Author's Note: Sorry for the huge cliffhanger ending. I felt really guilty about it, so I'm not going to do it again for a while. I would really appreciate some constructive criticism on this chapter, because it was fairly emotional, and I need to know if everyone was in character. So here's the chapter. :D

Chapter 6: I Think We Can Admit We've Got Issues

Percy was a pretty impulsive guy. He was known for experiencing the unexpected, and then reacting in a way that was even more unexpected. Whatever happened, he always did something. He'd never thought himself to be the kind of guy who stands there with absolutely no idea of what to do. Until now. He stood there, honestly not knowing what to say or do. He racked his brains for anything, some sort of rule, half- forgotten advice, a memory that would give him some sort of notion of what to do in this situation. He found nothing. Annabeth, standing across from him, still wearing pajamas, cleared her throat. "So, um... What exactly are you doing here, anyway?" she asks again, less sharply this time.

"Oh. I, uh, actually I was just looking for a shirt, and then I knocked over the owl and this hole opened up in the wall, so... Yeah," he finishes lamely. There's silence as each tries to figure out what to do.

"So you're one too," Annabeth says flatly after a while.

"A what?"

"You know what."

"Yes," he says quietly. "How did you know?"

"I found this," she explains, pulling out a ticket stub. He takes it and realizes it's from the club that he went to, the one where he killed Procrustes. "I thought I saw someone that night. It looked like they were cleaning up after an assignment. And you weren't home that night either, so I figured it was you."

"Wait. So the blonde in the stripper outfit was actually you?" Percy regrets saying it as soon as it slipped out, but he thought he saw a smile flicker across her face. Percy's mind was recovering from the initial shock, and suddenly it occurred to him that he should ask Annabeth about the unauthorized missions. But he was hesitant to do so. What had happened tonight could have easily gone so much worse, and he didn't want to push his luck.

Annabeth was thinking along the same lines. But she realized that they'd have to talk things out sooner or later. "Percy?"

"Yes?"

"Look, I think we can both agree that we've got some issues."

"You can say that again."

..~0~..

The Same Night

Central Park, NYC

Kirk Welling crouched behind a tree, shivering and cursing his father, who had made him an assassin for Skyward. Sure, the pay was good, and it was a hell of a lot more interesting than most jobs. Still, that didn't make up for moments like this, hiding behind a tree in the middle of the night, in the cold, waiting to kill a drug dealer who probably wasn't going to show up anyway. He pulled a hat down over his unruly blond hair, zipped up his uniform jacket, and waited.

Meanwhile, Rikki Sanders was clinging to the top branches of that same tree, completely unaware that there was anyone below her. Sometimes, she really hated her life. And her job. And her mother, who had convinced her to work for Atlantis. What other job would force you to cling to the branches of a shaky tree on a windy night, waiting to kill some minor drug dealer? Sure, she was small, so the tree wasn't that likely to break, but still. Not exactly the way she'd prefer to spend her night.

At the base of the tree, Kirk stiffened, sure he'd heard something.

At the top, Rikki, thinking the same thing, carefully pulled her shotgun from her jacket and held it at the ready. She shifted around in the tree and looked toward the ground, trying to see if anyone was there. And there was someone at the base of the tree, someone with messy blond hair and a jacket that looked awfully familiar. A shiver ran through her spine as she realized where she had seen a similar jacket. It was exactly like the one Silena and Beckendorf had found. Which meant, if she was thinking clearly and not being paranoid... No.

No. Impossible, thought Kirk as he stared up at the top of the tree. It can't be. I'm not important enough that they'll send someone to track me. But there she was, at the top of the tree. Watching him. She was obviously an assassin, because very few others could have stayed at the top of the tree for so long, silently and unmoving. But she definitely wasn't from Skyward. The worst part was, she was watching him.

Oh, God, Rikki thought faintly. He's watching me. Their eyes met. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, sizing up, judging. For a moment, it seemed as though they would just put down their guns and walk away.

But then their training kicked in. Rikki's grip on the tree loosened, and she swung down agilely and landed on a lower branch. Kirk leapt up and fired at her, but she seemed to anticipate that and dodged. She whipped out her own gun and fired a round of shots at him, which bounced off his bulletproof vest and then he ran, firing back at her.

She leapt down from the tree and chased him through the deserted park. It was pitch-dark, but she didn't want to risk turning a light on. So the chase continued in cold, dead silence, across winding paths and deserted playgrounds.

Kirk stopped, gasping for breath. He seemed to have lost her, and he crouched in the shade of a large oak, praying that he wouldn't see her. For several long, terrible moments, he waited.

Rikki lay flat on her chest in a tunnel at the park, waiting to hear footsteps. She was hoping beyond all hope that he'd simply give up and go home. She just wanted to go home right now, just go home. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer, and sprinted away.

Kirk, from his hiding spot behind the tree, noticed her as she ran, but by the time he did, she was out of range, and had too much of a head start to pursue. He sighed with relief, and waited a minute before slipping off.

..~0~..

The Next Morning

Skyward

"We are at war."

The words, spoken by Zeus that morning, seemed to bounce around in Annabeth's skull. Combined with the events of last night, it seemed almost too wild, too unbelievable. Yet there was no evidence that this was a dream. The facts were all there. The assassin who had been attacked by a member of the rival company had no reason to make up a lie about what had happened. Although it was true that she didn't know Kirk well, he wasn't the type to lie- he was far too nervous. Yet, there was something off about the whole thing.

Annabeth paced nervously around her desk space, thinking hard. For one, she couldn't quite understand why the rival company (a little voice in her head thought, Percy's company, but she pushed it away, determined to confront the thought with logic only) would want to attack Skyward. Sure, assassination wasn't exactly a big business that could support multiple agencies. Getting rid of Skyward would eliminate competition. That part made some sense. But going to the extreme of actually attacking agents made no sense at all. Especially when you considered the fact that they had gone so long without any contact. The whole situation was like a child's tower of building blocks. The individual facts were right, but they were arranged in a way that didn't look quite right. And finally ( she couldn't hold the thought back any longer) what did Percy have to do with any of this?

Sure, he had acted kind of clueless last night, but how long had he known? Maybe he had known since he had married her, and the only reason he had done that in the first place was to spy on her? For once, she didn't know what to do. She'd left the house shortly after their encounter, hoping to have time to think. When she eventually showed up at work with circles under her eyes and her hair half- combed, she'd wondered if she should have stayed and talked things out. Now, indecision filled her mind. She imagined a little man with two faces standing in front of several doorways, demanding, "Well, Annabeth? Choose your side... Do you accuse your husband? Hear him out? Do you just ignore it?"

She sank into her chair and tried very, very hard not to sob. Why, why her? She couldn't believe that she had let herself love him so easily. And it had been too easy. She should have realized sooner. She had always been careful with her feelings, but the one time she actually let herself fall in love was the one time it had really hurt. Fate was cruel.

..~0~..

The Same Time

Atlantis

When Percy heard about the attack, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't true. Because if the rival company had declared war on them, and Annabeth was in the rival company- No. That wouldn't happen. It couldn't. His father had said that morning that the rivals were also the ones who had been completing the unauthorized missions. Percy couldn't believe that Annabeth would work for a company like that, but the fact was staring him in the face. She couldn't have betrayed him. No, that wasn't possible.

Maybe she had infiltrated them, and was acting as a spy in a plot to bring them down. Or maybe she had been forced into it, and was being blackmailed into staying. Or maybe she was just a very minor assassin and didn't know the intense wrongs her employers had committed. Somehow he couldn't see that happening, but whatever. He could accept anything but the idea that the woman he had fallen in love with was secretly plotting against him. Because (his heart was hammering in his chest at this point) if none of these explanations were true (as much as he wanted to believe them, none of them made sense) then the only possible explanation was (at this point, he'd have to face it) that she had known he was an assassin for years. She was Annabeth after all, and it wasn't like her not to realize his true identity quickly. She had acted surprised last night, but that could have easily been an act. The worst part of all this was, even though she'd betrayed him, he couldn't help but admire her.

After all, it was all a pretty good act. Brilliant, really, the way she had looked at him like no matter what, he was the only one who ever mattered. And the way she had kissed him- he could hardly tell that it had been fake. And especially the way she had told him that she loved him. That was probably the biggest lie of all- and the one he had fallen for completely.

..~0~..

End of Chapter

Author's Note: well, on that happy note, leave a review telling me what you think. I'm sort about the slow updates, school takes up a lot of time.

Review Replies

RandomnessMe: yeah. I kind of regret the cliffhanger now. I won't do it again for a while. Like, it'll be at least 10 chapters before I do another one. I'm so happy that you like the story, though. I feel like this fandom has a lot more cliches than most, so i tried to do something a little different. But if you've been having a hard times finding good fics, i'd be happy to recommend some stuff.

Avian Olympian: I freaking love subplots. Except when there are so many that it's hard to understand. But I feel like subplots give the story more depth.

LittleMissMusical: it's always nice to hear that! Thanks. And I will try to update more quickly.

XxThisMyFriendIsAPenxX: is your pen name a reference to the quote from the movie? And yes, people totally underestimate Girl Scouts. Everyone thinks they just skip around selling cookies, but really, who knows what goes on at Scout meetings?

WeirdButCool: Wow, you liked my cliffy? That's a first!

foreverandalwaysdark: Yep. Exactly, my friend.

QuietGirl98: Thanks! Sorry about the wait.

wisegirl1800: I'm hoping that this chapter got really interesting. And sorry for the slow update.

The Goddamn Dark Knight: thanks. I'm hoping this chapter really takes the action off.

Agent Astro Zombie: I haven't seen the full movie, but I've seen parts, and I try to keep the feel of the movie without making it predictable. I'm glad you like it so far.

Moonbeam Ray: yeah... I feel kind of bad about it now. Still, glad you like it.

BloodyNightMare999: Thanks, glad you like it.

book freakz: yes I am. [insert evil laugh]