Since I've updated now, it means that I've finished writing this story. :)
Poseidon laid down his plan to Annabeth in a café in Lower Manhattan, and Annabeth had to admit it was pretty sensible. Poseidon seemed to be under the impression that if we could get Percy far enough away from Kronos, the enchantment may be weakened, at least enough to determine where Kronos was and how they would be able to defeat him, again.
"So do you understand?" Poseidon asked. In another life, another time, Annabeth would have laughed. The concept of a Greek god sitting in a café in Manhattan, complete with a little red and white striped umbrella, sipping a double espresso, was ridiculous, difficult to comprehend. But there he was, and there she was, so all she could do was nod her head.
Poseidon looked at her gravely. "We'll get him back, I promise," he said, before dissipating into a fresh sea breeze, leaving the people in the café perplexed because there wasn't a sea for miles. And all Annabeth could do was pull out her phone—which she'd thought was broken, but now it seemed fine—and dial Thalia's number.
Twelve hours later, and Annabeth was back at home, curled up on the couch in front of the television, too wound up to sleep. The television was on, but she wasn't really watching it. Instead, she was mulling over what she had to do in order to get Percy to the gods. It wasn't exactly a complicated plan, but it involved wrecking the house. Again.
"You got any food?"
"I haven't been to the mall this week," said Annabeth. "I had more important things to do than fill up my refridgerator, like worry about my husband who was shot. Oh, and don't forget my ex-boyfriend, who happens to be trying to kill me."
"I know sarcasm when I hear it," Nico said, wagging a finger covered with tomato paste at her through the kitchen door. "It's a good thing you have enough here to make a pizza, otherwise I'd be too malnourished to capture Percy."
"You're a pig, Nico. We ate on the way over," Thalia said, sitting on the couch opposite to Annabeth.
"Lies!" Nico said, from inside the kitchen.
Thalia rolled her eyes, and looked at Annabeth. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, even though she was everything but. "I'll be fine. I'm glad that the gods are giving us time. Even if it is short." Her tone was bitter.
Thalia looked at her with a face of sympathy. She stood up, stretched, and walked to Annabeth, before sitting down next to her. "It'll be fine," Thalia said, rubbing soothing circles on Annabeth's leg. Annabeth nodded again.
Nico came back into the living room, with sauce less fingers. "Now that my pizza is cooking, what exactly do I need to do tonight? Does it need the dead? I'm pretty good at summoning them."
Thalia shuddered. "I wish you'd stop doing it in the house. It scares the hell out of me to find a skeleton on the kitchen floor."
Nico shrugged. "It's what I do." He looked at Annabeth. "So, back on track, what do I have to do?"
Annabeth sat up, and turn the television so loud that to hear across the room you'd have to shout. Thalia looked at her questionably.
"So that no one can hear me." Thalia, Nico and Annabeth bent their heads together. "Here's what we're going to do..."
Percy crossed the road, where he had hidden for most of the day. He'd seen a plain sedan that had pulled up, the two that had gotten out-an olive-skinned man, and a raven-hair woman-and he'd seen that it hadn't left again. No matter, his powers were more than sufficient for the job. Probably just exrta protection for her. Too bad it wasn't going to work.
Now that it was dark, and the last light had been extinguished four hours ago, he made his move. He crept over the road and up the drive, silent as a panther and twice as deadly. He stared in through the window at the front of the house. It was totally dark and quiet. He peered in through the window, into the living room. Nico was stretched out on one of the couches, asleep. He was snoring, and there was a puddle of drool on the seat cushion. Percy's lip curled in disdain, but even if they did awake, it would not matter. Percy only had one mission, and it didn't involve Thalia or Nico. With one last look of disgust, he disappeared from the window.
Nico's eyes opened in the gloom of darkness, aware of the fact that his former friend believed him asleep. Time to put that advantage to use. He got up silently, padding through the hall, crouched, and stood outside the door of the bedroom Annabeth was sleeping in. Meanwhile, Thalia melted out of the shadows of the adjoining kitchen, going to stand beside Nico. Thalia looked at him queryingly and Nico answered with a nod, both making no sound at all.
Meanwhile, Percy was at Annabeth's window. He had heard the snores cease from the living room, and despite the fact that Nico could be very well awake, he pushed on. The act would only take a couple of seconds. Instead of a gun or water powers, Percy carried a knife, the celestial bronze black in the pale moonlight that filtered down from the clouds above. The trees in the back yard rustled and whispered as the wind went through them. Percy crouched near the window, and looked inside.
He did not bother finding out whether she was asleep or not; once again, it wouldn't matter. There wasn't anywhere really she could go, and if Poseidon tried to interfere again, he'd kill her and take his chances in the aftermath. Percy had only one sole purpose in the world, and that was the murder of Annabeth Chase.
He slid the window up, the small amounts of water he'd squirted on the hinges preventing the hinges from squeaking. Instead it slid open with a wet hiss, but it was quiet, and quickly lost in the sounds of the night. He angled in through the window, landing quietly on the floor. He then closed the window, the noise and wind of the outside world shut off. He crossed to the bed with the knife, where he could see the sleeping form of the woman he'd tried so hard to kill…
Hate me for leaving it there? Too bad. Wait until next Friday. ;D