Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO.
Their numbers dwindled steadily as the weeks passed.
It was horrifying what isolation could do to a perfectly sane human being. They were meant to be the most brilliant of their generation, young adults capable of making the world a better place using the power they possessed and the resources they control. What was the point if they couldn't last in a facility with white walls and white ceilings?
She could not blame them though. She found that she could never blame those poor souls taken against their will by guards in white clothing under the suspicion that they have officially lost their minds. Annabeth understood the repercussion of too much emotional distress. If she had not been grounded by her mate, she would have been the same. Despite the weary looks she often gave the other prisoners of their hell or the uncomfortable silence suffocating them as they dined, she couldn't blame the mistrust that weighed heavily on their shoulders.
It began a week after the ghouls began their attack on the facility. A woman was discovered in her suite with a noose around her neck, hanging solemnly from the rafters. They said she had gotten the rope from storage. Since then, anything that could be used to take a life, whether it be their own or another's, was confiscated and held under strict surveillance.
Of course, the mate had witnessed the poor girl's fall into insanity. He had held her together in the beginning until he, too, succumbed to the oblivion. What was the point anymore? Everyone they ever loved was dead, victims of the unnecessary warfare. The world they knew is in ruin. They were forced, taken against their will, to build the world anew. That never meant that they would cooperate to the whims of a sadistic corporation.
He lost his mind, definitely. It was the only thing left to lose. In the middle of the night, when the halls were empty and silence prevailed, he wandered. A poor girl, younger than any of them, was his first victim.
Annabeth remembered seeing the mutilated corpse of a once beautiful woman for the first time. It was a few days after the crime was committed. She was stowed in an abandoned closet on the first floor. The smell gave away her location, the disgusting scent of rotting flesh and dried blood. Annabeth remembered emptying the contents of her stomach on the white linoleum, refusing to get another glimpse of the figure.
Percy had taken her away afterward, opting to carry her instead of drag her back to their suite as she could not find it in herself to take another step. How could it have happened? Every single weapon was taken away from them. It was the only way for them to live without suspicion of their neighbors.
There were monsters within and beyond the walls of the Facility. She knew it. She did not know any of these people. She never got the chance to speak with them beyond pleasantries in the hallway. She would never have thought that they were capable of such vile things but no one ever was until they were cornered. Any animal will attack the moment they felt that they cannot flee.
Thus, the facility was divided. The rogues, as what they had begun calling them, were separated from the remaining participants. They were a group of fifteen heartless monsters thirsting for blood, inhibitions lost and humanity dwindling to nonexistent. Evelyn advised that they must always travel with their mates. Though the rogues were guarded at all times, there was no saying that their worshippers would want to pass some fucked up initiation rite. Annabeth still had nightmares of her encounter with Luke Castellan. She doesn't know if she was lucky enough to live through another one.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She had not noticed that she had been staring at the plastered wall for far too long until Leo began waving his wrench in front of her face. How long was she out?
"Yo, Princess. You spaced out again." The Hispanic engineer commented, brows furrowed in worry. Charles Beckendorf lifted his head slightly to look at them before burying his nose on the plans once more.
Annabeth shook her head once, barely managing her signature glare at the awful nickname Leo Valdez had just given her. "Oh, did I? Sorry."
"Look, Annabeth, if you're not feeling well, we could call Percy…?" Charlie began, knowing full well that the blonde woman loathed being dependent. He had said it to get any sort of response out of her, other than the absentminded nods he would receive every once in a while.
The atmosphere had definitely turned darker but that did not mean that they should be affected by it in the slightest.
"No. You don't need to do that." Annabeth huffed, tightening her grip on the plans in her hand. Briares was so close to being finally completed. There was more pressure in their work now, after all that had happened in the past month or so. "Let's keep working."
"Don't force yourself if you're not up for it, Annabeth." Leo chastised with a sigh. Even Annabeth knew she could be stubborn sometimes but she could not blame herself for it. She truly wanted to get this finished just so that she could place her mind elsewhere. She needed to focus on a project that was not assigned to her by Evelyn Rose and Eden.
A hand on her shoulder prevented her from continuing. She should have known her two companions were aware of the presence of her mate; else they wouldn't have gone too in-depth on her workaholic tendencies. Percy worried about her, about how so detached she had been since the discovery of the body not so long ago. Those who had been present during the initial uncovering of the corpse, Percy included, began creating a life outside themselves. It felt as if they were mere spectators of their own bodies.
She had only realized that they were leaving Briares and her fellow engineers when the familiar sudden gush of air from the opening of a sliding door fanned her face. She found that she could not fight him as he led her through the bleak hallways, wrapping a comforting arm around her thin, shivering form.
Percy had led her to where her companions, the small group of people she remained to trust, were seated and chatting idly. They bore grim faces, eyes shifting nervously as they huddled closer together. Fear was not a rare emotion, not anymore. Everything they felt was either fear or frustration. Gone were the easy-going teens with only success ahead of them. They were but hollow shells of their old selves.
"Five more people were confined at the medical ward this morning." Will Solace managed in a dead whisper, eyes blank as he spoke through his hands. From where Annabeth was seated, she could see the shaking of his palms. "The injuries are getting worse and worse."
Annabeth was aware of the arising problem regarding the more violent nature of the participants of the Eden Project. Since the suicide and subsequent murder, the delicate balance within the facility tipped in favor of the psychopaths that ran free. While Evelyn Rose did her damnedest to separate the still-somewhat sane participants from the clinically insane, that did not mean worshippers of their cause did not roam the halls freely. They were either harming themselves or the people around them.
Thalia slammed her fist against the wooden coffee table situated between them, "I can't believe we're trapped here. I'd rather die outside than wait until I'm killed here."
"None of us are going to die." Percy's tone was deadly calm. He was leaning forward, gaze set on the plush white carpet as he rested his weight on his knees. He released a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair.
Nico shifted uncomfortably in his seat beside Will. The olive-skinned boy had never been especially talkative but it seemed he had grown quieter as time flew by within the facility. Only his boyfriend or his childhood friends could illicit proper conversation with him. Percy explained that it was a coping mechanism. When his sister, Bianca, died, he had closed himself off from everyone.
"Things are shitty everywhere." Jason bit, hands clenched into fists. "Going outside is suicide, with the ghouls constantly thumping at the doors. Staying here makes me feel like cattle, waiting for my death."
"Kinda makes you wish you weren't so great, huh?" Piper said, "What would have happened if we were just normal people living normal lives. We would have just gone about our day like we usually would, without once knowing that we'd die."
"But we're not normal." Annabeth urged, a hint of desperation present in her voice. "We're not normal. All those 'what if's are useless because we're here now. What's important is thinking about what we can do." No one replied. The silence was deafening.
Annabeth began hating looking at herself in the mirror since the ghouls began attacking. Their growing numbers were frightening to her and her fear allowed what little hope she had on her situation fade away. She hated seeing the dead, terrified look in her eyes as she got herself dressed in the morning, as she brushed her teeth, as she continued with the mundane acts that kept the semblance of normality she had in this wretched facility.
Because that fear reminded her that she was the farthest away from being safe and she could do nothing about it.
Her thoughts drifted to the incident with Luke Castellan. He had been a good man with big dreams and a bright future ahead of him. She hadn't known him, and she never was given an opportunity to speak with him. Her one interaction with him had been her attempted rape in the isolated hallway, heart beating out of her chest in terror as his hands traveled everywhere. She wanted to rid herself of the memory but she couldn't. She knew it will only get worse from there.
Percy had been the one to separate her from her thoughts once more. He held her hand and squeezed it gently, piercing stare urging her away from the hell she created for herself. The soft kiss on her forehead was enough. He was enough.
From her peripheral, she noticed her friends seeking comfort in each other. Will and Nico had retreated to a corner, speaking in hushed voices. Jason and Piper were silent, yet it was the silence that Annabeth appreciated. It was an understanding, a quiet that cherished the shambled remains of peace. Thalia kept to herself, as she usually did. Unlike most individuals, she preferred keeping her own company. She was independent that way.
"We should form a group." Percy declared in the still atmosphere. "We should form a group that will counter the Rogues and give solace to the others who need it. If we can't save the people outside, we'll keep everyone here who deserves to live alive."
There were cheers of agreement in their small group. Annabeth was fueled by the possibility of doing something that can make a difference, to save lives instead of watch as thousands died every day. She wanted to oppose those who wished to cause chaos, those who planted fear and rage and despair into the weak, broken hearts of the participants of the Eden Project. She wanted to give them hope. Her friends, her dearest friends, wanted to save them.
She threw her arms around her mate at the climax of their celebration. She had never felt an inkling of joy since they discovered the corpse. This was the closest she had ever been to normality, to be in control of her situation for once. She wanted to grasp at this opportunity firmly and never let it go. If there was war, she will fight and she sure as hell will give it everything she had.
Their organization was entitled the "Demigods", a reference to Greek Myths all of them were interested in, of heroes who were thrown into the world of monsters and immortals without their consent yet their names resounded in the hearts of many. The demigods did not wish to be born the way they did. They did not want to conquer lands, to defeat beasts larger than life, to fight in wars. They were born into greatness and, through their struggles, they succeeded. Granted, a great majority of the heroes in Greek Myths died tragic deaths. Annabeth knew that at the end of the path they walk on was a death more terrible than anyone has ever experienced. She foraged and fought. She marched on. They marched on.
The Demigods grew steadily as the days passed. Leo and Calypso had been one of the first few members. There was no hesitation after Jason had offered the invitation. Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf believed it was the best way to keep their child safe while it mattered. Rachel and Apollo were irreplaceable assets as well as reliable individuals.
This was Annabeth's hope.
Percy and Jason focused on training their soldiers instead of all the participants of the Project as Evelyn instructed. The last thing they wanted was for the Rogues to benefit from the inhuman skills of the two cousins. It will not take long before the Head of the Eden Project will take matters in her own hands and return everything in its rightful place. At that moment, everything was in shambles.
Annabeth, Leo, and Charlie continued their work in Engineering and Resource Development. Briares was a priority and, since the Demigods were in control of the asset, the machine will work in their favor. They controlled a majority of the resources, as they had also recruited Katie Gardner and Miranda Gardiner who headed Agriculture and the Stoll Brothers who were notorious kleptomaniacs. Travis Stoll had apologized profusely following his outburst during the first attack of the ghouls and Annabeth had forgiven him, stating that it was a natural reaction and she could never hold it against him.
They were a working community living within a technologically advanced facility constantly attacked by flesh-eating irradiated human beings. The Rogues have retreated to their designated area of the facility in the fear of being overpowered by the Demigods. The guards that kept them at bay seemed increasingly skeptical of the more enthusiastic nature of the participants. Annabeth made a mental note of preparing for Evelyn's eventual attack on both the sides of the internal war.
That night, in the comfort of their bedroom, Percy kissed Annabeth softly. Her sheer, flimsy nightgown did nothing to shield her from the warmth her mate exuded, his body pressed against hers as their lips moved in a familiar, comforting dance. She slipped over him, straddling his waist yet never breaking contact. She found herself in this position more frequently.
She was not ready. She hated how, despite the need in the pit of her stomach, the loved-filled gaze of her mate, and their compromising position, she could still see herself in that damned white hallway, trapped and unable to escape. She will never be able to make love to Percy if the terror-filled image of Luke Castellan's face is all she sees. Percy loves her, deeply, yet her trauma could never leave.
He understood. Of course, he did. He always did.
Instead of continuing with their activities, he positioned her beside him, caressing her side gently as their eyes met. Green against gray. He kissed her once more, a chaste kiss. "I love you." He said with a smile, a smile that squeezed her heart painfully.
She nodded, "I love you, too."
As his eyes drifted close, she reverted to her thoughts. She progressed in her sessions with Chiron. Her nightmares became less frequent and she did not live in constant fear of being attacked by a man she does not know. However, the faint memories of being dominated, pinned and helpless, bruised and beaten resurfaced every moment Percy tried. She had cried the first time it had happened. She feared that she will never be able to make love to the man she adored because of the sins of a stranger.
She was getting better, though. Instead of what seemed like a video replaying in the confines of her mind, like the first time it happened, it was merely a split-second flash before she had returned to reality. Maybe in a month's time, she would allow herself to be with him completely, she hoped.