Chapter Three: Screamers And Kidnappers
IM SO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE. My family moved on new year's eve and we haven't had internet since, but we're getting it tomorrow. I'm at mcdonald's right now.
Sorry about OOCness. I'm very very very bad at writing characters in their naturally personalities. I know, I hate things being OOC too. Here's another chapter, sorry if it's sucky. I had a difficult time writing this one for some reason. It's kinda just a filler and very short. I've been trying for 5k words. No such luck.
Oh, and warning, there's slight cussing. That's why this is rated T.
Annabeth wasn't an idiot. That was for sure. This was one of the most classic 'I'm kidnapping you' moves. Thalia had trained her in how to fight, making her practice over and over again in fighting with her dagger, and with nothing but herself. The older girl had become very strict in that after Luke died. Annabeth knew exactly how to escape from this situation.
Luckily there was no chloroform. She was still conscious. There was just a single firm hand tightly over her mouth, another around her waist. There would probably be a rope around her wrists next. She had to act fast, although she thought it strange the Screamers would take her down like this.
She could already see her whole life flashing before her eyes in the pitch blackness. She'd dropped her flashlight, which was now only a pale beam illuminating the floor.
She pictured the days before the war and the Empire, her childhood, her family. Memories she had chosen to abandon when she left her home to fend for herself. She missed her dad, even her unbearable stepmom and siblings.
She saw her seven-year-old self running from Screamers, hefting a hammer, backed up against that alley wall, weak but determined to crush anything that came too close. But instead of seeing Screamers, she saw two teenagers with kind eyes who eventually took her in.
Then Annabeth watched Luke be dragged away by the dogs that resembled wolves, his arm missing, drowning in blood. They were Screamer dogs, five of them, well trained to sniff out anything out of line and attack. Thalia and Annabeth had made it high enough on the heap of wreckage to avoid them, but Luke wasn't fast enough. He'd taken all his time to help them.
Then there was Annabeth and Thalia and all the nights alone together, sobbing their hearts out with each other. Then soon Thalia was gone too, holding off two Screamers without their guns, fighting bravely with a single spear, just so Annabeth could escape.
No. Annabeth couldn't go there in her mind. Wouldn't go there.
She dragged herself back to the current moment, reburying the memories. One of the easiest ways to get out of this type of hold was aiming for the groin. She could tell her attacker was female just by the hand, so that wouldn't be very effective. Her hands were being held together by someone else's too behind her back. Whoever was restraining her was just as strong as Annabeth was and Annabeth was strong. Very strong. She prided herself on that.
Annabeth's attacker released her and shoved her to the ground hard. She tried to jump up, but she was shoved down again, this time by someone else with larger hands and stronger arms. Definitely male. Annabeth tried to fight back, but in the dark, it was nearly impossible. The male fought back and finally resumed the female's position of a hand over her mouth and an arm around her waist.
"Will you stop?" hissed a voice. The male was whispering in her ear. "The Screamers are going to hear you!"
Annabeth stopped struggling for only a moment. Whoever these people were, they definitely weren't Screamers. Good. That meant they were easier to fight. They were still a threat.
Annabeth bit the hand over her mouth. The hand still didn't move until hesitantly a few seconds later.
"Will you let me go?" she barked back, stilling herself completely now.
"If you promise to be quiet, yes." He released her.
Immediately Annabeth reached for her flashlight, but the female snatched it up and turned it off. "No light," she said. "That's like shooting off a flare, begging them to come kill us. They're only two floors below us, moving fast."
"How the hell do you see anything then?" Annabeth asked.
"Nico has a special talent for seeing in the dark," said the female, referring to the male, who was apparently named Nico.
"What the hell do you guys think you're even doing here?" Annabeth muttered, trudging past them.
Nico grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Saving your ass."
She was close to punching him but decided not to. "So you guys aren't Screamers?" Annabeth asked slowly. Stupid question. It was more of a statement, though. She still couldn't trust them anyway, but maybe make a short alliance. Funny how all these years she'd begged to find others like her, but the moment she did she felt threatened. People always want what they don't have, and when they have it they don't want it anymore.
The girl chuckled lightly. "No. I think we're on the same side. The name's Reyna. That's Nico."
"Annabeth."
"Now we need to get out of here. We've got friends behind the building."
"But how do we get out without crossing the Screamers?" Annabeth questioned. She took a few steps toward the nearest section of the whole revealing all the way down. The place was crawling with them. They were making their way up. She couldn't really see them in their black, almost SWAT team-like uniforms. The only thing that gave them away was their shiny helmets and night vision gear.
"Easy," answered Reyna. "Out the window."
Annabeth's backpack had been stripped off of her and thrown to the grown from Reyna earlier. After making sure all was in proper order, including her new books, she slid it on again and adjusted it. This wasn't just any backpack. It was one of those huge hiking backpacks that she'd stolen a long time ago when she was thirteen from a store window. She was never sure why it was there. It wasn't like anyone in the Empire was going to be hiking anytime soon.
The moonlight streaming out of the window guided Annabeth to it, where Reyna and Nico were tying off their long rope. She could see Reyna more than Nico. He seemed to be wearing all black. Darkness almost emanated from him. They both looked about Annabeth's age, Nico maybe a bit younger.
Annabeth stepped beside them and peeked out the window. It was a long way down, but she wasn't scared. She wouldn't let herself be scared. She'd make it down as well enough as Nico and Reyna.
She wasn't really sure what she'd do after this. Maybe part separate ways with them and go find another place to build her new fort. The library location was compromised. She couldn't really imagine herself going with Nico and Reyna, but a small part in the back of her head insisted it. It wouldn't be too bad to have some company, even though she was used to being alone.
"You first, Annabeth," offered Reyna, stepping aside.
Annabeth shook her head. She didn't trust them enough for that. "No, you. I'll go second." If she went first, they could ditch her or kill her. If she went last, they could still do the same. Second was her best option.
Reyna didn't say anything. She slid out the window, gripping the rope tightly with her feet against the outside wall of the building. She walked down it, lowering herself in little jumps too just like a rock climber would, as if she'd done this a million times before. She made it down the whole four stories and jumped onto the ground, letting go of the rope.
It was Annabeth's turn. She glanced over at Nico, who looked bored. At this angle she could see him well, his dark hair hanging in his tired black eye that bore heavy circles beneath them. He looked like he hadn't slept in 90 years and/or had risen from the grave. He was deathly pale. Something strapped to his back gleamed at her. A sword, she realized. A pitch black, long and deadly object. She forced herself to look away.
She tugged the rope twice as a test. Seemed pretty secure. She slid out the window fearlessly and followed Reyna's example. If she had even hesitated, made a mistake, or was afraid for a second, she didn't show it. She hopped off when she was about two yards from the ground and landed on her feet perfectly like a cat.
Silently the two girls waited for Nico. Annabeth watched him almost fly down. He finally hit the ground. From the bottom, he yanked on the rope and it all came tumbling down.
Annabeth looked at him wide eyed. He shrugged. "I loosened it on my turn," he explained. "The Screamers would be seeing the rope right now, and they'd be on our tail I five seconds flat."
"Come on," hissed Reyna. "Frank and Hazel are waiting." Annabeth guessed Frank and Hazel were the friends that had been referred to earlier as waiting on the other side of the libraries.
Reyna led them around the wide building in a hurry, but this was Annabeth's time to study the girl in the moonlight. The first thing noted was the dagger on her belt. She had long dark hair woven in a single braid and matching piercing brown eyes. She was tan and had a pretty but toughened, like she'd been through a lot, something she shared with Nico. Something all three of them had.
When they turned to corner, Annabeth spotted two more teens that were leaning against a building. One seemed the youngest out of all of them, maybe only thirteen or fourteen. She had mocha colored skin and pretty but wild brown curls. Her young gold eyes glittered at Annabeth. This had to be Hazel. The girl had a dagger on her belt as well, but it was a different kind. Annabeth recognized it from a book. It was called a spatha. Apparently, these people had a thing for swords and knives.
The guy, Frank, was tall, taller than all of them, and buffer than most sixteen-year-olds usually were. He seemed like he was Asian to Annabeth. His black hair was in a buzz cut. He had dark eyes, but not piercing or pained like Reyna or Nico. He didn't have a dagger or a sword like the others. Instead, he had a bow and a quiver full of deadly arrows slung over his shoulders.
The two stood strangely close before Annabeth realized they must've been dating. She knew quite enough about body language.
Frank studied Annabeth closely as she approached, but not mistrustfully. He flicked his gaze back to Reyna. "Got it all set up?" he asked her.
Reyna nodded. "No Screamers on our trail either, but we brought a new friend. She's on our side, I think."
Annabeth wasn't really sure herself about that.
"I'm Frank. This is Hazel," Frank introduced. He held out a hand from Annabeth to shake. Hazel smiled and waved. Annabeth was internally shocked and stared down at Frank's had blankly.
"Enough chitchat," interrupted Nico. "We need to hurry it up. If we're late again, Percy might freak."
"He's just worried about us," Hazel said softly.
Annabeth almost asked Late for what? but thought better of it.
"Nico's right," cut in Reyna. She turned to him. "You have it, right?"
He nodded and went digging through a messenger bag slung over his shoulders. He groaned, apparently not being able to find what he was searching for. "Dammit. Leo drilled us on how to set these things up a million times, but I'm still not sure we did it the right way." Nico pulled out a small device finally. "Here it is." He eyed Annabeth then looked to Reyna. "In front of her? Are you sure?"
Reyna nodded. "I trust her. Just do it."
Annabeth's breath caught. Realization came crashing down on her.
No, it couldn't be.
But Frank had already brought out the spray can, and Nico was already slamming his thumb down on the detonator button.
And Annabeth watched the building go up in a beautifully destructive explosion, lighting the night sky.
The Gods. These were the Gods.
Okay so I really wish I could right more. But I'm blank. This chapter was really short and stupid, but A for effort.
Yours in demigodishness and all that - J
