A/N: Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I had a bit of fun writing this one.

Ten: Terms and Conditions

Percy awoke early to ready himself for the meeting with Kronos and Castellan. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't slept much that evening. After coming to terms to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to get any reasonable amount of sleep, he resorted to piecing together resources and supplies that he needed to get in order to effectively hunt down the two when the time came. But a solid, fool-proof plan was yet to come. Like any of assignments, he simply had to wait for the window of opportunity. Still, with a pair of men that would inevitably be pressuring him with his assignment, it would prove tricky doing so.

He dug through, and tracked down his cleanest, most professional outfit, which consisted of some dark slacks, slightly scuffed dress shoes, a white button-down, and thin black tie. Percy shrugged with indifference, knowing that it was the best he could do. He needed to wow them, make them think he was invested in this assignment, that they had beat him into submission with the hospitalization of his mother. Percy showered, shaved the scruff that had grown in on his face in the recent days, and got dressed. He sighed, glancing in the mirror.

Shit. I don't know how to tie a tie.

He yanked the fabric away, as it slid of sharply from his collar. Percy folded it back down with an exasperated sigh, before checking his time. Barely six o'clock. He looked at his messages again, remembering the one Annabeth had sent nearly a week ago. The one that he had yet to read. As he wandered down to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes tiredly, he made a pot of coffee for himself.

As it began to splutter and gargle in the brewing process, he sat down at the table. He hesitated for just a moment longer, before finally tapping on the message.

I'm free Saturday night. Still up for making plans?

Instantly, he felt a pang of regret strike him. Friday had already passed, and by a number of days. He typed back a response, forgetting the fact that it was very early in the morning for most people. But, unbeknownst to him, not for the detective. He blinked in surprise when he saw a small scroll of writing indicating she had seen his response of:

Sorry. I had some family problems. Do you have any free nights this week?

He watched the screen intently, waiting for a reply. When none came, he grew concerned, fearing that he had already blown it with Annabeth. Disappointed, he made himself a cup of coffee, spooning in some sugar. As he wordlessly stirred it, he paused in the monotonous motion when his phone vibrated on the table once, paired with a beeping sound. Percy sat down again, taking a quick sip of his coffee before reading the message.

I'll see about getting a night off this weekend. But sorry to hear that. Hope everyone's okay.

Percy frowned to one side as he replied back,

Well, I can imagine your job's gloomy enough, so I'll hold off on telling you the story until we can meet up again.

Her response the second time around was quicker, seemingly more eager,

What, so I can be gloomy while off duty? Not a chance. Now spill, Jackson.

With hesitance, he told her the story, of course leaving out the details of Kronos and Castellan having orchestrated it. He just made it seem like what it was in everyone's eyes who knew about it: A freak accident.

Jesus. That's terrible, Percy. Well, when she comes to, tell her I said get better, alright?

I will. Well, I'll let you get back to work.

Thanks. I'll see about getting a night off.

As he shut off his phone, he nodded with satisfaction, before tucking it into his pocket. Percy finished off his coffee, and helped himself to a second cup. He considered making himself a piece of toast, but upon sifting through the package of bread, he found he had neglected to properly seal it off a few days ago, and it was thoroughly stale. Percy tossed it into the garbage bin, before knocking down the last of his coffee. He checked the time again, and released a sigh when he found that it was half past eight.

He pulled on his coat, before stepping out onto the porch. Percy exhaled sharply when he saw that a steady amount of snow was still falling from the sky. With caution, he trotted down the steps, ignoring the uncomfortable sensation of cold snow jumping onto the bottoms of his pant legs. Percy walked a little ways in the direction of the city, waiting for a taxi to pass by. Finally, he hailed one, and hopped into the warm cabin, free from the nipping cold.

"Where to?"

He regarded the driver after blowing some hot air onto his hands,

"Central park, please. Southwest side."

The driver chuckled, "You wanna be dropped off at the park? It's colder than Jack Frost's asshole out there."

"Think I don't know that?"

With a shrug, the cabbie said nothing more as he switched gears and took him to the city. Few people were out, not even in the heart of the city. Pedestrians marched down the streets, faces concealed behind the flapping collars of their coats. Some braved through it, holding briefcases or coffee mugs, squinting as icy snow attacked their faces. As they waited at a red light, the driver shook his head,

"Crazy bastards."

Percy grunted with agreement, as they drove on. They made it to the park finally, and when Percy paid the fare, he jogged through the bitter winter weather, stopping at the corner. He checked the time on his phone with a trembling hand, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that only five minutes remained until it was nine. As he waited, he balanced back and forth on the balls of his feet, shivering in his coat as people looked at him in disbelief that he was braving the weather.

A black SUV pulled up to the corner, right next to him, and the door opened. Knowing full well that it was his ride, he stepped in, slamming the car door shut behind him. Keeping his eyes trained on the floor, he sat down in the opposite seat, before looking up at the other passengers. Castellan and Kronos sat side by side across from him in the passenger seats, looking on intently.

"Hello, Mr. Espy," Kronos greeted, "Though from what Luke here has told me, that's not your true identity, is it?"

Percy swallowed, "No."

"No, it's not. As I recall, your real name is...Percy Jackson?"

Percy, in an attempt to keep up a new sort of act, allowed his eyes to dart about the car nervously. Though upon doing so, he found that it wasn't so hard to act out in that fashion, as the fear he was experiencing was completely genuine. Eventually, he nodded again,

"Yes, it is."

Kronos grinned with a white smile. He reclined in his chair, picking up the amber-colored drink in the set of cup holders dividing him and Luke. The ice clinked quietly in the glass, as he brought it to his lips. He downed the rest of it, before setting it back down with a satisfied sigh.

"Well, Mr. Jackson," He began, knitting his fingers together, "I'm truly sorry that we had to meet again under these types of circumstances."

Percy looked on in silence, doing his best to keep his plastered expression of fear from melting into a fit of rage. Kronos picked up from his brief pause,

"Do you know how much a hospital bill costs, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy swallowed, as the two men across from him stared at him expectantly. He eyed Castellan first, who had a smug sort of smile on his face, just noticeable enough to one's eye. He then looked to Kronos, his face calm, but not in a good way. More like the sort of calm that a marble statue has. Cold and blank like a slate. He shook his head no.

Kronos chuckled, "You don't? Well, unfortunately, it's quite a sum of money. And when you take into account the number of days she has, and is going to be spending in her room, it will add up even more, I'm afraid. And from what we've discovered of your financial situation, you don't exactly have the finances to pay for it."

Percy listened on in silence, as Kronos continued,

"I have another offer for you, Mr. Jackson."

"I think at this point it's not really an offer," Percy retorted with a bland tone, to which Kronos chuckled again,

"I suppose you're right...Well, I have a demand for you, Mr. Jackson. It's not as desirable as my first offer, but it will save you from an inevitable financial hole. If you eliminate the detective like we had discussed before, your mother's bill will be taken care of completely, down to the very last penny."

Percy sighed, "And if I don't?"

Kronos narrowed his eyes, "As I said, it's a demand, not an offer. You no longer have a choice in this. Besides, it seems like you have a sufficiently-vivid imagination to know what will happen if you refuse."

Percy reclined back into his seat. At this point, there was no way of backing out. If he refused, he would be stuck with a severe amount of debt from his mother's hospitalization, and even if they did manage through that, Kronos would be out for their blood. And at that point, he wouldn't be keeping her alive. Percy looked up, glaring right at the crime lord,

"If I do this, do you swear to leave us alone?"

Kronos' grin appeared again in the dim interior of the car, as he extended his hand,

"You have my word."

Percy shook hands briefly, "I'm doing this on my terms. An assignment like this is going to take time and patience. If you want this executed cleanly, you'll stay out of my way."

"Not so fast, Jackson," Castellan spoke for the first time in the conversation, "You're not just going to be able to roam free and take your good old time with this. He wants her killed, and he wants her killed as soon as possible."

Kronos put a hand out, silencing him,

"He's right. I do want this finished within the quickest period of time. I've done a sufficient job of covering my tracks, but the detective is smart, and I fear that she will see through them in due time. I want her dead before that happens."

"However, I will allow you the time you need, within reason, of course. Castellan will be checking in with you weekly to make sure that you're making progress. I'll have my people watching your every move. And above all, they'll be watching and listening with unwavering eyes and ears to make sure that you don't get too...Close, per say, to Ms. Chase."

Percy nodded, "Fair enough."

Kronos sighed, "Well, Mr. Jackson, I'd say that everything has been settled in a reasonable fashion."

Once again, he extended his hand,

"No hard feelings, correct?"

Percy gave a reassuring grin, before shaking his hand,

"No hard feelings."

They broke the handshake after that, and Castellan leaned over to tap on the glass dividing them from the front seats. The car stopped after a moment, and Castellan led him out. After having shut the door, he regarded Percy with his cold, blue eyes,

"I want some good news by this Friday, got it?"

Percy nodded, "Yeah."

"You know," Castellan said, narrowing his eyes, "You're a slick, slimy bastard, and I'm shocked that he hasn't put a bullet in your head yet. And if it were up to me, I would've done it already. You better watch your fucking step, Jackson, because if you mess up even a little, I'll find a way to do it, as well as do your precious mother the same favor."

Percy, despite being a few inches shorter than Castellan, snatched him up by the front of his suit coat, before slamming him into the side of the car. Castellan, raised his eyebrows in surprise, but his eyes burned with pure fury,

"I'd give you the same advice, Castellan, but I'm already planning on killing you, regardless of all of the shit you've put me through."

Castellan laughed, but it was empty of any good humor, "Of course. We'll just have to see what Kronos has to say about that."

Percy gripped tighter, his hands wrapping around the navy blue tie Castellan was sporting,

"I don't care what he thinks. Besides, I have a feeling that he wouldn't give a rat's ass if I offed you."

Castellan growled, "He may have promised to leave you alone after this, and you may be untouchable as long as you're still working on killing the detective. But as for what happens after this, I didn't have to promise shit. Just wait, Jackson, when this is all over, you're mine."

Percy grinned, cocking his head, "But you're not untouchable, Castellan."

The expression of anger melted into something similar to that of terror, as Percy slowly released Castellan. He backed away from Percy, as he quickly readjusted his tie. Percy watched as the lawyer pulled the door open, before scrambling in and slammed the door. The SUV peeled away from the sidewalk, before vanishing into the New York City traffic. Percy chuckled to himself, ignoring the bitter cold as he walked down the street.

His interaction between Castellan had given him a bit of confidence amidst the sheer terror he had been experiencing over the course of days. Plus, both Kronos and Castellan had seemed convinced enough of his little act to believe that he had been really bullied into killing Annabeth. But, that wasn't at all true. He wasn't afraid of them, or at the very least, he couldn't allow himself to be. And, there was no way in hell that he was going to kill Annabeth. Not when she had only been doing her job in capturing Kronos.

But while he had no intentions to kill her, he hadn't thought past that aspect. He had no idea how to proceed from that point forward, and it wasn't as if he could drag out his assignment forever. Neither Kronos nor Castellan would allow it. Percy tucked his hands into his pockets, as the return of his fear and stress returned somewhat, and he was reminded of the cold. What could he possibly do to keep her, as well as everyone else in his life, alive and well, and find a way to get rid of Kronos and Castellan on top of it all?

Percy sighed, as he took his phone from his pocket and checked for any new messages. One from Annabeth. He wandered over to a park bench, sitting down to read the message.

I can free up some time Friday night. Can you make it this time?

Percy winced at the message. While part of him wanted to be excited, eager to spend more time with her, the darker aspect of it all won him over. Kronos' men would be watching him closely. With unwavering eyes and ears, as the crime lord had said. He wanted to become closer with her, get to know her better, but not under those conditions. Who would? But, it couldn't be avoided, and he typed back a reply,

Sounds perfect. Got anywhere you want to go?

Annabeth was quick in replying with,

I got to pick last time. It's your call.

Percy paused for a minute, frowning deeply as he attempted to think of a place. He rarely went out anywhere, or anywhere that was interesting, anyway. He started to suggest going to see a movie, but shook his head to himself at the idea. He wanted the chance to talk to her, a movie wouldn't really allow that. His thumb hovered over the screen, as he tried to think of suggestions.

Well, if the weather's okay, maybe we could walk around the park. Get some food afterward?

That's fine by me. Is five a good time to meet up?

Yep. See you then.

See you.

Percy tucked his phone into his pocket with a nod. The park, and a small, modest dinner somewhere. It was simple enough. He stood, breathing out a stream of air. His spike of confidence, like the one he had experienced after bullying Castellan, faded quickly, however. There were other matters to attend to, matters that would mean a matter of life or death.

It wouldn't all be solved in one single day, but he supposed that he could at least make some headway with it. But just the mere thought of anything involving it was nerve-wracking. Question after question ran through his head. How was he going to stall long enough? How was he going to keep it all a secret? How was he going to get rid of Kronos and Castellan?

I certainly have my work cut out for me, he thought.

A/N: That's it for a few weeks, guys. But I'll be back in two weeks, and I'll get back to posting on a weekly basis again. Fifteen more chapters to go, and for you to enjoy! So, I'll get back to you all soon.

Until then,
Leaded-Pegasus