Annabeth
I was just finished taking a shower when my phone rang. Heart leaping,I ran to get it and nearly slipped in the process. I picked it up without even bothering to look at the caller's ID. "Hello?"
"Annabeth?" A male's voice said. My smile wavered. I looked at the ID caller. Unknown. I didn't say anything.
"I know you're listening and I know that you're Annabeth Chase." he continued,his voice dry and raspy. I got over my confusion.
"Well then? I deserve to know who the speaker is."
He laughed "Feisty. You don't need my name doll. I need you to do me a favor."
I laughed back "Yeah,not going to happen." I was about to end the call when he said it-
"-If you don't,your boyfriend dies."
"I'm sorry?" I asked roughly,hoping that I had heard him wrongly. I could almost imagine him smiling. He had certainly gotten my attention.
"In three days your boyfriend will be getting the slammer. Officially. For 10 years. I've seen the case against him and it's pretty strong." he sounded gleeful which made me want to punch him.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Not much," he drawled,which made me roll my eyes "If you are successful in your side of the bargain,I will be successful in mine."
"Which is?"
"I will get Jackson out of prison unharmed. Nobody will ever chase after him again. Charges will be dropped,and I'll do it legally."
I hesitated. It sounded like nothing but a trap. I mentally told myself that I'll never do what he asks. "What do you want me to do?"
"Tomorrow night at 10:30 sharp,send her to Gottun's alley. She shouldn't know of this deal. Lure her."
"Her? You mean his sister?" I asked sharply,immediately thinking of Penny. Fat chance. The guy clucked his tongue.
"No not her. Thalia Grace."
OoOoO
"I'm not doing it." I said firmly,glaring at Piper and Jason as if they were going to force me to. Jason put his hands up in surrender.
"Not telling you to do so. But the guy made it seem like it's either going to be Percy or..or Thalia." he said,going quiet. I felt bad for him. Ever since she came here,the two of them hardly talked. Thalia flinched whenever she saw him,as if he would hit her or something. Piper looked at him,concerned.
"You need to talk to her," she said softly "She was part of that gang. She knows them better than Percy himself."
"So I need to get information?"
"No," Piper said firmly "You need to know her. You two haven't talked at all."
Jason inhaled deeply and looked down at his hands "She didn't abandon me on purpose,I know. But...I still want to blame her. I don't know." he said quickly,shrugging.
"At least try Jason. She's hurting too you know. Disappearing for long periods of time and then returning all quiet."
I glanced at Piper,knowing that she was formulating something else through her words. If Jason understood it,he didn't show. He simple nodded.
"Okay fine. Thanks Pipes." he smiled,putting his hand on her shoulder. I could see the sudden spark of excitement and fear in her eyes and I had to stop myself from smiling. "'I got to go and buy the guys lunch. Nico's coming back." and with that he left.
"You suspect her don't you?" I asked. She widened her eyes.
"Don't you? Honestly,I don't want to be all catty on Jason's sister but.." she shook her head "I think she's pulling a Penny. She's hiding something."
She looked more worried than angry. "Maybe Jason will get it out,you never know. Should we go check up on Penny?"
She shrugged "Why not?" we went to her door and knocked.
"Come in."
We entered. She was laying down in bed,her sheets drawn up till her nose. When she saw us,she sat up and smiled.
"Heyy," she said happily "What's going on?"
"Eh,the usual," Piper said,cuddling next to Penny "Damn you smell good."
Penny grinned "When it comes to soaps,Leo knows best. Got good taste."
"I'm pretty sure he does," Piper laughed,nudging Penny. I smiled. When it came to Leo and Penny,I knew that they were pretty close. But in those rare times it feels like there's something else. "Oh,Nico's coming back today." Piper said,grabbing a cookie from the plate on her table. Penny sat up.
"Ooh that's nice. I could make something-"
"No!" me and Piper exclaimed at the same time. She laughed.
"I'm kidding,I'm kidding!"
Nico had to leave shortly after Percy was arrested. Something about his family,Jason had told me. But the look in his eyes stopped myself from questioning him further.
"Anyways,,I just got a call from the station," Penny continued calmly "They suddenly said that we're allowed to see Percy,but only from 2pm to 8pm."
"Penny,Leo said that you needed to rest."
"'Tell that to the cops," she said,rolling her eyes. "Besides,I'm getting bored. But Apollo's coming over soon so that's fine. But I'll be flayed alive if I even try to leave the house. Can you guys..." she looked at me hopefully and I felt my heart jump so high I was afraid that it would leap out of my mouth. Piper smiled.
"Sure thing."
Just then the door opened slowly and Apollo peeked in "Am I interrupting?" he asked. Piper grinned and got off the bed.
"Nope,she's all yours. Use protection."
"Piper!" Penny yelled as she dragged me out,the pair of us laughing. She closed the door behind us and then grinned at me.
"Alright,let's go see lover boy."
OoOoO
I was sitting at the table all alone,feeling anxious. Piper said that she would wait at the front. I heard a buzzer and a cop came in,uncuffing Percy. "You have 10 mins. Exchange of goods and notes is restricted."
I nodded and he walked out,standing near the door and watching from the glass window. He sat across from me,smiling wearily. His hair was uncombed and messy and he looked worn out. His face looked older but when he smiled,he was still the same ignorant Percy.
"Hey." he said casually. I wanted to punch him and cry. How could he be sitting around so casually. More importantly,why were we letting him? We should've got him out the day he was taken inside. He glanced steadily at the door and then slowly reached forward,just enough for the tips of his fingers to reach mine. I swallowed.
"Percy,I-"
""Hey,it's okay Wise Girl. I got this." he smiled,gently squeezing my hand. "How's Penny?"
"Doing better. Leo treated her to a spa day."
Percy chuckled "Ah,those. He used to make her do those all the time..especially when.." he coughed. "You all doing okay?"
"Yeah..yeah we're fine I guess." I said,avoiding his eyes. I felt so angry with myself and at that moment I realized what Penny felt. I had to do something. This brought me back to the thought of my most recent phone call.
"What is it?" he asked "You have that thinking face on."
"What? I don't have a thinking face."
"Yeah you do. Your eyebrows scrunch and-"
"Okay okay. Yeah there is something." I quickly narrated the call. Percy nodded slowly,not surprised.
"Thalia Grace..." he muttered "Yeah I heard of her even before we met."
"Can we-"
"Trust her? Even I don't know. She's Jason's sister and she'd never do anything to hurt him. But if this guy wants her,that means she's a threat. She knows something."
I nodded,my theories correct. "Jason said she'd talk to her."
"I'm surprised that they still haven't. Okay,not that surprised. Must be awkward as hell." he frowned,looking confused. The expression was so familiar that I laughed. He looked back at me,relieved.
"You're not taking the deal right?"
"Of course not-" I stopped,reconsidering my answer.
"Don't. No matter what,just don't. Is Penny accepting my dad's deal?"
"We haven't talked about it yet...I don't know. She doesn't want to..but-"
She wants you back. And so do I.
He reached out and pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear "We'll figure it out Annie."
"Do not-" I started,eyes flashing,but he quickly leaned forward and kissed me. I almost forgot about that salt taste that he had. I cupped his face in my hands just as he pushed away. Before he could say anything,the cop came back in. Indicating that it was time to leave,he stood up as the cop cuffed him again. I wanted to cling on desperately.
"Percy-"
He gave me one last look and a little smile as the cop took him out. I slumped back into my seat and stared at my hands sadly. I don't know for how long I was sitting there,until Ii heard the door open again. I thought it would be a cop coming to take me out,but it was just Piper.
"You ready to go?"
I nodded. She put her arm around me in silence as we walked out.
Penny
"You smell good." Apollo wondered. I laughed as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.
"So I've been told. Nico's coming?"
He nodded "Yeah. Leo wants to throw a surprise party. He's basically asking for a death sentence." I noticed the way he said Leo's name.
"He's alright."
His eyes narrowed a bit and I grinned. "Do I smell jealousy?"
He snorted "What? No! I just-"
"Shut up." I kissed him. He shut up. But as I said that it got me thinking. If Apollo wasn't jealous now,he would be if he knew the whole story.
OoOoO
"So..you're on the run?" I asked,eyes wide. He threw some nuts in the air and caught it straight in his mouth. I smiled.
"Yep! And something tells me.." he looked at my backpack next to me "..that you're about to?"
"How did you-"
"Your body language. You're not really used to being alone aren't you? Not like that's a bad thing." he added quickly. I shook my head slowly.
"No..my mom's searching for me-" I showed my phone to him. Now 20 missed calls from mom "-and I don't know what my brother thinks."
"Why do you want to run away? he asked slowly,offering me some peanuts. I took a few,hesitating. Why did I want to run away?"
"I..well..I want to prove that I can take care of myself. I'm strong." even as I said it,it sounded crazy. I put my head down,my eyes burning "It sounds ridiculous,I know."
"Nah,it sounds normal. Well,in a good way." He replied. "You can be strong without running away,you know."
"But..how?"
He pursed his lips and took out something small from his pocket. Some sort of doll. He started fidgeting with it. "As things happen in your life,you can handle it in two ways. You can pretend it never happened. Or,you can accept it and let it change you. I did,and now,presto!" He held out his arms "Leo Valdez is now a Bad Boy Supreme. All all the ladies love a bad boy."
I laughed. He reminded me of Flynn Rider from that movie 'Tangled'. Funny,flirty and ridiculously cute. I tried to push that thought out of my mind as he grabbed some more stuff from his pockets and began tinkering.
"What happened in your life?" I asked curiously. The playfulness in his eyes slowly vanished and I longed for it to come back.
"My dad had to leave when my mom had me. She never blamed him,and neither did I. We always had each other. But then..one night there was a fire. She forced me to run out and get help. But the moment I did,the house exploded."
My mouth dropped open. Judging his hyperness and happiness,I didn't expect this from him. I immediately felt guilty for being self centered and depressed. "I-wow.."
"Yeah. Ever since then I've been on the run from all the foster homes searching for me and my other..family members." he said that with distaste. But then he cleared his throats "But the fates must be smiling on me today."
I perked up "What?"
He grinned sheepishly "Well it's not everyday I get to hang out with a beautiful girl."
I felt my cheeks go hot "I thought all the ladies love Leo?"
"All the ladies have their blindfolds on."
I laughed again. I liked him. I liked having a friend. Maybe coming here from Paris wasn't that big of a mistake. "Lucky for you,my eyes are wide open."
Just as he grinned,I could hear the faint sound of a train. My smile wavered. Was it time already? He sighed.
"Great. Well,I'll use up my last bit of change."
"Huh?"
"The dudes chasing me? They ripped up my ticket." He shrugged "Social services have tracked me down till New York. It's a wonder that they didn't find me yet. My lucky day." he finished with a grin. I felt myself blush again.
"You could come with me,you know." He said. I blinked.
"I..I can?"
He gave me a tiny smile,his eyes lighting up once again. I thought about it. How I could start my adventure with Leo Valdez,full of fun and risk. Escaping my past. Being free.
But then I thought of Percy. My mom. My past is my past,I can't change that. But I can live with it. What had Leo said?
"As things happen in your life,you can handle it in two ways. You can pretend it never happened. Or,you can accept it and let it change you."
I knew what was to be done.
"As much as I'd love to.."I stopped. Staring into his eyes,I just couldn't say no. His smile didn't waver.
"And as much as I'd love to run off with a pretty lady,I was hopping that you'd say that. I've taught you well,young grasshopper." He said in an old,dark voice. I giggled. I wanted him to stay here. I wanted to talk more,get to know him better. But deep inside,I felt something swell inside of me. It wasn't happiness or even excitement.
It was sadness.
He saw the smile fade off of my face "What?"
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the token needed for the train. "Take it."
"What?" he repeated. I took is hand and placed it in his palm. I felt my nerves shoot up as I did so.
"Take it. You need it more than I do." I said firmly. His fingers slowly wrapped around it and he looked up at me. Before he could say anything,I saw the train rumbling into the stations.
"Go," I said,trying hard not to burst into tears again "It'll only wait for 10 seconds."
He looked at the train,then back at me. He quickly rummaged through his pocket and pulled out two mini sized rag dolls,they ones he was playing with earlier.
"Take this," he held out the new one he was making. The other one seemed old and worn out. He then took my hand and pressed it in my palm.
"My mom gave me this-" he held up the one he was holding "-long back. She told me to always be strong. Whenever I feel hopeless,I always look at it and remember her. She had a matching one too,but it burned in the fire. She told me that as long as we have matching ones,she'd always find me. Maybe one day..we..I'll find you." he said sheepishly,rubbing the nape of his neck. I grinned and hugged him. He seemed surprised as he slowly hugged me back.
"Thank you." I whispered. We pulled back. I could see that his cheeks were a little pink. Suddenly,I don't even know how it happened.
His lips met mine.
It was only for a few seconds. I only met this guy like thirty minutes ago. And we freaking kissed. We stared at each other for a minute before moving away a bit,clearly flustered. "Right well.." I coughed,trying hard not to smile "Good luck Leo."
"You..you too Penny." he shot a finger gun at me before racing to get into the train. Just as he jumped in,it started moving again. I saw him turn back to stare at me,giving me one last smile as the train disappeared into the horizon. I held the little doll in my hands tightly,brushing away the tear that had escaped. But no more had followed.
Leo Valdez had taught me to be strong and I'd never forget that. Or him for the matter. I walked towards the bench and grabbed my bag. Would I ever find him? I took my phone out and decided to call mom. It was time to go home.
OoOoO
It was such a long time ago. We were only 13 years old. An yet I'll never forget the shock I got when I received a call from him,two years ago.
"Sup Penny?"
"Um..who is this?" I asked warily. The speaker laughed.
"Don't tell me that you forgot me! Are you blindfolded now too?"
"Huh?"
"It's your Bad Boy Supreme!"
"I-" I stopped,gasping "Leo? Is-is that-"
"Hell yeah!"
"But..how..how did you get my number?"
"There's something called a phone book. Also,I'm good at tracking people down. Not in the creepy way of course." he added quickly. I swallowed,a balloon of happiness swelling up inside of me.
"You-you really did find me after all." I said,bursting into a laugh.
Thalia
All clear?'
'Yeah,we're good.' I texted back,then proceeding to throw my phone on the bed,sighing hopelessly. I should probably come clean now,because if I don't then it's going to backfire on me.
I was sitting in Central Park alone,sipping on a coffee. My eyes kept darting left to right,as if searching for someone. An old habit. I wanted the coffee in hopes that it would help me think and make a decision,but I was still stuck.
The truth? A part of me doesn't want Percy out of jail. Not when he knows the truth.
Okaaaay so hopefully this chapter was big enough. REVIEW!
