CHAPTER 17: EVERY LAST BREATH

PERCY

The next morning, Thalia and I dragged ourselves out of bed at the asscrack of dawn so we'd have time to plan the surveillance mission. It was pretty simple: surround the building where the drug transfer was taking place with hidden recruits and see if anyone decided to strike. Now I'd figured out that it could be Gabe's men behind it, I couldn't stop overthinking. More than once, I caught myself picking at my cuticles as my anxiety twisted itself into a tight ball in my stomach.

Thalia and I met with the squad we were leading and gave them a brief run-down on their roles. We were all dressed in normal clothes as the regular black gear we wore for missions would be way too conspicuous in the streets of Harlem, but all of us had handguns and ammo clipped to our belts under our shirts. Hopefully, only a few shots would need to be fired—we were all trained in hand-to-hand combat and bringing down a few gang members should be child's play—but the guns were a precaution. After all, I knew not to underestimate my stepfather.

It was evening, and Thalia and I were sitting in the front of a car. We'd been slowly circling the block of apartments for ten minutes now and the transfer was due to take place fairly soon. I drummed my gloved fingers on the wheel as I stared forward into the road, feeling on-edge. It was getting dark and therefore harder to see, and I really, really didn't want to be taken by surprise.

"Quit fidgeting," Thalia snapped in my direction. "You're making me nervous."

"Sorry. It's just—something about this whole situation doesn't sit right with me." We turned a corner, and I squinted into the darkness. Most of the streetlights in this area were either broken or barely gave out any light, but I supposed that the lack of council investment in this area was why it was so good for our drug negotiators to meet with suppliers. A lack of wealth meant a lack of police.

The comm set on our radio crackled as the voice of one of our recruits was patched through. "There's a suspicious car that's been hanging around the building's radius for the last couple minutes. A black Volkswagen. We'll keep an eye on it."

"Shit," I said. "Guess they're here."

"Not necessarily," Thalia rebuked. "Park right there. We're in good sight of the building at the moment, and we don't want to draw any attention."

I did as she asked and pulled up onto the curb. I took my gun out of its holster to make sure it was primed and checked my watch, which read 8:02. Reaching forward to hold a button on the comm set, I spoke into it. "Transfer should be taking place now. Be ready, but don't allow yourselves to startle." Through the building's window, I could see moving figures—our people and their suppliers. The transfer was taking place.

Thalia scrubbed a hand through her short hair, messing it up. In the dark, her blue eyes were a murky grey. She kept one hand on the holster of her gun. "Maybe they won't show," she murmured. "We might've been wrong about it being Ugliano."

Still, I couldn't explain to her how deeply I knew it was him. All the files we'd gone over had his involvement written across them like a signature. I shook my head. "No, I'm certain..." I trailed off as my gaze caught on five figures that were stepping out of a black Volkswagen that had just turned the corner and parked by the building. Even from this distance, I could see silver guns glinting in their grips.

Beside me, Thalia stiffened. "Oh, shit." She quickly spoke into our comm set, relaying the arrival of the newcomers to the rest of our squad. "Out, Jackson. Now."

I could've gotten annoyed about her pushing me around, but there was no time. Fingertips brushing against my gun holster, I stepped out onto the road as the men ran inside the building. Thalia moved to go after them, but I grabbed her sleeve. "Don't. We should wait until they've apprehended the supplies. They'll be weighed down and it'll be easier to knock them out."

On the other side of the street, I could see three of our own recruits crouching on the sidewalk. I imagined the rest of them were lying in wait around the back of the apartment building to make sure that the men couldn't make their getaway out the back entrance. Inside, I could hear suppressed gunshots and shouting. Maybe it was cruel of me to leave our negotiators to defend themselves, but they'd been alerted and were armed and trained. The most important thing was for us to capture the gang members, and it wouldn't be possible to do that until they came back out.

It took only a couple minutes for the fighting to cease. The men appeared again at the front entrance, carrying two strapped-up crates of cocaine between them. I ran to the left side of the apartment's gate, still concealed by a brick wall, and motioned for Thalia to cut them off on the other side. She nodded, mouth set in a grim line. But before the men could run through the gate, I heard one of them yell, "Assailants!"

Crap. They must've seen our recruits on the other side of the street. I made a split second decision and ran out into the road, firing blindly. One of my bullets found the leg of one of the men, and he cried out as he stumbled to the concrete, dropping the crate he was holding. The other gang members raised their guns, training them on me. I kept firing in an attempt to fuck up their aim as I quickly hid behind a car to reload.

From behind, Thalia hit one of them in the temple with the muzzle of her gun, but he managed to evade the blow and spun around to meet her. The other guy ditched his crate and sprinted for the Volkswagen, but two of our recruits emerged from where they'd been hidden behind it and quickly dispatched him with a few brutal hits to the stomach and head. He crumpled as I tore my gaze back to Thalia. The remaining gang member had tripped her, and his hands were wrapped around her throat. I could see that her lips were turning blue.

Without even thinking, I stepped back out into the street and raised my gun. The guy didn't even have time to look up before I'd blown a hole in his head. Thalia fell to her knees, cradling her bruised neck. I walked over to the guy I'd shot in the leg and grabbed his shirt, hauling him up to me. Blood was gushing out of his leg—I must've hit an artery. His skin was ashen. Bitter hate was etched into the contours of his face.

"Which gang do you work for?" I asked coldly. "Are you associated with Gabe Ugliano?" He started laughing. To my horror, white froth started bubbling out of his mouth. He'd bitten a poison tooth to avoid capture and interrogation.

I slapped him. "Well, are you?"

Eyes bloodshot and hazy, he grinned at me. When he spoke, his voice was a rasp. "We did wonder if the Butcher's son would show his face," he spat. Shock pulsed through me. I let go of his shirt, allowing him to slump lifelessly to the floor. Did that mean...Gabe knew I was in New York? How could he have known?

As I endured the unblinking stare of the dead man on the concrete, I tried to squash the panic that was threatening to engulf me. Get a grip, Jackson, I told myself.

I turned around to help Thalia up. "You alright?"

She nodded. "You should've shot the guy who had me somewhere less lethal," she gritted out.

I didn't really want to look at the gang member who's brains I'd splattered across the ground with a bullet, but I did. He wasn't a pretty sight. "Don't be stupid, Grace. He was going to kill you."

She gave me a wry look. "Maybe, but we can't interrogate a dead man."

I gestured to where our recruits were forcing the remaining gang member into cuffs and a gag. "No need to worry about that. The last guy should know enough." I slid my gun back into its holster. "And from what the other one said to me, I'm pretty sure we now know for certain that my stepdad is behind this shit."

Thalia and I reconvened with our squad before disassembling and getting back into the car to head back to the base. A couple of the others had volunteered to take the captive. This time, Thalia drove. "And you're sure that's what he said?" she asked again.

"Positive. Thalia, he recognised me. He knew me." I let out a ragged sigh and rubbed my hands over my face. "I'm fucked."

"No, you're not. We can bend this to our advantage, I know we can. And look on the bright side—now we can be sure about Ugliano's involvement. We'll see how much information we can get out of the hostage and then go from there." Thalia's electric gaze locked onto mine in the rearview mirror. "Seriously, Percy. Don't scare yourself."

We drove in silence for a moment. Again, I found myself picking at my fraying cuticles. Hearing someone else say the Butcher made everything feel a thousand times more real. I rubbed my thumb up and down the old train-tracks on my forearm that were hidden under my sleeve, trying to anchor myself before I got lost in a mess of memories that I wished would stay buried under the surface of my subconscious.

Thalia pulled us up in a backstreet that led to the base. "You can get out here. I have an appointment."

I started to undo my seatbelt, then stopped. "A medical appointment?"

Thalia worried her lip between her teeth. "Yes."

"How're your treatments going? You seem fairly healthy..." I trailed off, unsure if I was crossing any boundaries.

She looked down at where her hands lay still in her lap. "I guess, yeah. I've been off chemo for a while now after a failed surgery I went through last month. I don't know how much Jason's told you, if anything, but the doctors have been trying to shrink a tumour in my calf. They found it last January, which was kind of shit 'cause I'd had no evidence of cancer for going on a year before that. Jason and I had been hoping it was gone for good." She exhaled sharply. "Anyway, I'm starting a new chemo course today in preparation for another surgery. If this one isn't a success, they'll probably have to amputate."

"Shit," I said. "Well, you don't have to go alone. You shouldn't have to."

"It's fine, Jackson. Just go back to base."

I contemplated for a moment, then clicked my seat belt back on. "No, I think I'll come," I declared, flashing Thalia a grin.

She huffed, but I could see a smile on her face as she pulled back out onto the road. "Christ, you're even more clingy than Jason."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

The hospital was white, sickeningly clean and awash with the sense of suffering. When Thalia was called in for her chemo, the nurse let me sit by her as they pumped the chemicals into her veins. I rubbed circles into her shoulder whenever she had to throw up into the orange bucket resting on her lap.

I had no idea how she did it—stayed resolute and continued to lead operations while coping with her illness.

When we were done, Thalia and I waited outside the hospital for a while; she didn't want to get into a moving vehicle before her feeling of nausea had passed. We sat next to one another on a brick wall, watching the glowing traffic that ebbed and flowed before us. I lit a cigarette, making sure to blow the smoke well away from Thalia.

"Thanks for doing this," she said, nudging me with her shoulder. "Not many people would've."

"Don't thank me," I replied. "I'm only being decent."

She smiled at me. "Still."

We were quiet for a moment as I worked on my cigarette and Thalia fiddled with her clear hospital band. Then something occurred to me. "Hey, Thalia?"

"Mm?"

I hesitated. "Do you think Sir will still make you work on this operation when you get sicker?"

She looked apprehensive. "Probably. I'll have to, if Jason and I ever stand a chance of paying off my medical debt to him."

"You will." I didn't know if I was lying or not.

"It doesn't matter, anyway," Thalia mused. "I'll keep going as long as I can."

I finished my cigarette and stubbed it out on the brick wall. "Next time you have an appointment, ask me to come," I said. "I don't mind. I want to help."

Thalia's expression was unreadable, a window of hued glass. "I can see why Annabeth likes you," she said suddenly.

I was taken off guard. "What? How do you know about us two?"

She laughed. "I've known Annie a long time. We talk."

My heart thudded in my ribcage. "Did she...did she say that?"

"Not in so many words. But it's obvious from the way she talks about you."

And hell, I didn't know what to say to that. Except maybe the truth. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, reconsidering. "I don't know if you're right, but..." I sighed. "I like her, um. A lot."

"You told her, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but it didn't go down well. She kinda broke things off."

"That's Annabeth for you, though."

"Yeah." I kicked my legs where they hung off the edge of the wall, wishing for another cigarette. Every last breath of fresh air had me wishing for the harsh bite of smoke. "I'm only here 'cause of her. Maybe that's stupid, I dunno."

"It's not." I glanced back up to see Thalia looking at me. Her brow was furrowed. A second later, though, she grinned and elbowed me playfully. "I wouldn't fret. She'll come to her senses."

Grateful, I smiled back. "Maybe, maybe not. She's probably smart to stay away, if I'm honest."

"Oh, shut up—don't start with that. I can usually tell when two people are bad for each other, and you and Annabeth aren't."

I felt strangely reassured. "That's good to hear."

"Whatever." A second passed, then she reached up and ruffled my hair. "You want me to sort that out for you?"

"Sort what out?"

"Those dark roots of yours. They've been on my nerves since I first met you."

I groaned. "Ugh, yeah. I keep meaning to do something about them. Go back to natural or whatever."

Thalia nodded wisely. "Yeah, black would suit you better. The red does look fine, it's just too grown out." She thought for a moment. "I think I've got some black dye in one of my cupboards from when I had to fix Nico's hair after he let Will colour it purple. You wanna do it tonight? It'd only take half an hour and I can cut it as well if you want. The interrogation can wait 'til tomorrow."

I checked my watch—it was only about ten. And I really did need to do something about the state of my hair. "Sure, that'd be nice."

By the time we made it back to the base and up to Thalia's room, my feet were aching from our long day. I kicked my shoes off by her door, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God."

Thalia gestured for me to come into the bathroom and stand in front of her stained mirror. "Take off your jacket and put a towel around your shoulders, unless you're fine with ruining your clothes." I followed her instructions as she rustled around in the cupboard and came up victorious with a box of cheap black hair dye, some scissors and an electric trimmer that I assumed she'd once used to shave her own head, judging by the buzz cut she'd sported when I'd met her back in Paris.

I warily cocked a brow when she placed the trimmer next to the sink. "And what are you planning to do with that?"

Thalia flashed me a smile. "Don't worry yourself, alright? I know what I'm doing. By the time we're finished here, you're gonna look just a little less like a bedraggled sewer rat."

"Thanks," I muttered. I forced myself to look up into the mirror. "So, I'm guessing we're dyeing it first?"

"You've guessed correctly." Thalia opened the box and removed the developer and dye, pouring both into a small bowl so she could combine them. Once she was done, she pulled on the pair of plastic gloves that came with it and started applying the mixture to my deep red hair, massaging it in with her fingers.

"You're actually pretty good at this," I admitted. Thalia just gave me a knowing look.

It didn't take long before she'd finished applying the dye. She gave me a shower cap to cover my head with while we waited. "It shouldn't take long to develop," she told me. True to her word, we were washing it out thirty-five minutes later. As Thalia rinsed it out, black dye swirled like pitch into the shower drain. Once the water started running clear, I finished up with some conditioner.

When I looked in the mirror, I had to smile. Though it was still wet, I could already see how much better it looked. It was actually kind of terrifying how much I resembled my younger self, barring the messy scars on my cheek. "Shit. It worked."

Thalia laughed. "Did you think it wouldn't? Now comes the hard part." She ran her fingers through my wet hair and started trimming it, using a comb to brush it. Once she appeared somewhat satisfied, she picked up the electric trimmer and turned it on. I tried not to flinch away as she started dragging it up the back and sides of my head, creating an undercut.

She worked slowly at buzzing the lower part, and when she was done she picked up the scissors again and snipped away at my bangs. I could barely watch as strand after strand of black hair drifted into the sink. But Thalia knew what she was doing—now, my hair framed my face rather than cast it in shadow, and the darkness of my hair contrasted against my eyes.

Thalia put down the scissors, admiring her handiwork. "Like it? Thought you'd look good with an undercut."

I turned my head this way and that, running my fingers over the buzzed sides. It was longer on top, and actually really suited my slightly wavy hair. "Yeah, thanks," I said with a smile. "It always looks so uneven when I try and do it myself."

"That's what I'm here for." She put all her supplies back into the cupboard and headed to her coffee machine in the other room. "I'm craving a hot chocolate. Wanna have one before you head back to get some sleep?" she called.

With a final glance in the mirror at my short black hair, I let my reflection be. It was hard not to think about how recognisable I was now. "Okay. I can stay for a while."

had to stay up through the witching hours to get this written as I got stuck into working on a completely different fic over the week, but still wanted to keep up with the regular sunday uploads! really wish I was one of those people who can actually focus on one project at a time :') also I've finished refining the outline for the rest of this fic! there's still plenty of chapters left but it's nice to feel like I'm getting somewhere haha.

as usual, you can find the pinterest board for this fic at my account suicidal_stolen_art