I do not own anything from Rick Riordan's Universe.

Chapter 30

"Happy Birthday," Annabeth announced after peeking at the time on her phone. She had to whisper it since she was technically not supposed to be in Percy's air mattress at 12:15 a.m., but his smile meant he didn't care how she had said it.

He lazily ran his hand through her bare skin leaving a warm sensation in her stomach. She moved closer to him, even if they couldn't be more stuck to each other in such a small mattress but she loved the sensation on her body against his.

She ran her hand through his hair, and he said, "Looking for grey hairs already?"

She chuckled. "Nah. Although you'd look hot with them." She moved the blankets around them, so they were more shielded from the air. For being a summer night, it was rather chilly inside the cabin. "What is the schedule for today?"

He played with her curls for a bit before his eyes shone with lust, "How about a round two?"

Annabeth looked nervously at the wall that separated them from Grover and Juniper's room. Thank gods, they were the only other couple they were sharing a cabin with. Although technically, she had to be in her designated room in the cabin she shared with Travis and Connor. "I don't know, Percy. We weren't exactly quiet the first time…"

He smiled. "And whose fault is it?" he asked as he started to kiss her neck.

"Hey! I was trying very hard not to make a sound, but you had to try those new moves," she complained without really wanting to. She had loved those new moves, even if she really didn't want to know where he had learned them from. She covered her face with her hands and sighed. "Besides, we were supposed to be taking things slow, and we broke that rule miserably."

"You can't blame that on me," Percy defended covering her body with his. He smirked, "You weren't here for five minutes when you were already taking my clothes off. I was hoping for just a cuddling night, but you know very well I can't say no to you."

Annabeth snorted. "Yeah, right. You're just as guilty as I am."

He gently pushed her hair away from her face and his eyes looked deeply into hers with a more serious tone. "Are you really regretting it? Did we cross a line?"

She bit her lip before telling him, "Gods, no. I mean, yeah, we crossed a line, but I loved every second of it." She hadn't finished that sentence when Percy resumed kissing his way down her neck. "However…" she pushed him away gently and he, begrudgingly, obliged. "I'm sure we are making Grover and Juniper feel extremely uncomfortable right now. We should be a little bit more understanding with them."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Oh, please, I bet they're doing dirtier things than us."

She sighed. "I really didn't need to paint that picture on my mind."

He looked at the wall for a few seconds before also sighing, "Are you really worried about making them uncomfortable or you just don't want them to know we are together?

"Little bit of both?" she asked with a high tone. "But they could also think you have Calypso in here."

Percy frowned. "So, you think it's better for them to believe that I'm sleeping with Calypso than with you?"

Annabeth remained silent.

"That's a mood killer," Percy said falling heavily next to her. She turned her body to face him and softly traced the band-aid on his cheek with her fingers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He ran a hand through his dark hair and stared at the ceiling. "I just don't get it, Annabeth. Why are you so reluctant to tell them? We are not subtle at all, so they are gonna figure it out sooner or later."

"Because they're gonna be nosy, and they are gonna give us their opinion about us. And, even if I don't want to admit it, those opinions are gonna get stuck in my head and if they are not good ones…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence.

"I just want to feel like my old confident self again before bringing more drama to the table," she concluded.

"They're adults, Annabeth. They're not looking for drama." She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled. "Okay, maybe they are. But they know how much you've been through. I'm sure they won't judge…at least for now."

Annabeth closed her eyes. Percy was right in some way. If she couldn't trust her friends, then there was something really wrong in either her decision or her election of friends. And she definitely didn't regret getting back with Percy and she loved her friends. So, what was she so scared about?

Percy also turned on his side and caressed her cheek. "But, as we agreed, it's your decision."

She smiled. "Thanks, but you're also right. What if we tell them after the trip? That way they won't have more chances to mess with us."

He laughed. "Sounds good."

Annabeth looked at her cellphone again. "I better go back to my room. We have planned a big breakfast for your birthday, and Piper will have my head if I'm not ready by the time she wakes up."

She started pushing the warm blankets away, but Percy quickly stopped her from getting up by putting his body over hers once again. "You still owe me another round," he said.

"Percy…" she started objecting but was quickly shushed by his lips over hers. Her entire body surrendered under his touch and she knew she didn't have enough willpower to go away. "Fine…but we better be quiet this time."

He smirked. "I make no promises."

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"We've…been…walking for days," Leo complained out of breath as he climbed the last ledge. Annabeth handed him her bottle of water, and the poor guy almost drowns in it.

"We've been hiking for three hours, Leo" Piper clarified as she redid her shoelaces. "Besides, we're almost there."

"I think I can already hear the water," Jason noted, cupping his ear as if it would help him.

"This waterfall better be magical," Leo grumbled and almost squeaked as Reyna appeared next to him and grabbed the bottle away from his hands.

"Calypso is far behind," she informed them gulping the last bit of water. Annabeth's water. She would have to drink from Percy's now. "Hazel and Frank are with her, but it's costing her great deal."

Annabeth wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was very warm that day and the only bad thing about having short hair was that she couldn't put it into a proper ponytail. Instead, she had a half-up hairdo while some bottom locks were sticking to her neck due to the sweat.

"You should go and help them," she told Percy as she politely declined when he offered her his water.

He shrugged. "Why me?"

"You're the most athletic one. If someone is going to have success carrying a woman up this trail that'll be you."

They had an intense stare battle until he finally sighed. "Fine, but I'm not carrying anyone. I'll push her up the hill if I have to." He left the bottle of water with her, before descending through the path they had just climbed.

"Let's keep going," Piper suggested looking at her watch. "They can catch up with us later. The path is well marked, so they won't get lost. I hope. Grover and Juniper should have arrived ages ago."

They kept on walking through the trail, and Annabeth took the time to take deep breaths of clean air and to just listen to the sounds of nature. The peace and quietness didn't last for long though.

Piper reduced her speed until she was walking side by side with Annabeth. "So," she started. "Did you have any action yesterday?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I put you in the same cabin as Travis…don't tell me now you didn't take the chance."

"Of course, I didn't! We're just friends, Piper."

"Hmph," she looked behind them at Travis. "I'll have to be more creative then…"

"Pipes what are you doing?" Annabeth questioned her in a whisper. "Why are you pushing me with Travis so much?"

"Because is the only guy you've really connected with apart from Percy and…" she took a deep breath. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but Juniper told me Percy had someone at his room last night."

Annabeth tried hard not to blush. "Did he?"

Piper nodded. "I just don't want you to be heartbroken by the end of this trip."

Her friend looked so sincere that Annabeth wanted to spill everything out, but she knew Piper would give a big lecture that would probably have her questioning everything by the end of their adventure. But it was Piper, she deserved to know.

"It was me," Annabeth whispered.

Piper blinked. "What?"

"I was with Percy last night when Juniper heard us," she admitted embarrassingly.

Her friend's eyes widened but she tried to remain calm so the others wouldn't hear them. "I knew it! And that night at restaurant…"

"We had just agreed on giving us another chance," she admitted.

Piper squealed with excitement earning a few curious looks from their friends. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded.

"I didn't want you to judge!" Annabeth hissed, trying to keep their volume down.

"I would never!" Piper exclaimed and Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "Okay, maybe I would. And maybe I do think is too soon. And I don't know if I would have forgiven him for having sex with many other girls…"

Annabeth cleared her throat. "This is it. This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you."

Piper grimaced. "Sorry, but we're just looking out for you. What I wanted to say is that I root for you two. I think you bring out the best of each other."

"Thanks."

Piper took another sip of water. "Everything clicks now."

Annabeth frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Jason told me Percy had declined a very important job in Iceland. I was wondering why since he clearly like Australia, but if you two are together now, it's clear he declined it to stay with you."

"No, he declined it because it meant his father would have to recognize him publicly."

"Annabeth you know him better than anyone. Percy doesn't care about that. He declined it because going away would have meant ending things with you. That's what he cares more about."

Annabeth shook her head. "He would have told me…"

"No, he wouldn't."

"How do you know?!"

"Because he knew you'd make a big deal out of it like you're doing now," Piper argued. "Or wasn't that the reason why things blew up back in Australia? He doesn't want to risk it this time, so he's not running it by you."

Annabeth opened her mouth but closed it almost immediately. What was she going to discuss? It made total sense. Besides, Percy had made it clear. It was his job, his decision. Annabeth wouldn't break up with him because he was willing to sacrifice a huge promotion for her. It was a really stupid thing to do. But it was his choice.

"We're here," Jason announced from a few steps in front of them.

The lagoon was really beautiful. It had different shades of blue and green, and trees around it projected a cool shade over it. Grover and Juniper had already stripped down to their bathing suits and were now floating peacefully in it.

They settled their backpacks down, and Annabeth was glad she was finally taking off her sweaty clothes. She folded them neatly in her backpack and checked she had indeed packed a clean underwear set and extra towels. For safety, she also took off her favorite bracelet and hid it well in her backpack.

Instead of jumping into the water right away like the others, Annabeth just dipped her legs in and waited for Percy and the others to arrive. Leo had gotten a volleyball out and Annabeth watched them play, as Grover and Juniper made her some company on the shore. The way Juniper was avoiding her eyes and how her cheeks blushed, made Annabeth realize Juniper knew who had been with Percy last night and she hadn't told Piper the whole truth.

Annabeth heard voices approaching, and she turned just in time to see Frank and Hazel arriving drenched in sweat. Behind was Percy piggybacking Calypso, who was just small enough for it. Annabeth tried not to frown at the sight, since she had been the one who had told him to help the poor girl.

Finally, he set her down and she thanked him timidly. Percy just cracked his neck and gave her a small smile, before starting to take off his clothes. Even if he had reduced considerably his swimming sessions, Annabeth still loved Percy's body. It looked strong and healthy, which were attributes that appealed deeply to her. She was glad Calypso was too polite to check him out.

Annabeth watched as Percy took impulse and jumped on the lagoon with a cannonball, splashing everyone around him. He goofed around with the ball for a bit before swimming towards Annabeth.

"Too cold?" Percy asked pushing his wet hair back, so it didn't invade his sight.

"Nah, I was waiting for you."

"Aw…"

"Shut up- Ah!" Annabeth screamed as Percy grabbed her hips and pulled her into the water. Even if it wasn't cold, the change of temperature surprised her, and she held on to Percy's warmth. "Idiot…" she muttered, but Percy was too busy laughing at her annoyed expression.

"I just thought you needed a little bit of help getting in."

"Aha," she looked towards Calypso who was getting little by little into the water. "I thought you weren't carrying her," Annabeth teased him. She tried stepping back, but Percy kept his hands firmly on her waist. He was taking advantage of the fact that their friends couldn't see their hands underwater.

"I wasn't, but she was taking so long I figure I better give her a ride before it got dark and we couldn't get to the lagoon soon enough." He smirked. "Jealous much?"

Annabeth snorted. "I would kick you if you ever try that on me."

"Oh, I believe you." He looked at their friends who were starting a new round of not letting the ball fall. "Did I miss anything?"

Annabeth played with the water making tiny circular waves with her finger. "Um, nothing special…maybe Piper knows about us now?"

Percy gazed at her, his sea-green eyes swirling. "Maybe?"

"I might have told her," she admitted. "Apparently, Juniper heard us last night."

He tightened his grip and pulled her closer. "Does that mean I can kiss you right now?"

Annabeth peeked at her friends, sure that they weren't paying too much attention to them. "I don't know…depends."

He smiled. "On what?"

She sighed. Annabeth knew she was about to step into dangerous territories. But it was in her nature to try. "On you giving Iceland an opportunity?"

Percy's hand stopped holding her and his smile turned into a frown.

Well, she had done it again.

"Where is that coming from?" he demanded, his voice low.

She decided to skip the part where Piper had said Percy didn't want to go due to their relationship and decided to try something else, "I just don't want you to damage the relationship you have with your dad. You should exploit your privileges as his son and do a trial time like in Australia. Just to please him. I wouldn't go this time, though. You'd come here and kindly rejected the position but, at least, he'd appreciate that you tried."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "That…actually sounds like a good plan. That way he'd only have to recognize me to the press if I accept the job."

Annabeth shrugged. "Yeah. You'd be both compromising."

He grabbed her waist again and gave her a cocky smile, "If I say yes, you'll let me kiss you right here, right now? No more hiding?"

She rolled her eyes. "No more hiding."

He smiled. "Okay, I'll call my dad as soon as we get back."

Annabeth's consciousness finally shut up. After Australia, she'd never force Percy to take a job if he really didn't want to, but she could at least do everything in her power to make him evaluate his possibilities.

"Now…" Percy's hand slid from her hips to her upper back where everyone could see them. "Let's make everyone uncomfortable enough for them not to mess with us, shall we?"

"Oh, gods. I'm regretting this already," Annabeth complained, but she was also surrounding his neck with her arms.

Neither held anything back as they met halfway. She was so into the kiss Annabeth barely noticed the cheering from their friends and even Nico yelling "Finally!" at them. She just wanted to lose herself in him, and never forget that wonderful day.

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Annabeth knocked on the bathroom door. "Percy?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he answered over the sound of the water hitting the tiles. They had all taken turns to shower after their hike. They were exhausted but since it was Percy's birthday it was obligatory to drink some alcohol and play some board games at night. The light was needed for it though.

"I just checked the generator," Annabeth said. "It's out of gas. I told Piper we could go fetch some at the nearest station. You up for it?"

"Yeah, just let me finish here. Can you bring me a towel from my bag? I forgot it again."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, you did. I'll be back in a sec."

"Love you!" he yelled as she walked away from the bathroom area.

Annabeth hugged her jacket closer as she headed towards the cabin Percy was sharing with Grover and Juniper…and now Annabeth since they didn't have to hide anymore. She couldn't help but smile. For the first time in a long time, she felt like her old self again. Happy and confident. Not even her lack of a job was enough to bring her mood down. She was Annabeth Chase, for gods' sake. If someone was able to become a great architect, it would be her.

Thunder roared in the distance as she entered the cabin and stepped into Percy's room. They would have to play the card games inside the main house since a storm was clearly approaching them.

Annabeth wrinkled her nose at seeing Percy's mess. She was surprised he could find his stuff in the sea of chaos that was his room. Clothes were everywhere and his blankets were rolled up in the middle of the mattress. His bag was open in a corner and most of its contents were spilled on the floor.

She approached the mess and realized the towel on the floor was the one he had used to dry himself after the lake. Therefore, she grabbed his bag and started looking around for a dry towel.

Nothing.

Annabeth sighed. Of course, Percy would only bring one towel with him. She figured the best solution was to lend him one of her own. She gave up looking and let go of the bag. It fell on the floor with a loud thud and Annabeth frowned.

Had she broken something? She sighed. Please don't let it be his computer, Annabeth thought.

Carefully, she resumed her inspection of his bag, looking for anything that might have been hit when she dropped it. But there was nothing. No computer, no cellphone, no metal bottle. Then what could have been heavy enough to make such a sound…

Her fingers grazed a familiar cold metallic shape and Annabeth's heart stopped.

No, it can't be…

Unwillingly, Annabeth closed her hand around the dreadful hilt and lifted the object out of the bag so she could confirm what she feared the most.

Luke's gun. Percy had kept it.

She spun it in her hand and inspected it closely to make sure it wasn't a vision. But it was too real, and Annabeth's shaking hands were proof of it.

Why in Hades had he kept it? Why hadn't he told her? Why had he brought it?

Was it for protection?

It's just for protection, Luke's voice played in her mind as if he had whispered in her ear. A terrifying chill traversed her body and she felt dangerous memories were creeping up their way back to her mind.

Annabeth needed to calm down.

It didn't matter how or why he had kept it.

She needed to get rid of it.

Now.

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Annabeth gritted her teeth as she watched the raindrops racing its way down through the car's window. The cold feeling of the gun tucked in her jean jacket's inner pockets was crushing her lungs, so it was hard for her to control her breathing at the moment. She had decided not to leave it in her cabin, afraid someone would go through her stuff and find it, and she couldn't risk telling Percy since he would only try to take it away from her and maybe keep the damn gun once again.

She was planning what do to with it as they drove through the road towards the nearest gas station. What could she do? Put it in the garbage? No, someone could find it and cause harm with it; bury it? But where would she get a shovel without alerting her friends about something going wrong? Maybe she could leave in the middle of the night and use her own hands to dig a hole…she would have to change clothes and wash very well for no one to suspect-

"Hey," Percy grabbed her hand and squeezed gently as he kept the other one on the wheel. His eyes were still on the road, but he had a slight frown on his face. "Everything alright? You've been very quiet."

Annabeth detailed his face and noticed he was worried about her. Gods, she loved him so much. Maybe she had to be honest. He deserved it. Maybe she should have trusted him from the beginning and should have put the gun back in its place.

As you trusted me, Luke's voice resonated in her mind.

"Shut up," she whispered.

"What?" Percy asked again, his frown growing deeper.

"Sorry," she apologized louder, cursing herself internally. "I'm fine. Just a mild headache."

"Um, okay," he turned down the volume of the music, hoping it would help her somehow. "Will must have something for that."

Annabeth smiled. "You think just because he's a doctor he carries a bunch of med stuff around?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Do you carry a dolphin around?"

"Um, no…"

"Do I carry my expensive software around?"

He chuckled. "Okay, okay, I get it."

The sound of his laugh calmed her a little. "But you gave me an idea. We should carry a basic medkit in the car, just to be prepared for situations like this." She gently brushed the band-aid on his cheek. "You were lucky Will had some alcohol and Hazel some band-aids."

He smiled and gave her a small peck on her hand. "We can buy the essential at the gas station."

Percy seemed satisfied by her answer because he returned his full attention to the road as he hummed softly along with the songs on his playlist. Annabeth resumed her thinking and figured the best way was to sneak out in the middle of the night, grab a flashlight and bury the weapon very deep into the ground.

Gods, she felt like she was in one of those Serial Killer movies.

The trip to the station took forever, and Annabeth almost sighed of relief when she stepped out of the small car and breathed the rain in. It was refreshing, and it helped to clear her mind in some way. She would get rid of the gun that night and everything would go back to normal.

The universe, however, had other plans.

She followed Percy inside. Annabeth found the little bell that twinkled when they got in, charming. The twilight was darker than usual thanks to the storm, and the store was completely deserted except for the cashier and them. The kind lady greeted them before returning to her magazine, and Annabeth decided to buy the snacks and meds while Percy refilled the gas container they had found in the shed. The bell dinged once again when Percy went outside.

She took her time as she walked through the aisles, putting in the small metallic basket what she thought they could snack while they played board games back at the cabins.

The little bell ringed a third time, and Annabeth turned towards the front door to ask Percy what type of chips he wanted but realized someone else had entered the store.

The guy was damped by the rain and had a wild look in his eyes. The cashier shared a look with Annabeth, but they quickly returned to their business.

Annabeth walked to the free-sell med section and grabbed what she thought were the basics. She was deciding which type of Advil to buy and an extremely loud thunder boomed closed to them and a tiny gasp was heard at the front of the store. Annabeth turned on the spot to see the cashier on the verge of tears and the wild man pointing a gun at her.

The thunder must have concealed whatever the guy had said to her because the cashier was sending Annabeth begging looks as she slowly opened the cash register. The guy noticed though and looked warningly at her.

"One wrong move and I shoot," he said with a raspy voice as if he was a serial smoker.

Annabeth, carefully, left the small basket on the floor and showed the assaulter her hands. She had been robbed before, she could surely remain calm in that situation, right?

Wrong.

The poor cashier was taking too long to get the money out, and the unstable robber was losing its patience. In a reckless act, he aimed the gun towards the ceiling and fired a warning shot, making the cashier scream terrified and sped up getting the money out.

For Annabeth, sadly, the sound of the bullet being fired was enough to lose it. Suddenly, her vision got foggy and all the sounds were suddenly heard as if she was underwater. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but when she opened them again, she wasn't in the gas station anymore.

She was back at Christmas night, standing on the snowy sidewalk in front of a bar, waiting for Luke's texts. She couldn't breathe or move. She was stuck, as she braced herself for what would happen next. Five, four, three, two, one…

"Your wallet!"

Annabeth was back in the present, back in the same situation. The robber now had his bag full of money and his gun aimed at her, his face clearly irritated as if he had asked her the same thing several times. Annabeth wanted to oblige but her entire body was frozen, as it shook in its place. She was hyperventilating and there as a new person in the store.

Luke's bleeding body was now standing between her and the assaulter, and she couldn't take her eyes off it.

"I said your wallet. Give it to me, now. Or I'll shoot." The man asked once again, scaringly calm.

His empty blue eyes were looking at her with fear. The last expression he ever gave to her. Fear of not having a future, of not being able to change or to repair his mistakes once again.

"She's having a panic attack," a new voice said, making Annabeth finally get ahold of her actions. She looked behind the assaulter and her heart almost collapsed right then and there. Somehow, while she was gone, Percy had re-entered the shop, surely having heard the warning shot. He was still close to the entrance with his hands in the air. Annabeth envied how calm he looked.

"Shut up!" The robber barked, clearly not moved by his phrase.

Percy's eyes connected with hers and just then Annabeth noticed the pure fear in them. "Annabeth, everything is going to be fine," he said slowly. "Just give him your wallet."

He's gonna die, Annabeth. Luke's voice resonated in her head. He's gonna die just like I did, and you won't be able to help him as it happened with me.

The robber finally lost his patience and marched towards her until he could press the gun against her chest. Out the corner of her eye, Annabeth watched Percy flinch and take two steps forward. "Please, she's not thinking straight," he begged. "Let me go over, and I'll give you hers and mine." Percy made the mistake of taking another step forward, and the robber turned to point the gun at him.

"Another step and you're dead."

Suddenly, Annabeth felt the control of her body coming back to her, and she even noticed some movement behind the counter. She thought the cashier was backing away, ready to make a run for it. But no. She did something worse.

When the girl put her hand over the fire alarm, Annabeth instinctively reached for her pockets. The fire alarm went down, mayhem exploded in the small shop, and two gunshots disrupted the rainy twilight.

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Seven.

Seven times Annabeth had watched one of the cops go the bathroom in less than two hours. The guy definitely had a bladder or colon problem, but she wasn't going to be the one who told him.

Someone elbowed her. She turned to look at her cellmate who had gotten a cigarette out of his pockets. "Want one?"

She shook her head. "No, but thank you."

They had taken everything from them when they were locked down, so she really didn't want to know where the guy had hidden that cigarette before it ended in his pockets.

It had been a rough night. Apart from spending the night in a cell (which unfortunately wasn't her first time), Annabeth had been in and out of a panic state constantly. Even her cellmate, who had an imaginary friend, would look at her like she was insane whenever she closed her eyes and begged her mind to stop.

It wasn't her fault that the universe had decided to be a dick with her that day. Everything was going so well, that it almost seemed impossible a simple event had triggered her delusions all over again when she had already moved on.

You didn't move on, Luke spoke on her mind, you buried it in pills and pretended everything was okay.

"Please shut up," Annabeth whispered again.

Her cellmate slid through the bench further away from her.

Great. Just great.

"Chase?" one of the cops called loudly. Annabeth stood up so quickly, even her cellmate flinched at her movement. The cop opened the cell door and Annabeth practically sprinted towards it, ignoring how exhausted her body was. She stood outside the frame, as the cop closed the door again and made her a sign to follow him.

Hugging her jacket closer Annabeth followed him. It hadn't stopped raining since she had been brought to the small precinct. All the windows were closed, which made the air even more suffocating for her.

The cop led her to an empty meeting room and offered to bring her coffee. She accepted. The police force had been awfully kind to her even if she was considered a criminal for the time being. She grimaced. The situation would definitely not be welcomed in her CV.

The cop came back a few minutes later with her coffee and a visitor.

"Annabeth!" Piper greeted before giving her a huge hug. Once the familiar perfume of her friend reached her nose, Annabeth wanted to crumble and cry on her shoulder. Nothing happened though, as the cop forced them to separate.

Her friend took a seat next to her, and the police officer stepped outside to guard the door.

"How's Percy?" Annabeth asked, not being able to think about anything else since she had been seated in the police car.

Piper smiled sadly. "He's great. The bullet just grazed his arm." Annabeth rested her elbows on the table and covered her face with her hands. She released the breath she'd been holding for the entire night and her entire body shook.

"He wanted to come but the hospital says he has to be on observation for at least a day." Piper continued softly, grabbing one of Annabeth's hands and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"What about the guy I shot?" Annabeth asked, trying hard for her voice not to break under the pressure.

Piper sighed. "Last I heard he was in surgery and had a good chance to survive."

Annabeth nodded and finally took a sip from her coffee. "And the rest?"

"They are at the hospital with Percy. They still can't believe how badass you were."

"I shot someone, Piper. With an illegal gun. That's bad in almost every way."

Piper shook her head. "The keyword is almost, my friend. It was self-defense. You're gonna be out of here in no time. Percy has been calling his dad, and they are arranging everything with very expensive lawyers."

Her statement made her wince. Percy must have been if he was asking his dad for favors.

"It's not supposed to be that way. I shouldn't get out freely because I have powerful friends on my side! That why politics don't work nowadays."

"You're getting out because you did nothing wrong, Annabeth. You saved Percy's life." Piper argued, urging her to drink more coffee. "Even the cashier girl has to admit you acted in self-defense." She snorted. "I still can't believe she decided to press the fire alarm."

Annabeth smiled sadly. "We all do stupid things when we are scared. I, for example, didn't give my silly wallet to the guy. Everything would have been okay, and nobody would have gotten hurt."

"Yeah, about that…" Piper bit her lip. "Are you really okay? Because we can say that staying in a cell is very harmful to your current mental state…"

"I'm fine," Annabeth said a little bit harsher than she had intended to. It had taken so long for her friends to actually believe she was okay she didn't want to jeopardize it…even if she was truly losing her mind again. "I'm just tired. These last months have been insane."

Piper nodded. "I can almost see the little grey cloud above your head, Little Misfortune."

Annabeth laughed softly. "Yeah. I don't know if someone would even want to hire me after this…"

Piper shrugged. "Prison architect?"

They exploded in laughter earning a curious look from the guard who showed them his watch through the little inner window. Piper sighed, "Guess that's my cue to go. I was only allowed to see you so I could tell you about the stage of the process." She gave Annabeth a peck in the cheek. "Hang on tight. We'll get you out in no time."

Annabeth watched her hopelessly stand up and leaving the room. It was going to be a long day.

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Thirty-six.

Thirty-six hours were the top limit to hold someone under custody with no clear evidence against his case. Annabeth knew that wasn't the case for her. They have plenty of evidence with the illegal gun they had taken from her, and the testimony of the people present by the time of the crime.

So, she resisted the urge to sigh when the clock marked exactly 8 a.m. on Monday, meaning she had been in her cell for thirty-six hours. She hadn't heard anything from anyone, and even her cellmate had been released a few hours before.

She was alone.

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Forty-eight.

Forty-eight hours had passed when the cop finally called her name once again. She hadn't slept well, only taking small naps on the bench now for herself, and had started to have more frequent visions. All of them were about Luke, and none were pleasant. Sometimes she relieved a fight they had had in college about his friends, or about her studies…Others were vivid memories of how he had died.

She was sure she reeked like a wet dog, and even if they had brought her food several times, she didn't eat anything. She knew something was up with her case if they were still holding her in the same cell without the proper rights, and the anxiety didn't allow her to care for herself.

So, when the cop opened her cell and told her to stand up, Annabeth took a few seconds to realize she wasn't hallucinating.

"No charges were pressed," the cop said, guiding her out of the room that had been her home for the last two days. Annabeth blinked twice to make sure she was awake and listening well. No charges? She had been carrying an illegal gun! A gun she had specifically given the cops when they had arrived at the scene.

Still, she wasn't going to argue.

They walked through several desks until they entered a much bigger office. The cop closed the door, grabbed his phone on the desk, and dialed a number. He greeted someone and said, "She's here," before passing the phone to Annabeth.

Dazed by the whole ordeal, it took her a few seconds to approach the desk and attend the call. "Hello?"

"Miss Chase?"

Annabeth took a sharp breath. "Miss Pallas?"

"You will not talk to anyone about this," Athena ordered calmly and politely. "You won't accept interviews from anyone, and if someone wants to interrogate you, they will have to call me first. Are we clear?

Annabeth had no idea what was going on, but she knew Athena Pallas was her safest bet. She pinched her nose and closed her eyes. "Yes."

"Good. We'll discuss this further in New York. For now, you're free to go home and rest."

"Thank you, miss."

The line went dead, and she passed the phone back to the cop.

"You need to fill out some forms and you'll be good to go," he said hanging the phone and going to open the door once again. "Your friends are waiting outside."

Never in her life, Annabeth had written on a formal document as messy and carelessly as that time. She usually took her time to check all the info was right and that her letter was eligible. That time, she just didn't care. For all she knew, she might have put in the name Patricia in the first line, and she wasn't going to check it.

She just wanted to get out.

Finally, they gave Annabeth her personal belongings, along with the damned wallet and she sprinted out of the precinct, as fast as her tired body could take her.

Annabeth opened the front doors and the humidity from one of the last summer nights embraced, making her feel finally warm on the outside. She was finally free from the whole drama. Things would go back to normal, and that day had just been a horrible batch on her life.

She wasn't even three seconds outside when someone pulled her into a big hug. Annabeth was suddenly surrounded by a warm and comforting body and a subtle smell of the ocean's breeze. Finally, she let the entire tension slide away from her body, making her knees buckle. But it was okay because Percy was holding her tightly preventing her from hitting the ground.

Nothing could describe the feeling of having him in her hands again. Seeing the robber as he had pointed the gun at him had been the most terrorizing thing she had ever experienced, and the only thing that pulled her out of her panic state. She patted him making sure he was actually there, that he was alive and well.

"Please tell me we are going home," she whispered in his ear with her head on his shoulder. She wanted to take him back to New York and keep him away from all that madness. She wasn't going to lose him. Not like Luke.

Percy sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Wise Girl. We need to pack a few more things back at camp, but after that, we'll go home. I promise." He pushed her away slightly and joined their foreheads. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."

Annabeth closed her eyes and nodded. "As long as we are together."

The last thing she saw before leaving that cursed place, was Luke Castellan waving at her from the precinct's entrance before she passed out from exhaustion in Percy's arms.

A/N: Were you expecting that? I hope not ;) Okay, so maybe I lied and there more than two chapters left, but don't worry. I'll be sure to tell when it's the last one so you're all prepared. Are any predictions on what's going to happen next?

Thank you all for your reviews and your enthusiasm. You guys are the best.

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