Hey everybody! Happy Thursday! I don't think I have any notes today... So, thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter, and enjoy this week's installment!
We can leave this world, leave it all behind / We can steal this car if your folks don't mind
We can live forever / If you've got the time
For the first time in a long time, Annabeth felt perfectly in her element.
It should have been strange how easily she slipped back into the CIA mindset. She'd gotten used to life in London, after all—a slow, uneventful, normal life. She loved it, while it had lasted, and would have been content to stay there and live out her days.
But apparently, part of her never completely let go of her past, because she was calmer and more collected than ever as she observed the general traffic in and out of the Willis Tower the day after her meeting with Ezekiel Grace. Suddenly it was like the last year and a half hadn't happened—like she was still employed by the CIA, doing reconnaissance on a target before making her move. And somehow, it just felt right.
She sat lazily in one of the cushy chairs that dotted the Willis Tower lobby, slowly flicking through a magazine without reading the pages. She was dressed casually and inconspicuously—blue jeans, Airwalk boots, a light blue scoop-neck T-shirt, and a gray fleece. Her coat and scarf were draped over the back of her chair, and her blond curls were tied back and stuffed under a white, knitted snow cap. Her face was angled toward her magazine, but her eyes lifted to study her surroundings over the silver wire frames of the reading glasses she'd borrowed from Hylla.
The lobby was littered with what Annabeth assumed were the usual clientele—mostly tourists paying a visit to the landmark, discussing the sights, or inquiring about the Skydeck. Occasionally people in suits or business casual wear would push their way through the revolving doors and head straight for the elevators, waving keycards by the scanners to access the business floors. The employees at the reception desk greeted anyone who approached them with a polite smile and kind tone, handing out brochures and information packets or giving directions and recommendations.
Annabeth was watching for anything out of the ordinary. So far, she hadn't seen much—different people she had a good feeling worked for Zeke were probably the most notable. But she wasn't too concerned. This was a secondary objective, something to do to kill time while she waited for Leo.
He and Reyna had noticed the previous day that the building was having some kind of internal renovation done, so this morning he'd gone in disguised as an electrical engineer in order to get any information he could on the Tower in general, and possibly on Zeke and his schedule. It was a low-risk plan, given that Leo hadn't been seen on site during the debacle yesterday and was very unlikely to be recognized by anyone affiliated with Olympus with whom he might cross paths. But still, Annabeth insisted she remain on the scene as well—just in case something unexpected happened.
Despite how comfortable she was doing recon, it still took a considerable amount of brainpower to keep her emotions in check when Annabeth thought of the criminal currently working 78 floors above her—the criminal responsible for the ruthless murder of the man she loved. Behind her stoic walls of neutral impassiveness, an insistent voice kept screaming in outrage and heartbreak. As childish as it sounded, it just wasn't fair. She wanted to tear around the lobby, smashing ornamental light fixtures and knocking over pamphlet-laden tables. She wanted to take an elevator to the 79th floor and shove Zeke's nameplate down his throat. She wanted to watch him burn, see the pain and the fury on his face when he realized that this time, his actions would have consequences—this time, he wasn't going to get what he wanted.
But despite the strength of these reckless desires, Annabeth knew she had to wait. This mission was delicate. She and Thalia had both lost their heads when they'd confronted Zeke the previous afternoon, and they'd been rewarded with disaster. Surely he would expect them to try again, but this time they were going to do it right.
That was what kept Annabeth from flying off the handle—the knowledge that doing so would not only sabotage her attempt at retribution on Zeke, but also more than likely get her (and possibly also Leo) needlessly killed. Anger or no, she knew Percy wouldn't want that. For his sake—his memory—she had to make it out of this alive, whatever became of his uncle. She sincerely hoped it wouldn't come down to a choice between failure and sacrifice, because at the moment, affected by resentment and grief as she was, she didn't know if that was a choice she'd be able to make. All she could do was trust her training—believe that when the time came, she would know what to do and have the power and the resolve to do it.
Annabeth turned the page of her magazine and breathed out shortly, frowning in mild frustration. She shouldn't be thinking about these things, not now. Her goal for the time being was to appear relaxed, to blend in as her senses prowled for any information that provided potential assistance to their main objective. She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and re-crossed her legs, her foot twitching rhythmically in midair as she took a deep breath and forcibly calmed her nerves. This was just another job. She'd done it dozens of times before. There was nothing to get worked up about.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 4:00 PM; Leo had been gone for hours, which hopefully was a good thing. She had no idea when he'd be back, though admittedly for his cover to be convincing he couldn't just stop by for a few minutes and jet. Either way, she hoped he'd gotten something useful out of the venture. They needed a starting line, after all.
As Annabeth lowered her gaze and did another sweep of the lobby, something at the reception desk sparked her interest. A young woman with sleek, dark hair was leaning on the desk, chatting with the same guard who'd given Annabeth and Thalia visitor passes a day ago. She watched as the employee shook his head with what looked like an apologetic frown and extended a hand toward the front door. The woman, whose back was to Annabeth, must have said something, because after a pause the man shook his head more insistently and gave a less-than-sincere smile. The woman stood up straight and turned away from him in defeat, and Annabeth felt an odd tug at her memory upon seeing her face. She squinted across the lobby, wracking her brain to try and remember where she could have encountered her before.
The woman was maybe a year or two older than Annabeth, with long, nearly-black hair in perfect, soft waves and a flawless, creamy complexion. She was dressed simply, not unlike Annabeth was, but was effortlessly attractive, drawing numerous brief looks from the men who passed her. She scowled and muttered something to herself as she stepped away from the welcome desk and rummaged in her bag, producing a cell phone. As she tapped the screen and pressed the phone to her ear, she rolled her eyes—bright, striking blue eyes, eyes like polished sapphires. Eyes Annabeth remembered.
She clamped her mouth shut to keep from shouting in realization. It was Silena Beauregard—former coworker of Percy's and long-time member of Olympus.
Immediately Annabeth shifted in her chair so as to better conceal her face behind her magazine. She didn't know if Silena would remember her, but she didn't want to run the risk of Olympus finding out she was there. For all she knew, Silena would report her presence to Zeke.
"Lookin' a little suspicious there," a low, amused voice said over Annabeth's left shoulder. She jumped in alarm and twisted around, but it was only Leo, grinning at her with his eyebrows raised.
Annabeth realized she'd been hiding a little too obviously behind her magazine. "Shut up," she grumbled, using the periodical to smack Leo on the arm. She stood up, deliberately turning her back to Silena Beauregard. "How'd it go?"
"Pretty well." Leo shifted the white hardhat under his arm and mussed his curly hair with the hand not carrying a heavy-looking equipment case. "The other workers were extremely talkative."
"Good to hear," Annabeth said with a satisfied smile. She shot a glance over her shoulder to see Silena talking agitatedly into her phone, looking frustrated. "Let's go talk somewhere else. Don't want to be overheard."
When Leo shrugged in agreement, Annabeth turned to retrieve her coat and scarf before leading the way toward the nearest revolving door. She was almost there when a voice behind her distinctly exclaimed, "No way!" and the next thing she knew someone had snatched her by the shoulder and wrapped her in an inescapable, one-armed hug.
"Annabeth!" the person said breathily, backing up to reveal the winning smile of Silena Beauregard. "Oh, thank God, I was worried we'd never find you! What?" she said into her phone, as though just remembering she was in the middle of a conversation. "Yes, she's here! She's fine, calm down! Look, I'll bring her over, okay? Just stay put. You need to keep out of sight for now." She rolled her eyes again. "No, don't give me that. Stay. I mean it. 'Bye." She abruptly hung up the phone and stuffed it in her bag, once again flashing Annabeth a bright grin. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out. It's me, Silena. You remember, right? We met in New York a year and a half ago."
Still stunned from the sudden and apparently unavoidable encounter, Annabeth had a difficult time making her mouth form words. "Y… Yeah, I remember. It's just… Well, I kind of have to be somewhere—"
"No, no, no, you have to come with me!" Silena interrupted at once, talking excitedly. Dropping her voice, she leaned closer and added, "Don't worry, we're here for the same reason you are. We want to work together."
Annabeth blinked. "We?"
"Yeah, of course. Our team wants to help you, I promise. All of us."
"Somebody wanna tell me what the heck's going on here?" Leo cut in, stepping around Annabeth and pointing a finger between her and Silena.
Silena frowned at Annabeth. "Is he with you?"
Annabeth nodded numbly, still trying to mentally replay everything Silena had said since ambushing her. Whoever she'd been talking to on the phone seemed to know Annabeth—and more than that, had seemed worried about her. She tried desperately not to let her hopes inflate too high—there had to be some other link between her and Silena that she wasn't immediately aware of. But at the same time… who else could it be?
"Alright, then." Silena shrugged, taking Annabeth's wordless answer and giving Leo a welcoming smile. "Both of you, come with me. We've got a lot to talk about."
The next chapter's a good bit longer than this one. I'll have it up next Thursday :D I counted out the weeks yesterday and realized that if I keep up the once-a-week thing the last chapter will be on Christmas, which made me really excited. Haha XD
So how 'bout a review on your way out? Thanks as always, everybody! Later days!
-oMM