The rain was coming down heavy in New York City. The city that never slept, always working. Those in power spent their time partying and enjoying their lavish lifestyle. Those who were struggling worked under those in power, faithfully, religiously. There was no shakeup in order, revolution in wealth.
Despite that being evil and corrupt, it made Percy smile. How crooked the world was. How everyone had their sins. He was someone's nightmare, as someone was his. He walked through the streets of downtown Manhattan, his suit getting drenched in the rain, sticking to his muscular, toned body. His dark, windswept hair was damp, glued to his forehead, yet Percy remained unbothered. This weather, the water, all comforted him. He never knew why, but he was ultra comfortable in all aquatic environments. Before he'd took the wrong turn, he thought his way out was to be an Olympic swimmer. That clearly didn't pan out.
Percy's life was… different, from what you'd usually expect. He lived life very independent, but very wealthy. He was a killer, a hired one. He'd grown a reputation for being one of the most deadly killers in the world. He killed world leaders, politicians, rich people, poor people. He didn't care. It all made him smile.
He continued down the street, approaching his building, and walking in. He greeted the doorman with a nod, who nodded back, noticing the gun on his waist. The doorman didn't even bat an eye. Percy got in the elevator and went to the top floor, where his penthouse was. He hadn't done any business that night, and didn't plan to, but kept himself armed in case. The elevator opened, and Percy froze.
His door was open.
He locked it every time he went out, and never left it unlocked. Percy's heart slowed, walking out the elevator and towards the door of his apartment. His pace lowered. He didn't have a gun on him, and the nearest one would definitely be in his bedroom. This was not an ideal situation. Percy peeked into the open doorway, and no lights were on, and he cracked the door open slightly more, before stepping inside. He crept into the apartment, his senses on high alert, when he heard a footstep behind him, and Percy ducked under a swing of a weapon, catching the man's body, tackling him to the ground. Percy punched the dude in the nose, breaking it, before standing, looking for his accomplices. Sure enough, another person came from the shadows, charging Percy with a knife. Percy caught the guy's wrist and flipped him into the kitchen island, getting a grunt in response, before Percy grabbed the bat that the first man dropped, and swung it into the second guy's throat, killing him. Percy looked around for more, but didn't hear anything outside the occasional groan from the one person still alive. Percy slowly walked down the hallway, and towards his room. He kept his breathing to a minimum, and his footsteps quiet. Percy cracked the bedroom door, peering inside slightly, before swinging the door open, and flicking the light on. There was nobody in the room. He ran to his bedside table, opening a shelf and grabbing the suppressed Glock-19 that was he was so infamous among his peers for. He checked the magazine, full, and ran back to the door, before swinging into the hallway. He flicked on the hallway light, and cleared the guest room. Nobody. He crept back into the main living area, where the dead guy still hung on the island and the alive dude still complained about his back on the floor.
Pain shot out from Percy's side, and he dropped to a knee, before someone hit him in the back of the head with something hard, and he was out.
He woke up tied to one of his dining room chairs, nose stuffed and bloody. His vision was blurry. He was concussed.
"You're pretty rich, dude." The kid who seemed to be the leader told Percy. Percy's head raised slightly.
"What makes you think that?" He mumbled. The kid laughed.
"That car? I've seen you drive it all around town recently. You think you can go around flaunting shit like that and just get away with it?" The kid spat in Percy's face, who remained monotone.
"Get this guy's keys." The kid said to one of his lackeys, who chuckled and walked away.
"Now give me your money. Liquidated or not. Give it to me, or I'll kill you." Percy smiled, and shook his head. It gave him a fucking headache, doing anything.
"There's four million in a safe behind you, in the closet. Code is 8415. Take it, kid." Percy said, looking up at the blonde-haired, grey-eyed dude. The kid frowned.
"Aren't you gonna like, put up a fight?" he asked. Percy kept smiling.
"No."
"Weirdo." The kid grumbled, before punching Percy in the jaw again. He spat blood at the foot of one of the lackeys, who growled, and punched Percy's head, yanking it to the other side.
"Grab the car. Let's bounce before someone notices. And knock the fucker out." The kid growled, and one of his lackeys hit Percy in the back of the head with something hard, and he was asleep.
She sat kindly in a chair across her father, with a small cup of expensive vodka in her hand, and a fire burning under the mantle near them. Her father smiled at her, lovingly.
"You've made me so proud, Annabeth." Kreuger Chase noted, and his 21-year old daughter smiled back at him.
"I love you too, father." Annabeth said quietly, sipping her drink. An assistant, James, ran in.
"A phone call for you, sir." Kreuger nodded.
"Link it to my personal." James ran back out, and sure enough, his cell rang. Kreuger picked it up, putting it on speaker, placing on the chairside table.
"Mr. Kreuger." her father said. The Italian voice that responded wasn't unfamiliar to Annabeth, but it also wasn't something she could place.
"Sir. Your son has done something… rather worrying."
"Elaborate, Vincent."
"He stole a car." the Vincent man said, and Annabeth's father frowned. Annabeth's brother, Andreas, was known in their circle for being a thief. She shrugged it off, looking back towards the fire, adjusting her tight dress. "As well as around 3.6 million dollars." she heard her father sigh.
"Why does this worry you, Vincent?"
"The car he brought in, is not just any car." Vincent said, and Kreuger frowned.
"It is the car of Perseus Jackson." Annabeth noticed an intake of breath from her father.
"I see."
The name, again, wasn't unfamiliar to Annabeth. She'd heard it before, but something about how the name blatantly scared her father worried her. He was not one to be scared, or intimidated, by one man. Annabeth frowned. She recalled some stories she'd heard, from past boyfriends and such, about someone named Perseus, but she didn't remember the stories exactly. Just that he was very good looking, very wealthy, and very deadly.
Her father hung up the phone, and looked at Annabeth.
"Do you know that man?"
"Vincent?"
"Perseus." He whispered. "Do you know him?"
"I do not believe so, father." Her father sighed.
"He was once a coworker of mine, and he was a very big reason we are what we are today. You remember when you were young." Annabeth does clearly. They were very poor, and had no future, until her father came home from work, citing about a job opportunity that would change their lives.
"Perseus's boss at the time, came to me in pity, seeing our fortunes, and wanted to help." Her father sighed, filling his cup to the brim with vodka.
"He offered the services of a sixteen year old kid. You'd be delighted to know you're the same age. I believe in a different universe you'd be husband and wife, my daughter." That was something strange. Her father never approved of any boy she's dated to this point, and for him to say he approved of this Perseus guy screamed something.
"He said the kid was one of the most promising hit men he'd ever seen, and that the task that he'd assign the guy was impossible, but something he'd wanted to do for a while. It'd make us billionaires." Kreuger smiled. "He assigned Perseus the job. Perseus accepted with glee, he told us, and the next day, we were thrown into this world of wealth."
"What'd he do, father?"
"Killed many men. Who? I do not know, but I know they were competitors for our position. Our wealth." Kreuger took another sip. "The bodies he buried that day.. laid the foundation for who we are today." Annabeth nodded.
"He was sixteen, Annabeth." Kreuger spat. "If my son was doing what Perseus was doing at sixteen, I might be proud of him. Now, he's awoken the sleeping giant. Perseus hasn't been seen or heard from in over a year, since he was paid billions to kill a wealthy Middle Eastern family, one that was seeking to be competition for Blue Ocean Enterprises."
"The one ran by Poseidon Green?"
"Yes. That one." Kreuger grimaced.
"Aren't they the biggest multi-purpose company in the world or something?" Annabeth asked, taking another sip. Kreuger nodded.
"Yes. It was said Poseidon himself paid Perseus nearly five billion dollars to kill a list of forty people over the span of fifty hours. Rumor has it he killed five times that amount just to get to the families."
Annabeth liked this Perseus man already. The ominous cloud of smoke that surrounded him, his mystery intrigued her. Not to mention, they were around the same age.
"Have you met Perseus before?" Annabeth asked, looking at her father. Kreuger nodded.
"Once. His sea-green eyes felt like they were needles stabbing into my soul. I've never crumbled under fear of another man, but he… he does scare me. He openly carried a silenced pistol on his hip, and nobody batted an eye. It was as if everyone knew his legend, but nobody actually knew him. The second coming of Gatsby, if you will. His wealth intrigued that of the women of his world, and his danger scared the hell out of the men who wanted to challenge him."
"He's a bachelor?" Annabeth questioned. Kreuger nodded.
"Nobody's heard any word of any sort of romantic relationship involving Perseus. It's always been business."
"Why have I never heard of him?" Kreuger nearly spat out his vodka.
"Annabeth… my love… if I wanted you loving a man like Perseus, you'd be with him already. I do not want you to be anywhere near Perseus. You're my greatest creation, my biggest achievement. Perseus will taint you, abuse you, and turn you into something that I do not want you to become. Perseus is a dedicated man, and if he saw you, he'd do whatever he needed to do to be with you." Annabeth shivered. She heard her father's warning, yet, for some reason, despite the warning, she just became more intrigued with Perseus. If it was true about him doing whatever he needed- she'd never had someone commit like that.
"Annabeth." Kreuger said. She shook her irregular thoughts off and looked at her father.
"Perseus will come for me and your brother." her breath hitched. "I believe there is nothing we can do about it-" The phone rang. Both pairs of eyes shot to it. Unknown number. Kreuger picked it up slowly, answering, and putting it on speaker.
"Kreuger." her father said.
"Good evening, Chase." the voice said. The way her father's eyes widened told her this was Perseus. "You now owe me four million dollars, as well as a new car. And I think for compensation of what sins your family has committed against me, I'll take a life or two as well."
"Certainly we can talk this out, Perseus. Over dinner, maybe. You can even meet my daughter." Kreuger asked, sweating. The man didn't respond for half a minute.
"Deal. I'll be there in thirty." Perseus said, and Kreuger frowned.
"Not today, I mean."
"I don't care what you meant. I'll be there in thirty."
"How do you even know where I live."
"Stop asking questions, I'll be there in thirty." Perseus spat, and the line ran dead.
Percy wasn't angry. He was incredibly amused. He hadn't been tested like this in a little while, about two years, and something about being back in business made him happy. His Glock-19 remained strapped to his hip, as he walked the New York City streets. He didn't care about the money, but that car was the last gift from his father. It meant something. That angered him. He didn't care what fucking terms Kreuger made, his son was dead.
He arrived outside the skyscraper, nodding to the doorman, who took one look at his gun and looked away. He walked to the desk, and the pretty young lady working it looked up.
"Hello! How can I help you?"
"The Chase residence, please."
"Are they expecting you?"
"Unfortunately." Percy smiled, and she giggled. She ran some things through a computer, and handed him a laminate card.
"Here's your key, they've confirmed your arrival and expectancy. Just go into the elevator, swipe the card, and they're the only place on the sixty-sixth floor." She winked at him. He walked to the elevator, and the card he was given had the woman's number on it. He might make use of that later.
As the elevator ascended into the thirties, he took out his pistol and checked the magazine. Full. One in the chamber, and he had backup mags tucked into his belt. His black suit with a white shirt was basic, but needed for formalities. Percy meant business.
That's all this was. A business trip. The elevator door opened, and he was greeted with a large living room and a butler, who nodded to him,
"They're expecting you in the smoke room, sir." Percy nodded his thanks.
Business. He walked through the large penthouse, his emotion remaining monotone and calm. Nothing bothered him. Business, as he walked through the penthouse and received glares from the large bodyguards stationed around the place.
Business, as he walked into the smoke room, his face unhinged and his eyes glaring. Business, as Kreuger Chase rose to shake his hand, and say his apologies, Percy nodded, taking a seat across Kreuger. Business- until he saw her.
He'd met beautiful women before, but the way this dress hung on her body, her curls flew down her head and shoulders, and the way her gray eyes pierced right through his imaginary mask. He'd met intimidation, but she was something else. An animal that had never been tamed, and Percy smiled.
Her father was right. Perseus's eyes were something else. She felt as if she couldn't move through the glare he gave her father, and the now seemingly-melting of a look he gave her. Something told her she had the same effect on him, but she doubted it. This killer doesn't have feelings. Annabeth smiled at him, and he returned it. To her, he looked around six-foot-four, and built. The way his hair sat on his head just looked hot. He was attractive, but not your basic dude-bro good looking. He was hot. She could tell his body was something of a wonder, and she only imagined what he was like in- Annabeth stopped thinking. She doesn't like to think about stuff like that.
But she wasn't wrong.
This Perseus guy was something else, and something that Annabeth, unfortunately, wanted to get to know.
He tried his hardest not to look at her, but it was so tempting. She was almost like an eighth wonder of the world. But, he ripped his thoughts from her and to Kreuger. Kreuger poured Perseus vodka, and offered.
"I don't drink."
"Ah. I forgot. Apologies." Percy waved it off.
"I don't care about the money, Kreuger. Get me my car, and your son, and we won't have to do anything we'll regret." Percy said, folding his hands in his lap. Kreuger grimaced.
"Your car, I'll see. My son, is off-limits."
"Take it as a form of you doing me a favor. I'll owe you one." Percy said, smirking at Kreuger, who frowned.
"You know the weight of those in our world, Perseus."
"Call me Percy. We're friends."
"Are we? You're asking for my son."
"For good reason, reason you don't understand, Kreuger." Percy spat.
"Know your place." Kreuger rose.
"Take this there and you'll die alongside your mistake of a child." Percy growled, and Kreuger slowly sat down.
"What's in the car you want so much, Percy?" The girl asked, and Percy's ears perked. Even her voice sounded heavenly, ethereal.
"It's the last gift I received from my father. My only parent. He died two days after gifting me that car." Percy said, stone cold. Kreuger's face fell into his hands.
"I'm not your enemy, Kreuger, as I wish not to be, but your son is making that awfully hard." Kreuger nodded.
"I know."
In that moment, the elevator buzzed open, and in walked the curly-blonde boy, who saw his father in the smoke room, and walked in. He was smirking, until he saw Percy, who glared at him.
"Take a seat, Andreas." Andreas took a seat. He looked at his father and Percy worryingly. Kreuger took the cup meant for Percy, and handed it to his son. Percy stared wonderingly at the two. As Andreas took a sip, Kreuger sighed.
"Andreas, meet Perseus. Perseus, Andreas." Andreas nodded at Percy, who didn't return it. "I believe you… uh, robbed Perseus, Andreas." Percy appreciated it, removing the formalities because this idiot was here.
"Yeah, I did." Andreas said, his ego coming back to him. Kreuger growled.
"Stay humble, boy. If Perseus wanted you dead, you'd be in your grave already." He spat, and Andreas's eyes widened at his father.
"Perseus is the reason for our wealth, for your idiotic lifestyle. His actions have amounted to more than you'll ever achieve. And at your age, he was a billionaire already. The money you stole from him meant nothing." Kreuger spat. "Where's his car?"
"I-uh," Andreas looked at the floor. "Sold it, already." Kreuger groaned, and Percy rose, taking the kid's neck in his hand, and flinging him over his chair like a ragdoll. Andreas landed on the ground with a thud, and Percy walked up to him.
"You're dumb, so… incredibly dumb." Percy said, choking Andreas.
"Help! Me! Father! Sister!" Andreas said, barely getting the words out. Percy's grip loosened, and looked back at Kreuger, who just sat there, looking into the fire. Percy's hand whirled down, and punched Andreas's nose into the hospital, who cried in pain. Percy stood up from choking the kid.
"I never understood how someone so ugly, so idiotic, can be related to someone," Percy started, walking back to his chair and sitting, "so pretty." he finished, looking at Kreuger's daughter. Percy took the cup he was offered, and took a sip.
"Where's my car, kid?" Percy said, as the vodka burnt down his throat. He turned to Andreas, as he groaned on the floor.
"I don't know! I sold it to some Hercules guy! Said his father needed it!" Percy openly groaned.
"You sold it to the fucking Olympians?" Percy growled, taking another sip, rolling his eyes.
There was nothing as blatant as her father's fear of Perseus, which if anything, made her more interested in him. The way Perseus almost commanded himself in this situation made it seem as if there was a superiority of Perseus above her father.
"I'll see myself out." Perseus said, rising from the chair, taking Annabeth's hand, and kissing it, as well as nodding his respects to her father, before walking past Andreas, kicking his gut, and kneeling.
"You've made a mistake that will cost may people their lives. Maybe even your own. But I must thank you." Perseus said, smirking. "You've brought me back into this world, back into this business, that I was gone from for so long. Thank you, Andreas Chase." Perseus said, unholstering his pistol and shooting a bullet that landed in her brother's leg, walking out.
His ass looked good in his suit pants.
Percy was pissed, to be frank. And in the elevator, screamed. Louder than he'd ever screamed before, because despite what he'd said, he did not want to be back. He wanted to settle down, to feel love, yet for some reason, something always brought him back. Now he'd have to deal with one of the three people who were the cause of his upbringings. The fucking Olympians.
The three richest people in the world, all owning separate businesses, all extremely successful, and all heavily guarded. He wasn't simply going to buy that car back, he was going to take-
He was brought from his thoughts by his phone ringing. He answered.
"Perseus?" The voice asked. He didn't respond.
"My brother, Zeus, has bought your car, I think… he wants to work out a deal that you can get it ba-" He hung up.
He didn't want to buy it back. These idiots knew what they were getting themselves into when they saw the car, the plate. Everything about it screamed who the owner was.
He knew what he had to do now, and how it was going to happen. He wanted his car back, so he'd get it back.
He needed to go to the bank first.
Annabeth sat in her seat, looking into the fire, her brother had been escorted out, crying in pain. Her father sighed, shaking his head.
"I love you, my daughter, but I must warn you, that Perseus will come for your brother, and he will die. Me, I cannot guarantee my own safety. I could hire the best defense detail in the world, and Perseus would break through it. You however, must remain safe." Annabeth frowned.
"My love, like I've said before, and I'll say it a million times. I'm more proud of you than any of this stuff. I want you to get your medical degree, and if I die to the hands of this man, you must not seek revenge, for he will come for you too. You do not want that. I'd rather see you fall in love with him before he kills you." Her father chided, and Annabeth was nervous.
She thinks she might've already fallen in love with him.
"So you're telling me, that there's this guy whose infamous for being a hitman, and your dad is involved with him, and that he's really good looking?" Thalia said, eating her noodles. Annabeth nodded.
"It sounds a lot worse out loud, but you have to believe me. Everything about him screamed different from any other guy, and it was so attractive." Annabeth said, biting down on a piece of orange chicken. Luke frowned.
"But he's like a killer and stuff."
"Yes."
"But-"
"Yes." Annabeth said, sighing.
"You guys don't get it… my father never's been scared of anyone ever before. Even when we were poor, yet this guy made him scared. He was allowed to stomp around our place like he owned it, and nobody did anything to him."
"Wait!" Thalia said, standing. "Is black-haired with really green eyes?" she asked, and Annabeth nodded. "Holy shit! I know him! He goes to Poseidon Green's annual ball every year! Uncle Poseidon told me he was a lead of his security detail! His name's Percy Jackson, he's like my little brother." Annabeth's face dropped into her hands.
"Of course you do."
"Do you want to meet him?"
"Thalia. Do you think he wants to meet me? Think of the situation." Annabeth asked.
"I just wanted to know. You're like never this obsessed with a guy. It's a first, honestly, and I think you need a relationship." Thalia smiled, and Annabeth groaned.
"My brother just stole his car, and now he's thinking about killing a bunch of people. You think he wants something like that? Or to meet me, at least?" Annabeth said, but as she said it, the memory of his minor flirtation jabbed back into her head.
Percy's phone rang again. Thalia.
"What is it, cuz?" He asked, walking back to his apartment.
"A birdie told me of your encounter with the Chase's." He sighed.
"Unfortunately."
"Are you seriously thinking about doing what I know you're thinking about?"
"Unfortunately." Percy said, and he was at his apartment building.
"Whatever you do, just don't regret it." Percy appreciated Thalia's advice, always. "And there's this cute blonde named Annabeth who likes you."
"Who's Annabeth?"