty-one year olds would be getting ready to go out on a Friday night however my ten hour shift had quickly turned into thirteen as the unseasonably cold weather had caused a bus to skid on ice and crash into the median with fifty children on board. Overall it had been a rewarding day as all the children survived but my feet and head were throbbing from the effort.

As I walked down the street toward the D.C. metro I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Discreetly I looked over my right shoulder and then my left but saw no one around. With a growing sense of unease I walked as fast as I could towards the metro station without falling on the ice. I let out a sigh of relief as I came around the corner and saw the sign with the large M which would lead me home. Five steps from the escalator it happened. In an instant I knew someone or something was behind me but before I could turn there was a loud whooshing sound and something slammed into the back of my head. Instant darkness.

Cold. All I could feel was the unbearable cold that was seeping through my entire body. As I slowly regained consciousness I could feel that I was on my back with my wrists and ankles bound to hard stone. The next thing I felt was the intense throbbing in my skull and what felt like dried blood covering the left side of my hair and face. Opening my eyes I found myself in a small chamber that was dimly light giving off an eerie vibe. The terror began to build as I realized the room was in fact a crypt and the only thing covering my freezing body was a white silk sheet. Was I even still in Washington D.C.? I began to struggle furiously with the manacles but they didn't budge. Should I scream? Or would that alert my captor that I was awake? How long had it been since I was taken? Would anyone notice I was gone? No, that question I knew was futile. I lived alone in a small studio apartment near Georgetown, my only friends were acquaintances at work and I had broken up with my boyfriend only a few days ago. My mother was dead and I had never known my father. I had never felt more alone until this point as I realized no one would miss me for at least three days when I didn't show up for work. Silent tears began to stream down my face and I tried to remain calm and quiet.

After a few minutes of trying to think of a way out I began to hear something in the distance. At first I thought it was the throbbing in my own head but then I realized I was in fact hearing footsteps heading in my direction. With difficulty I tried to control my breathing and pretend I was still unconscious. With my eyes shut tightly I heard the door bang open and heavy footsteps make their way slowly across the room to where I was bound.

"I know you can hear me, sweetheart," said a low a voice so close to my ear that it made me jump. Chuckling the man brushed my hair back from face.

"Time to open your eyes, we have so much to talk about."

Slowly I opened my eyes and stifled a scream as I looked into his face. He was a handsome man with a thin but strong build but it was his eyes that maybe me shake in terror. They were dark brown almost black and stared down at me like a predator about to devour his prey. He was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket but he seemed to be more than a normal man. He emanated power.

"There we go, now we can have a nice long talk." "What is your name?"

"Annabeth," I whispered, seeing no point in remaining silent.

"Well Annabeth, I have been searching for you for quite some time. My name is Caligula."

The name seemed familiar but I couldn't place it. I knew I had read it somewhere but with the throbbing in my head it was hard to concentrate.

"What do you want from me?" I asked. "I don't have a lot of money but I can give you whatever you want. I promise not to say anything about this to anyone. My husband will be looking for me."

Caligula let out a humorless chuckle. "My dear, you are a horrible liar. We both know no one is going to miss you. I do not want or need your money but you do have something I want. "Actually," he said, gazing up and down my body as I struggled against the manacles, "now that I know what you look like you might be useful in more ways than I thought."

Slowly he reached up and began to slowly drag the sheet down my body.

Despite my resolve to not show weakness I began to beg for him to stop. "Please don't do this. Please let me go."

"My dear this is only the beginning," Caligula said as he began to caress my body. "Your body may entertain me for awhile but what I really want is your power."

He laughed at my look of bewilderment as he continued to trail his hands down my body.

"You don't know what you are?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about you freak. Get your disgusting hands off me," I screamed.

His smile turned into sneer as he backhanded me hard across the face.

"No need to be rude, sweetheart. You're testing my patience. I can only be nice for so long."

Dizzy and near blacking out again I prayed to every god I could think of as Caligula began to remove his leather jacket.