A/N: I own nothing. Enjoy!
Annabeth's eyes snapped open. The dizzying sensation was gone from her mind, and she relished the clarity of her mind. She was going to need every bit of concentration to get out of her predicament.
She sat up, finding herself on a bed. It wasn't the bed from the hotel, that she was sure of. Someone had changed her clothing as well, her blue dress missing and turned into a dark tunic and pants. Annabeth tugged at the clothing, noting that she wasn't tied down. Both her engagement and wedding rings were left untouched on her fingers to her relief.
A clock hanging on a nearby wall told her she'd been knocked out for an hour or so. This place was a lot nicer than she expected, if a bit cold with the storm raging outside. She would have predicted that when she woke up, she would be stuffed in a barrel and smuggled out of the Kingdom as a result of human trafficking or kidnapping for ransom. But certainly not a room where she wasn't gagged or blindfolded.
Percy had said he wouldn't be back until late at night. He might not have even realized she was gone until hours later, which meant Annabeth had to rely on herself to get out of her predicament. And boy does trouble find her.
A sound like a page turning tore the silence of the room. She wasn't alone.
The barmaid from earlier, now out of her uniform and in similar dark clothes as Annabeth, sat at a table some fifteen feet away. The room was dimly lit and the barmaid so quiet, Annabeth hadn't noticed her at first. Nestled in the kidnapper's hands was the architecture book Percy had gifted her.
"Percy always did give good gifts," the barmaid commented. At Annabeth's glare, she put the book back down on the table.
"Who are you?" Annabeth licked her dry lips.
The barmaid had said 'Percy'. Only close friends or relatives called each other by their first names. The barmaid looked too old to be Estelle, and certainly too young to be Percy's mother. Percy had only mentioned the existence of one red haired woman to her, but Annabeth couldn't recall which one he said she was.
"Calypso or Rachel?"
A delicate auburn eyebrow lifted up. "Oh, he talked to you about that? I'm surprised. Most men don't like talking about their past lovers. Ah, there's a glass of water besides you on that dresser, and your knife is there as well. The water's not poisoned, I promise. I'm sure the medicine made your throat parched. The ale I gave you earlier only contained a very potent form of seasickness medicine. Guaranteed to knock you out if taken in a high dose."
Annabeth slowly reached for the glass of water. She was wont to believe the glass of water was not spiked. If Rachel/Calypso had wanted to kill or hurt her, she would have done so beforehand. What kind of kidnapper let their victim have their knife back?
Still, Annabeth kept her senses on high alert. She could throw her knife at the kidnapper if needed. Thank goodness for bribing the poor swordmasters to teach her knife-throwing skills.
"I'm Lady Rachel, priestess of the Apollo temple."
Annabeth studied her husband's former fiancee. With her heart shaped face framed by red curls the hue of sunsets, Lady Rachel was quite pretty. Beautiful even, Annabeth begrudgingly admitted. Maybe her husband had a thing for women with curly hair.
"What reasons would a priestess of the Apollo temple and my husband's former lover have for kidnapping me?" Annabeth asked. Priestesses of the Apollo temple were renowned for their beauty and for their many acts of charity. Why kidnap her unless Lady Rachel disliked the thought of her former fiancee with someone else?
"You're completely right in questioning that. We don't have much time so I'll explain quick. Baron Rodrick Ducaine." Rachel said simply.
Annabeth blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" This was not where she expected the conversation to go. A catfight between females over a shared lover, maybe.
"Aside from Baron Rodrick and Perseus Jackson, we have no other relationship connecting the two of us. And relax, I have no intention of stealing him away from you. He's quite devoted to you, you know." Rachel stated patiently.
"Okay...What is this about Baron Rodrick?"
Rachel stood up from the table and drifted to the windows. "You probably know that priestesses like me are sworn virgins. When we lose our virginity, we lose the purity of sight needed to foresee and predict any calamities that threaten humanity. Marrying and losing our virginity is we decide to retire and live a life of normalcy again. One year ago, one of our trainees disappeared. Two months ago, she returned to our temple, child-laden. She had escaped from a brothel."
Annabeth's mind whirled in trying to connect the dots. What was the link to Baron Rodrick? Percy and Jason had been investigating Baron Rodrick's finances and tax evasion case, where a large income source was particularly suspicious. She had taken a glance at the data herself. Agriculture from the Ducaine lands would not have supplemented that income.
"It was suspected Baron Rodrick had illegally operated brothels. You suspect that your trainee escaped from there?"
"Not suspect. We know so." Rachel grimaced. "She was kidnapped in the town where our temple is located and sold to the brothels through the illegal human trade. Ten months of hell in her life that she will never get back. The Apollo temple can only offer her so much support, but we can never embrace her back in our arms as a priestess again. The purity of sight has already been lost."
"That's terrible," Annabeth said. "But I still don't quite understand what this has to do with me?"
Rachel turned towards her. "Percy is not the only one investigating Baron Rodrick. We've done quite a fair amount on our side as well, and an informant claimed that you were the baron's next target, after humiliating him in a bridal candidate duel. Brilliant, on your part, really."
"Thanks," Annabeth said dryly. "So instead of Baron Rodrick kidnapping me, you kidnap me first?"
Rachel grinned, not looking apologetic at all. "Sorry about that. But we needed to get to you before his men did. They were planning to do so before you left the port town of Velvicia. There were spies everywhere in that hotel you were staying at, and if I approached you any other way, they would make their move before we could."
"Does Percy know about this?"
Rachel shook her head. "I'm afraid he has his own problems to deal with at the moment. I couldn't get a message delivered before he left for his ship earlier."
"There was something about drunken sailors tearing up his ship," recalled Annabeth. "Deliberately?"
The priestess nodded. "While Percy would be distracted and held up on the ship, you would be kidnapped and made a bargaining chip. I'm not sure exactly what the baron has planned for you though."
"Whatever it is, it sure wouldn't be pretty. But now that he doesn't have me, what would he do?"
"We had someone substitute you, or else the baron wouldn't make his move. And we do need him to make a far more conspicuous move in order to trap and prosecute him. Here, come." Rachel beckoned her towards the window and handed her a spyglass.
Annabeth looked through the spyglass to where Rachel was pointing. Most of the ships were anchored for the night, the sailors off the ship and safe inside the port town. But one ship had men crawling all over the decks. The spyglass was clear enough to see there was fighting on board.
"Is that Percy's ship?" Annabeth ventured a guess.
"I'm afraid so. By now, your substitute would have been captured and is making her way to the ship."
"I need to get to him," Annabeth said. "Do you have any weapons?"
Rachel lifted her eyebrows. "I hope you're not planning on going alone."
"Obviously not, or else you wouldn't be dressed in the same dark clothing I am."
Her new ally grinned. "Oh, I do like you. I can see why Percy's enamored. Sorry about taking off your dress, dear. The men kidnapping you would be suspicious if your substitute didn't wear the same clothes you were earlier."
"Apology accepted, as long as you haven't touched anything inappropriately."
"Trust me, you have nothing to be insecure about, and certainly not about your physical traits that your husband must have indulged in."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. For a virgin priestess, Rachel was far knowledgeable about certain things and innuendos.
Rachel laughed, the sound warm in the dampness chill of the room. "I'm sure if I was not a woman nor Percy's friend, he would have killed me on sight for undressing his wife."
"He probably would have." Annabeth turned her attention back to the view of the window. The storm was getting worse. "I hope this substitute of yours can play her part well."
"Indeed, she's a brave one. No worries, Annabeth. We have our own people ready to help with just the right signal." Rachel tossed her a sword. "Seeing as you're quite good in duels, I don't have to worry about your sword skills."
Annabeth strapped the sword onto her back. "No, you won't need to. But Baron Rodrick does. Let's go," she announced. "I have a husband to save."
A/N: Short but sweet. Who guessed that this unlikely pairing would ever happen? Props to y'all who noticed the maid was Rachel.
Jan 15th peeps. See ya then.