Ch. 4

July - Hera's month of changes ('More like, month of hellish team-building exercises' according to Percy.)

Piper's plans are very elaborate and detailed, meaning they require multiple going-overs before Percy even gets what's going on.

(At the third meeting of their group, Percy raises his hand timidly, and said, "Wait, are we planning a robbery?")

Annabeth gives her a 72% chance of them succeeding, which makes Piper beam with pride.

Leo is uncharacteristically quiet during the whole ordeal, taking his role as main distraction with a quiet acceptance uncanny to him.

Percy is assigned his tag-team partner.

Piper awards herself the lengthy title, "Heist/Robbery Coordinator and Overseer of all Things Awesome," Jason is only one to agree with her on that, but somehow she still manages to convince everybody that without that title to her name, the whole plan would collapse and the group would dissolve into anarchy.

Hazel and Frank are recon, and are going to scout the bank two days before the actual heist.

Piper's main function is to get weapons for the actual heist, which sounds difficult but Annabeth once watched her talk Hestia out of the keys to the food storage room for their one-month-done-in-this-devil's-anus-party.

And despite Hestia's kind exterior, when it comes to her and her food, she's more territorial than a pissed Draco Malfoy.

Annabeth has multiple duties. She goes over the plan for any possible flaws, she must hack the security footage, and she is responsible for getting the transport to the bank.

Jason and Frank will also be providing the muscle, and will be flanking Piper as she waits for Annabeth to signal her that she was successful in hacking the vault.

At first, Leo called Jason and Frank Piper's 'goons' but Jason, Frank, and Hazel simultaneously punch him in the arm, cancelling that idea.

Leo says he's going spend his share on a pile of that expensive driftwood shit and watch it burn on the beach for a week.

2 YEARS AGO; 14 YEARS OLD

Leo looks at the paper in his hand, then looks back up again at the battered, worn sign.

Ogygia Animal Center

Except, most of the vowels are missing so it really reads, 'Ogyg Nim l C nt r'

Leo pushes open the door gingerly, and a bell trills as he walks inside. The interior isn't much better, battered and worn but mostly clean.

A pretty, petite girl with dark brown hair is sitting demurely at the desk, flipping through a magazine. She glances up at Leo's entrance.

Leo plasters on a suave expression, "Hey there, Smokin'"

The girl rolls her eyes, "You're the new volunteer, right?"

"Erm, yeah."

Leo tries not to redden in embarrassment.

Keep it cool.

"You can scrub down the visitor room," she says, "Until you get the training, you're not allowed to work with the animals."

"Really?"

The girl glances up from her magazine, sending him a glare that says, Why-are-you-still-here-wasting-my-time?

"What's your name, Cutie?"

The endearment rolls off of Leo's tongue like honey, despite the sharp glares that she is sending his way.

"Let's see if you last the week before I give away that kinda sensitive information."

Her tone is warm and teasing, with a slight exotic accent that Leo can't place. But he finds himself drawn to the way her 'a's hollow out and all of her 'i's soften into long 'e's.

"Alright, beautiful," Leo says.

The girl rolls her eyes.

She totally digs him.

PRESENT TIME

The plan goes wrong from the start.

During their recon, a guy makes the mistake of making a pass at Hazel, and Frank goes possessive teenage football player mode and punches him on the nose.

They are now both banned from the bank, and were escorted out before they could get any information.

Annabeth had faked field trip forms and forged very complicated documents that allowed them use of the Olympus Rehab van on that day, and because of the extravagance and all of the Rehab "back-channels" she had to use to get the documents meant they had to go on the day as planned, without the information they needed.

Percy, in some sort of ironic form of early karma from the gods, had gotten sick with pneumonia (swimming in the middle of night is now proved not to be good for you), and he's immediately quarantined in the rehab hospital, where the other recovering addicts can't steal his flu meds.

(Somehow, Piper still manages to get most of them from right under the infirmary nurse Minerva's nose, and makes a handsome profit off of them.)

So Percy is out, Frank's been banned and Hazel won't go unless Frank goes too.

And that's how Leo ends up on the sidewalk, with a zip-tie around his wrists.

"You kids are going to be taken down to juvie where we'll call your parents to come pick you up," one of the cops, (Leo's decided to call him Mustache) states gruffly.

Piper scoffs, "Yeah, like my dad's gonna take the time to come pick me up."

They've taken his lighter away.

Leo feels like he's going to throw up.

"I'm utterly disgusted by your behavior!" Hera hisses, "And here I was believing we were making some progress with those excercises we've been doing."

Annabeth let out her patented snort of haughtiness.

"Up to your dorms! Now!" Hera barks.

Annabeth, Piper, Leo, and Jason rise shuffling out of Hera's office.

"Annabeth, you stay behind."

Annabeth tenses, and Piper turns, a guilty expression on her face.

Annabeth shakes her head, and slides back into the chair in Hera's office.

She frowns, and Hera waits for the other kids to leave.

"Annabeth, your- your stepmother called," Hera says slowly.

She recognizes that somber, pitying tone of voice. Hera used it the day she told her that Luke and Thalia had-

Wait. No.

No.

They're not dead.

They're not.

Because. Because -

Annabeth lets out a scream, clutching her head in her hands. She doesn't stop, only letting out a long, continuous, high-pitched wail.

The room sways. Suddenly she standing in front of the door, her hand is reaching for the door knob.

I have to get out of here.

"Annabeth! Annabeth! Percy get Minerva!"

God, that voice is so annoying. Percy is cute though. He's got really nice eyes.

Really, really nice eyes.

Annabeth can't see in front of her, it's all black.

She can see stars - when did they go outside?

Annabeth is on a swing. She rocks gently back and forth, her bare toes skimming along the cool grass, curling into the damp earth beneath. She looks at her feet, absorbed with watching two lady-bugs crawling under her. A warm hand suddenly touches the one holding onto the chain, and she looks up to be greeted by Percy's warm smile.

She matches it with one of her own.

"Wanna push me?" She asks, pushing herself back with her toes and then releasing herself, savoring the feeling of the cool wind in her face.

Percy nods, and gently pushes her lower back.

Up.

Down.

Her legs are swinging beneath her. As she goes up, she extends them, and as she swings back she bends them accordingly, "Percy, I'm going to jump."

Percy nods, "I'll catch you."

She jumps, and for a small, short, indescribable moment, she's flying. Her arms are extended out, the sun shines in her face, her hair flies around her face. A laugh bubbles up from her core, pure elation and happiness coursing through her.

But Percy's disappeared.

And she falls to the ground.

She wakes up on the floor. Something is digging painfully in her leg, and a pair of strong arms are cradling her to a chest.

"Annabeth?"

She looks up, and it a guy with handsome, angular features and sea-green eyes is holding her in his arms, looking down at her.

"You okay?"

Concern is etched in his face, and Annabeth doesn't like it.

She shrinks away, pushing a loose strand of blonde hair away from face.

Confusion flashes across his face, and then a look of hurt.

Hera is there - on her knees, "Annabeth, are you alright?"

Annabeth nods shakily, "What happened?"

"You had a panic attack - I think," the guy from earlier says. He reaches out suddenly, and Annabeth instinctively slaps his hand away.

A pain courses through her. She's sitting on a rooftop with him, looking at the stars.

"What the hell? Why are you trying to touch me?" Annabeth turns to Hera, "Hera, who is this?"

"...so crazy, that your dad dumped you here because he couldn't handle having a daughter that's odder than a seven-dollar bill in his care..."

"You don't remember me?" the guy asks, he's backing up, looking hurt, confused, dejected.

"No. Should I?"

You know, during the Wake,

how everybody's crying for a person they didn't know,

and saying, "The King's dead."

"Long live the King."

Yeah.

It sucks, doesn't it?

A/N: Hello there, reader.

Thanks. You know. You've sat through the crappy story, the little random quote, and now you're reading the author note.

You're a cool cat who just won't quit, will you?

Haha. Parks and Rec reference.

Anyways.

Most of my stories are romance or drama, I guess, and this is an experiment, if you will. Because this is how I usually write. Random and drastic and cynical and sad. So I guess, this is me, this is real, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be yeah, gotta let the light, shine on meeeeeeee.

Ahem.

I'm gonna eat something now. This chapter's drained me. It was originally going to be the last, and then an epilogue, but it's grown.