CHAPTER 23: SHADOWS ON THE WAY

PERCY

When I came to, it took me a moment to remember everything that had happened. All that was on my mind was the half-fuzzy pain of my injuries, blotted out by painkillers. Still, it only took a moment for everything to come crashing back. I sat up sharply in my infirmary bed, barely even caring about the sudden pain of the stitches I'd pulled with the motion. "Annabeth. Where's...Where's Annabeth?"

I was quickly pressed back down by hands on my shoulders. "Percy, slow down," Thalia ordered, who I'd only just registered was sitting at my bedside. There was a stack of files on the table next to her; I assumed she'd been working through them as something to do while I slept.

I tried to push Thalia's hands away, but found I was too weak and couldn't catch my breath. "You..." I managed. "Did you—"

"Shush," Thalia told me. "It's only been a couple hours since Will put in those stitches. If you pop them, the blood from the transfusion you were given will come rushing back out, okay? Stop fighting me and lie down."

I gave up, flopping back down on my pillow and groaned at the jolt to my shoulder. "Fuck."

Thalia gave me a look. "What did I tell you?"

I glared at her. "I'll be fine, alright? Just tell me if you saved Annabeth." At that, Thalia was silent. Wordless. A sinking feeling pooled in my gut. "Tell me—tell me she's not..."

Thalia cracked her knuckles, a nervous tic of hers. "Please don't lose your shit, okay? We don't know where she is. We tried, Percy, but it was just too chaotic. None of us could find her in the crossfire."

I started shaking my head, balling my hands into fists. "No. No."

"Percy, calm down—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I shouted. "You're telling me that SPQR has her? That she's at the mercy of their interrogators?" I dug the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, trying to keep control of my breathing. "Do you realise what this means?" I asked, more slowly. "It won't be long before they work out who she is. That she's Sir's niece, making her the heir of the fucking Organisation."

"I know," Thalia interrupted, firmly. "I know, alright? Everything's gone to shit. Ugliano has Annabeth. The gangs of New York have all been rallied against us. I know we're screwed, you don't have to tell me." I carefully eased myself upright, ignoring Thalia's protests. Swinging my legs off the bed, I bent to check the gunshot wound in my calf. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"What do you think? I'm going to save Annabeth."

She gaped at me. "What, alone? Jackson, we're having a meeting in an hour with the others. Now that the whole city's against us, we have to strike first. We're not sure how yet, but we're going to attempt a full-scale attack against SPQR. If we cut off the head of the beast, Ugliano's alliance will hopefully fall apart."

"I'm coming."

"If you think you can stand, then fine. But if I see you having even the slightest bit of trouble with your injuries, I'm sending you back to the infirmary."

I raised a brow. "You really think you can make me hang out here while Annabeth's in danger?"

"Yes, Percy. Because you've taken two bullets in the last twenty-four hours." At my irritated expression, Thalia sighed. "I know you're capable of carrying out an operation while wounded, okay? But I need you to at least rest up for a while."

I let out a dry laugh. "That's rich, coming from you." Instantly, I felt bad. I'd hit a sore spot and it was clear from the betrayed look that crossed Thalia's face. "Sorry," I muttered. "That was uncalled for. I'm just on edge right now."

Thalia didn't look like she was in the mood to rise to the bait. "Whatever, Jackson," she muttered. "Now, you wanna change into some fresh clothes or what?"

We had some time to kill before the meeting, so Thalia and I headed over to her dorm—but not before I'd nipped into my own room to change out of my bloodstained, tattered suit. Once we were settled inside, she made two mugs of her patented hot chocolate. Handing one to me, she told me, "Careful. It's hot."

"Thanks," I replied. The morphine I'd been given was beginning to wear off, but the pain was getting duller anyway. Still, I was careful not to move my right shoulder too hard. Thalia was right in some respects; I did need to rest up tonight if I was going to be part of the attack which would most likely commence sometime in the next few days, depending on what we decided during the meeting later. Blowing on my hot chocolate to cool it, I sat down in a chair by Thalia's window.

She took the bed, kicking off her combat boots and stretching out. Raising her hot chocolate to her lips, she made a satisfied sound. "Thank God. I've needed this all day."

I grinned. "Some people are addicted to alcohol, others to drugs, and you're addicted to goddamn hot chocolate."

Thalia swore at me, chucking a pillow hard in my direction. I laughed and ducked, not too keen on getting hit in the face. "Says the person who has at least four cigarettes a day."

"Four isn't that bad," I protested. "Besides, I could stop if I wanted to."

"Yeah, right."

"I could!"

She cocked a brow. "So stop," she challenged.

"Fuck off," I muttered, taking a scalding sip of my drink. "It's harder than it looks, alright?"

"Yeah, I know," she conceded. "You could try and quit the way my mom did."

"How did she?"

Thalia rolled onto her front, making a valiant but failed effort not to spill hot chocolate on her bedsheets. "Well, she never used the nicotine patches I bought her. So I started stealing her cigarette packs—she always smoked straights—and cut each cigarette in half before I replaced them. 'Course, I got yelled at for it, but I think my mom could tell how much I wanted her to stop. Anyway, she let me keep doing it. Some sick effort to please me, I think."

"And that helped her quit?" I asked, incredulous. "Wouldn't you just smoke more cigarettes to make up for the fact they're shorter?"

Thalia shrugged. "She did quit in the end, though I'm not sure if my half-cigarette thing actually worked. It was probably just the guilt that did it."

I went quiet for a moment. "I'll try and stop," I said. "After all this."

Thalia gave me a half-smile. "I'm glad." After a moment, she asked, "What will you do, after? Go back to Paris?"

I nodded. "Probably, yeah. Too many loose ends over there I've left untied. But I don't know. I'd like to stay with Annabeth."

At that, Thalia shot me a knowing look. "You two are so sweet," she said, smiling. "But, Percy...You know she's not ever going to be able to leave the Organisation, right? Not while her uncle's around."

I exhaled, watching the steam from my hot chocolate dissipate into the air. "I know," I said quietly. "But I'm not intending to go anywhere she can't follow me." My thoughts wandered to Annabeth, as they so often did. Was she cuffed to an interrogation table beneath blinding lights right now, or was she alone in a dark room? I wanted to help her, but I knew there was nothing to be done right now. Still, that didn't stop me from thinking about all the ways I could kill Gabe for taking Annabeth from me.

"Percy," Thalia said gently.

Her voice roused me from the dissociative state I'd fallen into. I shook my head, chiding myself. "Sorry. I was just—just thinking."

"Don't be sorry." The pause that followed was tangible, weighed down by our ceaseless thoughts. When she spoke again, it was almost a shock. "We're going to save her, you know," she told me. "We're going to save her, and kill Ugliano, and finally take down SPQR. Then I'll have my surgery, and then...maybe we can all go home." The last few words were halting, but determination still bled from her tone.

I smiled at her, trying to summon hope that was barely there. I knew how scared she was—this final surgery dictated whether she'd live or die. And I really, really didn't want to think about her dying. "We will," I said firmly. "We will get to go home."

Thalia sat up, reaching for me. She pulled me into a hug, careful not to hurt my shoulder. "I hope so," she said, then pulled away. "Come on, finish your hot chocolate. It's going cold."

It was almost eleven 'o' clock by the time we all convened for the meeting. I was tired and ready to pass out into a healing sleep, but I knew we had to start planning the attack if we were going to pull it off. The question wasn't if our forces were strong enough, because we knew they were—it was how to get the element of surprise. If Ugliano had any warning whatsoever, his allies' reinforcements would overrun our squads in seconds. We needed a cohesive plan.

We were all sitting in Will's office. Pages of notes and abandoned plans were stacked on the table before us, but we weren't giving up yet. Nico tapped his pencil on the table. "We need to somehow get one of our people on the inside," he mused. "Buying off one of Ugliano's officers is too dangerous—we could be led straight into a trap."

Thalia leaned back in her chair. "Yeah, but how are we going to go about doing that? This is SPQR headquarters we're talking about. Security is gonna be tight."

"I know my way around the place," I said. "I could get two, maybe three people inside just by capturing a few recruits and swapping out their uniforms. The problem is, how are we going to storm the base without getting shut down?"

Will stared at the notebook in front of him, lost in thought. "We could use those masquerading as recruits to cause some sort of diversion, maybe." He turned to me. "You're positive it'd be possible to sneak one or two people in as recruits?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Back when I was in SPQR, I used to train with new recruits all the time. A lot might have changed since then, but I've cross-referenced what I remember with all the information we've learned from recent interrogations. Long story short: yeah, I could do it."

Thalia hummed. "What about if we reach out to a gang leader who isn't in SPQR? It's not as though the whole city has love for Ugliano, so perhaps we could send in one of our own officers using their identity under the guise of wanting to make some sort of trade with Ugliano himself. That'd be the fastest way to actually work out where he is, while the rest of our forces flood in during the diversion caused by Percy's plan—officers disguised as recruits. That way we could carry out the assassination and overwhelm SPQR's main base at the same time."

I fidgeted with the cuff of my sleeve. Where would Annabeth be during all this? Would it be possible to save her too, even during such a large-scale attack? "I'll go in as one of the recruits," I said slowly. "Maybe I could infiltrate SPQR's prison chambers in the sub-levels of their headquarters; that's where they keep Gabe's political prisoners, so if he's worked out Annabeth's identity then that's where she'll be. I'm certain that breaking into the prison would be a big enough diversion to allow the rest of our forces to flood in."

Will scribbled something down in his notebook, then nodded. "Okay. Nico, you'll go with Percy. Your jobs will be breaking into the prison chambers—make sure the prisoners inside know that it's the Organisation who's liberating them. Use them to create chaos, but remember to save Chase in the process." He wrote something else, then placed his pen down on the table. "I will enter the base under the alias of another gang leader," he continued, "and will arrange to see Ugliano for some sort of trade. Weapons, I think. I already have an inkling about who to ask, but we'll have to wait to see if they'll cooperate."

Thalia folded her arms. "I'll coordinate our offense squads outside the building, though I'll need to reach out to higher-ups for more reinforcements." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I think this plan is possible. We can do this. Tomorrow, we'll carry out all the prep. It's tomorrow night or never, basically. Ugliano is already going to be rallying the gangs, so we have to take SPQR by surprise before they can even think about making their move." Her gaze flickered to my own. "Jackson, do you think you'll be recovered enough by tomorrow? I'd prefer not to send you in with an injury, but..." She shrugged helplessly. "You know the base more intimately than any of us."

Subconsciously, I rolled my shoulder. It still hurt like hell, but I could at least handle a gun with some degree of accuracy. The wound in my calf was superficial; I could run as fast as I'd ever been able to. "I'll be fine," I said. "My shoulder's getting better and my leg isn't giving me trouble at all."

Thalia didn't look convinced, but Will grinned. "Great. So, meeting adjourned, I suppose? Get as much rest as you can, everyone. Tomorrow's an early start."

The next day was a blur of planning and constant preparation. My shoulder ached as I carried out briefing after briefing, making sure that our attack squads were all ready for nightfall. I tried not to let myself think too hard about the fact that I was voluntarily walking into my stepfather's base; I had to remain calm. Still, every time I felt my anxious thoughts starting to clamour for attention, I would think about Annabeth. Captured and alone, she would die in SPQR's prison chambers if we didn't save her.

Evening rolled around. I changed into the SPQR recruit training gear one of our recon teams had managed to get ahold of, tucking my pistol into its holder and slipping my knives into their forearm sheaths. Lastly, I pulled a black baseball cap over my head. Though I would still be recognised if anyone looked at me too hard, the cap and uniform would hopefully let me slip in unnoticed. As I stared into my bathroom mirror, a feeling of déjà vu washed over me. I remembered standing here before the speakeasy when Annabeth was fixing my tie, her nimble fingers knotting it in place more expertly than I ever could've done it.

I wished she was here. So badly.

Thirty minutes later, Nico and I were in a van and on our way to SPQR's headquarters in Manhattan. It was underground, on the same street as the Flatiron building. Nico's hands were tense on the steering wheel, betraying his nerves. He was dressed similarly to me, clad in SPQR's recruit training gear. He wasn't wearing a cap, however; his face wasn't instantly, dangerously recognisable in the way that mine was.

Rain trickled down the van's windows, forming strange shapes in the condensation. "You remember the plan?" I asked, wanting reassurance.

Nico nodded, making a strand of his black bangs fall into his eyes. He tucked it back with a degree of irritation. "We'll be fine," he muttered, "as long as we get our hands on a high-ranking hostage sooner rather than later."

I checked that my knives were snug in their sheaths, that my ammo was safely tucked into my belt and out of sight. "Don't talk to anyone for too long," I advised. "Everyone knows everyone in SPQR. It won't take much for them to realise we're imposters."

"Or that you're Ugliano's stepson," Nico added, raising an eyebrow.

I let out an anxious sigh, dropping my elbow onto the van's sill panel and leaning on my fist. "Just don't forget the plan, alright?"

Will was going in first through the main entrance, escorted by SPQR officers. He'd bargained with one of the older New York gangs—the Karstein crime family—and, after procuring a good chunk of money from the Organisation's higher-ups, had bought them off. They, famously, had influence within the military and often sold their weapons stocks to SPQR. This was information we'd found out from our SPQR captives.

Will was using the alias Harvey Karstein. Harvey was the son of Lincoln Karstein, the gang's leader, and was set to inherit the role after his father. Harvey was young and not yet well-known, making him the perfect identity for Will to assume. The hope was that Will would be taken straight to Gabe in order to make negotiations, as had been planned, and he'd be able to report Ugliano's whereabouts back to us.

Nico and I were sitting in our van in a back alley behind SPQR's headquarters. We were waiting for the go-ahead from Will, who'd just disappeared inside. Thalia had reported that he was being heavily guarded, as we'd expected. SPQR wouldn't want to harm Harvey for fear of angering the Karsteins, but there was no way they'd let anyone into their main headquarters without an armed escort.

Beside me, Nico kept bouncing his knee. "Why hasn't he contacted us yet?" he muttered, staring in the direction of the base as if he might be able to see Will through the stone walls.

"Stop stressing out," I told him. "He's got to wait until he's left alone to be able to use comms, and we can't go in until we know for sure that they're going to take him to Ugliano."

Just then, the comm set built into the van's interior crackled. Will's voice came through, slightly distorted. "Alright. They've left me in a waiting room. They said that Ugliano's aware of my presence and has agreed to meet me in just a moment. I think he's pretty eager to negotiate the weapons deal, given his plans to take down the Organisation. I'll keep you updated."

Nico breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, he's okay."

"Let's get going. We should be able to walk in through the recruit entrance, but we might be stopped. If we are, I'll do the talking. Yeah?"

"Sounds good."

The alleyways behind SPQR's headquarters all stank of mould and the cobblestones beneath our feet were slowly cracking. Still, I knew the dilapidated state of this area was nothing but a mask. Embedded within the walls' crumbling mortar I expected there'd be cameras, and surveillance teams armed with sniper guns probably lined the buildings above. Hopefully, they'd notice our SPQR uniforms and see nothing but a pair of recruits coming back from a reconnaissance op or a drug run.

What looked from the outside like an abandoned warehouse loomed above us. Even from this distance, hateful nostalgia from my youth was beginning to settle over me like a blanket. I'd been here countless times, always accompanying my stepdad for training or to help him negotiate deals. Every goddamn bone in my body screamed at me to turn back, but I made myself keep moving. Annabeth. I had to save Annabeth.

I led Nico down a set of steps that looked like an old subway tunnel entrance. He stuck close behind me, hand resting inconspicuously on the holster of his gun. We came to a vault-like door which had the letters SPQR finely engraved into its metal. Two guards stood beside it, pistols in hand. Their collective gaze was heavy but bored—I imagined recruits coming in and out of this entrance was at least an hourly occurrence. "Identify yourselves," one barked.

I stepped forward, and the words spilled easily from my mouth. "Squad 11E."

"Rank and commanding officer?"

"Both recruits," I replied, schooling my face into a neutral expression. Don't recognise me. Please, don't recognise me. "Our commanding officer is Lieutenant Juno."

Neither of the guards really seemed to register my voice. One of them turned and inputted a numerical combination into the keypad behind them, and the vault swung open. I nodded at the guards in thanks. As Nico and I walked through, I hardly dared to breathe.

We emerged into the building. It was busier than I'd anticipated—we walked past dozens of bustling recruits and several shooting ranges. I remembered standing in those, after-hours, trying desperately to get a bullseye. I hadn't been a great shot in the beginning, but Gabe hadn't liked that. He'd made sure I improved soon enough.

Nico seemed to sense that my breathing was getting faster, that I was working my way up to a panic attack. He grabbed my sleeve, an anchoring presence. "Calm down," he whispered. "We'll be out of here soon enough."

I nodded, albeit a little frantically. "I know, I know." He was right. Everything would be fine later, but first we had a mission to carry out.

As I guided us through the labyrinthine hallways of the recruit training sector, Nico said, "We need to take a hostage in order to get down to the sub-levels."

"We will, when I see someone of high enough ranking," I replied in a low tone. "If we just capture some expendable recruit, SPQR's security won't give a shit. They'll shoot right through them. Besides, we should wait for another update from Will."

"I hope he's alright," Nico murmured.

I hoped so too, but as time went on and on I was slowly becoming more worried. If Will's identity had been compromised, I didn't want to think of the repercussions. And maybe it was merciless thinking, but our plan would only work if he at least found out Ugliano's location before being discovered.

A few seconds later, Will's voice crackled into the comm set at my ear with perfect timing. "I've been taken to the upper levels. They told me something to do with a safe room in Sector Nine, which I assume is where the negotiation will happen. Ugliano is there right now, in a board meeting. Something seems weird, though—" His connection broke off.

Nico tensed beside me. He tapped a finger to his comm set, turning on the mic. "What? What's off?" Nothing. "Solace, answer me."

Will's connection returned. A tone of unease was bleeding into his words. "—and they told me to wait here. I think something's off, Nico, the guards are all on edge. I'm not paranoid. Shit, they're back—" Silence, for real this time.

Nico was shaking, face ashen. "God, they've got him. They've got him."

I seized his shoulder. "We don't have much time. Get in contact with Thalia, tell her we're splitting up. You go after Will, and I'll go after Annabeth and create a diversion in the prison chambers."

Nico set his jaw, nodding. "How do I get there?"

"Two floors up. Use the service elevator—there should be one right down this hall. Keep in contact, yeah? Don't try and save Will out yourself, just follow from a distance and see where they take him. After I create the diversion, Thalia will signal for our forces to flood in. Stay calm, okay?"

Nico nodded haphazardly, and then he was off. I turned around, heading back into the busy corridors. As soon as I spotted someone of high rank, I'd use them as a hostage. Hopefully, no one would be dumb enough to fire at a commanding officer. And if I revealed my identity, I knew that there was no way I'd be killed. I doubted Ugliano would be pleased if someone killed his stepson after he'd tried for so long to do it by his own hand.

Time blurred into itself. All I could think of was Annabeth, how she was probably alone and scared in my stepfather's hellish prison chambers. I turned the corner of yet another hallway, hand brushing the holster of my gun. My eyes latched onto a man standing in the hallway before me. His back was turned, and he was speaking into a silver, gleaming phone. He looked expensive—that was the only way I could describe it.

Carefully, I flicked the safety of my gun off. The sound startled him. He turned around, bringing his phone away from his ear. I recognised him, though I couldn't recall his name; he was one of Juno's co-ranking officers. Before he could even react, I sprang at him. "What the—"

I jabbed my gun into his back and pulled a knife, setting the blunt edge of my blade against his neck. "Quiet," I hissed. "Do you want a bullet in your back?" The man had enough sense not to struggle, but I could see his hand drifting toward the gun at his belt. In one easy movement, I pulled it out and knocked it to the floor. "I don't think so," I smiled, letting a cruel veneer slip over my features.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded, then let out a wheeze when I jabbed the gun harder into his back.

"I said, quiet. Do you have clearance to reach Ugliano's prison chambers?" When he started shaking his head, I turned the blade in my hand ever so slightly to the sharp edge. "Don't lie. Someone of your rank probably carries out interrogations there all the time."

He gasped involuntarily, shrinking away from my knife. "Okay, okay, I'll take you there. Jesus, don't cut my fucking throat!"

"It's Percy, actually."

We stayed quietly hidden on the way to SPQR's prison chambers, mostly out of sight. I hadn't yet released any bullets, and I was glad of it; I'd need them when the fight actually begun. As we descended further and further into the sub-levels of the base, anticipation began to build up in me like frostbite. A tremor settled into my fingers, and it was all I could do not to drop the knife I currently held to my hostage's neck.

We approached a key-card activated elevator. "Scan it," I snapped.

"Okay!" He withdrew a slim card from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and waved it in front of the scanner. To my relief, the light went green and the elevator doors creaked open.

We walked inside. I gestured to the glowing row of buttons next to the door, listing all the sub-levels below us. "Go on. The prison chambers. Remember, one misstep and you're dead." He swallowed audibly, then reached out and tentatively pushed the button that marked the lowest sub-level.

The journey down was long and utterly terrifying. The fluorescent lights of the ceiling above bore down on me with a sickening force, and I tried to tune out the clanking of the elevator's machinery.

The doors slid open. We hadn't even stepped out of the elevator before the guards outside reacted. I instinctively ducked as a bullet sparked on the metal behind us, but the commanding officer I'd captured screamed, raising his hands in alarm. "Don't shoot, please!"

I stepped out. There were three guards, all of them with guns raised. I watched as they registered my knife at his throat, my gun that was pressed against his spine. Then they realised who it was under my control: one of Ugliano's prized lieutenants. "I have a hostage," I announced, voice cold and curt as anything. "You will drop your weapons. You will let me pass. You will wait until I am out of sight before summoning security. If I see any of you activate those comm sets on your ears, then this man is dead—effective immediately."

The guard in front scrambled to drop his gun on the floor, stepping out of my way. The second followed suit instinctively. Realising he couldn't take me on alone, the third guard gave me an irritated, hard glare and laid his weapon down. I walked past quickly, not quite willing to trust the guards. I could feel myself starting to sweat, mostly from fear.

The prison chambers were dimly lit, all grated floors and jail cells lined with bars. As soon as the first prisoner laid eyes on me, they rattled their cage and called out, "Who's this?" Steeling myself, I forced myself to meet their eyes. There were dozens upon dozens of prisoners in the chambers, all of them shouting that an intruder had broken in. Their faces were ragged, animalistic. The glowing red light of a security camera peered down at me, and the realisation hit me that I was running out of time. How was I going to open the doors? My gaze snagged on a control box on the other side of the hallway.

In one brisk motion, I knocked my hostage's legs out from under him and dealt him a swift blow to the temple with the muzzle of my gun. He groaned, rendered incapable of fighting back. "Stay there," I spat. I jogged down the hallway, allowing myself to be surrounded by the prisoners' jeers and taunts. I hadn't found Annabeth yet, but with luck she'd emerge when I opened the doors. "Listen up!" I yelled harshly, addressing the prisoners. "I'm here to break you out. I'm with the Organisation." A ripple of confusion washed over every bleak face in the cages. The Organisation? I heard them murmur. Are we being saved? "All of you need to rush at once," I continued, heading for the control panel. As the prisoners started to realise they really did have a chance at getting out of this hellscape, their shouting built to a crescendo.

I stared at the buttons and levers on the panel, uncertain what to press. Fuck it. I didn't have time to waste; I needed to create a diversion now.I raised my gun and bashed it into the panel, again and again and again. Sparks flew, sprinklers went off above us. I was drenched to the skin within seconds, suddenly caught in a mock thunderstorm. My arm was aching with the strain, but I kept going. The thought of leaving Annabeth here tore through me, and I let out a guttural cry of effort as I let the muzzle of my gun collide with the panel with more force than ever before.

To my relief, the collective groan of the cell doors opening echoed through the chamber. The prisoners whooped as they stumbled out, rushing in the direction of the elevator and guards. Most of them were emaciated and bloodied from interrogation, but they were quickly swept up in a haze of adrenaline. "Annabeth?" I called uncertainly. My lone voice was quickly lost to the prison's uproar. I clicked my comm set to update my status, backing against the wall as prisoners rushed past me. "I've liberated the prisoners," I spoke into the mic. "Should be enough of a diversion. I'm still looking for Chase."

Thalia's voice crackled back a second later. "Roger that, Jackson. I'll send an order to the offence teams."

I hurried down the hallway, dodging fleeing prisoners and shouting, "Annabeth? Where are you?" Desperation seized me. What if she wasn't here? What if she was still in the interrogation rooms?

Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice. "Percy!"

I sped up, rounding a corner. When my gaze fell on Annabeth, cuffed in the corner of a cell, I let out a half-delirious sob. "Oh, thank God." I ran to her, sliding my gun back into its holster. I pulled her into an embrace, inhaling the warmth and smell of her. "God, I missed you."

Annabeth leaned into me, shaking. "I can't believe you're here," she croaked. "I thought I was as good as dead."

I could do nothing but shake my head, reaching up to cup her cheek with a kind of reverence. She had a black eye and a busted lip, and her blonde hair was matted and drenched by the sprinklers that still cascaded water from above us. Still, she was as beautiful as ever. "Who did this to you?" I breathed.

"Juno. She worked it out first, that I'm Sir's niece." Annabeth exhaled shakily. She sounded battered, but not broken. "I'm due for another interrogation in less than an hour. Thank God you came when you did."

Anger rose in me, a suffocating dust storm, but I stifled it. I'd deal with Juno another time. "We're getting out of here," I managed. I lifted my gun and brought its muzzle down hard on the chain of Annabeth's cuffs, shattering them. "Come on." I pulled Annabeth to her feet, holding her against me. She was unsteady on her feet but could stand well enough.

We staggered to the elevator, soaking wet and tired. The base's alarm sounded above us, earsplittingly loud. All the prisoners were gone, which I hoped was a good sign. SPQR would be so busy fending off the sudden attack of all their worst political prisoners at once that our forces would be able to storm the building.

The job was far from done, though. I wanted to kill everyone in the building for hurting Annabeth, but I figured Gabe would be a good start.

The elevator began to rise, its light glaring down on us. Ink-dark shadows on the way up flickered in and out of sight. Annabeth's hand was loosely intertwined with mine. She raised it to her lips, pressing a kiss to my scarred knuckle. "So, what now?" she asked. "We kill your stepfather?"

"You'll need a weapon." I offered her my gun—I could fight with knives alone. She took it, flicking off the safety. A fierce look settled over her. Her gaze was nothing but ruthless steel, cold and forbidden and beautiful.

As we ascended, I realised I'd kill for this girl, die for her, do anything for her—all because she made me forget to be afraid.

We could have everything. In time.

thanks for reading, hopefully you liked it! I really can't believe there's only a couple chapters left of this. feels like I'm slowly coming to the end of a journey. excited for next week's chapter :)