Hi friends! I'm so so happy with all of the positive feedback I've been getting on this story. I'm glad that most of you like how it's going so far. I'll try to make this a story with a more consistent upload schedule so you're all not left hanging at the end of each chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from PJO and HoO.
Annabeth frowned as she took in her surroundings. The dining hall was a large open space in the middle of the facility with a tall glass ceiling and a gorgeous view of the clear darkening blue sky and the tops of trees. On any other occasion, she would have fawned over the design. Right at that moment, she felt more unsettled.
After her encounter with Percy Jackson, she had rushed back to her prison cell. She was in no mood to speak with the other captives, not when she was well out of sorts and her head felt much too heavy for comfort. She figured that separating herself from contact with other people will help calm her nerves.
It did, for a while. She had completely buried herself completely in her own thoughts, staring at the white ceiling of her small room. The fear she felt over the situation had never left, not when the same sense of despair only grew worse. The more she thought about it, the more hopeless she got. To escape, she needed to defy a powerful, corrupted system. She needed help. Who can she rely on?
Moments afterward, she had fallen asleep. It was a restless sleep filled with hushed voices and shadow people. She dreamt of the facility, blurry images that took her places she had never been before. She had woken before she could have seen anything significant, however. Sweat dripped down her temple, her heart threatening to escape from her ribcage.
Then, she was called by her escorts and was brought to the dining hall. She mostly dragged her feet, her exhaustion preventing her from moving. She wanted nothing more to stay in that uncomfortable bed in her isolated room.
It was not difficult to spot Percy Jackson. He and the rest of his group sat farthest from the room, trapped in hushed conversation as they looked nervously at their surroundings. Despite the disgruntled atmosphere, they remained as gods amongst men. How was she meant to be with these people?
She felt like she was in high school again, averting her gaze from the curious looks she received from others. Yes, she was kidnapped and was not trapped in a brownstone building but she had to admit that the similarities are uncanny. She stopped mid-stride, realizing that she must have looked ridiculous walking over to what essentially was the popular clique. She was becoming exactly like those desperate girls she loathed.
Annabeth shook her head and turned at the heel, scanning over the crowd to spot a familiar girl with fiery hair and hoping that Rachel would accept her. It was better than trying to appear better than she was.
Just as she was increasing the distance between them, a hand stopped her from progressing. "Hey, why are you going?" She could recognize that voice from anywhere. She was better than some school girl.
"I… uh." She stuttered, cursing herself for the emotions that she was experiencing. "I didn't think you wanted me there."
"Annabeth, I invited you." He smiled kindly at her. She had no right to feel this way about him, not when he was soon to be matched with someone else. "Come on, I want you to meet everyone."
Of course, there was always a possibility that he only intended for them to be friends. He seemed to be the kind of man to befriend everyone open to the idea. Her feelings were not reciprocated and that was understandable. It was only natural for her to feel attracted to an attractive man. The last thing she wanted was to get hurt, however.
She sat beside him on the edge of the bench. She didn't particularly care about what they thought of her. She was much too concerned over the whole situation for her to pay any attention to the whispers of the crowd. Different colored eyes looked at her with curiosity.
"Annabeth, these are my cousins, Jason and Thalia." He gestured to the Grace siblings.
Jason smiled warmly at her, his demeanor warm and welcoming. "It's a pleasure, Annabeth. Percy's been talking about you." She had blushed at this. Thalia merely nodded in acknowledgment, returning her attention to the food in front of her. She did not seem to have eaten any of it.
"And this is Nico. I believe you've met him during the… um… orientation." Nico Di Angelo grunted once before taking a bite of the steak served to him. "He's our childhood friend."
They were just four and yet they radiated power and authority. Every move was well-calculated and methodical, the way they sat screamed years of discipline. Despite this, they did not seem to mind her company.
She noted how Percy did not mention their background. Any other celebrity she had encountered would have spent their time boasting of their accomplishments and the money in their bank accounts. Percy, however, was different. He had regarded his peers as family. He never once mentioned of the companies they were tied to or the successful lives they lived. She appreciated this.
"You must be damn special to catch Percy's attention," Thalia commented harmlessly as she played with the green peas on her plate. She seemed angry and Annabeth understood. Everyone was angry. They were just getting by as best as they could.
"There's nothing special about me." She replied honestly. Annabeth was a proud girl, yes, but she knew when to admit her flaws. Compared to these four people around her, all of her achievements were nothing. "We just talked."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "And we found out we had a lot in common." He continued for her, crossing his arms. He seemed disappointed at how easily she had brushed off the compliment. "Plus, I don't think being awarded with a Pulitzer is 'nothing special'". He chided playfully, laughing at her shocked expression.
"H-how did you…?" Sure a Pulitzer was a grand accomplishment in the world of writing but these people did not quite belong in that world.
The green-eyed man raised his hands in surrender. "My mom's a writer. She won't stop gushing over this brilliant law student's input on the poverty crisis, said that it was the best thing she'd read in years. It was only right for you to have won it. I didn't mention it before because I thought that it was kinda weird if that was the very first thing I said to you."
Her ears turned red in embarrassment. This earned a few chuckles from around the table. Even Nico seemed to have cracked a smile at the exchange. For a moment, everything felt normal. Their situation was forgotten. The inevitable end of the world was not going to happen. In that single second, Annabeth felt like herself again.
That was, of course, until their peace was disturbed by a woman climbing onto the stage in the center of the hall. All eyes were on her, even if they did not want to humor her sadistic acts.
Evelyn Rose gave her captives a face-splitting grin. "Hello once again, our dearest participants." She chirped happily, her eyes bright with excitement. Thalia made a face of disgust, her hand fisted around her fork tightly enough for Annabeth to worry. Jason placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, shaking his head once. "Have you eaten well?"
A chorus of nonsensical answers followed. The angry screams and 'no's did not change her expression. "I'm glad." She replied, silencing the crowd once more.
The air was heavy with anticipation and curiosity. Everyone wanted to know more about their situation, even if it meant sitting through her disgusting monologues to receive them. Annabeth was like the rest of her peers. She wanted to tackle the woman off the stage, interrogate her on their whereabouts, of her intentions. She wanted to know why this mentally unstable head of a company decided it was best to kidnap children for her own sadistic gain. She remained seated, however.
"Well, I'm sure you all know why you're all here? Other than to eat, of course." She chimed as she walked around her stage, pulling out the clipboard tucked in her arm. Her voice was loud enough for the microphone to be unnecessary. "I will be giving you your mates."
A feeling of dread sank to the pit of her stomach. On that list was the man she will be forced to spend the rest of her life with. She will be given the responsibility to bear children for this man, all for the benefit of the human population. Her hands clenched into fists. How dare she take away her freedom like that! How dare she think that it was just fine to have innocent girls pushed to do something they did not want to.
"Now, as I've said before, your mates are assigned to you based on your genetic pairing. We have done multiple tests using your DNA to determine who you are most compatible. Each pair is, then, assigned to their own suite located on the second floor of this facility. From there, you are free to perform any… activities… you wish." She managed a small giggle. She was the only one laughing. "Now, shall I proceed?"
Silence. Her prisoners seemed to be filled with enough despair to silence them. Evelyn seemed pleased that no one contradicted her.
The next few minutes consisted of two names being read off her list. The first pair she had called, a woman named Katie Gardner and a man named Travis Stoll, was escorted out of the hall by two large guards. The same was done for the next few couples. Slowly, the crowd thinned but the atmosphere remained heavy. From across the room, Annabeth met Rachel's desperate gaze just as she was led to the exit with a blonde named Apollo.
Annabeth knew the implications of this action. She knew unlucky young women will be subjected to sexual harassment and rape from overly eager, insane men. Soon, once they have been trapped in this facility for far longer than comfortable, signs of insanity becomes prevalent. The air will be more dangerous. Walking down the hallway will grow to be increasingly terrifying. If she were to survive, she needed to know how to defend herself.
Jason had been the first to be called in their group. Not many were left behind. Thalia refused to let him leave until a guard threatened to knock her unconscious. She remained untouched only because of the murderous flash in Percy Jackson's eyes.
The blonde heir's mate was a beautiful, brown-skinned girl with what seemed to be multi-colored eyes. She was beautiful, definitely, and yet she did not appear to care. She had mumbled something under her breath, her fear evident in her initial disposition as she approached her partner. Jason, being the man that he was, had taken her hand and squeezed it gently. Piper McLean, Annabeth heard her name was.
There were about five pairs left when Annabeth's name echoed in the near-empty hall. Just like the others before her, she had stood, refusing to show weakness in a situation that demanded strength. Her prospective mate needed to know that she will never give in to their advances, not when she was unwilling to cooperate with the system. Her storm gray eyes met Evelyn's amused, cruel ones. "Percy Jackson."
Annabeth swore that her heart stopped beating in her chest. Had she heard correctly? She looked at Percy incredulously and he seemed relieved, striding gracefully over to her with a goofy smile on his face. She had barely composed herself when she was suddenly pulled into a tight embrace. She hugged him back.
"God, who would have thought?" He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his mesmerizing ocean eyes staring at hers. "I am the luckiest guy on the planet."
She was at a loss for words. Her voice escaped her as she tried to process what had just happened. This whole time, she was openly showing her displeasure for the arising situation and yet here she was, stuck with the man that intrigued her and captured her interest. Was this a blessing from the heavens?
Their trip to the suite was in silence. Percy walked a safe distance away from her, not wanting to push her limit for comfort even more so than he already did. The guards eyed them carefully in the beginning but, upon realizing that they will not do anything stupid, returned to walking.
Annabeth did not know how to feel about her circumstances. She was meant to… have sex, for the lack of a better term, with this man to her left because a woman in a suit told her to. She was obligated to give him what was most precious to her, her innocence, in exchange for her life. If she did not cooperate with Evelyn's terms, she knew she will never see the light of day. Will Percy take advantage of her the moment they were alone? The mere thought of it terrified her. She knew the basics of self-defense but it would do nothing against the athletic man she was meant to fight.
She had no other choice, though. He was a stranger to her. She had only met him earlier that day. Yes, they shared pleasant conversations and he was kind and funny and understanding but she will never truly understand his intentions until she was to see him act on it. What if it was all a ruse, a clever act of deceit? The longer she thought about it, the more ridiculous the thought seemed.
There was something about Percy Jackson that told her she could trust him. Her mind told her to run and protect herself. Her instincts said otherwise. She was conflicted.
Their suite seemed fit for royalty. The bed was located in a loft in the corner of the large, apartment-sized complex. To the left of her were a kitchenette and a bar. There were no proper ingredients for a meal, thus she figured that they must still be required to have their main courses in the dining hall with everyone else. Underneath the loft was a small, comfortable looking sitting area. The bookshelf at the corner of the room was not difficult to notice, not when it was a sight that Annabeth longed to see. A wardrobe was located right beside the king-sized bed. Further inspection showed that she had enough clothes in the damned thing to last a lifetime.
The far wall was a full glass floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the Amazonian rainforest that surrounded them. Everything seemed so peaceful despite the alleged end of the world threat they received. She was surprised that Eden was kind enough to give them a view of the outside.
Percy stood at the door, taking it all in just as she had. "Hey, Annabeth." He called out to her. She had looked at him from the loft, trying her best to hide her apprehension. "Let's take this slow, okay?" She furrowed her eyebrows, not quite understanding what he meant. Upon realizing her confusion, he continued. "I don't want you to do something you don't want to do. If we're stuck in this mess together, I want you to be at least comfortable with me, like we were before?"
"I… yeah." She confirmed, relaxing slightly. "This whole situation has me on edge. I can't guarantee that I'd be fine with whatever's happening anytime soon. I still hate everything Eden is. I can promise you that I'll try though."
He nodded once, satisfied with her response. "Friends?"
She smiled at him. "Friends." She agreed.
The darkness of the night filtered in through the large window. It must have been well past eight in the evening by then. If things were normal, she would have been wracking her brain trying to finish her homework on criminal law. She would have been regretting all the decisions she had ever made in her life and dreaming of architecture. She would have been avoiding texts from pesky ex-boyfriends and overprotective fathers. Things were not normal, not anymore.
That first night, they talked until the sun rose once more.
Time for the end of chapter discussion!
How would you guys feel if you were placed in Annabeth's situation? Please let me know because I'm genuinely curious. Would you try to escape or would you just go with it and hope for the best?
Feel free to criticize my work. It's the best way for me to learn how to write better. Thanks again!