Taken

by GoGreen43

Percy and Annabeth are natural High School enemies. The History Nerd vs. The Popular Jock. During a Lockdown, they are kidnapped, and they only have each other. They need to work together, even if it's against everything they know, to escape. Will their pride be too much for them? Or will they be able to work together after all?

19. Agents and Secrets

Taken

Chapter 19- Agents and Secrets

-Percy POV-

The first thing that registered when I woke up was that the sun was shining. The sunshine usually made me feel at home and safe. But this time, the sunshine reminded me about my missing friend, who wasn't able to see the sun. She probably wasn't able to see anything.

I felt my hands being held, both from opposite sides of the bed. The dark hair and soft touch of my mother was coming from my left, while the fiery red hair and strong hold of my ex-girlfriend was coming from my right.

My eyes started to come more in focus and I saw that my mom was reading a book while Rachel's attention was directed at the bedding and I recognized the look on her face as one being lost in thought.

A few months ago this scene would have been enough to make me feel the comfort of being at home, with the two people I cared most about right beside me. But now, nothing would make me feel at home again until a particular blonde haired beauty was holding me tight.

"Percy," a voice breathed.

I turned to my left and smiled at my mother who had tears in her eyes. "Hey, mom."

She smiled at me, and a comforting feeling washed over me. She squeezed my hand and then nodded toward Rachel with a knowing look on her face.

"Percy, you're awake!"

I looked to my right to be met with wide emerald eyes that were shining with happiness. "Hey, Rachel."

She gave me a light hug and fell back into her chair, the smile never once leaving her face. "You have no idea how glad we are to see that you're awake. I mean, you were awake before, but now you're probably not going to be delirious so we can actually talk and-"

"I got it, Rachel," I laughed. My laugh came up short, remembering the last time that I was able to laugh and let lose in any situation. Everything is different, now.

"You okay?"

I looked between the two women who meant so much to me, but now…

"Perseus Jackson, do you mind if we ask you some questions?"

My head shot up to see two men wearing clean cut suits and badges that practically screamed Federal Agent. I shook my head, still in shock at seeing two men that I didn't hear enter the room.

"Great. I am Agent Charleston and this is Agent Palmer. We'd like to ask you a few questions about where you have been the past month. Does that sound fine for you?"

I took a deep breath. "As long as my mom and my friend get to stay here with me."

I felt my mother squeeze my hand, and I knew that she wasn't going to leave my side no matter what these agents told her. Rachel took her hand from mine, and crossed her arms with a glare pointed at the agents.

Agent Charleston looked between my mother and Rachel seamlessly. "Of course, Mr. Jackson. Whatever helps you feel comfortable." He pulled out a voice recorder and held it up so that everyone in the room could see it. "Do you mind if we record this conversation?"

I chose to ignore the question and get to the point… which is something I've witnessed Annabeth do a thousand times. "What do you want to know?"

"Do you at all remember what happened while you were being held captive, Mr. Jackson?" Agent Palmer asked.

I took a deep breath before answering, trying to keep the images of the torture from running through my mind. "Yes."

Agent Charleston looked surprised. "You do?"

I nodded. "So I'm guessing you want me to tell you what happened?"

The agents nodded simultaneously and shifted in anticipation. "That would be great, if you feel comfortable doing that of course."

"Percy you don't have to do this," My mom whispered at my side. "Remember when the doctor asked you questions? You don't have to do this to yourself."

I looked at my mom with determination. "I need to do this if we are going to save Chase, mom. She's still there, and as long as I'm still alive, there is nothing that is going to stop me from finding her."

My mother's eyes twinkled and she nodded while giving my hand a squeeze.

"So, Mr. Jackson, if you could start from the beginning?"

"Our school had a lockdown, and I remember hearing that it wasn't a drill and that someone was in the building over the intercom. Annabeth Chase and I had been sent to the office because we had a dispute over some of our differences in class. Luke Castellen found us and used chloroform to drug us and bring the two of us to where he held us captive."

"Do you know the location of where he held you?" Agent Charleston asked.

"No, Chase and I never saw the light of day, let alone where they had been holding us. When they freed me I was drugged and the next thing I know I was laying in the hospital bed. So, no, I have no idea where Luke is."

"What happened while he was holding you captive? Your doctor told us that you have multiple strained muscles, especially in your legs. Do you mind telling us what happened?" Agent Palmer prodded.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was about to come next. "Okay, but I need to start at the beginning. Chase and I were forced to do things that we didn't want to do, things that almost drove us crazy. Luke's method of torture isn't as physical as it is mental. He drives people insane and ruins their lives. That's what he tried to do to Chase and I."

"What were some of the things that he did to you?" Agent Charleston asked.

"Before I tell you, I need to explain something first, if that's okay with you?" The agents nodded, and I continued. "According to Chase he has a total of three phases, or three sessions of torture that mess with your brain and make you want to give up."

"How many phases did he complete with you?"

"Two, I think. The first one was when he forced me to choose between my mother and my step mother, Amphitrite…" I drifted off, feeling tears pricking my eyes. "He had two snipers trained to shoot at either one of them and he made me choose which one would get the bullet or they would both die. He made me kill my step mother… and if it weren't for Chase I would have lost it right there."

"And did Annabeth have to go through the same trials that you did?" Agent Palmer asked.

I shook my head before answering, "No, Luke designs the phases specific to the person. I have been described as extremely loyal and once Chase had told me that I would watch the world burn in order to save a friend. He used that against me."

The agents nodded, and then waited patiently for me to continue. I could feel my mom's grip tighten after what I had just released.

"The second one is kind of debatable. He beat up Chase in front of me and made me watch him torture her every bit as much as they tortured me. After they beat her up I was knocked out and I woke up in a place that Chase called the Labyrinth. It is basically a maze that is dark and all you hear is the people you love begging for mercy, calling out for you."

I heard Rachel's breath catch when I paused.

"I heard all of my friends and family- everyone I cared about suffer and all I could think that Luke was harming them to get to me. But then I heard Chase… and she seemed to pull me back to reality and got me to help her and keep her from drowning, which was a little too close for comfort, in the end."

"What happened next, Mr. Jackson?" Agent Palmer asked.

I looked out the window only to notice that the sunshine had diminished and that a cool gray had taken its place, and that there was a haunting sound of raindrops hitting the window.

"Luke, uh, he showed me a video of Rachel being held captive and gave me a choice- stay in captivity with Chase or leave to go help Rachel… and I chose to help Rachel."

"You told the doctor that Annabeth Chase betrayed you, Mr. Jackson. What did you mean by that?" Agent Charleston asked, delicately prodding my raging senses.

Tears started to form in my eyes. "Before I left, Chase and I tried to break out of our cell, and her plan didn't work; we were captured again. But Luke became all buddy-buddy with Chase, and that is when he gave me the choice. He wanted me to leave her there, all alone… he wanted me to live with that on my conscience."

"So she didn't betray you?"

"She saved me, Agent Charleston. She got me out of there, and now I need to do the same."

The rest of the conversation was a blur. The agents asked my mother a few questions, and then asked Rachel a few questions about some sort of video.

When the agents left, they gave my mother their cards and contact information in case I hear or remember something else.

After they had gone, the silence in the room was deafening. I knew that my mom and Rachel were still trying to wrap their heads around everything I had just openly admitted. I knew that they were probably going to view me as weak or pathetic, but if those agents had anything that could help lead them to Chase- it would be worth it.

"So, uh, what video were they talking about, Rachel?" I asked, vaguely interested. I could remember someone talking about a video whilst I was waking up the first time, but nothing really seemed out of order.

I turned to look at the girl next to me, whose face was clouded over with guilt.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel shook her head for a second, and I could see tears prick at her green eyes that now radiated with sadness.

"Rachel… what's going on?"

"When I woke up after being kidnapped… after finding you, I also found a video..."

I felt my heartbeat start to quicken, and I could practically feel it beat out of my chest. "Did Luke send us something?"

Rachel looked at me with unrequited sorrow. "Percy, he left a message for you… and I'm not sure if you're going to like it."

I took a deep breath to keep myself from losing grip on reality. "Show me."

"Percy-"

"Show me."

She must have seen the sharp look in my eyes, the desperation in my eyes. The desire to find something, anything that told me that Annabeth Chase was still alive and that I wasn't just holding onto a memory. This girl had rocked my world, and God help me I wasn't going to lose her now.

"Okay."

Rachel pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through a few things before clicking on something in particular. She paused for a second before looking at me. "It's a little graphic, and I'm just warning you that it's not going to sit well."

I nodded, and took her hand before looking at the screen. "I can do this, Rachel."

She pressed the play button and my breath caught at the sight in front of me. Chase was leaning against the cell wall and Luke was stalking around her, laughing like a maniac.

Luke's voice sent chills down my spine as he spoke through the speakers. "No, no. That would be too much work for me. I simply let him leave the campus. Besides, it will be fun to get to have you all to myself?"

I saw Chase's eyebrows shoot up and I knew they were talking about me. "So you just let him go?"

Luke laughed again, and the look he gave Chase made chills go down my spine. "I would never just let someone leave, would I? Now, Annie, do you remember what I made your brother do before I killed him? It had something to do with you and a certain woman named Alexa."

"You made him choose?" e ThTThe breokennesssThe My heart clenched at the brokenness in her voice, knowing that I was the one to cause it.

"Of course I did. And do you wish to know who I made him choose between?"

I helplessly looked on in shock at the defeated expression on Annabeth's face. She started to shake her head in denial, and her grey eyes clouded over in pain. "No, no he would never do that."

"But Annie, if he didn't choose someone else over you, why isn't he here?"

"No, you're lying. All you do is lie!" My breathing hitched as I watched Luke do the impossible and break Chase.

"Oh please, Annie. You know that I'm not lying to you. You know that your dear Jackson has left you… you're not good enough for him."

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes, and I forced my hands away from my mother and Rachel, and they found their way to my temples. "He wouldn't have done that."

"But he did, didn't he? He left you all alone. Nothing is permanent for you, Annie. You will never have what you desire most, and that is what you must live with."

"I hate you!"

"Is it that you hate me, or that you hate someone else? I believe your feelings are misplaced this time, Annie. I wasn't the one who left you to rot."

I was able to get myself under control as I watched the inner turmoil on Chase's face as she let Luke's words sink in.

"You must be wondering who he had chosen."

She shook her head, and her eyes grew wide.

"I'm going to tell you anyway. You see, while you and Jackson were plotting your escape, I had a few erons to run myself. Percy's ex-girlfriend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and someone I know to be your friend, went missing a week ago."

Rachel's breathing started to hitch, and I looked to my right to see tears streaming down her face, and a look of guilt shrouding over her usually happy face. I put my arm around her shoulders, and pulled her in a half-hug, knowing that both of us needed it.

"Rachel is quite a feisty one. She gave you a run for your money, but I was quite disappointed with how fast it took me to get her to crack. You're still my champion, Annie. Anyways, I gave Mr. Jackson the choice on who he was to save, and he chose her. Must sting a little, right?"

The screen went black, and the last words seemed to echo throughout the room. It seemed as though it was a death sentence… my world seemed to tilt dangerously at the very thought.

"Maybe it would be best if you guys left," I spoke, my voice coming out strained and tight.

My mother didn't say anything as she got up, but she kissed the top of my head and squeezed my shoulder, and Rachel wordlessly followed her.

When the door closed, separating me and all others, the tears started to stream down my face. I couldn't stand watching Chase be so helpless and scared, watching as the strongest person I know broke down… and that it was all my fault.

If I had just seen her ploy earlier, if I had just calmed myself down; I would have been able to see that Chase was trying to save me- she was going to sacrifice her own happiness for mine.

Through the tears, I could feel my heartbeat push through my chest, and my stomach churned. I couldn't help but remember the promise that she made me make.

She made me promise to keep moving on even if something happened to her. She made me promise that I would keep pushing on even if she was unable to. A sob escaped my throat at the memory. Chase has always been so selfless, and all I've ever been is a dick.

I remembered when I saw her in the tank with water overflowing, and the look on her face... she was surprised that I came back for her. All I've done the entire time we've known each other was give her even more reason to hate me and think that I would never do anything for her.

That's something that I'll need to apologize for- in person.

My thoughts drifted and haunted me until I felt the fatigue finally overtake my body and I slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

A few days after watching the video, the doctors finally decided that I was rejuvenated enough to be able to leave the hospital. I had lost a lot of weight, so my parents were given a list of things that I should be eating for the next few weeks to gain back my strength.

And as for going back to school… if I wanted to go back, I could, but according to one of my teachers and coincidentally my step-father, it would be pointless to finish the year with the amount I have missed. So, basically I was going to have to make it up through summer school or I wouldn't graduate on time.

I decided that summer school would be the best option.

At the thought of school, I couldn't help but think of Chase. I mean, she wouldn't have to take summer school like I do. She would be able to come back and catch up in time to get her grade back by finals.

She has always been very smart and motivated; it was extremely intimidating to have her as someone in my graduating class. She has always been one of the top students, and when Mr. Brunner put the two of us as partners, it was almost too good to be true.

I just wish I could go back in time and change everything… but it's too late now. Now I just need to find Chase and keep her safe when I do. That's the least I could do.

"Percy, you ready?"

My step-father's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Yeah, Paul. I just need to get my clothes on and then I'm finally out of here."

The pepper haired man chuckled and his smile reached his eyes. "Have I told you I'm glad you're back? Now someone can finally eat all of your mother's cookies."

I smiled at the sound of my mom's homemade blue cookies that were literally heaven on earth. "I can't wait to have some again."

"Okay, well I'll leave you to get dressed. Just yell if you need me."

I nodded and watched as he walked out of the room and shut the door so I had some privacy. The worst part about this hospital gown is that it showed everything that really shouldn't be shown if I stood up, and my mother found out the hard way.

A blush found my cheeks as I quickly put on a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt, minding the pain in my legs. The doctor had told me that the strains will wear off eventually, but it's tricky with hamstring and quadriceps injuries. Apparently I might be looking at an entire summer of rest and school.

Not that I'm complaining.

"I'm ready, Paul!" I yelled, as I slipped on my sandals.

He walked in the door and had to take a deep breath as he took in the sight in front of him. My tee shirt that used to be form-fitting hung off of my shoulders loosely and my basketball shorts were hanging loosely from my hips and while before they were almost too tight to wear.

As soon as I started to take a few steps toward the door I couldn't hide my wince in pain. And of course, Paul saw this.

"Are you sure you don't want a wheel chair, Percy? There's nothing wrong with being in a wheel chair, you know."

I shook my head stubbornly and walked past my step-father into the hall. "I'm fine, Paul."

We walked out of the hospital after Paul signed a few release forms and hopped into his Prius.

"You all in?" He asked jokingly before he pulled out.

I hummed a bit in response, taking in the sight around me. Manhatten hasn't changed a bit since the last time I had seen it. Life seemed to be carrying on as usual, which a part of me felt so wrong to be watching this.

How could these people just be living their lives like normal while a mad-man like Luke Castellen is on the lose? How can these people be carrying on while I feel like slipping through the cracks? It just seems so wrong.

I wish Chase was here. She would be able to understand what I was thinking. Somehow, she always did.

"Percy, we're here."

I looked at my surroundings in a different light, shocked to see that Paul was actually right and that we were stationed in front of the apartment complex that I had called home.

Wordlessly I got out of the Prius and looked at the people who walked on by, some talking on their cell phones, others looking at their watches, and a few couples holding hands walking down the street.

None of them saw me.

Hell, two months ago I wouldn't have seen them either.

I flinched when a hand grabbed my shoulder. "You ready, Percy?"

I nodded wordlessly and together my step-father and I walked into the complex and slowly took the stairs up to the floor where my apartment was.

Paul took out the key and unlocked the door and left me to open the door. The door let out the usual creaking noise that I had grown used to, and it opened to a brightly lit room.

"WELCOME HOME PERCY!"

I jumped at the noise and smiled at the sight in front of me. All my friends and family were in the tiny apartment that had been decorated with party things and a huge sign that said "Welcome Home."

I quickly noticed that some of Chase's friends were there- Thalia Grace, Juniper Busche, and Piper McLean. It was odd to see them in my house, but strangely comforting at the same time. But I still questioned why they were there.

The three girls seemed to be buddy-buddy with my friends, who had obviously gotten into my mom's cookies. Leo's lips and teeth were stained blue, which gave him away.

I was dragged over to the group of friends, and I was about to snap at whoever did that but when I saw the familiar fiery red hair I bit my tongue. "Hey guys!" Rachel exclaimed. "Look who I found!"

The guys clapped me on the back while Juniper and Piper offered me kind smiles and told me they were glad I was alright. Rachel was smiling at everyone, too. But what really threw me off was Thalia, who wasn't even trying to act happy to be there, and the look on her face told me that something was missing.

The others got themselves into a conversation about all of the things they were going to have to do with me now that I was back, while I couldn't help but look at Thalia in curiosity.

She was the opposite of Chase, obiously. Her punk rock exterior and rough interior is a definite contrast to Chase's nerdy through and through. But I could tell they shared one thing- it was a rough past. Jason had told me that Thalia took the brunt of their parent's divorce, and until now I hadn't belived it.

But now, seeing Thalia Grace look like she was broken and lost- it made it all obvious to me. She had been Chase's best friend, the one who she confided in and trusted most. She had been to Chase what Jason is to me.

She turned to look at me, and my breathing stopped at the pain in her eyes. She glared at me showing nothing but hatred. I understood what she was thinking. Why is he fine while Annabeth is still stuck in that hellhole?

I couldn't help but agree with her.

"Thalia, I know it must be hard for you to see me come back while Chase is still being held captive by Luke," I started.

"I'm surprised, Jackson. You actually believe I care about what you think!" Her eyes looked as if they were electrifying and her voice seethed with anger.

My fists clenched as I tried to keep my cool. "Look Grace, I get it. Okay? I wish Chase was here instead of me. God knows that she deserves freedom more than I ever will. But she's not here, okay? She sacrificed herself to save me, and now I have every intention to get her back safely."

Her eyes widened and I watched in some twisted amusement as her mouth opened and closed, making her look like a fish.

The conversation that the others were having started to tune in and I was shocked at what I was hearing.

"I hacked into Luke's server, but all I could find was stuff about this Door 21. I mean, as soon as I was able to get the gist of it I was booted out. That guy is good," Leo said, taking a bite into his cookie.

"Wait, what do you mean, Leo?" I asked, looking at him in shock. His eyes immediately widened as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, uh, actually uhm… Jason do you want to explain?"

I turned to Jason with expecting eyes and crossed my arms at his blank look. "Is someone going to tell me what this is all about?"

Oddly enough, it was a voice from behind me that answered. "Sure, Jackson. What do you want to know?"

I turned to look in the eyes of a smiling Thalia Grace.