Hi guys! Welcome back! Glad to see the Thalia chapter was successful!
Note to Alexandra June. It was a nice idea, but I don't think I'll do it. First, I wouldn't know where to start. Second, I just can't see myself writing that picture. Third, I have no ideas for it. But don't get me wrong that is a wonderful idea, and I may use it later! But right now I'm sorry to say I don't feel I'll be able to write it. But thanks anyways for the awesome idea! I'd be delighted to hear more from you!
By the way guys, I have set up a poll asking you what story I should write next, there are options, so please go take a vote! Thanks!
Now I promised a sneaky conniving plan that only our ever so cunning Annabeth could come up with, but since you may not get that I'll just go with a sneaky, conniving plan. Now journey off into the world of Firstblood…
Piper didn't know what to think of the plan it was absolutely brilliant, but at the same time predictable, she guessed that she must know Annabeth too well. Piper took pride in knowing of her friend's brilliance it proved she was almost as much. Annabeth explained every detail with such glory that Piper could already see it, the picture was more than visible. When Piper heard her part she blushed. "Piper and Jason can distract the guards, as the rest of us will go in and place false clues out for the guards to follow, therefore they get to search for their criminals, you're all not found, and this village is left untouched." Annabeth explained. Piper absolutely shunned the thought of working with Jason.
"How will we distract them?" Piper asked, trying to hint to Annabeth that she absolutely refused to work with Jason. Annabeth gave her a funny look.
"You will act as Rachel and together you and Jason will get the guards to follow you as criminals." Annabeth explained. "Honestly Piper? I thought it was simple." That was Annabeth's code for 'What's wrong?' and Piper shot her a look telling Annabeth she'd explain later.
"Why can't Rachel herself do it?" Piper asked. Annabeth stood up straight showing Piper she pushed the thought aside.
"Well I need Rachel to come with me to the dungeon so we can set up some clues there, she knows the cells like the back of her hand, and one of the boys would grab too much attention, also Rachel is a master of disguise from what she tells me." Annabeth answered. Piper opened her mouth as if to ask another question but Annabeth cut her off. "And one of the other boys can't do it because they'll need all the muscle they can get to set up a false camp in woods."
"Alright thanks for the help." Piper replied with a big fake smile. Piper turned to Jason who had a look of confusion on his face.
"Why all the questions?" Jason asked. Then his face went into shock and hurt. "Are you afraid of me?" His question was as serious as a question could get. Piper wanted to scream, she wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid of her feelings for him. The guilt she felt in her heart every time she looked into his face, she could see his young self being dragged away by the royal knights and there was nothing she could have done to stop it, she was part of the reason Jason was imprisoned and it hurt her to think about it. It also didn't help that'd she have to face her royal knights, standing side by side next to a criminal.
"What?" she asked, the sadness that he would think such a thing shown through her voice. "No, no!" she insisted. "I'm not afraid of you, it's just…"
"You're afraid the knights will see you?" Jason asked. For a split second Piper almost thought Jason had figured out she was the princess, but that's when Piper suddenly remembered what she had told Jason earlier 'Let's just say I shouldn't be out her.' It sounded like she was a criminal in hiding herself, and she realized it was the perfect excuse.
"Yes…" she admitted, feeling slightly guiltier for lying to him. Piper peered into Jason's eyes wondering what he was thinking.
"I think you'll do fine." Jason insisted. "In fact…" he hurried over to the side of Percy's house grabbed a blue cloak and placed it around Piper's shoulders and Piper flipped the hood over her head. "There," Jason cried, victorious. "Now they'll never get a glimpse of you, I can barely make out your face."
"Th-thank you." Piper stuttered, feeling sheepish. There was something else about Jason that made her want to stay close to him. She had an astounding theory of why Jason made her blush, fluster, and shy away. Piper examined his hardened muscles, gentle sky blue eyes, golden blonde hair, and wonderfully alert and comforting posture. He was an absolute dream. She knew she had developed a crush, it was-what she called-her Aphrodite intuition, her mother always-always-knew when someone was in love no matter the person.
Why was this sweet criminal who barely knew the world treating her, a girl he hardly know, like his best friend? Did he like her as much as she knew she liked him? Was he just friendly? Was this a cunning trick? Was he a manipulative nuisance? Piper had no way of knowing. But she decided to trust him.
"Here is where it starts." Jason announced. Piper looked on ahead to see three knights all chatting about-what she assumed-was their various duties and such. However when Piper got closer she heard the knights more clearly and did not like their conversation.
"She was so fascinated by me, I could see it in her eyes, the princess could not turn away from me." Bragged one the knights. Piper clenched her fists, how dare they talk that way! Piper was not a plaything she was a person, not a doll you could control to your own whim. They couldn't speak of her in such manor it was evil, selfish, and rude.
"Are you alright?" Jason asked her. Piper, seeming to finally notice he was talking, looked up to him, his face was covered with worry. Piper felt so happy to know he cared.
"Yes, I'm fine." Piper assured. "Let's just get this done." Jason nodded his head and he and Piper raced past the knights faces, as if they were fleeing a crime.
"It's those criminals!" One of them yelled, ripping his sword out of its scabbard. The three knights started chasing them. Piper caught a glimpse of Annabeth and Rachel sneaking in through the secret passage where the three knights had been standing, she hoped they'd be alright. As Jason and Piper ran, somewhere along the way six more knights joined the three. Piper could hear their conversation so they must have been gaining.
"They can't possibly get away this time!" One yelled.
"They might as well give up." Another agreed. One of the two knights who were on horseback halted and stared off into the woods.
"They are trying to trick us!" he yelled, pointing to the woods. "Look out there, they're camp!" The rest of the knights halted and looked off into the woods to see a fire.
"He's right!" cried one. "Leave them, let us go find the camp!" The knights nodded and made their way into the woods, well Piper and Jason took a short cut to get there first. Great job Annabeth! Piper thought.
…..o0o…..
Percy nailed the tents down with Nico, well Leo started the fire. "I don't see what good this is supposed to do." Leo said. "Even if we abandon this camp won't those knights just keep looking for us?" Percy thought Leo had an excellent point, but Percy trusted Annabeth, he didn't quite know why but he did.
"If we abandon this camp they'll follow our tracks, if those tracks lead to our certain demise they'll stop looking, because to them we'll be dead." Nico explained.
"Oh, okay." Leo replied, still a hint of confusion in his voice.
"It's best not to question it." Percy threw out. Leo nodded his head in agreement, Nico just rolled his eyes. Something struck Percy right there. "So how does Annabeth and Rachel going to the dungeon cover up this plan?"
"They go to the dungeon, set up some clues to make it look as though we tried to break some prisoners out, but someone spies us in our hast we set up this pretty obvious camp to get away, and that's why this camp it so ridiculously placed." Nico explained. Percy turned to Nico and stared at him as though he were a stranger. "Annabeth explained it to me." Was what Nico said and then went back to working.
"That's-That's…" Leo started. "…Genius!"
"It was very well thought out." Percy agreed. Annabeth seemed to amaze him more and more with each second that passed. A few minutes of silence went by when Piper and Jason came running into their supposed camp.
"They're coming!" Piper cried. Percy finally noticed she was wearing his mother's old cloak, he vaguely wondered why, but he hadn't had time to ask before the knights burst in on them. The criminals got up and ran for the hills. Percy remembered what Annabeth said, they needed to get to the cliff first then disappear as if they had fallen from the outrageous height.
Percy ran behind Leo and in front of the rest. Leo suddenly halted and Percy bonked into him. "Why did you stop?" he asked. Leo just looked ahead and Percy stared where he was staring, they were at the cliff, but something stood in their way, the leader of the knights himself, The Black Knight!
"You can't trick me criminals!" he cried. From behind to strong knights grabbed each of them, they were caught, outsmarted by the enemy. "Did you really think I'd fall for this?" the criminals stayed silent. "You shouldn't be so quick to judge." There was a struggle with Piper and her captors, that's when The Black Knight noticed her cloak and Percy wondered what he would do. "Take off her cloak." The Black Knight ordered. "I want to see all their faces." At that sentence Piper jumped up and kicked the two knights back, then started to run. The knights scrabbled to their feet.
"Shall we go after her sir?" one of his fellow knights asked.
"No, not now." The Black Knight cried. "Right now let us get these criminals to their cells." The Black Knight smiled sinisterly as if he knew something the criminals didn't, which only made Percy struggle more as they were dragged away.
…..o0o…..
Annabeth showed Rachel one of the new passages she and Piper had found, together they snuck into the dungeon through the secret tunnel. "I must admit," Rachel said. "You are brilliant."
"Thank you." Annabeth replied, although Annabeth didn't feel all too brilliant at the moment. Something inside her gut warned her she hadn't thought of something and it killed her not to know what it was she'd forgotten.
"How do I look?" Rachel asked. Annabeth turned and the person standing before her did not look like Rachel. She wore a purple cloak that only cover he eyes, her was a dirty brown like she had rubbed mud through it (which by the looks of the job she actually might have), her hands and face were covered with dust to make her skin appear darker, and her outfit was completely different.
"Is that you?" Annabeth asked in amazement. Rachel smiled and to finish off her look she took a lock of her-now-brown hair and placed it over one of her eyes, just in case someone were to see them.
"So it's good?" Rachel asked again. Annabeth was surprised to hear that Rachel had changed her voice, if it wasn't for the one snake-like green eye Annabeth could see she would never had known that was Rachel.
"It's perfect!" Annabeth cried. Rachel smiled and together they started to pick at a cell as though the criminals had tried to bust out more friends. A man with brown hair and who was suspiciously tall leaned into Annabeth's face from the other side of the bars.
"Come to break me out?" he asked, in a creepy flirting tone. Rachel stepped in front of Annabeth and growled at him.
"Leave her alone you creep!" she hissed.
"Rachel?" the man asked with a terrified tone. He quickly retreated to the back of the cell. Annabeth gave Rachel a questioning look.
"We were a couple once." Rachel admitted sheepishly. Annabeth nodded her head and continued on. Suddenly the dungeon door could be heard and four people were quite painfully thrown down the stairs. Annabeth and Rachel quickly hid behind some barrels in the far corner. The four people quickly got up, Annabeth was sorry to see they were all in wrist and ankle chains.
Annabeth nearly screamed when she saw their faces. It was Percy, Jason, Leo, and Nico, they'd been caught. When The Black Knight descended the stairs Annabeth remembered what'd she'd forgotten. Of course she'd forget the only person in this kingdom that could possibly outsmart her, it was just her luck, and because of her foolishness Percy and the other criminals would suffer. She knew she liked Percy from the moment she locked eyes with him and she couldn't help thinking that's why she feared most for him. But at this moment in time she needed to have her mind on other things.
"Okay lawbreakers," Blackie called (as nicknamed by Annabeth). "You can come out, I know you're here." Annabeth felt her stomach drop, as she and Rachel slowly showed themselves. "Ah, if it isn't the chambermaid and…" Blackie faltered on Rachel. "…who's your friend? No doubt the criminal girl that escaped with these men."
"Wouldn't you love to know?" Annabeth mumbled. Blackie growled and ordered one of his fellow knights to unhood Rachel. But Annabeth and Rachel started running. One of the knights grabbed Annabeth by her hair and she let out a shriek of pain.
"Let go of her!" Percy roared, punching the guy in the stomach hard. Annabeth ran fast and she and Rachel made their way to the dungeon door. She felt pain in knowing that Percy would suffer more punishment in doing that for her. Annabeth and Rachel ran out the dungeon door and out of the castle.
The girls ran full speed through the forest and they were slowly losing the knights. As they made their way to a dead end someone pulled them back behind some bushes and the knights ran straight past. Annabeth turned to find their savoir was… "Piper!" she cried in glee, giving her best friend a hug.
"I'm so glad you're both okay." Piper whispered tears trickling down her face. "They got the boys."
"We know." Rachel said. "It's only a matter of time before they find us."
"Piper, they know." Annabeth whispered in fear.
"What?" Piper asked, looking equally fearful.
"They know I help them." Annabeth answered. "Piper, it the catch me I'll be brutally punished and considered a traitor to the royal family, in fact I could be put to death." Piper looked at Annabeth and tears trickled more.
"I'm so sorry." Piper whispered quieter.
"It's not your fault." Annabeth insisted. "I should have known The Black Knight would figure it out."
"It's not your fault either, Annabeth." Piper assured. Rachel turned to Annabeth and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Piper's right, there was too much worry from us and it got you on edge, we shouldn't have rushed you, we all share the blame." Rachel said. Annabeth smiled at Rachel and Piper.
"Why are you two being so nice to me?" she asked.
"Because I'm your friend." Piper answered.
"And I trust you, with my life." Rachel added. Annabeth smiled more at Rachel.
"I thought you trusted no one?" she questioned.
"Everyone's got to start somewhere." Rachel replied. The girls all smiled at each other and got up running deeper into the forest. When they stopped again Annabeth and Piper looked at each other and then to Rachel.
"Could you train us to fight?" they asked in unison. Rachel smiled knowingly.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
…..o0o…..
"The criminals are too much trouble." The knights were saying. "They need to disappear. Then we'll never have to deal with them again." They looked to the leader who smiled sinisterly and walked over to the criminals' cell.
Speaking loud enough so they could hear he said, "They shall be beheaded at dawn tomorrow." The criminals jerked up and screamed curses at the knights each one angrier then the next. The Black Knight's smile grew like it was music to his ears. He cackled evilly as he excited the dungeon.
"But what of the women?" a knight who followed him asked.
"They'll come." The Black Knight replied, as if that were more than enough. "Now I shall inform the king."
Okay, how was that? I think I scared myself with my own evil character, is that possible? Anyway, hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to vote on my poll! Please Read and Review.
Samantha's Library.
