Chapter XVII (18) Surprise!
Disclaimer: I don't own!
Third Person Respect
Attention students! The school is under lockdown, I repeat, under lockdown. All teachers and students are thereby requested to lock themselves in their respective classrooms. The authorities are trying to keep the situation under control. Therefore, do not panic, I repeat, do not panic. All teachers and students are on all accounts, not to be roaming about in the corridors.
This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill.
All the people present here are requested to keep themselves in safe places. The authorities are trying to keep the situation under control- OH GODS NO!
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Percy Jackson kicked the pebble roughly forward. It ended up being flown by a car somewhere.
Okay, it's alright, okay. It's alright. If she does not want to see your f'cking ugly face ever again, then so be it! Agent Perseus Jackson does not care.
Then he wiped off the lone wet tear off his face. His face was blotched and bloated with different coloured tear strains, courtesy the different numerous breakdowns he had.
His body itched with restlessness, a deep guilt settling at the bottom of his colloidal heart. He didn't know whether he should care or not. Funny, Percy thought, he had to think about it. He knew he should, given because of the ages of friendship and understanding. But if he didn't care, then he would be much better off. It wouldn't matter if she lived or died.
Lived or died.
Died
He reached his station.
"Hey Percy. The reports came back for the Richard-Helmond case and the shipment bill is being tracked. The picture we found in the cartel was... Hey man? Are you listening?"
"Uh huh," Percy fumbled getting his coffee cup. "Sure man, the Rick-Hell case," he managed, distracted as he was.
The officer looked sceptically at him, but let it go. "Hey bro, get some sleep bro, you need it-"
Percy jumped. Agent Calder picked up the phone.
"Yes Ma'am!"
He looked up to Percy, "That Kronos case you were looking into? Guess, the school just got hijacked."
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"Ugh-ugh, Attention losers, collect in the school ground immediately, I repeat, all teachers and students are to get their as's down to the school ground right now," the interceptor wired through the speakers, imitating the funky, sweet receptionist. "Or this sweet sexy lady gets her brains blown out," he finished off in his grungy, husky, rusted iron grating on concrete slab voice."
Then the lights turned out.
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Annabeth dragged herself to the bathroom. Her foot was aching, and she didn't know why. Of all days, why today? She thought. The announcement had said to not panic. Don't panic, her foot. Annabeth checked herself in the mirror as she locked the door. She looked normal, no one could guess the inner turmoil and the lockdown, but the sheet of sweat covering her face sold her. Then when she looked closely, she saw her look was in a slightly deranged state.
Whatever...
Another announcement was blaring through the speakers, but Annabeth couldn't make out the words across two doors. But she didn't want to go out; she was scared. She didn't want to be beaten up like that ever again. Her childhood was hard; the last few days were hard. She didn't want to live being a burden to...To... someon-.. Herself. She wanted freedom and justice. She wanted peace. If she could get not happiness, then just peace. That would suffice.
BANG! BANG!
I hit the ground; bang bang, my baby shot me down!
BANG! BANG!
Shivers ran down Annabeth's spine. She visualized her brother breathing down, "Why do you always get in trouble, Annabeth? Why?
Why indeed.
Her heart raced with time.
Somebody shouted, "Locate her. She's here somewhere."
Bang! Clank! Plonk! Somebody broke a door down.
"She's not here, sir!"
"Check the bathrooms!"
Annabeth felt the room next to her tremble.
"She's not here!"
"Check the gent's bathroom, idiot."
"She won't be in the boy's washroom. I mean-why-"
BAM!
Annabeth cried out, "Argh...," as pain shot up in her head. She tried to get her hair out of the rough, calloused hands."Leave me alone."
"How can we, li'l Beth? When we have been looking so long for you."
They dragged her towards the school grounds.
...
Luke didn't like it, not one bit.
He didn't know Annabeth before the entire dating incidence. He didn't have any interior pact to protect her. In fact he didn't even recognise Annabeth until Kronos brought her up.
"You know that girl, Annabeth," he had asked.
"Um...which one?"
"In the grade junior to you!"
"The popular one?"
"If you say so. You need to get inside her circle."
Now he had brought her into this whole mess. Sure he didn't know Annabeth Chase, but his guilt saw that he did.
"Luke, I am so happy today. Just one last stroke and then the world will bow down to me."
Luke wanted to correct him, but he held his tongue. Most of the world didn't recognise Kronos as a threat.
Yet
Then he would be a wanted person, without any police chasing after him.
All because of him.
Distant shouts came from inside the building. Luke heart clenched. He didn't want this, not now, or ever. He understood it finally. Whatever the case, one should not take such drastic measures. Joining the gang had been a false step. Helping the gang leader achieve his lifelong goal was a sin. And now, he couldn't do anything.
"Where's Ethan? Ethan? Oh there he is. Always running late."
Ethan had sweat running down his cheeks, with his cloths in cuts. It looked like he had seen a dead ghost.
Luke personally didn't know the guy. But he was a good guy. He had helped him free Annabeth. Why, he didn't know. Details, he didn't know. But he had not questioned it. But now he wished he had.
Whatever the case.
Then Kronos spotted his men man-handling Annabeth Chase, with the rest of the student/teacher/staff, principal body, on their knee, fearful.
"Annabeth," cried out Jason, Nico, Piper, Leo, Thalia and a few others in unison.
"Leave her alone!" demanded Thalia. Kronos stepped forward and clenched her jaw, roughly. "A beauty. Fierce, I like it. A pity, you fight for the wrong side, daughter of Zeus. I would offer you a spot it my army, but you would decline, wouldn't you? Such arrogance, such pride, I would hate to see it wasted."
Thalia fixed him her electric glare.
"Oooh, I am scared," Kronos teased. "However, I am not here to see high school drama play out. I am here for the fulfilment of my demands. This stream is being played live on every digital media in the country. Let's see if your parents care more about their status or their children.
"OK, here's the thing. Either you fulfil all my demands or let me blow up the school.
"My first demand: I want FBI Agent Perseus Jackson. Although, of course, he is also part of many other organisations, has had had many aliases and many different alibis. Yeah, yeah, he is the singer one, okay? I want him.
"And CUT!"
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Shock ran through the entire school body. Percy Jackson? The same one who had studied with them? The same one who joked around?
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Poseidon scratched his head. Percy...his son- no he could not refer to Percy as his son at this moment. Agent Jackson was in some deep trouble. Furthermore, Poseidon could see no way out of this. If Percy didn't surrender himself, then the world would look down at him. Percy would be surrounded by the victim's parents and all the Olympians. In a nutshell, his life would be hell.
On the other hand, if Percy decided to go, and when he surrendered himself, Poseidon would not be able to live with the guilt. He would be able bear the sadness.
In both the situations, Poseidon would have a lasting impact on him.
Poseidon banged his head on the coffee table. Worst of all, he couldn't even talk to his baby.
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Percy's stare went cold. He could not believe this. After everything he had been through, he still had to go on that suicide mission. Could he not have a second of peace gifted to him? Why was the world against him? Both love and war? Annabeth and Kronos?
"I want him," Kronos had said. And Percy could see a head of blonde curls struggling against some people.
Guess I would have to go and visit someone, he thought.
But first, lemme take these calls.
"Yes, Mr-"
"Agent, are you planning to confront Kronos?"
"Uncle Zeus, I am sure by that you mean whether I a submitting myself to Kronos."
He could almost feel the caller's ashamedness through the line.
"Percy, Thalia is there, Jaso-I am sorry."
"Yes, uncle. And that is why I don't blame you. In fact I am a little bit proud of you. If only you had the sense earlier."
"Sorry, nephew."
He hung up. No more calls tonight. He had some work to do. For the last time. He had to get prepared.
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Agent Perseus Jackson walked in calmly, followed by a troop of vans and officers. And it was only Agent Perseus Jackson, not somebody else, not the singer, not Percy Jackson. This was the strategist, the master of arms, THE Agent Perseus Jackson. The one in the military. He is the one who had gone through suffering, and had made walls around him. The emotionless one.
And it irked Kronos to no end. "I see you are still the same ignorant ba'turd. You better change your ways, or one day you are going to die with your attitude."
"Funny, I thought I wasn't going to live to see tomorrow."
"PERSEUS JACKSON!"
"Annabeth, this is not the place or the time to talk about-"
Everybody looked at Annabeth, at a distance, who was seething with anger, adorned with cuts and bruises.
"Fine then. Live, and we'll talk tomorrow."
Kronos chuckled, "Tsk, tsk. See, you have already met dear Annie. Bet, you needed to release some tension, didn't you? After all, you are young, not even crossed your teenage years yet. I know what you have been through. I know the Olympians, I know how they worked. When did they start pressurizing you eh? 13? 14? I guess it doesn't matter. I know the torture they put you through. Commending you to kill your mother over and over again. I know how rough things can get. Must have banged the girl plenty of times. Nice choice, anyhow. No one can resist those sexy curves-ah!"
A visible glint passed through Percy's eyes. His resolve hardened.
Kronos seemed elated. "Oh you like her don't you?"
Percy glare turned concrete. "Oh no! You don't like her -you love her!"
"Tell me what the hell you want."
"Oh No! No! This is interesting, very interesting. Perhaps, I could torture you." Swiftly, Kronos pulled out a revolver and fired shots all around Annabeth. She cringed almost as if she had been through this various time. "Oh! You have got a naughty one in yours hands dear boy."
"We are not here about my personal life. We are here about why you wanted me here!"
"Oh perhaps then we would get straight to business." Kronos pointed the gun towards Annabeth's centre and fired.
BANG!
Percy lay down on floor, clutching his chest, directly between the killer and the girl.
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Time stopped for the moment. Kronos laughed manically shouting foolish boy and shot bullets towards the sky. Paul was in shock. Thalia couldn't believe what happened. Nico didn't want to believe. Piper looked away from the body. Jason stared coldly ahead. Annabeth shouted.
Silence
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His hand twitched for a fraction of a second. Then:
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"BATTLE PLAN ALPHA."
Everything moved into motion. The officers started firing. Somehow, during all the drama occurring they had positioned themselves perfectly.
They took out the gang members.
Percy stood up and brushed his jeans. He got his revolver out and looked at the criminal mastermind. Kronos didn't look healthy. He tried getting bullets into his gun. Percy punched his nose. "I never liked you. I hated you. I am sorry that I had believed you.
"I had been waiting for this for a long time," he kicked his shin," Goodbye Grandpa." He fired. The bullet hit the between his eyes, close range. "Never ever go for my go for my family."
Then he looked towards Luke. His eyes screamed. But he had been expecting it. "Hear me out first." Then Luke through a pen-drive towards Percy.
Percy caught the device in his right, and fired at him with his left hand.
Then he turned to Ethan. Annabeth screamed, "Not him."
Percy turned to look at her, lowered his weapon for a second, and then shot at Ethan. Then he shot the remaining gang members.
"This is what you get for messing with my life. Good evening.
"And CUT!"
And cut!
A/N: Want an epilogue?