Michael Yew's funeral was a grim affair.
Annabeth and Piper trooped out to McLean for it, knowing they wouldn't get their workdays started until the afternoon. They didn't get the whole presidential motorcade, but Reyna insisted on sending two Secret Service guards and a car out of respect (and probably for the optics, Annabeth suspected), and traffic seemed to be in their favor. They rode over together, meeting their car in Georgetown. Annabeth had picked them both up coffees on the way to the car, and the two women sat quietly, sipping their drinks and trying not to think too hard about the rest of the difficult day ahead.
"You still think there's something fishy about this," Piper murmured as their car rumbled down 395 and merged onto George Washington Memorial. "I can see the wheels turning from here."
"I'm not sure yet," Annabeth said in response. "But regardless of whether or not it's fishy, it's a policy blind spot."
"So… you're sitting over there trying to plot the downfall of the GOP through gun legislation, not just staring vaguely at the Washington Monument?"
"I'm doing both," Annabeth said, turning her head to look sharply at Piper. "And no, not the whole GOP. But…"
"It all comes down to him, doesn't it." Piper shook her head. "You don't think…"
"I don't know what I think yet," Annabeth said, a little too crossly to pretend she wasn't worried. "But while I'm trying to figure that out, yes, I'm trying to figure out how to burn the goddamn NRA to the ground and attach some police reform bills to two separate bills in the process. And if that pisses him off, so be it."
Piper looked at her sideways. "And if that doesn't go through?"
"Then I'm going to get Reyna to make a statement about DC police, at the very least. And press protection. Or something."
Piper pulled out her phone. "Okay. I'm scheduling you meetings at the DOD, DOJ, and with the DC police chief."
Annabeth frowned. "I have to run all of this by Reyna first."
"She emailed you this morning." Piper waggled the phone in Annabeth's face. "And copied me. She's on board. Even if Michael wasn't one of her people, he was one of ours."
"Huh." Annabeth thought about it for a moment. "And the Secret Service? I imagine they'll have to be involved with any discussions about DC police procedure…"
"Ahem," one of the two agents seated with them in the car interjected. He was a big block of a muscled man, in a nondescript black suit. "The meetings have already been set, at least on our end."
"I thought it was Secret Service policy not to comment on procedure," Piper noted, one eyebrow quirked up.
"It is, usually, ma'am." The agent said with a shrug. "But seeing as I'll be in the meeting and so will you, and the fact that it's happening at all isn't classified so long as we don't discuss the subject line of the emails themselves, I imagine it won't be an issue."
"Hm," Piper looked at him again, appraising. "What's your name, agent?"
"Agent Zhang," he said, presenting a hand for her to shake.
"Pleasure to meet you, Agent Zhang." Piper glanced at Annabeth.
Annabeth's response wasn't quite so cheery. "Pleasure to meet you, Agent Zhang. Use any outdated chokeholds or fire a weapon before looking too closely at your target lately?"
To his credit, Zhang didn't blink. "No, ma'am, I've been assigned executive office detail specifically because I've never done either of those things. If I shoot, it's with specific intent, threat assessment, and always with the goal of ensuring the safety of my protectee."
"But you have shot before?" Annabeth said, eyebrow arched.
"Yes, ma'am," Zhang replied evenly. "Naval academy straight into two years overseas. Saw combat in Afghanistan, Qatar, and Crimea, though the last of those was only in a command capacity and I remained on base, as I was only there to advise a tactical unit."
"Feel the need to recite your qualifications frequently?" Annabeth asked archly.
"She's not usually this unpleasant," Piper said with a sigh, to no one in particular.
"I've grown somewhat used to rattling off the qualifications, yes. Namely, when protectees think I'm too young to do my job effectively, or in a few memorable cases." Zhang smiled. "Or, for that matter, when they notice that I have a Canadian accent."
Annabeth took a quiet sip of coffee. "I see. Canadian?"
There wasn't time for Zhang to answer, though, as the smooth tarmac underneath the car gave way to crunchy gravel. They pulled through the gates of a small McLean cemetery, rolling up as close to the graveside as the driver could manage. Together, Piper, Annabeth, and the two agents made their way to the back of the throng of people slowly assembling.
Annabeth and Piper stood side-by-side, neither moving nor speaking as the crowd filled in and the service began and ended. A few minutes in, Annabeth felt, more than saw, someone step up next to her. A quick glance to the side told her that it was Percy Jackson there, his arm pressed gently against hers, two layers of coat fabric between them.
Somehow, having people on either side made Annabeth feel more alone than before.
The service itself was simple. No military honors, no gunshots, no flag-folding. A eulogy from Lee, the brother with whom Piper and Annabeth had spent much of the week on the phone. A woman in a black dress with her hair tied up in a tight bun sang We'll Meet again. A priest spoke briefly. Family members and friends— more friends than for some reason Annabeth had expected— placed shovelfuls and handfuls of dirt into the open grave while the instrumentals of Brothers In Arms played (a little tinnily) from a small speaker.
Before the last of the crowds filtered out, Annabeth met Lee Fletcher's green eyes over the small crowd. His face remained impassive, but his lips tightened and he gave a small nod.
She returned it.
As the three of them turned back and began the walk towards the line of waiting cars, Annabeth turned to Percy. "You came."
"Yeah." He shrugged, wide swimmer shoulders seeming small, swallowed up in the black fabric of his suit jacket. "Seemed like the right thing to do."
"It was," Piper said, offering a small, tight smile in his direction.
"How'd you get here?" Annabeth asked.
"Metro and two Ubers. The first one canceled when he found out I wanted to go past Georgetown." Percy grimaced. "That's why I was late."
"Want to catch a ride back with us?" Annabeth offered, the words sticking in her throat for some reason she couldn't quite understand.
"The agents won't mind?" Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Agent Zhang." Annabeth motioned to the giant brick of a man. "Percy Jackson. He'll be joining us for the ride back, if that's all right."
"Of course." Zhang nodded. "Communications staff, you've been with us a little over two months. You're on the list."
"The list?" Piper made a face. "Am I on a list?"
"It's a good list," Annabeth noted. "Anyway. That's all sorted, then..."
The words died in her throat as she took one more glance around the cemetery, at the slowly dispersing crowd. Her eyes fixed on a man, mid-thirties, tiny streaks of gray appearing in his sandy hair. He was facing away from her, she couldn't quite be sure—
But then he shifted slightly, and it was him. She couldn't see his eyes from here, but the sharp blue of them was practically seared into her soul at this point, she'd spent so much time looking into them. He was speaking to Lee Fletcher before shaking his hand and turning to speak to a woman who Annabeth immediately recognized as an aide from a Republican senator's office. Slowly, as if he'd felt her looking at him, he turned.
Luke's smile was as magnetic as it ever had been, even when she knew it wasn't meant for her. Not anymore, maybe not ever. The woman next to him tucked her arm into his, as if to remind Annabeth of that. Not that she needed the reminder. Luke muttered something to the woman before extricating himself and striding towards Annabeth, Piper, and Percy.
"Representative Castellan," Annabeth greeted him coolly.
"Annabeth." He opened his arms, magnanimous and open in the way that only a Republican family-values-platform young man could be. "I must say, it's been a while."
"Yes." Annabeth crossed her arms, not going in for a hug or a handshake or a greeting at all. "I'm surprised to see you here?"
"Why?" That same smile, almost a smirk, tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I'm passing on my condolences to Lee. I was on the campaign trail with Michael, the same as you."
"You're looking awfully jolly for a funeral," Annabeth snapped.
"I'm just trying to be a supportive friend to Lee, Annabeth. It's not all political." Luke glanced down at a notification flashing on his smartwatch. "Any chance you're free after this? We could grab a coffee, catch up about old times, maybe chat policy."
"Perhaps another time." Annabeth felt numb, her body refusing to move while her mind couldn't do anything but churn over and over, you had something to do with this what did you do what did you do over and over again.
Percy stepped forwards. "Hi. Percy Jackson, the new you in the West Wing. We crossed paths back at—"
Luke took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, man. I've heard good things."
Percy frowned. "This isn't the first time we've met."
"Eh, I think I'd remember. Sorry, Perce, I meet a lot of people, sometimes a name slips through the cracks." Luke's face could almost come across as apologetic, but Annabeth knew better. It was the same look he'd gotten when he'd realized that their democratic opponent in the primaries had been cheating on his wife. It was the look Annabeth recognized as Luke figuring out if there was someone or something he could exploit.
Well, that just wouldn't do.
"He's a good writer, Luke. He's even a real democrat, so he actually believes in the speeches he's writing for our office," Annabeth said sweetly, tucking her hand into Percy's arm and tugging him close.
"Hm." Luke's face darkened at that.
Good.
Annabeth pulled Percy closer. "Anyway, we've got some engagements later today that we should really get back to. I'm sure you've got things to do, tax cuts to negotiate, and all that."
"Annie." Luke shook his head, eyes softening. "I thought you knew me better than that. I'm still just trying to make the world a better place, the same as you. Remember those dreams we had, back in law school? This time last year?"
"I..." This time, she stumbled, brain still spinning out too fast to come up with any response at all, let alone a witty one.
To her surprise, Percy threaded his fingers through hers and pulled her closer. "We really do have to be getting back. Nice to meet you again, man."
He placed his arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the car, where Piper was already waiting with the other agent. Zhang slid in behind them, and the car crunched its way back over the gravel and through the cemetery gates.
Percy let go of her hand as soon as the car closed, but she could still feel the ghost of his grip, warm and secure. She let out a long breath and stared at the Potomac and the city skyline the whole drive back, trying to calm her suddenly racing pulse.
Marathon has been run (yay), work is... crazy but not too bad (such is life), and this chapter's finally tightened up enough to post. I hope you're all having a lovely October. Thank you for reading.~GT
