Hey gang! Just saying, I don't know if all updates will be as fast as we're going now, but I'm moving along well with writing and I'm still residually excited to have this started finally so it'll probably keep up two-per-week for at least a couple more weeks. Later once the chapters get longer and take me more time to write I'm sure we'll see some spacing out.

Anyway, thanks bunches for all the reviews! That's another factor, as always, that prompts me to update more quickly. When I know people are waiting, I have more motivation to kick it into gear :D

Still setting up for now. Enjoy!

But if you sing these words we'll never die

Annabeth stared at the mobile phone in her hand, mentally working herself up to making the call.

Almost a day had passed since she and Thalia had made the dangerous decision to go after Ezekiel Grace. Before they could leave for the U.S., though, Annabeth had a job to do—Thalia hadn't seen this friend of hers in quite a while and didn't know where she was currently living, and it was up to Annabeth and her CIA history to find her. They both knew that calling to explain their plans was entirely too risky, which meant that they'd have no other choice but to show up on her doorstep and hope she agreed to help them. Thalia was confident that it would work out, though, so Annabeth kept her nervous doubts to herself. She trusted Thalia, and if Thalia trusted her friend, then that was good enough for her.

She wasn't afraid to make the call she'd been planning for selfish reasons. Moreover, she had to be sure she wasn't endangering the person on the other end. It had been a while since they'd spoken, but as long as the contact didn't result in the person's getting arrested, she was confident they could help her.

A few minutes past one in the morning—around 8:00 P.M. in Langley, Virginia—Annabeth took a deep breath and dialed the number, holding the phone numbly to her ear. After two rings, a familiar voice said, "Hello?"

Annabeth smiled in spite of her worry. "Hi, Rachel."

There was a dull thud and Annabeth suppressed a chuckle as she pictured her friend and former coworker Rachel Dare dropping her cell phone with a shocked expression. After a brief shuffling sound, Rachel said in a choked sort of voice, "Annabeth? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. How are you?"

"Who cares about me? How are you? Where are you? No, wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Just—are you okay? What's going on?"

This time Annabeth couldn't help a small laugh. "Slow down, everything's fine! Well, not everything… Look, something's happened. I'm okay," she said hurriedly as she heard Rachel suck in her breath. "But I need your help." Without meaning to, she lowered her voice. "I need you to use your cyber magic and look someone up for me."

"Is this an Olympus thing?" Rachel asked, her voice lowering in kind. "They haven't found you guys, have they?"

"Trust me, Rachel, the less you know, the better," Annabeth argued. "I already feel guilty enough for bringing you into this. I don't want to get you involved any more than necessary."

On the other line, Rachel sighed. "Alright. It must be serious if you sound so worried. Tell me what you need."

It was a mark of their friendship that Rachel didn't hesitate, and again Annabeth couldn't help a smile. "I have to find someone. Friend of a friend. Not a criminal, just a normal person."

"Awesome, a challenge. What's their name? And anything else you can give me."

"Reyna Ramírez-Arellano," Annabeth read the name from a slip of paper Thalia had given her. "She's twenty-five, and used to live in New York City. Went to Fort Hamilton High. My friend thinks she moved south a few years ago, but doesn't know much else."

"Alright, give me a few minutes," Rachel promised. "Let's see what I can find."

As Annabeth waited, she wanted more than anything to catch up with her friend. But the more they talked, the higher the possibility was that the CIA could end up involved. After all, Annabeth was a fugitive. She'd gone against orders and turned on her employers, even began working with Olympus for a time. She was directly involved in the death of her friend-turned-enemy and former Chief of Staff, Luke Castellan. Technically, Rachel was breaking the law having this conversation at all. So instead, however difficult it was, Annabeth remained quiet, chewing her tongue and waiting patiently for the information she needed.

"Got her," Rachel said after barely five minutes. "Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. Formerly of Brooklyn, New York. Some big relocations, this one. Looks like she moved to Texas after high school and attended the University of Houston Downtown, then two years after graduation moved back north. Currently resides at thirteen-fifty-nine Hawthorne Street, Detroit, Michigan. MorningSide borough. Ooh, she's a martial arts instructor? I hope you're not planning to fight her."

Annabeth chuckled as she copied down the address. "Actually, no. We need her help." With a smile, she added, "Thanks, Rachel. You're the best."

"I know," Rachel replied matter-of-factly. She paused a moment before saying, "It was really great hearing from you. Be careful, Annabeth, okay?"

"I will, I promise. You, too."

Hanging up the phone after bidding each other goodbye was even harder than dialing the number had been. Annabeth missed Rachel more than pretty much anyone else from her old life. But she knew that as long as the CIA was after her—which she assumed them still to be—she couldn't completely reconnect with her former best friend. Maybe someday that would change, but for the time being this was what she had to live with.

As Annabeth stared at the slip of paper bearing Reyna's name and address, she could feel the resolve steeling in her mind like rapidly-drying cement. After over a year of trying to forget her past life, here she was, about to take on another job. The difference was that this time it wasn't business—it was personal. The shift in motivation was strange; she felt the same calm conviction that she'd grown accustomed to before, but the anticipation had heightened. This time, she was doing it for herself.

Annabeth held onto that thought as she sat down at her computer and booked the first flight she found direct from London to Detroit, which left at 5:00 A.M. Once that was done, she called Thalia to pass on their new information and made plans to meet at the airport at 4:15. By the time she hung up the phone, Annabeth was fully, mentally prepared to get this show on the road.

As she stood and strode into her and Percy's bedroom to pack, she stopped and felt her heart skip a beat as she took in the sight. She hadn't slept all day, and as such the room looked just as it had when she'd left for the hospital the previous night. The sheets and blankets were pulled from the bed, tangled and draped on the floor. The window through which the attacker had escaped was still open, letting in a cool, winter breeze that made Annabeth shiver. The broken shards of the lamp she'd shattered over the man's back still littered the floor, and the carpet near her dresser was stained dark with blood.

She felt a brief flash of anxiety as she thought of Percy, still sedated in the hospital. But just as quickly she forced it down, telling herself that worrying would get her nowhere. She had to act. She had to make Zeus pay for what he'd done—to put a stop to him before he ruined her life any further. That was how she'd make this better, how she'd get through this whole thing.

By doing exactly what she'd always done best.

-0-0-0-

The flight to Detroit took just under eight hours, and after factoring in the hours they lost due to time zone changes Annabeth and Thalia arrived at their destination around 8:00 A.M. They'd both brought minimal luggage—just one carry-on each with enough things to last them a few days—so getting through the airport was relatively easy. Waiting for a cab, unfortunately, took a little longer, and by the time they reached MorningSide it was after 9:00.

1359 Hawthorne Street was an average-looking two-story house in an average-looking residential neighborhood. Its outer walls were a mix of brick and wood-paneling with deep red trim the same shade as the front door. A simple, paved walkway led up the front yard. Beneath the left awning on the front of the house was a two-car garage, and through its large, clear windows Annabeth could see the only thing that really stood out about the house in the form of two very expensive-looking vehicles—a silver Mustang GT and a black Maserati. Oddly, they didn't seem to fit with the house much at all.

Annabeth didn't know whether or not Thalia's friend would be home, but they were already there and would have to give it a try. Together they headed up the walkway and Annabeth rang the doorbell, hoping Thalia had considered how exactly she planned to explain their situation after just showing up out of the blue. They waited for a long few seconds and just when she was starting to conclude that no one was home the doorknob twisted and the door was pulled inward. Standing on its other side was a woman who looked to be about Annabeth's age but was just barely shorter. She was thin and lean, and despite the January weather was dressed in blue jeans and a purple tank top, long, black hair half-braided over her shoulder.

When her dark eyes passed over Annabeth and landed on Thalia, she smiled. "Thalia!" she greeted her, her voice deeper than Annabeth expected. "What are you doing here?"

"Surprise!" Thalia said with a slightly sheepish grin. She stepped forward and gave her friend a brief hug before saying with a shrug, "I know it's been a while, but I was in the neighborhood. Are you busy? Mind if we come in? I've got something to talk to you about."

"Well, I've got to leave for work in about half an hour," the woman said as her hands moved to her hair and began swiftly completing the half-finished braid. "But you can hang out until then." Though her voice was casual, there was a distinctly serious gleam in her eyes that showed clearly how surprised she was by this visit. She followed Thalia's lead, however, and didn't act out of the ordinary.

"Thanks," Thalia said. "Oh, and this is Annabeth. She's a… family friend. Annabeth, this is Reyna."

Annabeth didn't miss the way Reyna's eyebrows creased just barely at the words 'family friend.' She smiled and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Reyna agreed, shaking Annabeth's hand before tying off her braid. She gave both of them a friendly half-smile. "Follow me."

The inside of the house was noticeably less unremarkable than the outside. The layout was average enough, but a lot of things seemed to catch Annabeth's eye. The front door led into a small, high-ceilinged entrance way winged on the right and back walls by steps that led to the upstairs hallway. To her left, she could see a smaller hallway and a door that probably opened into the garage. To her right was a doorway into some sort of den, inside which she could see a huge flat-screen television set mounted on the wall and a few armchairs arranged around it. Below the TV was a short display stand with a few different home theater options.

Rather than heading that way, though, Reyna led them straight ahead past the stairs (there was another door beneath them that Annabeth guessed might have led to a basement) and into the kitchen. She held her hand out toward the round, mahogany table and moved to stand between the center island and the back counter, before a glass of water and a half-finished bowl of cereal. "Are you guys hungry? Thirsty?" she asked.

"Nah, we ate on the plane," Thalia replied as she and Annabeth seated themselves at the table. Annabeth glanced over the waist-high divider beside them into the living room and noticed another flat-screen television set (though this one was a bit smaller than the one in the den), a computer desk, an oversized couch that ran the length of the back wall, and a door that led into the backyard. Looking around the kitchen, Annabeth noticed that it was filled with a number of high-tech-looking appliances. Interested, she frowned. Obviously this girl made a considerable amount of money, judging by her possessions. She remembered Rachel telling her that Reyna was an instructor at a martial arts school. She didn't think that kind of job would warrant a huge payout. Maybe she was wrong. Or, perhaps Reyna's family was wealthy. If that was the case, though, why wouldn't she live in a more impressive house?

"So what's this about?" Reyna asked seriously as they all got settled, studying both Thalia and Annabeth.

Thalia glanced at Annabeth, nodded, and answered her friend, "It's about Olympus."

Reyna's eyebrows drew more tightly together and she sighed. "I thought so," she admitted, staring at the countertop. "Not much else would prompt someone to pay an unnanounced visit after so long—not that I'm not happy to see you, of course. So are you alright? Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine—just about to do something that might change everything." When Reyna frowned questioningly, Thalia sat up straight and asked, "Do you remember my cousin Percy? Went to high school with us, two grades below? He and I used to do a lot of stuff together growing up."

"Sure, a bit," Reyna said.

"Well," Thalia jerked her head toward Annabeth, "this is his fiancée. She's…" She turned and raised her eyebrows at Annabeth, who waved a hand, permitting her to go on. "She used to work for the CIA. Until about a year ago, when a whole lot of mess went down in New York…"

Together, Annabeth and Thalia recounted to Reyna, as quickly as they could, the events that had taken place in New York, everything that had resulted in Annabeth and Percy's being forced to leave the country. All the while, Reyna listed intently with a hard expression, never showing surprise or interrupting. They finished with the assassin's attack the other night, and their decision to go after Thalia's father.

"I know this has nothing to do with you," Thalia told her friend. "And I'm sorry for coming here and getting you involved—really, I am. But I hoped that if there was anyone in this country I could still trust, it was you. All we need is a place to stay for now. As soon as we find a way to get equipment and transportation, we'll be out of here. I promise."

Reyna was quiet for a moment as she rinsed her dishes and slid them into the dishwasher beneath the counter. "Do you know where you can get those things?"

"Not exactly," Thalia admitted with a shrug. "But I'm sure there are a few people in the organization who wouldn't rat me out to my father if I asked for help. I've just gotta hope I pick the right one. It won't be long, though, don't worry. We only need to stay here for a few days tops, if you've got the space."

Reyna bit her lip in thought. "You can crash here, don't worry about that," she responded, prompting Thalia to grin and Annabeth to breathe out in relief. "But it sounds like it's too big a risk for you to call up any more old friends. This is the leader of Olympus you're going after."

"You're not wrong," Annabeth admitted.

Thalia added, "But it's the only plan we've got right now."

Reyna pulled open a kitchen drawer and produced a pen and a small pad of paper. As she began scrawling something across it, she went on, "Just do me a favor and give it one more day, okay? Don't make any calls, and don't let anyone know you're here." She tore off the top sheet and slid it across the table to the others. "Meet me at this address tonight at nine. I've got to get going, but you're both welcome to stay here in the meantime. There's a spare key hanging by the microwave."

"What's at this address?" Thalia asked with a frown as Reyna grabbed her coat from the counter and lifted a black duffel bag that had been sitting beside the table.

As Reyna backed toward the front hall, Annabeth thought her smile looked more like a smirk. "I want to introduce you to my boyfriend," she answered. "I think he might be able to help you out."

If you guys have read any of my other PJO stories (excluding Fire at Will), then you've probably got a pretty good idea of who Reyna's boyfriend is going to be ;) You'll have to wait until Chapter 5 to meet him, though. Next chapter we're back in London with Percy.

So hey - if we get a lot of reviews maybe I'll update again this week! How many is a lot? That's up to me. So drop one on your way out and if they scale up you'll get an update on Friday! Trust me, next chapter's exciting. You want it ASAP ;)

Later days, everybody!

-oMM