This story is dedicated to the lovely Forever-Fangirl-PJO-HP, I'm sorry I deleated it in the first place!
The process for this assignment was simple; hit, run, done. All Annabeth had to do was slip a little poison into the man's drink that would send him into a deep slumber he would never wake up from. Easy enough, right?
The man in question was of fair build, with shoulders only slightly broader then average and a killer smile. He was unruly hair the color of fresh ink and eyes that shone like emeralds. And if those looks weren't enough he had dimples. Dimples. Annabeth was a sucker for dimples.
But, that didn't matter. She couldn't let her personal preference get in the way of her job, even if the subject did have quite a few rather funny puns up his sleeve.
They were on a date at a rather expensive restaurant that her boss was paying for. Good thing, Annabeth didn't think she could afford to drink the water here, let alone a full course meal.
"So, Annabeth," he took a sip of his wine, dabbing at his mouth with a linen napkin, "tell me a little about yourself."
"About me? Well, I'm not interesting. Why don't you tell me what you do for a living?" Annabeth shifted uncomfortably, sitting on her hands even though they were in a four star restaurant that had a total of seven unneeded crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The tables were petite and only suited for the dining of two. Everyone wore suits or dresses Annabeth had no chance of ever possessing with the minute salary she was paid working for what she did now. Although, this was her first assassination assignment, a sign she was working her way up in the ranks. Being a fulltime hitman would be a lot more fun than working as the errand girl, fetching poison and costumes for everyone else. The dress Annabeth wore was a full length gown a royal blue so rich it looks like she stole the color itself from the night sky, with a sparkling covering that winked like the stars. Her hair was swept to the side, falling into graceful curls that looked natural but had been coaxed into flawlessness by Piper, the stylist for their little group.
"Oh, nonsense, you look plenty interesting. What do you do for fun?" Her subject leaned forward in his seat, leaning his elbows of the table and cradling his head in his interwoven fingers. The waiter glared at him from where he was pouring water for an older couple.
He had introduced himself as Percy, her subject not the waiter, telling her he knew it was an odd name even before she could open her mouth. When she told him that her name was also unusual it was too late to go to her cover story that had been as boring and forgettable at she could manage. They were supposed to be on a blind date set up through a few mutual friends, although the names they drilled into Annabeth's head were unfamiliar.
"For fun? Percy, really?" Annabeth licked her lips, her stomach taking flight when she used his name. "I don't seem to be the only boring one if that's the best question you can come up with." Smirking, she fiddled with the straw in her water glass.
"Well I had to start with the basics so I know where to have our next date." A subtle blush spread on Percy's cheeks and Annabeth was weary of the flutter in her stomach at his words. She couldn't like him, he was her target. Her first target. If she didn't kill him then she'd never get to be a fulltime assassin, but if she did kill him she knew he'd haunt her for the rest of her life.
Percy reached across the table, gently squeezing her wrist. Annabeth looked up sharply, her breathing coming out harshly and her pupils dilated. She inhaled through clenched teeth, keeping her eyes locked on the vase of fake flowers in the middle of the table. If she looked him in the eye she was sure he could read her mind, and she couldn't risk getting caught on her first assignment. And she knew there'd be no hope for her if she looked in his eyes, she'd never be able to poison him then.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I moved too fast, I just thought-"
"It's fine- you're fine- I just need some air." Annabeth stood up sharply from her seat, clutching her end of the table.
"Can I escort you? You look a little unsteady on your feet..." He stood, pushing in their chairs and alerting the nearest waiter where they were going before Annabeth had time to say no. Percy offered her his arm, smiling softly at her. "Ready?"
Nodding numbly, she fit her arm through his and allowed him to lead her outside to the front of the restaurant. The wind whipped their hair into their eyes and chilled them as if they were standing in nothing but their birthday suit. But the coolness felt good on her cheeks and helped snap things back into perspective.
"Percy." Annabeth dug her nails into his arm, grabbing his attention. "Percy, you need to go and get as far from here as possible. You're in trouble, someone wants you dead." Percy wrinkled his nose in confusion, holding out a hand for her to stop.
"Annabeth, what on Earth are you talking about?" He spoke softly as if she was a frightened child. She didn't have time to get angry at that, she needed to warn him.
"He wants you dead, my boss. He sent me to kill you, but I can't, Percy, I just can't!" Annabeth nudged him forward, removing her arm from his.
"You were sent to kill me? But... why?" He cautiously kept a few feet between them now, frowning at her.
"I don't know, he doesn't like to give away his motives. He's a stubborn man who doesn't like competition. You need to go, get as far away from New York as possible. A different continent at least. But you need to go now, I'm expected to have slipped you the poison by seven, and they'll be waiting for you at your apartment at ten. They should be there now, so don't bother going home to pack your things." Annabeth grabbed the front of his suit jacket, a classic black one with a deep green tie a few shades darker then his eyes.
"How did you get yourself hired as a hitman? Or hitwoman?" Percy showed no signs of preparing to leave, although Annabeth had a hunch that it might have to do with the fact that she had pulled them flush against each other and it would be awkward to extract himself from the situation. She forced herself to pull away, running a hand through her curls, causing a bit of the sleekness to leave and have them tumble down her back.
"You could say it's a family business." Annabeth gave him a rueful smile before pushing him to get moving once again. "Now go. Don't come back until I contact you and tell you it's safe."
"How will you do that? You don't have my number, an address, anything really." Percy held her elbow are a second, goosebumps rising like an army up her arm, but not from the chill.
"Don't worry about that part, I'll figure that out. Now go, and don't turn back!"
Percy nodded, leaning in and kissing her cheek softly.
"Thanks for... not killing me I guess?" He laughed under his breath at the absurdity of the situation before turning and jogging off.
Annabeth touched her cheek hesitantly before going back indoors, thinking of ways to explain to the waiter why her date left.
So you might've already read this seeing as I'm reposting it. Sorry if you had to reread all this! I hope you have a wonderful day! xxx
-Writer432