Hey! I probably shouldn't be starting another story, but this idea got stuck in my head and wouldn't leave. This is going to be a relatively short story, with shorter chapters, but faster updates. Please review! In case you didn't know, I am a review addict. More reviews = happy author = more updates. I hope this isn't too bad. Most of my inspiration came to me at 2 in the morning, so…
Disclaimer: Oh, I totally own Percy Jackson! A thousand lawyers come to sue me. *cast a scared look at them* Just kidding, Rick Riordan owns everything! The only thing I own is the plot of this story. Without further ado, I present to you, The Art of Espionage!
Chapter One: Who Are You? Jackson. Percy Jackson.
Mission: #1 Age: 16 Location: House in Orlando Suburbs
Annabeth was in rebellion. She had decided on the long car ride there stuck between Bobby and Matthew that she wouldn't come out of her room once they arrived at their new home. She wouldn't see any landmarks, wouldn't go to any tourist traps, wouldn't even go to the park. (As much as she may or may not want to) That's why she, while the rest of her family was off gallivanting around their neighborhood, stayed behind.
Annabeth knew it was completely illogical, but part of her blamed Helen, her stepmother, for the move. What caused the move was Annabeth's dad's promotion, and Helen wasn't even that bad. Sure, she was kind of awkward around Annabeth, but she had never treated her badly or tried to take the place of Annabeth's mother.
She also knew that her rebellion was also illogical. It was best for the family that they move here. Maybe not for Annabeth, but for everyone overall, it was. Annabeth wasn't even rebelling on the move, she was rebelling on not having a say in it. Had it not been Annabeth who had been in the family, with her father the longest? In a country that prided itself on a democracy, Annabeth had expected at least a discussion about it before deciding.
She was also rebelling because- she could barely admit this to herself, and only did because it was smart to know your weaknesses- she missed her friends. Virginia was, simply put, boring, so Annabeth was almost glad to leave that all behind. But her friends, which had taken her years to make and would take years to replace, were anything but. She missed her best friend Thalia, the self-proclaimed cutest couple of the school: Silena and Beckendorf, Clarisse, and her half-brother Malcolm, they shared the same mother. (So maybe they moved to Florida for more reasons than just the job promotion) Annabeth had considered staying with her mother, but in the end, was too disgusted by Athena to even consider staying in the same room as her mother.
Her mother. Just the thought of her made Annabeth feel sick. She now called her mother Athena, which she had since last summer. Last summer, her mother's 15 year affair with another man had been revealed, bringing Malcolm into the picture. Last summer, Annabeth watched as her mother packed her bags and left their loft for good. Last summer, she had seen her father fall in love again. Last summer, Annabeth had watched her world fall apart. (She had only talked to Athena once since last summer, and that was only because she was there when Annabeth had said goodbye to Malcolm)
Remembering the past had got her angry, ready to break something. Working off the pent up energy, she began to organize her new room. That was a plus side to the whole ordeal. No more owl pattern in her room, reminding her of Athena. A thump sounded from her backyard. Thinking that another animal had gotten stuck in their fence, she rolled up her window shade. Annabeth caught a glimpse of something black near the edge of her house.
Panicky thoughts began to run around in her head. Were the Orlando suburbs a place with common break-ins? Could the object in black just have been an animal or was it something more serious? Of course, the one day her family leaves is the day a possible house thief is in the area. She decided to look out her window again, scan the area. Annabeth pressed her face to the glass and saw…
An awkwardly somersaulting teenager in black? She peered through the window, wondering what the heck he was doing as he edged against the wall, heading to the front of the house. This was the most interesting thing to happen all day. Annabeth decided to follow him.
Once Annabeth had looked through the front window, she started to figure out what this guy was doing. He seemed to be trying to see who was in her house. Oh god. That explained his very odd movements, he was spying.
Not very subtly, of course. He was doing an odd combination of ninja and James Bond-like movements all around the yard. Adding to that, he was wearing all black, in the middle of the day. Overall, it was very entertaining. Annabeth smiled. She headed to the couch, and sat down. This was going to be great to watch.
After watching the guy for about an hour, Annabeth had come up with some conclusions. 1.) He had a friend hiding in the bushes, sending him 'intel' about something. (She had heard his friend's yelling to attest to that fact) 2.) He lived next door. 3.) She knew that because she saw him enter the house next to hers and soon emerge with two cookies, one for him and the other for his friend. (Which is how she learned about Conclusion #1 in the first place)
As the guy's actions steadily became more and more ridiculous, Annabeth decided to take pity on him and just come out. Plus, she was getting tired of referring to him as "the guy" in her head. But she wasn't an evil genius (according to Thalia) for nothing. Annabeth was going to have some fun with him first.
Sneaking out of the house discreetly (the guy could take some lessons from her), she beelined for the bush his friend with the walkie talkie was hiding in. Approaching him, she could hear his stutters and apologies. Annabeth crouched down, silencing him with a hissed," Shut up."
Annabeth soon learned that The Guy's Friend's name was Grover, and he was only doing this because The Guy, his best friend, had bribed him into it.
"It's fine," she replied. "I think it's hilarious." It really was. "I just have two questions for you Grover. What's your friend's name and could I have your walkie?"
Grover looked surprised. "Uh, his name is Percy. And why do you need my walkie talkie?"
"I don't really need it. I just need you to not alert him while I sneak up on him. Can you do that?"
"I can," Grover whispered, staring at Percy as he did an army crawl up to the porch. "But I think I could alert him and it wouldn't make any difference." It was probably true.
She decided to wait for Percy in the back, as he'd been making rotations around her house. Sure enough, after lying in wait for who knows how long, Percy ninja kicked around the corner. He tried to peer into the kitchen windows, but was stopped by a tap on his shoulder.
He stiffened, turning around, ready to attack. Annabeth smiled from her spot on top of the porch. She was so glad her backyard had long sticks. Then, as Percy cautiously stepped under the porch, she called," Percy!"
Percy jumped. Annabeth could tell this because she heard the resounding ow that came from hitting your head on the low roof. (And he was rather tall) Annabeth, now cracking up, swung down from on top of the roof, her first words to him, "You know, good spies shouldn't let enemy agents sneak up on them."
Percy's expression was so cartoonish, it was unreal. "Uh, you see, I was ju-"
She cut him off. "Just captured by the enemy. You better run."
Percy smiled," Before I run, what's your name? Mine's Percy, but I guess Grover already told you."
Annabeth was taken back. How had he known? Percy added quickly. "I know Grover would never not have my back, so he would have told me about a dangerous spy- there his mouth quirked- unless he was in on it."
That made a lot of sense. But Annabeth couldn't show that he had caught her off guard with his knowledge. She bluffed, "You might be a good spy, but a great spy will never give her name." She was back in the game.
And so the three of them spent the rest of the afternoon acting like morons, playing spy. But it was the most fun she'd had since the move, she thought, as she chased after Grover. She should have known right there that Percy Jackson was different. A different bad or good could not be told yet. But he was the reason she was breaking her rebellion, by being outside. And Annabeth Chase was nothing if not stubborn.
Hope you guys liked this! Please review, I'll take anything: feedback, constructive criticism, suggestions. All of these will help me make this story better. Thanks for reading! Oh, and I'd just like to add: I don't own the cover image, Viria made it. (I could never be that good of an artist)