Warning: This story contains mature content and mild language.
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to all characters used in this story.
Annabeth sat in her private room on the train and watched the landscape pass by outside her window. Everything was the brown-yellow color of dying plants. The sun was at its highest point in the sky and the heat was sweltering. The small fans on the train did little to combat the intense heat. Annabeth was glad for the private room. She knew she would be sweating more if she were riding coach. She also wouldn't have such great service that routinely stopped by her room to refill her glass of water. Annabeth held the cool glass to her forehead, wishing she could bathe herself in the refreshing water, but that was asking too much. The drought was taking its toll and even water was getting expensive.
There was a soft knock at her door and a porter peeked his head inside. "Lunch is being served in the dining car, ma'am." Annabeth barely acknowledge the young man and sent him away with an absentminded wave of her hand. She took a deep breath downed the last bit of water in her glass. She really didn't need to eat, but it would give her something to do. It was a long train ride west to Cloud City.
Setting her glass down, Annabeth looked over at her suitcase. She contemplated changing into one of her few dresses. The dining car was public and she knew many people might draw issue with a woman wearing men's clothing. It suited her though. It was more comfortable and allowed her better movement, which were both important to Annabeth's line of work. She didn't know how many times she would be dead now if she chose to wear dresses more often. Then again, a gun was easy to conceal in the skirts of a dress and Annabeth had managed to rob a few banks using that trick. In the end, Annabeth decided to stay in the clothes she was wearing. They were cooler than any dress she owned and she wouldn't have to struggle with changing on a train. Annabeth checked to make sure her gun was in its hiding place. The feeling of it pressed up against her side gave her a sense of security although it felt lighter than usual. She stepped out of her room once she decided her gun was secure.
Annabeth got a few looks as she made her way to the dining car and even more once she was actually there. For a moment she was scared that the people might be able to sense the power of her weapon. Then she realized none of them were looking at her in fear, only disgust. Disgust she could deal with. She had been on the run, living in the gutters since she was a young child. Her hands were hardly clean and she knew what the rest of society thought of her. She knew there were a lot of people dying to lock her up for her crimes, but the law in the west wasn't powerful enough to catch her. Even if they were, they would never be able to stop her. A power greater than any man made sure she stayed free. But then people would know what she really was and there would be more than disgust in their eyes. There was always a price to pay.
Her lifestyle never bothered Annabeth. She did not regret the choice she made to become an Agent. She already had a long list of crimes under her belt before they recruited her. Of course, that was why they recruited her. They needed the morally corrupt to do their bidding. It was better to already have someone who knew what they were doing than trying to convert. Her masters always boasted great power, but they always complained when they had to use it to save one of their pawns. Sometimes it was hard to find justification in committing crimes for some ethereal entity that wanted to control the chaos of the west. They didn't want to end it, but they wanted everyone to have to pay up to them. Crime was a lucrative business, Annabeth knew. That's why she never regretted becoming an Agent. Not that she could change that if she wanted. Once you were an Agent, you were an Agent for life. There was only one short time that ever made her question her binding contract.
Annabeth, can I ask you a question?
She shut her eyes tight against the memory. Silently cursing herself for thinking about that, Annabeth walked up to the bar and ordered a drink with her lunch. There were no questions when she took a seat on a barstool. She was a woman in men's clothing after all. It was the location people expected her to sit. The bartender handed Annabeth her drink and she downed it quickly, trying to forget her memories. She didn't need to think about that right now, or ever. It was a long time ago. It didn't matter anymore. Annabeth finished off another drink and cleared her head.
Annabeth took a bite of her food once the bartender handed it over to her and she nearly spit it out. The food tasted fine, but a sharp pain shot through her head. There was pressure behind her eyes and her gun suddenly felt heavy on her side. Annabeth closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temple. This wasn't a normal headache. She knew this quite well, but it had been so long she had felt its presence it took her by surprise. Annabeth had almost forgotten how much it hurt. She wished it would go away, but she knew that if she ignored it, it would only get worse and she couldn't afford to draw too much attention to herself on a train. She could survive being tossed off the speeding locomotive, but it still wouldn't be very much fun. Annabeth took a deep breath and let the presence into her mind.
-That took a long time.
Sorry. It's been awhile.
It had been exactly two years since Annabeth's master had called upon her. Her master had no physical presence, but its power manifested itself inside her gun. If the weapon was ever destroyed, Annabeth would be without her master and she would be a normal person again. She knew her master by the name of Athena, but she had no idea if it was male or female, young or old. All the Olympians were that way and each of them had an Agent that did their bidding for them.
-You are needed again.
Where do I need to be?
-Cloud City. You will meet up with Piper McLean. Do you remember her?
Yes, Annabeth remembered her. She was an Agent of Olympus like Annabeth. They had remained friends over the years. Piper was also the reason Annabeth was already headed to Cloud City.
-You're already headed there? Good. Then you don't have to jump off this train.
Annabeth was startled by Athena's voice in her head. She had forgotten that Athena could sense what she was thinking whether Annabeth wanted Athena to or not. It was something she would have to get used to again like she was already getting used to the pain.
Does Piper know I'm coming?
-She is aware of the situation.
Annabeth let out a sigh. She hadn't told Piper she was coming. She didn't mean to surprise her friend, but she didn't know how to word why she wanted to see her. Annabeth had been feeling lonely of late. Well, longer than she'd admit, but only recently she had made the decision. Being an Agent didn't give her much of a social life. People who knew about the Agents, or at least listened to the stories that people told, were afraid of them. They thought they were some form of monster, the reasons behind all the chaos and sins of the West. Which was only partly true.
The West was still young. It had no order and still fell victim to the wild supernatural forces that shaped the world in the beginning. There were some people who tried to bring order to the West. They tried to build it into another great civilization like there was in the East, but the West wasn't ready to be tamed. The people that chose to live there wanted the same freedom as the land did. The Agents' masters wanted to control the land. They didn't want to organize it, they liked the chaos and crime, but they wanted the West to bow to their will. So any known Agents were chased out of any town they were found in. That's why they were all careful to not let anyone who they were.
Annabeth finished her meal and left the dining car. She made her way along the train until she reached where the telegram was kept. The telegram operator was an old man with a hunched back and only a few wispy white hairs on his head. Annabeth could see beads of sweat sitting on his high forehead. When she knocked on his door he nearly jumped out of his seat. He placed a hand over his chest. Annabeth raised her eyebrows at the pathetic old man. He opened his window with a shaky hand.
"Sorry, miss. You startled me." The old man had a gravelly voice and spoke quietly. Annabeth didn't have the patience for him. Thankfully she had thought ahead and wrote down the message she wanted to send on a napkin before she left the bar. She handed the operator the napkin and some money at the same time.
"I need this message sent to miss Piper McLean at the Garden House on Dumont Street in Cloud City." A red flush crept up the old man's neck as he wrote down the address. Annabeth didn't need to ask to know why. She had no doubt this man had visited the Garden House before. Every man in the West did at one point or another. Annabeth made she the operator sent the message before she left him to sweat in his hot, little room.
To get back to her room Annabeth had to pass through the dining car once more. Only a few people remained there from lunch. The rest were replaced by the more rowdy passengers on the train. The ones that didn't have private rooms and didn't get the luxury of a cooked meal. One in particular was captivating the attention of the entire car. He was a young man with a shock of bright orange hair cut close to his head. He had two gold rings pierced in this left ear and the right one remained plan. The man was short, but he had large feet, or at least he wore large boots that were caked in dry mud. He had a bag full of money slung over his shoulder that looked like it came from a bank vault. He was tossing money around the bar and buying drinks like they were salt.
"You're pretty careless with that money, kid," said another rugged passenger. "Maybe I should take it off your hands for you." The man's hand went to his belt. The red haired boy turned to the man and there was glint in his eyes. Annabeth watched the entire scene curiously from her spot by the door. She didn't want to walk through the car and risk getting accidently shot if it came down to that.
"You know where I got this money. I stole it." Boy then brandish a gun from his belt. He didn't hold it out like he was going to shoot someone, but rather he wanted everyone to see it. It was a nice weapon. It was made of polished metal and ivory, definitely of high craftsmanship. "You know what this is? Yeah, you do. I can see the fear in your eyes."
"What are you yammering on about, kid?" The man at the bar kept up the act, but the boy was right. The man was afraid. She could smell it.
"I'm an Agent of Olympus! That's why no one stopped me from robbing that bank and that's why no one's gonna stop me now." The red head laughed and threw some more money at the bartender. The mood in the dining car instantly changed. Everyone was frozen and they all cast their eyes downward.
-Annabeth. Take care of him.
Athena's voice rang through Annabeth's mind needlessly. Her own self-preservation would have told that the silly boy needed to be gone. Steeling her nerves Annabeth walked further into the dining car. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she was the only one brave enough to approach the bar where the alleged Agent was standing. She picked up one of the bills from the bar top and then reached over to hand it to the barkeep. The boy next to r instantly snapped at her like an annoying dog.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
She turned to him with an almost innocent grin. "I forgot to pay my meal when I was in here a few moments ago. You wouldn't mind treating a lady would you?"
"You ain't hardly a lady," he said, taking in her attire. Annabeth nearly swore. It was hard to be seductive in pants.
"I'm more woman than you can handle underneath these clothes." She gave him a sultry smile for of promises. Annabeth could feel the boy's attitude shift. His lust rolled off of him in waves. His dilated pupils were focus on an area that she would have normally punched him for, but at the moment it was all she had.
The boy eagerly licked his lips. "My, we just might have to put that to the test.
"I have a room big enough for two. With room to spare."
"Bartender, take this woman's money. We'll be leaving soon." The bartender took the money from Annabeth with shaking hands. Then boy wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and she had to fight the urge to shove him off. No one said anything or moved as they made their way out of the car. They were all too afraid of angering an Agent. Their fear was thick in Annabeth's nose, but it wasn't as disgusting as the boy she was letting lead her. Thankfully, she would only have to put up with him for a few more moments.
Once outside the car Annabeth broke her act. She twisted his arm off her with one hand and with the other grabbed the dirty collar of his shirt. She watched as his pained expression went from confusion to anger. Then right as he was about to open his mouth, she cut him off. "Listen. As dangerous as Agents are to everyone else it's as much a danger to go announcing it to everybody and their uncle," She growled, her voice low. "Now, I'll let you keep the money, but you're getting off this train."
"Hey, wait a minute you bitch. You ca-" The boy's words were cut off by Annabeth throwing him over the rail between the two cars and off the side of the train with superhuman strength. She watched him get left behind in the distance until his dust cloud settled before finally making her way back to her room.
What it meant to be working once more.
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