BARGAINING BETHANNY
The birds chirped in the air, and the leaves in the trees rustled. The silence was deafening, and Annabeth wanted to throw up from the looks on the assassin's faces. Their hoods were up, but she was at the right angle to where she could see their frowns. They all unsheathed their weapons.
Annabeth happened to notice the change from the celestial bronze metal, to gold in the leader's hand. His arm wobbled, and Annabeth could tell he wasn't as balanced with the weapon as he was his other sword. Without second hesitation, Annabeth dropped Rachel against the porch and pulled the bow off her back. She snatched an arrow and knocked her bow, aiming for their leader.
She kept her face blank, not wanting to make the first move. Even with her knife, the princess had always been one for defense rather than offense. With the bow, she couldn't quite use that technique, but she could hold off on shooting until they attacked. She had no doubt they could all take her down, and that was just from seeing Jason's skill. As long as she kept them away from her, she should have the upper hand.
When the one in front went to take a step, Annabeth aimed the arrow at his head. "Don't move."
The assassins didn't seem unnerved, they just snorted or gave her sympathetic eyes. She kept her eyes on their leader, wanting him to back off. It was Annabeth's goal to find them and join them, but not with Rachel here. Rachel was close with the royal family, and Annabeth didn't know how she'd react.
"Then don't hurt the girl," He responded, his voice smooth and thick. He sounded the same as last time, just more nervous. He raised his hands in surrender, dropping his weapon. He motioned to the rest of his group to do the same, and they did but with murmurs.
"Why should I trust you?"
He chuckled humorously, taking a few steps forward. He wasn't very far from Annabeth now, about five steps from the porch. "You have no reason to."
"If I were you I'd take a step back. I'm not afraid to shoot."
"And I'm not afraid to attack." He snapped his fingers, and his group snatched their swords and daggers from the ground, standing ready in a battle stance. They all flowed out into a semi-circle, blocking Annabeth from exiting the porch.
Before any of them could utter another word, when their leader stride forward again, Annabeth released the arrow. It flew straight past his shoulder and weaved right over the head of one of the shorter assassins. She squeaked, ducking. Annabeth smirked, loading another arrow.
"Take another step, and I won't miss." If Annabeth was honest with herself, she was rusty with the bow. She had meant to miss by even more, but she had accidentally shot too close. If she had hit one of them, she would've been in huge trouble. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't want anything from you, sweetheart."
Annabeth raised an eyebrow. She lowered her bow but kept her arrow knocked. "Then what are you looking for?"
"The jewel behind you,"
Without thinking, Annabeth took a few split seconds to aim her bow. She released the arrow and saw it flying towards the leader. He quickly sidestepped, the arrow missing his face by an inch.
Annabeth wasn't about to let anyone have Rachel. All the girl wanted was to get recognized by her parents. She wanted to go home and sleep peacefully in her bed. She had been so confused and so inviting to the blonde. She just wanted to be kind, and now the rebels tried to get their dirty hands on her.
She understood she wasn't supposed to be making an enemy with them, but a friend. Instead, she was fighting with them. Annabeth was willing to do anything for the citizens, even if it were for a townsperson from Delphi. It didn't matter anyway, as if they had more time, Annabeth guessed they would've made great friends.
However, the dark magic entranced Rachel, making that impossible. And now, Annabeth had to do her job, even if she didn't want to. She couldn't just leave Rachel if she were to convince the assassins to take her instead. Besides, they probably wouldn't agree to that. She would have to find a way to get Rachel home and make sure the assassins allowed her to join her group.
A plan began to form in the back of her mind.
"Look," Annabeth said, setting her bow on the rotting wood porch. She put her hands in surrender, as the rebels did earlier. "I'll stop shooting. Tell me why you need her."
"Our boss informed us of the potential she holds." He answered without hesitation. At that, Annabeth searched at the surrounding assassins, looking for any sign that he was lying. She found none. It was too hard to tell with their hoods on.
She stared at the principal of the group. "What kind of potential?"
"Sweetheart, I don't think that's any of your business."
"If you want any chance of getting her, you better understand that it is all my business. I'm not letting you take her."
"Too dangerous for your liking?"
"Never." At his chuckle, she cleared her throat. He looked her in the eyes. "You don't have my trust."
"Is the pretty lady controlled by you?"
Scoffing, the princess rolled her eyes and replied. "I'll have you know, if she were able to speak for herself, she'd have no trouble doing it."
"Enough, chitter-chatter." A voice boomed from behind the leader. He looked identical to his leader. A large belt wrapped around his waist, sagging from the weight. A couple of bags of coins hung from it, along with his sword's sheath. "Hand over Rachel Dare."
Annabeth could tell by the voice that it was Jason. She sneered as his grip tightened around his sword. She didn't pick up her weapon, though. She kept as calm as she could, standing in a strong stance in front of Rachel.
The idea in her head stretched. She could keep Rachel safe, give the assassins what they want, and join them herself. It would be a three in one. She could explain why she did what she did when Rachel awoke and would watch after her. She had no doubt Rachel couldn't watch herself, but Annabeth felt the need to protect her.
This way, everyone could be happy. Well, hopefully, Rachel wouldn't mind. Maybe one day, when everything settled down, she could sit and have a chat with her and explain the deep exclamation of why she did everything. It wouldn't be some half-ass reason, but the full reason. She could see herself and Rachel as very good friends. She could only hope her thoughts and wishes were true.
"First give me the reason your boss thinks she's valuable."
She could hear the mumbles as Jason and the leader argued. They bantered back and forth under their breath. Annabeth smirked as she watched. It was a funny sight to see. Although, before Jason could stop him, the head announced something that rang a bell in her head.
"She withholds the power of prophecy."
No wonder all the lines Rachel sprouted out of her mouth sounded like nonsense. They were her future. They were what she had to look at for her future. Whether it was the near or far future, she had to prepare herself. She was going to get married. There was no way she could stop that. She already figured out that much.
But a battle with no victory. How was she supposed to avoid that? Obviously, she was going to lose something? Would it be a person? Would it be a family or friend? Would someone fall ill? Could the kingdoms in Greece get attacked, resulting in a cataclysmic event to end the kingdoms as they know it? She could only guess it would be a battle. That much was obvious. She just didn't know what.
Knowing that Annabeth was going to get hated by her people broke her heart. She knew that shortly after she got married, she was supposed to get crowned queen and her husband king. It upset her on numerous ends that she wasn't going to have the people in her kingdom to back her up. She would be all alone, marrying her worst enemy.
And since the fates of the universe already set that shit to happen to her, it was inevitable. She was going to marry her worst enemy, lose a battle, and get betrayed by her kingdom. It wasn't something she should be jumping for joy about, but everything made sense now. Well, everything except for the fact that she was unsure of her future.
"She gave you lines, didn't she?" Jason questioned, stepping closer to the porch.
"You must be good at reading people because she surely did."
"What were they?"
"None of your business."
"Unless you want a fight, it is all our business, sweetheart." The leader piped up, grinning under his hood. He played Annabeth as she played him a second ago.
Annabeth shook her head. "I'm not telling."
"I guess we'll have to fight for it then," Jason said, pointing his gold sword at her.
The rest of the soldiers closed in. Before she could do anything to stop them from getting too close, Annabeth pushed her hands out. She looked all of them in the eyes. Her faux brown eyes glared holes into their foreheads.
"Stop! I'll make you a deal!"
The seven looters stopped, Jason still in battle stance. The others had closed in, now close to Jason and the leader. They all started at Annabeth, their hoods blocking the looks in their eyes. Although, the princess could see the confusion and the jumpiness in them all.
Annabeth bit her lip. She could offer Rachel to them instead of telling them her lines. In the making, she finds a way to sneak herself in. Or she could easily tell them the lines and keep Rachel safe. The problem with that, though, was that she got highly outmatched. She could tell them her lines, and they still would fight her to take the oracle. Even then, they may be smart enough to realize that they weren't only talking about the Princess of Athens, but her. Thirdly, she could offer to fight them. If she lost, they got Rachel. If she won, she got the girl.
The problem with all of them was that no matter what she couldn't talk them into taking her. They already had a large group, and what had they seen from her so far? Her miss two shots? Yeah, so much for trying to talk them into recruiting her.
The thing about a deal was that you had to bargain for something they wanted. They wanted Rachel, but they also wanted her lines. If anything, they must have figured she was important if they wanted the lines that got given to her. In her books, prophecies were important when big things were about to happen. That only made Annabeth more nervous.
She tried to think back to a few weeks ago, trying to recall if they had said anything. She knew they hated the royals, that much was obvious. Even if they had mentioned something about that, it didn't matter. Their rebellious actions spoke more than words. Annabeth already knew she was to pose as an angry peasant, kingdom hopping.
They wanted Rachel, or at least their "boss" wanted Rachel. If she could convince them that she was against the royals, and hated them with every fiber in her body, they might recruit her. That would only be if she acted it out perfectly. Hating the way they ruled and used their status for their good did anger her, but hating the people would be hard. She loved some of those people, and they were family.
She got left with no choice.
"I fight your leader." Chuckles and giggles rang through the area. "I win; I get half of the money in your pockets. I lose; you get to take both Rachel and me."
"We don't need you. Our boss didn't mention any girl other than Rachel." Jason chided, clicking his tongue.
"I don't care what your fucking boss said. It's both of us or neither of us."
"Taking you could get us in trouble with him. We don't need any more trouble. Living in a crooked land is enough."
"You got one thing right." She scoffed, taking the open opportunity. "The royals can go fuck themselves."
The words hurt, but she couldn't be all unicorns and rainbows. She had to show her loath for them. Whether it was as a person or as a ruler. She had to show her group of friends and family what a ruthless bitch she could be.
"Jesus, sweetheart. Didn't think you had it in you." The leader spoke, amusement clear in his tone. Jason's eyebrows had been blown to the top of his head, now invisible under his hood. The rest of the group was silent, whether in shock or glee.
He strolled over and picked his sword up off the ground, rolling it around. He caught it, his grip tight on the hilt. Annabeth grabbed her knife from under her cloak, giving a twist of her wrist to be ready. She cracked her neck, stepping over her bow a few feet in front of her.
"I would like for all of you to step away from the house. If I catch any of you attempting to kidnap Rachel, my knife will be the last thing you see." The threat wasn't scary, but they backed up, one of them muttering, "A deal's a deal."
Annabeth unstrapped her quiver, lying beside her bow. She closed her eyes for a minute to pray to whatever God was up there. She wasn't so sure she could do it, but she had to try.
She stepped out into the clearing, taking a deep breath. The assassins backed away, and Annabeth got in a ready stance. She wasn't truly going to use her skill until the end, but she had to convince them that she was a fighter with more than one weapon. She would claim she'd rather use the bow, saving from suspicion. She'd make it seem like the bow was her go-to weapon, and that her dagger was her second option.
She didn't want Rachel to end up with the assassins. The more she thought about it, even giving her up to them was selfish. She needed to win but used her abilities to convince them to let her join. She could only assume how good his skills were, but she had been training for most of her life. She guessed the same for him but couldn't be sure. After seeing Jason fight weeks ago, she could only wonder if he was better.
Annabeth spotted two bags of coins sitting on the ground near the other assassins, and Annabeth vaguely noted that they must have been heavy for the principal to take them off. She didn't know how she'd fight with that much weight on her. It would probably end up giving her back issues. Instead of getting distracted, she needed to focus on the fight. So, she shook her head and prepared herself.
The fight began, with their leader taking the first lunge. She easily dodged, sidestepping his stab. She ended up behind him, but as soon as she whirled around to take a shot, he had already sliced at her. She ducked, stretching out her leg to take a kick. She managed to get the shot, but it only made him stumble.
He stabbed down where she was, but she rolled to the side before he could leave a wound. She got to her feet, slashing at his sword arm. He sidestepped, and Annabeth stumbled at the failed hit, pretending to be struggling. The leader got a nice slash at her shoulder, making her bite her tongue when a nice-sized cut broke through her shirt.
This was for Rachel. She had to do this. All for Rachel. To keep Rachel safe, including when the girl counted on her for it. Annabeth had no other option but to endure the pain, not wanting Rachel to have to feel it emotionally in the future.
Annabeth jumped up blindly, swinging her weapon. The boy chuckled and simply stepped back, watching the blood drip from her shoulder when she regained her balance. Annabeth took deep breaths, faking her exhaustion. When she saw the assassin roll his eyes from under his hood, she lost it.
For a while, they went at it. A continuous pattern of slash, stab, duck, tumble, roll, sidestep, lunge, etc. It was a real workout for the princess, but it felt nice to finally break loose. She had all the freedom in the world, even if there was a weight on her shoulders. She had to be serious, but she didn't have to act like anything was sitting on her.
For once in her life, she felt completely confident about something, even if it was as simple as winning the battle and bet.
Although the dagger was her number one weapon, she had to look rusty with it. That was a challenge considering she thought she wasn't too shabby with the weapon. So when the assassin leader kicked her to the ground with a grunt, Annabeth closed her eyes, taking action in her plan.
When she heard him chuckle, she threw her dagger in front of him. She watched the blade slash across the joint in his leg, causing him to stumble in surprise. She pushed herself up and snatched up her dagger, putting him in a headlock. Her dagger was at his neck, and he dropped his sword and grabbed her arm, twisting it so he could escape.
An electric shock ran up her arm, but she ignored it, grabbing his sword off the ground. Just as he spun around to look for it, he found it pointed at his neck. He stepped back, rubbing the spot where the weapon nicked him.
"I win." The princess breathed, keeping the sword pointed at him, her dagger ready at her side.
The leader coughed. "But I knocked you down first."
"But sweetie," She mocked in a casual tone. "I got your weapon away from you first. It's not always about brute strength. You have to use your head. Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes."
From the silence, Annabeth tried again. "I had a plan. I know I'm not at my best with my knife, so I didn't use it. I let you take charge, and I took defense. All along, I planned to let you win, unless you were terrible, of course, so then I could strike back with the element of surprise."
Clearing his throat, he grabbed two bags off the ground. "Well, congratulations. You won."
He gave up that easily? Annabeth's heartbeat skyrocketed. Her skills and her cleverness were supposed to impress them. That or they were supposed to ask her to join them. The head of the assassins probably made the decisions, and it wasn't looking like he was about to accept her. How was she going to get to them now?
Just as she took a step forward to grab her prize, one of the others in the group pulled his cloak. He spluttered but allowed it as they whispered something to him. This brought a small arguing match, mostly of harsh whispering. All of the rebels were bickering back and forth, glancing back at Annabeth every once in a while.
The leader turned back towards her, clearing his throat. "My fellow warriors believe that it is in our best interest that you join us for a mission."
"Mission?" Annabeth played stupid, wanting to seem as if she had no idea what they were talking about. She masked her relief with confusion. She hoped it worked. Her masks seldom failed. If any of them could see through it, they were major threats that she needed to keep track of.
"You mentioned you hate the royals, correct?"
She nodded.
"Our boss won't like it, but I think you'll fit in just fine. And since you won the deal, we will leave Rachel Dare alone."
"Since when have I cared about what your boss thinks?" She raised her eyebrow, but a grin was inevitable to fall on her face. "I appreciate you leaving Rachel alone."
"We had a deal, did we not, sweetheart? You're feisty and smart. Once we get past our… differences, we'll all get along just fine."
"I sure hope so." She began before finally deciding to correct the leader. She sheathed her dagger in her hidden waist belt. She strolled over to him, handing out his sword. He smiled at her from under his hood, grabbing his weapon. Annabeth kept her hand out. "Bethanny Grey."
He shook her hand. His grip was tight, and the contact sent thousands of tingles down her arms. She assumed it was just static electricity. "Percy Jackson, Commander of the Fifth Legion. Pleased to meet you."
They released hands, and everyone introduced themselves. Annabeth tried to keep track of who was who, picking out certain things in their cloaks or belts or their actions.
Hazel Levesque was a small petite girl, but Annabeth did not doubt her. She was the one with the skinny but long golden sword. She could track Jason with his voice, so it wasn't much of a struggle to remember him. Percy led the whole group, and with that alluring grin and deep voice, she wasn't sure how she'd forget him. Gwen and Dakota were like two peas in a pod, along with Jason and a girl called Reyna. One of the more silent rebels was Malcolm, who mostly stayed by himself but spoke when needed to. Annabeth recognized him as the boy that Will healed back in town. The one that created the distraction back in Athens.
An uneasy feeling turned in her stomach, but she ignored it. Part one of her journey was complete, and that was to find the assassins and join their team. She didn't know if she got to be with them permanently, but she was with them for a little while. If she could manage to get their trust and their secrets anytime soon, she'd be home with the snap of her fingers.
"What should we do with Rachel?" Annabeth questioned, just as the assassins prepared to walk off. "We can't just leave her there."
"Look, sweetheart. We just got chased out of town for these babies." Percy patted the bags of money he reattached to his belt. "We aren't going back in there."
"But-"
"That wasn't part of the deal, was it?"
"No."
"Then she stays. I'm sure she can make her way back."
Annabeth wanted to punch him again. The first time had felt satisfying as he was upsetting her, and now she thought it would be so much more. He didn't just disrespect her because she had been a princess last time. He just disrespected people in general, and that pissed her off.
However, he did mention that if they all put their hearts out they could become friends. She hoped that was true because she didn't know if she'd be able to deal with him for the next month or so. Maybe if she warmed up to him, he would warm up to her? He didn't seem like a bad guy when they shook hands, but it was all downhill otherwise.
They all offered to disobey their boss for her, so she better do what they say. Even though she despised being demanded around and not in charge, she knew it would have to be. She wasn't the leader here, Percy was. She'd have to respect that, and only take head when it is needed. If anything, she'd be in the last place behind everyone else.
The call to help Rachel out was so strong, but she ignored it. When she walked over to the porch to grab her bow and quiver, she almost took the open opportunity to dash out of the clearing with her. Instead, she shouldered her weapons and took a deep breath. She turned around and hopped down the stairs, throwing her hood over her head.
She blinked back the emotion that was creeping slowly in her chest. It was almost the same as the pain when the smoke had been in her lungs not so long ago. Her heart hurt, and as the group began to travel away from the clearing, she looked back once more. She saw the big red blob on the porch and sighed. She closed her eyes and mumbled a short prayer under her breath.
Before they got out of sight, Annabeth ran ahead to catch up with her new group. She could only wish that she could take Rachel home. But in the end, saving a larger group was more important than one person. It made a searing pain shoot up her back, but she had no other option. Save one person alone or all of Greece?
She had a duty to do. So she was going to do it. No matter how hard it hurts.
Words: 4,242
*groans* I suck at writing one on one sword fights. The amount of times I wrote those kinds of scenes to get better at them is insane. I could've done better on this one, but it wasn't the main focus of the chapter, so I let it slide. Annabeth interacting with the assassins and more mystery behind them was the focus.
Aside from being a Debby Downer, I'm very excited for the next few chapters!
Percy as an assassin is very fun to write. I imagine him as cocky and sly. Getting into more of his character as Percabeth progresses ( percanny;)) will be very fun to write. Also, the way Annabeth slowly learns more about who Percy really is will be exciting. She will get a bigger perspective on him, other than the jerk she thinks he is.
[ANY RECONGNIZABLE CHARACTERS GO TO RICK RIORDAN]
-Bookworm-2026