Please do not ignore the notes in bold.
Ashes, Roses, Secrets
by KnightOfBurgers,
for Reva.
Gray I
Annabeth's life was not normal. She had an ex who wanted to kill her. She had a boyfriend who would kill for her. And if that wasn't weird enough, she had a mother who never stopped poetically professing how perfect pathetic and inadequate her daughter was.
Harsh fluorescent light lit Athena's face sinisterly. She held Annabeth's report as if it was a weapon. Her eyes were burning gray spotlights, and her words were frozen rage. "This is unacceptable, Annabeth. Such displays of incompetence do not belong in this house."
How fortunate; I was just about to leave. If you would be so kind as to get provoked and ground me so I can escape through the window? I have a date tomorrow and I can't waste any more time in this jail.
But she had a part to play. To her parents, she was a dumb rebellious teenager with abandonment issues. So Annabeth stepped back and smiled wryly. "Au contraire, ma mère, I think this house is made for such incompetence! There's my academic 'failing', there's your horrible parenting. Then there's your non-existent emotionality and your failed marriage…. I dunno about you, but that's pretty good for the two of us! We've got us a little theme going here."
"Annabeth—"
"And as for my score: so what. I got a zero. That was the top score, everybody else got negatives. I got the A you wanted, chill out."
Athena didn't disappoint. "Grounded. Two weeks. Speak to me when you achieve something."
Annabeth glared at her, though internally she was rolling her eyes. And that's how we do it. Bravo Mom, thanks for playing your part perfectly.
"Leave."
And so Annabeth did. She stormed off. Slammed the door to her room, locked it. The process was eighty percent muscle memory, after so many times. Take out the backpack, select some books, stuff books and her knife into the backpack. Get into bed, toss and turn, spray some water on the pillow.
Within ten minutes, she was ready to escape. The next step was to read a book while waiting for Athena to go to sleep, before climbing out. (Her usual alibi was a fitful sleep and shame and regret.) However, Jason was going to teach her to shoot the next day, and she didn't want to spend hours at the Athena Federal Penitentiary the night before that.
She switched off the lights and climbed out the window. The jump to street level was risky and long, but Annabeth had experience and the knowledge of anatomy on her side.
She didn't hit the ground running, but it was pretty darn close. She had to get out of her neighborhood quickly. She'd never left this early, and there was no telling what was in store.
Annabeth jogged for five blocks before coming out of the shadows and slowing down. She spotted a bus stop and headed for it. A grandpa was waiting for a bus. She took a seat on the other side, bringing her backpack on her lap and sticking one hand inside it to grab the knife. She kept the knife and hand inside, though, not wanting to scare Mr. Grandpa.
Fortunately, her brain worked fast enough for her to think full throttle and still be vigilant. She thought of what she could-should-would do next. Her parents would expect her to escape after at least two hours, and expect her to arrive at her dad's half an hour or so after the escape. Now, how to spend this time?
The bus arrived. Annabeth got up and climbed on, Mr. Grandpa didn't. Right hand still gripping the concealed knife, she paid and chose a seat in the middle. She looked out the window, tried to come up with a plan. Her eyes fell on a nondescript diner and had a spark of realization followed by a wave of immeasurable disappointment. Idiot! I should've used the Labyrinth instead. I could've even gotten food while working on ideas at the Compound. God damn it, this was a good chance to get Tanishq off my back about the lag time…
But then her eyes changed focus from the streets to her reflection in the window. Annabeth squinted at herself. Right, focus on now. She dropped the knife for a second to add 'Head to the Compound' to her checklist for future escapes. So, where do I go?
Obviously, she needed food. Dinner had been light, and Annabeth's appetite was a monster. Helen would never have any leftovers, especially for her. Subway it is. Then what…? Maybe I can still work on ExtraSight. She tried to remember what was left before release. I haven't tried other heuristics yet. Maybe I can pre-screen some today.
Before Annabeth could plan any further, the bus came to a stop. It took her almost too long to figure out that they were in the last (safe) zone before the route got too close to her dad's neighborhood. Dropping the knife for agility's sake, she cursed and got off.
She didn't have to search for long. In fact, she didn't have to search at all: she just followed the bright lights, the beacon of food and potential heart disease.
Inside was unusually empty. Annabeth dug deep to come up with an 'I'm weird, don't talk to me' signal. She walked up to the lone lady at the counter and said, "One and two, small."
The lady yelled her order to whoever was working the kitchen, then started small talk… because apparently the 'I'm weird, don't talk to me' message had been unclear.
It took everything Annabeth had to not run away without waiting for her food just to escape the conversation. She tried not to fidget and cringe.
"…and just think that it could be the other way around, you know? Stop jabbering on about your shit! You may be my husband but I need to catch up on my shit! Now! You know what I mean?"
And because Annabeth was raised to be a people pleaser, she abandoned the 'I'm weird, don't talk to me' routine and said, "Of course, yeah. Like, if you wanna hear about politicians being idiots, you can wait a few days. Roger Federer has been on fire since Friday, leave me alone!"
"Exactly! And did you see the match this morning?"
No, because all I know about tennis is through random headlines I've seen and I don't really care about tennis outside of looking good in front of you because unfortunately and very fortunately I'm a part of the group that fulfills the societal need for suck-ups, teacher's pets and charismatic fricking leeches.
Annabeth grimaced. "Naw, I lost the fight for the remote. Step-brothers got to watch some show about blowing stuff up."
"My God those kids need some teaching. But you need to watch the match as soon as you can, dear. It was perfection! Oh, the commentators didn't have to do anything, the players were doing all their work!"
"Seriously? I gotta get home quickly, I gotta watch this!"
The lady's eyebrows furrowed. "Say, why're you out so late? Pretty girl like you shouldn't be alone."
Annabeth's smile turned sour. "Mom's gonna feed me a lukewarm plate of blandness, you know. So I snuck out."
"What? Why?"
Because as far as Athena's concerned, I'm in solitary confinement and don't deserve happiness. "Because Dad took my brothers out on a whim and Mom's drunk and pissed."
"Oh, poor you!" Ms. Talkative Lady pushed away from the counter and held up a finger. "You wait one minute, I'll go check up on what's taking so long. You go home quickly and go to your mother."
Great job, Annabeth. Now go find another place to eat your stupid food.
As the woman left, Annabeth quickly pulled up a map to check out places she could eat at. Nearby was a small public library. Going through its reviews, it was clear that the library was less of a library and more of a quiet place for college kids to come study in peace. They'll have a place where I can eat and read.
She decided to call Argus, hoping that a call would discourage any more chit-chat.
Argus picked up in seconds. "Yes?"
"Annabeth Chase, Phi Brain," she said.
"Reason for this call?"
"I have some free time and I need some files from the Compound. Can you tell me which other Brains are there?"
"No names," Argus said.
"Ranks, then?" Annabeth asked, confused.
"One Delta and one Rho."
Ms. Talkative Lady arrived with her order. Annabeth nodded and hightailed it out of there. "Can I have the Delta's number?" she asked Argus.
"You haven't done this before, have you? You're not getting any names, numbers, or files."
Annabeth debated her options as she started walking toward the library. "Can I at least ask the Delta a question through you? I'll text you. Just forward me the reply."
A long pause. "You have five minutes."
For Christ's sake Argus, why are you making this so hard? I'm trying to do my job! She slipped into a small nook and texted him the question. Please let it be Rei.
While waiting for the response, she looked up exact directions to the library and then to her dad's place. She was in the better part of town, so nobody would pounce on the sixteen-year-old blonde walking alone. Fredrick and Helen's neighborhood was also safe, it was just the few warzone territories in between that were the problem. Maybe now I can use the Labyrinth.
She texted Argus the library's location and asked, 'Any entrances nearby?'
His reply was quick. 'A store 5 doors down and across the street. You know the password?'
'Argus, I've been trapped with you guys for years. I know how this works. I just haven't done this work-from-outside thing before. Didn't think you'd make this so hard'
'I'm just the enforcer. Take your problems up with higher-ups'
For him to insult me and abuse me in public again? No thanks, I don't want to meet Luke ever again. But Argus was right. They were similarly powerless cogs in the machine. He was just slightly more important.
Before she could respond, Argus texted:
'His answer:
VD 22 73 & 12 are remaining.
Is that all?'
Finally! I'm starving. 'Yup, thanks'
She made a note of the numbers and put her phone away, heading to the library.
When she'd overworked herself to a suitable extent, it was time to leave the library and go to her father's house. Deciding to take the tunnels instead of the bus, she made her way to the store Argus had said was an entrance.
Inside she was met with a half-asleep greasy man who, upon seeing her, grunted six garbled syllables. Annabeth expertly guessed that he was asking what the hell did she want. She picked up a random thing and pretended to what it cost, as was the procedure. "How much for this, Peleus?"
Upon hearing the passcode, the man's demeanor changed completely. He was still greasy and gross, but not so sleepy. He led her to the back, where the door was. Her fingerprint successfully unlocked it and he let her in.
The Labyrinth was an out-of-commission portion of the city's sewer system. Its primary purpose was to provide safe access to the Compound, but it could also be used as a private transport across the city.
Within minutes motorcycle lights were on her horizon. She flagged the Aid down and waited for them to stop. When the glare of the lights died down, she saw that it was a boy a few years older than her. "Rank?" he asked.
It was common tradition to ask for ranks so you knew how to behave. That way, there was less of a chance that you'd screw up and get yourself killed. "Phi," she said. "Annabeth."
"I'm Delta, Trevor. Hop on."
"I, uh…"
"Speak up, kid. I'm not gonna eat you."
"I'm not… going to the Compound. I want to exit near North Beach… entrance code 31."
Trevor shrugged. "Sure."
Not wanting to make him speak up again, Annabeth quickly got on his bike. Without warning, they sped off. She managed to not fall off.
"You a Brain, Annabeth?" Trevor asked, yelling into the wind.
"Yeah."
"Then you should know that taking others from A to B is my job. Just 'cause I'm Delta don't mean you gotta stutter. It's not much of a difference, just two ranks."
"Okay."
"And don't worry, I'll go slow. I know this scares you nerds."
"Thanks."
They made the rest of the journey in silence. As promised, Trevor drove slower than he wanted to. (Which was still way too fast for Annabeth.) He dropped her off below 31, and left before she could say thanks.
Code 31 was her usual entrance when she was staying at her dad's. She knew the owner pretty well, but that didn't stop her from tightening her grip on her knife before knocking. The door didn't open for four agonizing minutes.
When it did, a familiar formidable woman with graying hair stood on the other side. "Annabeth," Mrs. Yang greeted without a speck of emotion on her face. "I haven't seen you come home this late."
Annabeth forced a smile. "Got carried away today."
Mrs. Yang let her in. "Walk on tiptoes. The children are asleep."
Lady, everybody is asleep. I know to keep quiet.
But Annabeth didn't voice her exasperation, and within five heartbeats, she was out of the shop.
The neighborhood was quiet, old and familiar. She'd memorized it unconsciously a long time ago. Sixty-five steps and three turns to Fredrick's doorstep. One lock, two doors, five turns, twenty-two steps to her bed. She could've done it blind, without making a single sound.
Facing her bed, an undeniably large part of her wanted to change her clothes and wash up and do everything perfectly, like Athena had taught her. The gray-eyed demon was all about a mechanical and utilitarian lifestyle, and Annabeth had unfortunately inherited that sentiment and her gray eyes.
But even as she itched to obey the mother she hated, she knew it wouldn't go with the act. She was supposed to be emotionally and physically exhausted. She stowed away her backpack and climbed into bed.
Truth was, she was emotionally exhausted. Had been for quite a while. (She was mentally exhausted too, thanks to the weird docs on the heuristics, but that was easier to deal with.)
And Annabeth realized that no one was really gonna care if she kept up the act to perfection and that they'd buy her story with little persuasion. But she had to hope that a day would come when her parents noticed her, a day when they cared. That day her elaborate alibis would come in handy, and that day she would let it all out.
Sleep was catching up quickly. Not wanting to pass out on a lingering negative thought, Annabeth reminded herself: At least things with Jason are looking up. She would've grinned, but that didn't feel appropriate in her cold bed in her lost dad's house, and so she lent herself to sleep with hope and little else.
This isn't a Jasabeth fanfic. Percabeth all the way!
This story requires little to no world-building. Don't be put off if you see too many terms: it'll only last about two chapters before you are immersed.
Editor's Note: I'm a programmer and a physicist. I'm not a fast writer or editor. But I am a fast learner. I'm writing this fic slowly, improving as I go along, and editing past chapters randomly. This fic is my baby, and it'll always be a work-in-progress, even after completion.