A/N: Thank you so much to: Miss Brandy Black, Rockyrocks919, Kirby77DP77, Mysterious 'Anonymous' persons, anna, LAoR, katherine, Hannah Brandon 1234321, That Lovely Bad One, hazelbunny, Gratia Donatus and myfriendscallmecrazy ;) and everyone else who reviewed after the first chapter as well. Even though it's been a bit mixed. OK, next chapter, I'm a bit nervous about this one! *rocks back and forth*

Warning: Dub con and language

---Chapter 3: 'I Run'---

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"Curled up and joyless, we try once again"*

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The guard and a customer were standing in the middle of the room discussing in a language Percy didn't understand.

It was almost unbearable not opening your eyes to see what was going on. But the old man's orders had been simple; pretend to be sick or dead and they might skip you and you might survive.

For now, Percy had thought to himself. He hadn't said it out loud because he knew that everyone was thinking the same thing. If you weren't bought, you were still stuck in 'hell central', where you might starve to death or beaten to death by the birds. Percy shuddered thinking about the birds. Neither option seemed appealing to Percy. He needed to get out. He was going to escape one way or another.

But he had to have patience and wait for the right moment.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the old man started to shout. Percy flared open his eyes to see him crawling on his hands and knees towards the guard and the customer, looking like he was begging them.

Percy could see the visible irritation in the guards yellow eyes. so he immediately started banging his chain against the pole to try and direct the attention to him instead.

Percy winced as the guard kicked the old man aside and started walking towards the little girl. He preceded to grasp around her blond hair and lifted her clean off the floor. She didn't scream, it was obvious that she was in a state of shock. Her lips were moving rapidly, like she was talking to herself and all the color was drenched from her ghostly face.

"Hey you, Ugly!" Percy shouted on the top of his lungs, it was clear why the old man had caused such a stir. The customer wanted the girl, Percy was not about to let that happen. "You ugly fat piece of shit troll! Let her go or I'll fucking kill you!"

That seemed to work. The guard released the girl who fell back to the floor. She curled into a ball by her pole and continued rocking back and forth.

The guard turned to face Percy with a furious expression. Not only had the guard been humiliated but the customer had gotten impatient and left.

Two wins for Percy. Only problem now was the furious guard...

As the guard charged at Percy, Percy kicked out his with his legs just in time. The guard went crashing to the floor and Percy tried to move around the pole and lifted his legs ready to kick again. As the troll scrambled up to his knees and came crawling back at Percy, Percy was ready and kicked out with his legs; this time managing to hit the guard directly in the face. The other cellmates started cheering. The guard on the other hand was fuming. He was cursing furiously, holding his broken nose.

The third time, however, the guard managed to dodge Percy's legs. He grabbed Percy's throat and slammed him against the pole, leaving Percy breathless.

The troll was snarling curses into Percy's face and lifted his gigantic fist ready to throw a punch. Percy clenched his teeth and looked away, redying himself for the fist that was about to slam into him. The guards fingers were full of rings and sharp jewelry. Percy knew one strike by his fist would surely knock him unconscious, if not crush his skull.

"Hvaða ert þ aðgerð?"* A loud voice suddenly roared from behind.

Percy; still holding his breath, opened an eye and looked behind the guard with a pounding heart.

It wasn't difficult to see that the gigantic, wild looking man was a royal. His attire was made up of silk and leather and he was wearing a large jeweled, gold crown on his head. He had two servants and some kind of troll looking creature trailing behind him. One servant was holding his golden shield while the other was carrying his long cloak. The troll had an iron ring around his neck, an indication that he was a slave too.

The guard cursed again, silently this time, and released Percy immediately before turning his head with a wide, fake smile to the King. Percy couldn't understand what they were saying but he recognized the name Arvid.

A cold shiver went through Percy as it deemed on him that this was the Viking king who was looking for a new plaything.

This was it, Percy thought to himself. This was his chance.

The guard ruffled Percy's hair roughly and play punched him on the chin before getting up and walking over to Arvid.

The king shouted something at the guard before walking into the hallway and disappearing around the corner with the apologetic guard trailing behind, his head hanging low.

"No!" Percy shouted after them, "Don't go!"

The Viking King was Percy's ticket out, he couldn't leave now!

"Boy!" The old man said in a hoarse voice "He's coming back for you"

Percy swallowed when he saw the broken old man; he hated to see old people in pain. There was blood around the old man's nose and his left eye looked a little bruised.

"Hey..." Percy said softly. "You ok?"

The man nodded. "You are very brave" He said with a mix of admiration and concern.

"What is your name?" The old man asked him as he scrambled up to his knees and started crawling over to sit by Percy.

"Percy" Percy said, "What's yours?"

"They will come back." The old man continued, "They will come to buy you soon and take you away. Why you do this?"

He sat on his knees in front of Percy, his chained hands folded in his lap, seeming not to understand why the young boy had offered himself up like that.

"You're so young" The old man said, his voice cracking.

Percy tried to smile, "Yeah... Don't worry, ok? I've been in worse situations before, trust me."

"I'm sorry" The man said and tears started dripping from his kind eyes.

"It's not your fault" Percy said, he wanted to touch the man's shoulder for comfort, or give him a hug, but there was little he could do with his arms chained up.

"Listen." He said instead. The king was about to come back, he didn't have much time. "Since the customers are coming and leaving, there must be portals transferring them to where they want to go, right?"

The man nodded slowly. "I remember man who nearly escaped, he talked of a magical portal that only opened for paying costumers. It takes you where you want to go, anywhere in time, but you have to do right or you'll end up in wrong year."

"What does that mean?" Percy knew he was in a place where time stood still, and he didn't know how it corresponded with his world. On Half Blood Hill. Percy had decided not to think about that. Surviving had been his main concern for now. But for all he knew, 40 years could have passed. And his world as he knew it could have changed completely.

"But it is possible to get back in the time you came from?" Percy asked his hope rising.

"Only if you have something given by an important person from the moment you vanished. And also..."

Percy sat up swiftly, his eyes wide "My t-shirt! Look!" he said looking down, pushing out his chest "The letters used to glow in the dark! Annabeth and Grover gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday!" He wanted to pump his fist in joy, but he was chained up so that would have to wait.

"Good" The man said, but he still looked at Percy with uncertainty.

"Right" Percy said quickly, his heart pacing at the good news. "I've been thinking that if someone buys me, at least I'll be free of this pole and the chains."

"What about the angry guard who is so angry with you?" The man started, "Guards are everywhere out in hall. I've seen them"

Percy bit his bottom lip as he looked into the man's face. "I know, but the guards are big and clumsy and the birds only work at night, right?"

The man nodded, "Birds work at night. Guards are also not smart, but very angry"

"Exactly" Percy said, "I'm small, and I'm quick and good at hiding. Trust me, I'll get us out. All of us!"

Percy could see he still didn't approve of this plan out of concern. But Percy was confident.

"You know the girl who give me this t-shirt?" Percy said shifting his position agitated "She's beautiful and I've got to apologize the her."

The old man looked at him sceptically.

"I said something rude and I have to apologize to her" Percy shrugged and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.

Percy thought of Annabeth's face leaning in on him. Her beautiful lips so close to his, her breath against his face, until she had suddenly screamed and jumped back. It had nearly given Percy a heart attack. But he regretted what he'd said, it had been so childish.

The man looked like he didn't quite know what to think and simply said, "You have a good heart Percy. Find portal"

As the guard, the Viking king and his servants rounded the corner the old man scrambled back to his pole and Percy gritted his teeth and tried to push aside all thoughts of panic. He knew his plan could go terribly wrong if he didn't play it right. He only knew that somehow he had to get the King to buy him so he could be free of his chains and get to the portal.

Percy was released off his chains and an iron ring was place around his neck instead.

As Percy was dragged out into the hallway, stumbling after the guard who carried his chain, he turned one last time to look back at the cell and swore to himself that he would get everyone out. And he thought he saw the old man nod, as if he had read his thoughts.

---

The size of the place was almost breathtaking. The hallway seemed to go on forever in all directions. And they passed booth after booth that were filled with people and creatures, chained up to poles exactly like the one he had been held in. The hallway was busy with customers and guards and chained slaves stumbling after their new master. Percy wondered how on earth he was going to hide or run to if he even managed to escape.

---

Percy had been pushed into a new booth and there were several boys and girls in there. They seemed to be from different periods in time, Percy could tell by their clothes, but they all seemed to be around the same age.

They were placed in a line facing king Arvid; whom looked very pleased with the days catch. The guards who owned the different booths the kids had been picked from stood behind watching with dollar signs in their eyes, hoping their kid would be chosen by the powerful king.

The king started his inspection round. Some of the kids were pushed back and some remained for a second inspection.

The girl standing next to Percy was pushed back and then the gigantic man was suddenly standing in front of Percy.

Percy's legs were shaking, he just hoped they wouldn't falter beneath him.

Picture Annabet, Percy thought to himself when he did what he knew he had to do.

He had never felt so ashamed in his life as he did when he shook his head a little bit, making his black hair fall across his face. He remembered Annabeth had once told him that she had liked his hair like that. She had sort of swooped his hair to the side across his forehead and looked at him with a smile and blushed cutely.

Percy lifted his chin and looked defiantly into the Viking king's wild eyes.

"He likes disorderly pretty boys like you," Percy remembered the guard had told him. If that was the case, Percy was going to make it to his advantage. He was scared out of his mind, but he wasn't about to let it show.

It seemed to be working.

The king smiled and grasped around Percy's face with his large hand and pulled it up at an angle to have a better look.

The King did the same as the guard had done the night before, and checked Percy's teeth first. Then he let his finger trail across Percy's face. Percy felt the man's callous fingers against his own softer skin as he touched him. As the man's thumb let his finger glide over Percy's lips, he wanted to bite him and kick him in the groin, but he had to keep calm and swallow the shame if he wanted to get to the gate. He was not about to be brought back to the pole.

The Viking king murmured something into Percy's face, it was apparent that he liked what he saw. And Percy continued his little act of trying his best to look like an obnoxious pretty boy. He felt foolish and humiliated but it was working really well. The man didn't even finish the line, he simply nodded to Percy's guard. He had found his 'plaything'.

The guard handed Percy's chain over to the king's troll. The troll was given instructions and in the next moment Percy was slung across the trolls back, like a little rag doll, and carried away. The king remained with his two servants to pay or do whatever else one does in this kind of situation. All Percy knew was that he was on his way to a portal.

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Percy was watching people coming and going out of the portal with a hammering heart. He was standing about 40 yards left of the opening together with the large troll that was holing his chain. A few minutes had passed. Percy didn't know when the king would be back, but he figured he didn't have much time.

The troll didn't look evil or mean spirited. He was a slave, just like Percy after all.

"Excuse me, sir?" Percy tried carefully. Hoping to get an answer. He got something better.

"Hello!" The troll said and smiled. Before he quickly pulled himself together and shook his head "Todd not allowed to speak to pretty plaything, Todd wait for Master!"

This was better than he'd thought, the troll was dumb as a rock, just like in the fairytales.

"You're very, very scary" Percy said while nodding, his eyes wide with fake admiration "I bet you're very strong too"

The troll blushed before smiling and nodding "Thank you, pretty girl. Actually... I am strong"

Percy decided to look past the gender error for now.

"Yes" Percy said. "I bet you could lift that rock even!" He nodded with his head over to a rock laying on the floor.

The troll followed his gaze, the rock was about the size of a car. He nodded "Yes, that is nothing. Todd is the strongest troll in the world, that's why Todd was picked by master." He looked proudly down at Percy. "Just like you're the prettiest plaything-girl of all the other playthings."

Apparently 'plaything' meant human being in troll language.

"Can Todd lift the rock and show?" Percy asked.

"Yes!" The troll said excitedly.

This is really bizarre, Percy thought, but it was working and as the troll let go of Percy's chain to go and pick up the rock, Percy sprinted towards the portal.

---

Annabeth was watching her students train back at Half Blood Hill. Some of them had natural skills, while others were completely out of their depths. But Annabeth was a good teacher, she would get them all on the right path, and she was popular amongst the students.

Right then she was watching two of her most gifted students. It was a young girl and a boy, both of them about twelve years old. The girl had short brown curly hair and olive skin. She was beautiful and very talented. The boy was a little shorter, with black unruly hair. He was a bit clumsy but he held his ground against the beautiful girl.

Annabeth sighed. She knew who they reminded her of.

She couldn't believe that after 20 years, she was still longing for him. She felt so foolish. She was a grown woman who was still longing for a feeling she had experienced as a child. The sorrow over loosing Percy at age 16 had never left her. But at least she knew now that, had she been given a chance of re-living her childhood, and given the choice of meeting Percy or not, she knew now that the answer was yes. Even though she would never love again, or feel completely happy or whole, she would do it all again without blinking.

---

Percy was sprinting against the portal and as he leaped to jump though it, it was if he crashed into an invisible wall making him bounced back. He fell back and spun across the ground. He suddenly felt so weak, he hadn't eaten in about 48 hours, it was starting to get to him.

GET UP! He demanded of himself. And he swallowed his nausea as he stumbled up to his unsteady feet. Not far off the troll had noticed the absence of the plaything and threw the rock to the side.

Percy ran for it again and "UNH!" He bounced back a second time. The troll was closing in on him. But Percy's vision was clouded, he wanted to close his eyes...

The arm that picked him up came out of nowhere.

It was a furrowed pale hand. It felt colder than ice when it grasped Percy's and pulled him up. He held him as Percy steadied himself.

Percy looked confused into the old man's kid eyes.

"I'm so tired..." Percy whimpered, his legs wanting to give in underneath him.

"The door is dragging strength out of you. Think of girl!" And the next thing Percy knew the old man stuck a gold coin in his pocket; his ticket out, and then he was pushed backwards though the portal. The last thing Percy could see was the old man smiling and then the troll's arms grasping in the air in front of him until his back hit the wet grass on Half Blood Hill and the portal, the troll and the old man was gone.

Percy lay breathing hard on his back in the grass, still clutching the gold coin in his hand. The sun was rising and the clouds were disappearing from the sky.

It was without even thinking that his legs started to move down the hill towards camp. He was exhausted and would have fainted hadn't the thought of seeing Annabeth pumped adrenaline into his system. He also thought about the old man and all the other people and creatures in the slave house who didn't deserve to be there. He needed to find Chiron and he needed to save them.

When he arrived at camp, everyone was enjoying breakfast out in the early morning sun. He recognized her curly blond hair immediately. She was sitting with her back to everyone; scraping her fork at her untouched plate.

Percy stumbled forwards between the tables. Bumping into people and knocking people's food trays over as he moved forward. His head was swimming and the chain around his neck felt so heavy, but he had one more quest to complete before he could rest.

***

*1 Snow Patrol

*2 Icelandic: "What are you doing"

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There's one more chapter, if you're still interested! It get's all fluffy and Percabeth again, wheee! But has Percy managed to get back in the right time?...

Thanks for reading! (: