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Here is the third chapter - 'The impact never came.' I thought I should make it longer but well, I didn't want to cross the 4000 word count rule for a chapter besides it rouses interest this way. I'm sorry because I've literally stretched one day into THREE chapters. But, yeah sorry.

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Annabeth couldn't think of a plan.

Earlier that day, when she'd faced the terms that she needed to rob some money to pay her gang's debts to another gang and get some money to feed her siblings, she'd internally known that something was going to go wrong.

Robbing banks weren't her thing – she preferred to be the statistic most of the time. And robbing felt like personal lows. But Jason and Connor, her friends who usually assisted Piper with stealing was injured and Katie and Travis were helping Leo build some weapons while Rachel had school and others were all busy or novices.

But looking back on the day, Annabeth herself felt like a novice. It was a roughly done work. She should have worn contracts and disguised her voice and that raven-haired guy had almost slipped away.

When Piper first brought him, she was warried. The boy simply wasn't scared enough. And when, he'd asked her to let the pregnant lady sit however she wanted, Annabeth was half-impressed by his bravery to speak and half-annoyed at his niceness and stupidity. Nice and stupid. Two words that couldn't describe her. So, she'd told him he was going to be a hostage. She'd expected him to be angry at the woman or apologize for speaking up – driven in fear but he'd just been a bit shocked and smiled at the woman. He was actually happy for her.

Selfless. Annabeth wished the people in her gang were as selfless – they were all loyal but they weren't the most selfless people.

She was even more annoyed when he wasn't bothered by her glare – when he wasn't scared. His sea-green eyes were rare like him. He was the first one to stare back at her. It wasn't like he wasn't afraid, she noticed, he was terrified but he was so in …tune with his fear that he could control it. When the sea-green eyed guy had told the lady, he did not regret his choice to speak up for her, she had wanted to strangle him. He was being held hostage just because he'd asked for someone else to sit comfortably.

Where was the sense in that?

'It was your choice,' Piper had told her, while they were robbing, 'You should know where the sense in that is.'

'I want him to know the world isn't good,' Annabeth had replied, 'I don't like nice, selfless people. They don't the real world. They are fools.'

Yeah, that was it, Annabeth told herself, that is why you've taken him.

When Annabeth knew of his phobias, she pitied him. She herself had Arachnophobia but she reacted way worse. She couldn't control it. Somewhere in the ride, she felt like the guy had let it all wash over him after talking to his mom. He was brave that way.

And his conversation with his mom.

That was something. She learned his name was Percy. That he was a mama's boy, which was the basic definition of innocent guys. She pitied him because from now on, she didn't think anything was going to be innocent near him. He was in a car with to guilty criminals, after all. She learned he was in the swim team, which suited, because he had the body of a swimmer. She learned his birthday was nine days later, that he could vanish for days, that he was dyslexic like her, that he knew Greek like her.

But except for the Dyslexia and Greek, the one thing common about them was their father. Alive but unresponsive. She knew about that – how it felt.

About an hour later, Percy was laying on the floor with his eyes closed.

"Is he asleep?" Piper asked.

Annabeth examined him for a moment before answering, "No,"

Piper went on driving and Percy opened his eyes. The glimmer in them was already fading. He was bound and gagged and in a small space. The guy would have had nightmares about this and now, he was living it through. She knew he wanted to rest and sleep but she also knew that he couldn't. Even with her phobia, if there was a small spider in some corner, she couldn't close her eyes without feeling like her heart was erupting, forget sleeping. But he had to had courage to actually close his eyes.

"What?" She asked him, for he was still staring at her. Instead of answering – shaking his head or doing stupid motions – he closed his eyes again and flopped his head. Immediately, she heard a sharp intake from him as he entered the nightmare world.

Annabeth mentally sighed and spread her legs, so that they were near Percy's head. He opened his eyes to witness the change before closing them.

"Do the police know?" Piper asked. Annabeth checked her phone – untraceable, Leo – best mechanic, made phone for updates and inner information about the police. Clarisse La Rue and Chris Rodriguez were their gang spies in the police. There weren't any updates from them.

"No," Annabeth said, "Not yet. But it's too early to judge. We'll see after about five hours."

"And if they don't? What are we going to do with him?" Annabeth eyed Percy. To be honest, she did not know.

"If they don't, well, we'll see if he can land us a few deals and if not – he knows enough about us, doesn't he? We can't have that." Annabeth said and she regretted bringing Percy as a hostage. Really, if the police didn't know anything, the only other thing she could do was try selling him to Drew Tanaka, one of the leaders of the gang they owe to. Drew Tanaka earned a lot because most of the allies were prostitutes and involved in vulgar things. As they say, body sells best.

Annabeth hoped she could give Percy some other treatment – selling him to Drew was completely evil. But Annabeth was a doer of evil.

And she knew not to hope.

The sun had set when Annabeth got the notification.

In the previous hours, she had spent her time by messing with Percy's phone. He was a swimmer, all right. She saw numerous pictures of him shirtless (Not what you think!) with golden cups and winner banners and his swim team. He was the captain, no doubt. There were pictures with his mom – mostly baking or travelling in a park. There were some funny selfies with a girl with dark hair and green eyes, probably his girlfriend?

So, he was in a relationship. The thought made her feel uncomfortable – first she felt bad for his girlfriend because she had kidnapped him and then, she felt good for exactly the same reason. But what caught her eye was numerous texts all congratulating him for his success. Annabeth did not understand this until she saw a picture of a newspaper article. There was a photo of him shirtless in his speedos. He was holding a giant golden cup and his neck was decorated with numerous medals. He was holding his cup for someone in the audience to see. It was a side picture and he was looking at someone. His sea-green eyes were sparkling brighter than emeralds and his white smile was blinding.

'RECORD FOR EIGHTH FASTEST UNDER 20 FREESTYLE SWIMMER SET BY 16-YEARS OLD WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL TRAINING. UNDER SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPICS,' Read the highlighted parts of the article. She looked at the boy beneath her and for a second, she experienced a surge, a wave, a tsunami of her most hated emotion – guilt. She wished that she had picked anybody except him, anybody for being hostage. She was breaking dreams, right here and she knew how that felt. She had wanted to be an architect and here was she robbing banks and kidnapping a sixteen-year-old who could have participated in the Olympics and earned money and took care of his mom. How she hated herself!

She hated it when people weren't given a chance to follow their dreams. She wasn't given a chance. And now, she was breaking someone else's dreams. After many years, she felt like she could break down. After many years, she wanted to cry upon someone's shoulders. After many years, the pain broke in through her walls and she realized how much did she want to be an architect. Build dreams. Build permanent things. Not destroy things.

Then, the notification arrived.

Annabeth checked it. It was by Clarisse.

NO CODE RED. PERIODS! DON'T KNOW. THINK THE GOLDEN BIRD WAS STOLEN BY X. SEARCH STREET BEGGARS WHO DISAPPEARED OVER DAY.

Annabeth didn't feel as relieved as she usually would because she had taken a useless hostage.

"Piper," She said, "They don't suspect us. Take us to Drew's."

"Ouch," Piper said, "What to do with him, now?"

Annabeth swallowed. That was what she was thinking, "We'll see."

She should probably explain the message. Code Red was … well, code red. Periods! were police because they bothered as much. The golden bird was money and X was unknown, meaning the police doesn't know. 'Search' meant that the police suspected street beggars who disappeared over day. The truth was, as guilty, Annabeth felt, while exiting the bank, she had noticed a few niches in the walls of the other buildings and while Percy had his eyes closed, she'd inserted some cash into those niches where beggars kept their things to give the police a false lead.

That was how she did business.

But even her rigorous mind wasn't sure what to do with Percy, now that they did not need a hostage to blackmail the police.

When the car stopped, Annabeth was praying to heavens that things would go all right.

"We're here," Piper announced. 'Here' referred to street in the countryside with many houses. All of these houses looked rich – with pools, modern window panes and some gardens and fountains. Annabeth checked her gun – just in case and put her dagger in her scabbard.

Percy opened his eyes and looked curiously at Annabeth. He seemed worst for the wear. He was sweaty and his eyes looked dark and tired. But she knew that Drew judged people in their worst forms to see their true intentions.

Piper opened the back door and Annabeth jumped out.

"Gather the money for Drew," She ordered Piper and Piper got to work, while Annabeth lifted the back seats and Percy visibly relaxed.

"Don't feel good. I'm not opening your bonds. Now get up," She ordered and he pushed with his legs to roll and swing his legs over the entrance. He had a good physique, no doubt. But then he ruined it by trying to hump, stumbling and falling face-first to the ground. She winced as he groaned and rolled. With a push of his legs, he stood up.

"You're pathetic," She said. He barely heard her though. His face was dirty so Annabeth opened his gag to wipe his face with a wet-wipe and he cursed like a sailor. His lips were bleeding. Annabeth opened his hand bonds and placed his hands in front of him to tie it.

"Why do you tie it up?" He whispered, lowly. Annabeth looked up at him.

"So, you don't hit me and run away. And tell the police," She replied, still working on the ropes.

"First, I'm a gentleman. I don't hit people. Second," He looked around, "This is a countryside filled with gangs. I might be safer with you. And third, I won't tell the police. Don't really want to get involved with investigation and all."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and finished tying up the ropes, "First, you're a nutjob. You should learn to live rough. Second, you're forgetting I am a gang leader, too. I can't assure you safety. Third, you're an idiot."

"You're a gang leader?" He asked and she nodded, "But you made me drink water, let me call my mom and wiped my face. That's a sign of niceness!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Only because I pity what comes next for you."

He raised an eyebrow, "I'm here to sell you."

"What!"

"Accept the truth," She said, "The police aren't after us. So, we don't need a hostage. What am I supposed to do?"

"So, you brought me here, ruined my life and you don't even know what to do with me!?" He looked bewildered.

"Yeah. That sums it up."

Percy opened his mouth to speak something but then, at a lack of words, closed his mouth. He did not look at her after that. His eyes were fixed on the ground, which made Annabeth feel like she should say something to him. But Annabeth didn't know what. And she didn't know why she wanted to speak something.

"Done!" Piper said, a little too enthusiastically, "We got the money, let's go."

Annabeth and Piper walked on either side of Percy. Annabeth had the pouch of money. Percy kept his silence and so did both of them. Nobody said anything. Annabeth and Piper knew how many spies Drew's gang, the 'Aphrodi' had. And as soon as they entered the street, people looked down over from houses. Annabeth bent down and traced her fingers over the silver string that they had stepped on.

Suddenly, there was a flash of movement to her left. Annabeth instinctively found her hand on her dagger but forced the need to put it down. She did not want to show a weapon while entering into the Aphrodi's base. The movement was made by a blond-haired guy with blue eyes and a scar that ran down his face.

"Who are you – Oh, Annabeth," The blond said. Luke, the guardian of the Aphrodi. She knew him as well as she knew herself. But nobody except two other people knew of their relationship.

"Luke," She addressed him formally because he was working for his gang, now and she was working for hers, "Olympians come with a peace offering. And the complete debt." She eyed him.

He nodded, "You want to see Drew."

"We made the deal with her, so yes," She replied.

"Follow me," Luke commanded.

As Annabeth walked down the streets, heads turned to glance at them. It was a known fact that Olympus and Aphrodi weren't on good terms. The Aphrodis (A/N – pronounced Afro-d-ees) valued money, numbers and power. The Olympians valued freedom, small numbers and rebellion but what was common in them was that they both were organized groups that wanted the best for its members.

"We're here," They had arrived in the grandest house, yet, where the important leaders like Luke and Drew lived. It was a big mansion type-house with three storeys. They were standing in the garden with a fountain with Aphrodi's symbol – a chained angel, with long, beautiful hair. The thing about the statue was you couldn't tell if it was a male or a female.

"Do you want to come in?" Luke asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"We'll wait outside. Call Drew," Annabeth said and Luke disappeared inside the giant building.

"The building," Percy said, "It's magnificent. Don't the police know of it?"

"You won't believe how much power Aphrodi has. They're all a society. They bought the land and legally own it. They earn a lot through prostitution and those kinds of jobs but they don't have as many contacts as us."

"Contacts?"

"Contacts. They don't step out much. They're a 'sit back and rule' type gang. They depend on our gang for contacts. We have contacts – people out in the world in different fields. How else do you think we get information and notifications? We're a hit and run gang. We step out and carve our place." Annabeth said. She realized that she had almost slipped into her welcoming speech for new members but the thing was that as one was patriotic towards one's country, Annabeth had certain feelings of pride concerning her gang. They had risen from dust and carved their space. She was proud of it.

"Uh-huh," It was all Percy said and Annabeth didn't get to judge his expression because Drew Tanaka stepped out. She was wearing a pair of black shorts, a white flowy type top and thigh-length boots. Her dark curly hair was open for the world to see. Her brown eyes were ringed by pink eyeliner. A girl with black hair and eyes and olive skin was with her, wearing a black dress with a green jacket. Bianca di Angelo, a brave top-line fighter. She was friendly to all gangs – not an information giver but just there.

"Annabeth Chase and Piper McLean. The Olympians are welcomed!" Drew announced as a matter of formality. From the corner of her eye, Annabeth watched Luke head back towards the street – after all, he was a guardian.

"Drew Tanaka, Bianca di Angelo," Annabeth regarded them, mocking formality. She knew exactly how welcomed the Olympians were. She bit back her thoughts and instead, held up the money bag.

"The exact debt," She announced, "And a little more, but of course, that is just a gesture of friendship." Ironically, the debt she was paying now was just a gesture of friendship handed by the Aphrodis too.

"Honourable," Drew replied, "Impressive."

Annabeth wanted to cut Drew around the eye where her eyeliner was applied so it could be a read mixed with pink. But she knew, hatred wasn't the way to go.

"Thank you," She said, "I would ask you to return what was ours, now. The weapons." Annabeth tried to keep her voice cordial and official at the same time. Piper was giving her best smile while Percy looked extremely bewildered. He probably did not understand what was going on. Everyone else did. There was a reason why Jason and Connor were injured and why Leo was building more weapons. Jason and Connor had a slip-up with some of Aphrodi's cronies the previous day, regarding how Olympus hadn't paid the debt. The two gangs often supplied each other but sometimes, tension increased and the cronies had stolen all the weapons Jason and Connor were escorting to sell. So, Annabeth had made the decision to get money by stealing. She hadn't expected Percy to be involved in all this.

"Oh, that," Drew said and Bianca went inside the mansion to get the weapons, "While, di Angelo gets that, who's the sweetie over there?"

Percy looked absolutely bewildered to be called 'sweetie' and so, Annabeth kicked the back of his knee and he fell to the floor.

"Consider him an offer," Annabeth started, "You take him and give us all the weapons back? How about that?"

Drew laughed but she sounded nervous because she was alone, "Oh, Annabeth. You really think of everything, don't you? He's tempting but you know my way."

Annabeth felt a bitter taste in her mouth. In hand to hand combat, Drew would never win. Everyone was scared of her, she knew that but things became a lot more difficult when you added the gangs and formalities and customs on their back. With all of these things, Drew gained power. And Annabeth knew her way. She just didn't like it. 'What is pretty is pretty when it breaks,' that was Drew's point of view and while, that might sound quite reasonable to people, you didn't know the extents Drew could go through to 'break' people. Annabeth could go to further extents but she didn't. Drew could.

Annabeth didn't want her to break Percy.

But she had to put her gang first.

She did not want to see his pretty smile fade and the innocence crumble.

But she had to.

"I do," She said and stepped back. Piper looked at her and then, at Percy worriedly before doing the same. Percy looked at them confusedly.

"What…?" He asked but when, Drew stepped forward near him, he said, "Oh."

Annabeth closed her eyes as she heard the bitterness in his voice. She knew what Drew was going to do and that was awful but the fact that Percy knew what was happening here was a hundred times more awful. Even though, Annabeth had known Percy for one day, she wanted to … preserve him and that scared her. When she was an innocent kid, Luke had wanted to 'preserve' her. Look where it had landed her.

"Now, honey," Drew said, as she took out her gun from her holster, "This is how the Aphrodi functions."

Drew flicked the safety off. And then, she fired.

Silence.

The gunshot wasn't heard because the silencer was on and Percy did not scream or shout.

But the silence was more deafening than anything she had ever faced. It screamed loud in her ear and she found herself going deaf momentarily. That was how it felt every time when a bullet was fired and silence ensured. Just then, Bianca reappeared rather chirpily.

"Here are the weapons that you ordered – oh," She fell silent as she took in the scene and soon, the air was filled with Percy's panting. Annabeth closed her eyes, relieved that he wasn't dead and then, angry. She couldn't kill someone without feeling horrible.

Slowly, Annabeth took some steps towards him. He was on his knees on the floor, leaning slightly more to his left. She stepped around to see him. His eyes were closed and he was sweating. The bullet had hit his right arm. It looked pretty deep and was most probably, very painful.

"Gods…" She whispered, "Are – are you fine?"

He kept on panting.

"Come on, Annabeth," Drew whined, "You know my ways. Get back or I'll shoot you."

Annabeth was about to bite back a comment when, in a spare moment, she realized something. First, she was in a rival gang's territory. Second, at the moment, her weapons were in her holster. Third, her gang was currently weaker than Aphrodi – no matter how much resistance she'd serve to that sentence, it was true. If Piper were there, instead of Drew, she'd shoot Annabeth. (Annabeth wouldn't take the risk. She'll get some information out of Drew, first.)

Annabeth turned out to be right, like always. Drew pulled the trigger back and released it. There wasn't any sound but the puff of air that flew forcefully towards her was loud. Annabeth realized from her position that the bullet would hit her heart. Her last thoughts were going to be: 'I was stupid.'

The impact never came.

So, first chapter from Annabeth's POV. I think I'll be doing a two Percy chapters and two Annabeth chapters of the story. Not really sure, well.

You can go to my profile for sneak-peaks and update info. This wasn't a Tuesday update.

Now, I had two major things to talk about:

1. I'm not finding enough characters to be in some gangs, so I want my dear readers to apply themselves as characters or make imaginary characters.

Just fill the form:-

For the Gang 'Wolves'

Name:

Age: (It could be anything, from 6 to 60)

Basic Appearance Description:

Personality:

Flaws:

Secrets:

Basic History:

For the Gang 'Red Walls,'

Criminal name and real Name:

Age:

Criminal Appearance:

Criminal personality and real personality:

Criminal job:

2. I love EXO!

Thanks!

Hopefully, you'll apply!

Love,

InnovativeIvia