Okay, so sorry if the characters are a bit off because I haven't written for this fanfiction in a while.

Note: Thank you to my friend for editing these chapters! I really appreciate it!

Warning: Homosexuality, bisexuality, language, death, slaughter (I'll add more along the way)

Disclaimer: Wish I was Rick Riordan. I mean, how cool would that be? But, as you can see, I am not Rick Riordan, sadly.

The Runaway

Author: Loving Healer

Chapter Two

"Wait!" Annabeth said hurriedly and I saw his hand freeze, to my relief.

Annabeth shut her eyes and sighed. She soon reopened them, revealing a sharp gray. "Look, you've managed to out-run all of those policemen, and you've even seduced girls to not get caught. Why do you do it?"

He was silent for awhile, and the whole air seemed to be filled with tension. The children behind him tugged on his dark as midnight cloak.

He finally spoke up, which surprised me so much I shook slightly. Since when did murderous people answer some random stranger's question?

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked with a cool and chilling voice. His dark brown eyes seemed to hold a permanent glare, and his lips seemed to hold a permanent scowl while he stared between us. "Do you think I want to get caught?"

Annabeth heaved a sigh. "Why do you kill people? As far as I can tell, you seem to have an actual heart toward children." She waved her hand, gesturing at the cowering kids behind his legs.

He stayed silent this time, and he continued to glare at the both of us - especially Annabeth. I was afraid he would throw his dagger at her at lightning speed.

Now that I had a better look at him, my fingers couldn't help but twitch every time I scanned his belt at the knives and the guns and even a whip dangling in a coil at his side. I also saw the first knife and the first gun that I saw when I was outside the alleyway. If he had even more dangerous weapons underneath that cloak I probably would've made a break for it. In fact, I already wanted to make a break for it.

"So?" Annabeth broke the heavy silence. "Why do you do it?"

One of the kids whimpered and everyone's eyes drew toward the little boy.

"Nico..." He trailed off with watery eyes. It was barely a whisper, but we all heard it.

"Nico?" Annabeth's gaze switched to the Runaway as she narrowed her eyes.

The Runaway's - or, I guess his name is Nico - ruffled the boy's hair.

"You'll be fine," he whispered reassuringly at the close-to-breaking-down boy. He sniffed and nodded, offering hopeful eyes up at Nico. Damn, it was so weird calling the Runaway - the young, all-time murderer - Nico. Wait, have I ever told you guys about the dam story? Oh, I'll tell you guys later.

"Your name is Nico?" Annabeth repeated as if she couldn't even believe that the Runaway actually had a normal and average name.

He looked in the corner of his eyes at Annabeth, giving her a darker glare.

Annabeth shook her curly blonde hair that was tied up in a tight ponytail. "You know what? Never mind about the name. I'm guessing your name's Nico then, hm?"

The Runaway stared at her cautiously with a calculating gaze that I thought only Annabeth had. After awhile, he nodded slowly as if he didn't know whether to nod or not respond at all.

"Okay, Nico," she sighed deeply, "will you answer my questions when I ask you them?"

There was a long pause of Nico and Annabeth having a long staring contest, but Nico broke it by asking her a question instead. "Did the Olympians send you?"

Annabeth glanced at me, and I could see in her eyes that she was asking me if I knew what he was talking about. I only shook my head and shrugged in response.

Annabeth glanced back at the Runaway with a frown on her face and her eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry to admit - I hate admitting that I don't know something - but we're not sure who the Olympians are and what you're exactly talking about."

Nico stared at her with a cold and calculating gaze that I thought again only Annabeth possessed. It was creepy how they both possessed the same kind of stare.

He finally questioned her, "Why do you care so much about what I do?"

"I'm just curious." Annabeth shrugged nonchalantly. "You kill people, but you have a good and caring heart at the same time. How and why do you do it? I mean, absolutely no one knows anything about you. Your answer will explain more about you and why you kill people and help children at the same time."

The Runaway stared at her for a very long time before his gaze shifted to me and I froze in both a good and bad way.

First of all, I was scared to fucking death. He could've just pulled out a knife and thrown it right through my head or something. He probably didn't even need to use his guns. I mean, how did Annabeth manage to have a nice and leisurely conversation with an all-time, famous murderer standing right in front of her face? Well, then again, if Annabeth couldn't figure something out on her own, then she would've probably done pretty much anything to find out the answer. And, if standing in front of a murderer and having a conversation with him will get her closer to an answer, then she probably would've done it without hesitation, which she actually did, mind you.

Second of all, I could see how the Runaway could get away with killing people with his looks. I mean, dam, was he sexy or what? When he glanced at me, my heart beat faster from how fucking hot he looked and from the fear of him killing me. I mean, it was just a stare. My bisexuality was kicking in. Just imagine him being stripped of his clothes with a sexy smirk on his face while licking his red, plump lips with his cock rubbing against yours...

Okay, seriously, Percy? Really? He literally could've just killed you while you were in the middle of that last sentence.

"So," the Runaway began, scanning me up and down with his chilling dark brown eyes. "Why are you here?"

"He just came with me," Annabeth answered before I could even open my mouth to speak.

He glared in Annabeth's direction. "Why don't you let him answer some questions for once?" He asked without bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Because he's a seaweed brain, that's why," Annabeth huffed.

And that was when I spoke up. "Hey!" I cried, clearly offended.

Nico frowned. "I presume you guys are friends, am I correct?"

Annabeth and I nodded simultaneously.

He closed his eyes and deeply exhaled. "I'll be taking my leave then." He knelt down and ruffled the two children's hair with a small smile on his face. "I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay!" They both exclaimed happily and excitedly in unison.

Nico rose to his full height, jumped, grabbed the part of the roof on the building to our right that hung over the walls, and did a back flip onto the top of the structure with ease.

"No one has ever had the courage to confront me with interrogation before," Nico noted while looking down at us from his spot on the roof. "I think I'll be seeing you two again."

"Wait!" Annabeth called as he turned around, but he stopped to hear what she had to say.

"You never answered any of my questions," Annabeth remarked sharply.

But, the Runaway didn't bother to answer as he simply ran away and jumped onto the next building's roof with his hood pulled up.

I wondered how in the world no one saw a parkouring teenager in broad daylight, but when I glanced up at the sky, the sun was already disappearing.