Chapter Twelve:

February 15th

WAIT, wait! STOPP! There's a slight trigger warning for this chapter; it's not too graphic or anything but it does hint at SA and have some darker themes in it. Please don't read it if you don't feel comfortable.

Her eyes hurt from the first light to hit her eyes in far too long. It didn't last long before the door slammed shut again and the space was illuminated by a flashlight. Annabeth looked around her, unsure of how long she would have the light source, and saw rivets in blue metal all around the rectangular space.

It didn't take long for her mind to gather that she was in a shipping container, which explained the water hitting the shore she's been hearing. Annabeth finally turned her head to the man in front of her and the fear that had threatened to swallow her earlier rose up again, as she realized that she knew the man.

It was Gabe.

Gabe Ugliano.

Percy's stepfather.

Oh god, she felt like she was gonna throw up. She knew something was off with this man, but she brushed it off, thought she was being paranoid. But she should have listened to her gut. Because now here she is.

"Well, hello there, pretty girl," Gabe said with a deep chuckle. "You don't look excited to see me."

Annabeth's jaw tightened, refusing to give him anything.

At the silence, Gabe continued, "Hmph, still a little brat, aren't ya? Well, don't worry. We'll get that taken care of pretty soon."

He stalked closer and she attempted to shrink into the metal wall, but Gabe wasn't having that. He grabbed her leg and gave it a sharp tug.

Annabeth let out a yelp at the pain coursing through her body and she watched Gabe's smile grow at the sound.

"Nowhere for you to go now, you little slut."

Her chin trembled and her eyes stung as she worked to stop the tears from falling, knowing that would only spur him forward.

Annabeth was now laying flat on her back with her arms chained above her, as the vulnerability of her position hit her and nothing was gonna stop the tears this time.

Gabe climbed on top of her and pressed his body into hers. She turned his head as his heavy breaths brushed across her skin.

"I've finally got you where I want you. Nowhere to go. No one to interrupt. Just the two of us." Gabe chuckled as he ground his hips into hers. "I'm technically not supposed to touch you because someone's already bought you, but what they don't know won't hurt em, right? It's not like you're a virgin. I'm sure that little asshole took his piece of you. It's my turn now."

With those words, Annabeth started screaming and kicking, anything she could do to fight back. Gabe cursed and struggled to pin her legs beneath him and clamp his hand over her mouth. The second her mouth was covered, she bit down, hard, on his palm.

The man let out a strangled yelp and another curse before striking her across the face. Annabeth saw the black creep into her vision as Gabe put his hand over her mouth again and sent a rough jab into her ribs.

"Now, you be quiet, bitch," he whispered in her ear. "Or you'll get worse than that, and then I won't be gentle when we get to the good part."

With her eyes closed, Annabeth felt Gabe's hand wandered across her body, over her breasts, across her inner thighs. Every inch of her body tensed and trembled as she worked to take her mind far, far away from where her body was.

Annabeth thought of the few good memories she had with her parents, all the laughs and adventures with Thalia, Piper, and the rest of her friends, but most of all she thought of Percy.

Percy. The person who came into her life and stole every piece of her heart with ease. The boy who constantly made her laugh and took on all her worries as his own. He never failed to listen to everything she said, all the unimportant rambles about architecture and all the important conversations about her parents, and all the pressures she felt. Everything in her life has been a little brighter and a little sweeter since Percy came into her life.

As Annabeth staved off all the thoughts of the hell she was in, she reflected on every good moment with Percy. And every single one of them felt like a little slice of heaven cutting into the darkness.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud bang of the shipping container's door bursting open and shouts echoing through the space.

"POLICE! HANDS UP! DON'T MOVE!"

Annabeth started sobbing with relief, as she felt the weight of Gabe pulled off her. She flinched when gentle hands reached up to unlock the cuffs on her wrists.

"Shhh, it's okay. We're gonna get you out of here, I promise." The officer said softly while he worked the cuffs off.

As soon as she was free, Annabeth sat up and saw Gabe being hauled out of the container in handcuffs, similar to the ones that were just attached to her, he was struggling and screaming as the two officers pushed him through the entrance.

Her focus was drawn back to the officer and EMT in front of her when a blanket was draped across her shoulders.

"Can you walk, Miss?" The EMT asked. "We need to get you to the hospital so you can be checked on.

She shakily nodded and rose to her feet.

The EMT wrapped her arm around Annabeth and slowly walked her towards the exit.

"Miss. Chase," the officer said as he walked along with them. "I just want to let you know that Mr. Jackson is okay and you'll see him soon."

Annabeth's body went cold, "What do you mean he'll be okay? What happened to Percy?"

"Oh, well when Mr. Jackson- Percy- caught on to what Mr. Ugliano had done, they got into an altercation and he had to go to the hospital for some pretty serious injuries."

She panicked, "But he's okay? Am I going to the same hospital? I need to see him."

The EMT nodded and gently said, "Don't worry, you're going to the same hospital. As soon as you are treated, we'll allow you to see him. But you need to focus on you for a minute, Miss."

Annabeth nodded, "You can just call me Annabeth."

"Okay, Annabeth, you need to step up into the ambulance for me so we can get to the hospital," she said with a soft smile.

Annabeth listened and gingerly climbed into the vehicle and, once the doors shut, they were driving away. She felt the slight tug of pain in her ribs as she sat in the ambulance, but all she was focused on was seeing Percy again.

A/N: Okay, what'd you think? I considered drawing the kidnapping a little more but I couldn't do that to you guys, or Annabeth, so we'll wrap it up here. I wanted to go ahead and get this chapter posted because finals are getting ready to start and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging for that long. Hope you enjoyed! Hopefully, I'll be back around mid-May after all the craziness is over.

Thanks! See you soon! Stay safe, xoxo!