ABANDONED ASSASSINS

The scene was something even indescribable for Annabeth.

The townspeople were out of their homes, scattered around the scene. Murmurs were arising from the peasants, the wind howling over them in the distance. They parted like the Red Sea for Annabeth and Will when they walked by, leaving an open path. Many gave Annabeth skeptical looks from under her hood, but they were more than relieved to see Will. That took the attention off of her.

In the heart of town, a boy Annabeth's age stood proud and tall. His arms were scratched, his bare feet were muddy. His blonde hair was messy and sticking up on all ends. His clothes had many things molded into them; sap, water, mud, dust, dirt, and burrs. His eyes were wide, with surprise and shock, but Annabeth sensed something unusual in the air.

Will rushed forward towards the boy the princess had never seen before. He began to empty his pocket of his things, setting them in a small pile near them. As Will worked on the boy, Annabeth scanned the area. The lights of many of the buildings were on in the city, and the crowd was large. It was mostly peasants, but some of the richer townspeople were out in their gowns as well.

Rumors were spread like wildfire, and Annabeth couldn't figure out what was true and what was false.

"How could he live by himself in the woods for that long in that condition?"

"He's kinda cute,"

"Why's he by himself?"

Most of the words the princess heard were nonsense. But if this boy claimed to live in the woods by himself, Annabeth doubted he would still be that muscular. He had a good weight to him and had enough muscles that he had been working out. What was he doing? Using a tree branch as a bar to do pull-ups?

A screech made Annabeth face Will and the boy once again. The boy was pushing the doctor away from him. Will was trying to coax him, saying he wasn't going to hurt him, but the boy didn't believe him. He kept shouting things, random things that didn't make any sense. This fact only made the people stir more. The whispers rose as the boy shouted these things.

Above it all, the princess listened as a quick high-pitched tune rang through the night sky. She raised an eyebrow and carefully cocked her head towards the sky, looking for any kind of owl or bird. No one seemed to hear it, but with another shout from the hurt boy, a violent sob got heard.

So many things were going on at once Annabeth was getting another headache, despite the last one just subsiding. She needed a plan. She needed to keep things in order. She needed to keep things calm and get the people out of the way. If the boy was concerned about all the people, they had to get ushered back into their homes. If the boy didn't want the medical attention, that was his problem.

Stopping the chaos would be so easy. All she had to do was-

Another sharp whistle caught the attention of Annabeth's ears. An echo of boots slapping the stone ground got her eyes scanning the crowd. In the mere distance, Annabeth saw a puddle of black under the burning fire. As the dot got closer, Annabeth took a step forward, going unnoticed by the people beside her.

A bang of something closing made Annabeth glare at the growing dot in the distance.

What the hell was going on?

Her heart thumped inside her chest; the feeling traveled to her head. She was getting overwhelmed. Too much was going on at once. The screaming, crying, shouts, whistles, bangs, and booms were too much.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth carefully shoved her way through the thick horde of pedestrians. Soon enough, the princess of Athens was in the center of town, surrounded by Athenian people. A struggling Will and the boy were right near her ankles, and Annabeth could feel everything in the back of her head. Every small breeze made every sound.

First things first, get the people in silence. Then, find out what thing was coming their way. Annabeth could figure out the rest from there.

She didn't want to startle people, but after one more loud screech from the boy, shouting that he wanted a professional doctor, the princess had enough. "Quiet!"

Her voice was the loudest thing in the town, and even the boy's whining paused. Will hastily did anything he could to heal the boy while the disarray was momentarily interrupted. All the while the rest of the peasants stared curiously at Annabeth. The princess couldn't even meet all the wondering eyes from under her hood there were just that many people. Who knew people were that nosey in the news?

Soon enough, the dot in distance became a chunk, and that chunk became identifiable. The marching on the stone path got louder and Annabeth's heart died out at the sight. Palace guards were making their way to them, and now Annabeth knew something was seriously wrong.

Did her parents find her missing? Were they going to solve this problem with the boy?

Another thing zapped Annabeth's eyes. Another teen, a little younger than herself, was in the middle of the guards. They were forming a circle around him. He walked with his head held high, a powerful and cocky aura around him. His blue eyes sparkled in the light of the fires perched at each street intersection, and Annabeth nearly passed out. The boots pounding on the ground got most of the peasant's attention, and they were all looking in front of the hooded figure with confusion.

Now everybody was confused. Even Will, but he proceeded to multitask as the heir knew he would. Being royalty came in handy at times, which was something Annabeth would never repeat.

When the guards got near, the one in the middle spoke up.

"This fellow young man should be taken with us," His head pointed to the boy Will was working on. "Prince Jason Grace said he needs urgent care."

Gasps emerged from the mouth of peasants, and Annabeth bit her lip to keep her jaw from dropping. Jason had been missing since he was nearly two-years-old, and no one had ever found anything on him. By now, finding him had been an impossible mission.

The peasants began to bow as the guards parted for Jason. Things began to click inside Annabeth's head, leaving less of a headache and mystery. The big bang was from the gates to the palace closing. One thing down, hundreds more to go.

Annabeth was the only one who didn't bow along with the patched boy. Will had dropped all his supplies and hid his head with his hair the best he could with his bow. Annabeth could sense the glare and the demand when the guard looked at her.

"Thank goodness, Jason! That doctor was all over me!" The blonde sighed, joining the once missing prince. By now the peasants had begun to rise, warily watching The hooded figure who didn't bother to bow.

Jason had snatched the boy's elbow, seemingly holding him in place. The dark light in Jason's eyes didn't give Annabeth any reassurance. If Jason had been missing, how did he know where the castle? Why did he go to the castle, and why would his friend go to town?

And if the peasants said that the wounded boy had been living in the woods, by himself…

"Jason, how could you possibly know this peasant? I overheard how this boy had been living alone in the woods for years. Where do you fit into the picture?" The princess's voice was steady and clear enough for all to understand.

Chatters rose among the crowd.

The prince's jaw clenched, and Annabeth saw his lip twitch in disgust. He sneered at her, but the peasants were blinded to see a minor indifference. He snorted before lifting his head once more. "What is it to you, peasant?" He spat the word, only shoving more anger and resolve down Annabeth's throat.

This was not Jason Grace. That or Jason had gotten corrupted. Who treated another person with such disgust? Including someone who was supposed to love their people.

Smirking, Annabeth grabbed her hood with one hand and slowly pulled it down, revealing her ponytail and silver eyes. Eyes that could only belong to one royal family. More gasps and voices broke the silence, not only shocked were the citizens. Jason, the guards, and the boy were more than surprised.

"I do believe it's my concern." With an afterthought, Annabeth added, "Especially when you treat my people like that."

His behavior could only get described as a hatred for Athens. This couldn't be Jason Grace.

But it was. Annabeth had seen paintings of him as a baby around his family's palace. The blue eyes matched with Zeus and Thalia. He wasn't gross in the looks department, getting that aspect from his mother, along with this picture-perfect hair. His face was the same, just less chubby and babyish. His features got drawn out, but it was Jason. The only other exclamation was he got corrupted. Whoever took him, changed him.

"I'll have you know princess, that I met this young man a few years back and sheltered him ever since." He responded, his once shocked face into one of peace.

If the boy was around Annabeth's age, then he was about fourteen when Jason took him in. It would make sense for him to say he was in the woods for most of his life. The story pretty much adds up. And if anything, the boy seems to be very jumpy, so maybe he was just in a hurry. He was hurt as well. But something still felt off.

"I see," Annabeth gently nodded her head, staring into Jason's eyes for any source of a lie. There was nothing. He had practice with blocking his emotions, but so had Annabeth.

Jason smirked, following Annabeth's previous expression. "Now may I ask why you're out so late, Princess?"

Annabeth could tell he meant it as a tease. She was more than ready for the questioning looks from the guards, the murmurs from the peasants, and the awaiting look from Jason.

Before the blonde teen could answer, a sweet melody in a shrill sound. Again?

This time though, the blondes became fidgety, twirling their fingers and looking around constantly. Annabeth knew something was off. The way that Jason appeared out of nowhere and said to take in a boy who was living on his own. If Jason had been missing, why did he get to make decisions? If Jason had been missing, why didn't he appear to be shaken up or nervous? How did he know of his position if the other boy hadn't known either? He had been living in the woods all his life!

Annabeth could smell the fish in the air.

"Tell me," She started, knowing this could end in utter disaster if she were wrong. "You went missing at quite a young age." Jason nodded at this, looking at Annabeth in question. "The boy beside you has been living in the woods for life! He is too young to know if you're the Prince of Meteora."

Not only did the group of bystanders around them look confused, but the prince himself did as well. Narrowed eyes, cocked head, and whispers, and so much more were in Annabeth's ears, but it was all in the background. If Annabeth was correct, she'd have to say this was set up.

She didn't know why, but why else would someone drag guards out in the open? Why would Jason need to go to the castle while his friend came to the town? Why didn't they stick together? Because it was a distraction. Something was going to go wrong. Annabeth's gut told her so, and she was one to follow it.

She had to continue to hold Jason's attention.

"In fact, how could you possibly know? And if your friend truly needed help, you wouldn't have separated. You would have stuck together. So why did you retrieve the palace guards, Mr. Grace?"

Her eyebrow was raised at the boy, her hand on the inside of her cloak ready to whip out her knife.

"How could you possess nice clothes like that after living in poverty for so long? If you knew you were the Prince of Meteora, why did you come to Athens? Why did you come if your only goal was to distract the guards?"

A sly smile adorned her face, while Jason kept a cool exterior. Although, the blonde beside him with the grey eyes wasn't as good at hiding his emotions. Fear flashed in his eyes, and his head whipped to Jason. Presumably, to get an answer on what to do.

So they were both guilty. Some heir to the throne Zeus conceived here.

Jason crossed his arms and stepped closer to the princess. "May I again ask why you're out so late?"

"Don't change the subject, Grace. You answer me first. What. Is. Your. Goal?" She grits her teeth, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her dagger. She took a stride nearer to Jason with every word. Jason could only know how strong her skills were. Although, Jason most likely had a backup plan. She doubted he was that stupid.

They were face to face now, and the silver-eyed girl was shocked the guards hadn't done anything to stop this dispute.

A smirk fell onto Jason's face as his eyes glanced behind Annabeth. He put a hand on her chest and shoved her back, getting many cries of protest from the crowd. What they didn't know was Annabeth didn't stumble backward. She steadied herself and glared knives at Jason. What did this horrid person do to him? He got ruined and there was no turning back.

A chirping whistle echoed in the air, causing many people to look around to the sky. It was quiet in town now, so the sound was easy to pick up on. Only then did Jason and the boy respond? In front of her eyes, Jason whistled a tune in response to the other. The whistle before Jason's had come from behind Annabeth, but she didn't dare turn around.

In the blink of an eye, two golden knives got flung into two of the guards' chests who were standing in shock. As Annabeth mentioned before, the guards were terrible at doing their job. They were easy to defeat and bribe, but it's not like Annabeth's parents were going to do much about it.

With a loud thump, the two dead bodies plummeted to the ground. Their swords clattered to the ground, the golden knives in their chests gleamed in the nearby light. With no time to waste, screams and gasps were the sounds ringing in Annabeth's ears as she pulled her dagger from under her hood.

Furthermore, a screech of metal against the stone busted, and Jason and the boy did a cool trick with their feet to catch the swords. They were both in battle stands, grim faces and swords at the ready. More combat boots slapped against the stone, cries, and screams from the crowd emerging. The horde of bystanders was now in chaos for people trying to escape.

When the thumping ceased, the rest of the guards attacked, but they were far too loud. The blonde boys noticed and attacked at the last second. They slashed, their swords clanging, as they dodged, stabbed, and swiped.

A low chuckle emitted from behind Annabeth so she whipped around. Five hooded assassins were in their fighting stands, weapons out. Their faces got hidden beneath hoods, much like Annabeth's was minutes ago.

Annabeth scanned around the area where chaos laid. Will was now running around like a madman, attempting to get the peasants back into their homes. The blonde prince and boy weren't breaking a sweat while fighting. They were beating the guards by a longshot, so Annabeth needed to hurry this up.

The one that had laughed at Annabeth moments ago slung his sword into the sheath around his waist. She also happened to notice that large bags tied to the belt and similar apparel adorned the four others. The black bags filled with something and Annabeth could only guess what it was.

"My, my, what do we have here?" His voice was smooth and deep. His voice matched his posture, calm and collected. It was like he had no worries in the world. Not even the fact that he just stole from the palace, Annabeth presumed.

Annabeth's fingers clenched around her knife, as anger-fueled inside her. Did they think they had the right? She stepped closer to the team, pointing her knife at the leader. They were in a triangle formation, and the one who talked was in front. He was their leader.

"What did you take?" Her voice was just like their leader's. Calm, hard, and collected. She was ready for a fight if all ended like that. She just needed to figure out what their plan was, what they took, and why. If anything, she could report to her parents, who would then hold a council meeting.

Another laugh fell from his mouth, but it was humorless. "Quite observant, I see." Annabeth could see his smirk under the hood. "But I'm afraid that's none of your concern, princess."

Striding closer her knife only got nearer to the boy's neck. Neither he nor his friends seemed unsettled, and that wasn't Annabeth's goal. She needed to unravel them. She needed to shock them or unsettle them to such a level she could come out on top.

She licked her lips before speaking. "I do admit, that was a good distraction. I do advise next time you come up with another story for your followers to say because that wasn't very believable." Taking her weapon away from the guy's throat, she twirled it around in her hand like it was nothing. "Making the guards in the front of the castle distracted so you can slip through the gates without getting caught. Smart, but cliche. How many other assassins or looters have done that?"

Annabeth could almost see the shocked expression from under the hood. These guys didn't have much practice with solid emotions. Or maybe they did and Annabeth was just assuming the subtle look he gave to the assassin to the right of him was out of a plan.

"Intelligent, observant, defiant. You've got it all Miss Chase."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. She paused in spinning her knife and held onto it tightly.

"Being out of the palace at night without permission is something you don't see from a princess every day." The leader got closer to her, only a foot away. Annabeth stayed calm but got ready to attack at any given moment. "You have fighting skills I assume," He grabbed her wrist and his fingers trailed to the dagger. Before he could get any further, Annabeth brought up her leg and kicked the boy where the sun doesn't shine.

He groaned and stumbled back to where he stood before. "Look, I'm not here for small talk." By now Annabeth saw the two boys creeping over to the rest of their friends, as they had defeated the guards. They scurried behind the rest of their troops, watching the exchange closely. "I want answers, and I'm not getting them."

"We don't always get what we want." One of them sneered and Annabeth realized it was the leader himself. His voice got as hard as steel, and as he slowly stood up from the ground, he unsheathed his bronze sword. "That's why we're all here."

Jason from the back pushed his way to the front and stepped in front of his leader, shoving him back. "I didn't ask to be kidnapped, but I was. All of us were kidnapped or lived in poverty before now. How could we not be bitter? Including when the royals don't do anything about it."

Well, Annabeth agreed with that. The royals didn't do anything about the people in poverty. Annabeth was about to say that if Jason took up his duty he could change that, but he had got kidnapped. Annabeth could only assume it was by the assassins they work with now. Although, she didn't know when he learned of his royal status, so maybe he hasn't known for long. In that case, maybe his duties couldn't fix it.

"I agree," Annabeth said, her eyes skimming over the hooded five, Jason, and the blonde boy. "But when I become queen I can do something about that. At least, I can in Athens."

At that, the leader shoved Jason out of his way and stomped his way to Annabeth. He pushed an accusing finger at his chest. His voice was a growl and the force of it made Annabeth glared at him. In reality, she was just trying to get a look at his face. If she could describe it to the kingdom, it may be easier to find them once they leave.

Annabeth wasn't so ignorant that she thought she'd capture them all.

"Have you done anything about the presents that freeze on the streets in the winter? Have you done anything to assist the peasants? Or are you waiting 'till you become queen? By then, the king and council have to approve of your ideas. By then, you may not care about the peasants since you have your own perfect little life."

"You don't know anything about me!" The frustration in Annabeth's veins was burning. How dare this assassin to assume she didn't care? He didn't even know that before her parents found out, she did help the peasants. "Before I got caught, I provided for the peasants. I gave them clothes, food, money, shoes; Anything I possibly could without my parents noticing!"

"What stopped you? Wait, you just don't care anymore do you?" His voice was a whisper, but the venom was attached to it.

"This is one of the few times I've left the castle in three years! My parents forbid me to go outside after they found out I helped the people!"

"So you blame your people now?"

That one hurt like a bitch.

Before she could stop herself, Annabeth punched him in the face. His hands went to his nose that was gushing blood, just as something clattered to the stone. He had staggered to the ground, and a few feet away from the princess. She smiled inwardly at the sight, knowing she had to punch him with her left hand as her dagger was in her right. Although she was smiling on the inside, a frown was on her face.

She pointed her finger at the assassin leader. "Look, take what you have. I don't care. But don't say anything about how I blame the townspeople because I don't. If anything, I hate myself for it; for not planning better, for being more secretive. I hate myself for it. I left the people on an empty promise."

After a deep breath, she continued. "They lost hope in me. I can't imagine how many of them died without my help. And I promised they'd be okay. How would you feel if you broke a promise because of your duty? Because of your parents?"

A soft voice spoke in the back of the line. "Why aren't you stopping us?"

Annabeth glanced back at where the words came from and shrugged. "I told you I agreed with you, didn't I?"

Nothing got said after that. It was all silence when their leader got back up and wiped at his nose. When the sound of pattering boots on stone echoed in the now-empty town, Annabeth turned back to the assassins. "Go! My parents will be too distracted about my punishment to worry about you guys!"

With a subtle nod of their leader's head, they all rushed off. The backup guards arrived with their swords raised. Annabeth shoved the knife back into her pocket before they could see it.

"Princess? Where did the assassins go?"

Annabeth faked panic, breathing hard and tearing up. Perks of being a princess; a wonderful actor along with someone who can hide their emotions. It's a win-win. She waved her hands around as she talked. "They got away before I could catch their faces!"

"Search every inch of the city. I want to be sure they're not hiding." The guard speaking turned to Annabeth, a frown on his face under the helmet. "You're in big trouble, princess."

The Princess of Athens could only hope the assassins escaped in time as she got ushered to the castle she called home. Although, the princess didn't notice the sharp evidence left by the lead assassin.

Words: 4,162

I've been wanting to do this chapter for a few months now! I'm so glad I finally got the opportunity to do it!

[ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS GO TO RICK RIORDAN]

-Bookworm-2026