Some guest reviews to reply to-
ASummer- thanks for all the names! I see a lot of fandom related ones in there… ;)
Guest 1- if you kill me, say bye bye to Alvie… permanently.
Guest 2- wrong story for Mava, but I like how you're shouting at me on this one :D
Guest 3- Yay! More names! Thank you! I haven't read The Fault in Our Stars, but I have been told to and I will when I get money. (And I swear you're somewhere in my PM box- from an emotionally unstable psychopath with very little of a life).
Percy looked at the number on the card, frowning as he dialled it. It rang twice and then:
"Hello, this is the Noodle Shop, what is your order?"
"Um, sorry wrong number." Percy cut off and studied the card. He tapped in the number slowly and checked every number as he went, pressing dial after checking it ten times.
He just got the Noodle Shop again.
Scrunching the card up, he slammed the phone into the holder. "Annabeth!"
"Oh dear, you sound mad." Annabeth walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her front and smearing flour on her Camp T-shirt. "What's the matter?"
"That number he gave us. It's a bloody Chinese restaurant!" Annabeth's eyes widened in surprise and then she angered.
"I knew something was wrong with that guy. I knew it."
"Then why did we-?" Percy cut off, sighing. "Trying to help Alvie. Got it."
"We'll find him." Annabeth assured, taking her husband's hand. He just nodded. Annabeth studied him, chewing her lip thoughtfully. "Does Lou still know Lucy-Jo?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. I just don't want to get my hands dirty." Percy blinked at her before her sly smile mirrored on his lips.
"You're the best." He grinned evilly, kissing her. He let her get back to her cake and picked the phone up, making sure he hadn't broken it in his anger. He dialled his sister's number, only for his nephew to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Charlie." Charlie gasped excitedly.
"Unki Percy!" He laughed. "Hello!"
"Is your mama there?"
"Um… hold on." There was a clatter as Charlie put the phone down and Percy could hear him off in the background shouting for his mama.
"Wut?" Louisa grumbled half a minute later.
"Hi to you too."
"What'd you want?"
"An assassin." Louisa didn't reply straight away and Percy pictured her puzzling over this request. "You there?"
"Why can't I kill 'em?"
"'Cos you're going to help me get Alvie back."
"Hold on, back up. What the fuck is goin' on?"
"Mama!" Charlie protested.
"Don't repeat that." Louisa mumbled. Percy told her the story and her only response was: "Why in Dad's name did ya not order me somethin'?"
"Lou…" He warned.
"Yeah, I know, focus. Uh, one thing though- where is Alvie? L.J won't wanna come here ta kill someone if ya don't know where they are?"
"Mmm… there has to be some way to track him…"
"Figure that out 'n' get back ta me."
"Righto."
It was Leo who managed to track Alvie. Apparently, they could use traces of Alvie's DNA to track his psychic essence and use that as a beacon to keep them on the right path. He had help though. Lucy-Jo's best friend, Joel, had pitched in, conversing with Leo over a secure video-link.
"Dude, I so found him."
"You did not." Leo argued, pressing a few keys on the keyboard. "I found him first."
"With my help!"
"Yeah, a little bit of your help. I did all the leg work."
"You so need your eyes tested." Joel grinned at him over the video link. He had thick, dark hair that looked as if he had just rolled out of bed and deep velvet blue eyes. Lucy-Jo's half-brother was on another video link and Joel was relentless in teasing him. Neville didn't have that air of confidence that Joel did or the charming smile. But, thanks to Joel, he had a similar casual dress sense. His sandy blonde hair was cut short and was highlighted with a platinum glow from the computer screen. He had a bit of a thin face that didn't help keeping his glasses on his nose, but his brown eyes were smart beyond his years.
"Guys, don't fight." He sighed. "You're such children."
"No duh." Joel and Leo retorted. "Jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx!" Joel held his hand up, sipping his coffee.
"Get a room!" Louisa cut across sharply. Joel choked, spluttering coffee everywhere. He delved into a right coughing fit, Neville laughing on one side and Leo in a stunned silence and staring at his wife incredulously.
"Ugh… dying." Joel coughed, hitting himself on the chest.
"I thought I recognised the sounds of someone dyin' on coffee."
"Hey L.J." Joel said thickly, massaging his throat. She hit him on the back helpfully.
"What have ya got then?"
"Um, I found him-" Leo cleared his throat pointedly, pulling himself from the amazement at his chica. "Yeah, I found him… there." Joel poked the computer screen and smiled, seemingly pleased with himself.
"What the hell is he doin' in England?"
"He's in England?" Louisa questioned, next to Leo with one hand on the desk and the other on the back of Leo's chair. Lucy-Jo nodded. "Crap. Percy ain't gonna like that."
"Glad I ain't the one that has to break it to him."
"Shove off." Lucy-Jo gave a maniacal laugh and stuck her tongue out cheekily. "Right, how are we gonna do this? Leo, can you get where he is exactly?"
"I will try."
"Race you!" Joel declared childishly.
"Oh, it's so on." Leo grinned challengingly. Louisa caught sight of Neville rolling his eyes on the next screen and smiled.
"Why are we climbin' the wall?"
"Because you two are faster and lighter and hopefully won't trigger any alarms."
"No, they won't trigger alarms. All are off and the cameras are on a loop."
"What?!" Lucy-Jo cringed at her friend's sudden outburst, grumbling a curse. "I- I did that!" Leo laughed.
"No, you didn't." He said in a serious tone.
"Boys…" Lucy-Jo sighed, her tone friendly. They couldn't see the menacing glitter in her eyes. "If you don't shut up, I will come back there 'n' break the pair of you."
"Sorry." They mumbled.
"Separated at birth?" Louisa quizzed, smiling. Lucy-Jo nodded in agreement before turning to the wall.
"Wait for the signal." Annabeth's voice said over the microphone. Lucy-Jo and Louisa grumbled in understanding, well aware of the plan that had been repeated to them a gazillion times.
The signal- Nico, Jason and Frank exploding the front of the building to cause a distraction- Percy was sat with Annabeth in the borrowed truck from the Keepers as they risked being recognised and that could put the whole plan in jeopardy.
Lucy-Jo scrambled up the wall in seconds, Louisa right behind her. They dropped into the bushes lining the wall as a group of guards jogged past. They gave it a few seconds and then darted out, sticking to the shadows and dodging around trees, shrubbery and the odd guard running towards the commotion.
They reached the main building in less than two minutes, ducking into the cover of the wall.
"Cameras are on ten second loop, except the ones by the main gate." Joel informed. "Don't want pillocks getting too suspicious. You have ten minutes to get Alvie before Nico, Jason and, uh… whathisface get through the guards. They'll help you out."
"Ten minutes?"
"Yeah."
"I thought you had a challenge for me."
"Oh, no, you've got to get through all the high-tech security to their leader or whatever and un-alive him."
"I can do that." Louisa put her hands together at Lucy-Jo's request and gave her English friend a boost. Lucy-Jo dislodged a ventilation shaft cover, dropping it behind the bush. She clambered in and pulled Louisa up.
"Motion and thermal sensors are jammed and any laser wires have been switched off."
"Cameras?"
"None." Leo confirmed.
"Sure?"
"Hey, son of Hephaestus. I take offense to that."
"Shut up 'n' find out which room Alvie's in."
"Yes ma'am."
The two friends crawled through the system, Joel or Leo occasionally giving directions or telling them to stop while they disabled security.
"Mmm… this is cutting it kind of close. You have four and a half minutes. Alvie's on the floor of the next drop. Don't kill anyone."
"Yeah, Lou, don't un-alive anyone."
"Comin' from the one who's un-alives people for a livin'."
"Ssh!" Leo said. "Guards outside Alvie's door."
"Un-alive now?" Lucy-Jo breathed.
"No." Joel said. "Partially un-alive." Lucy-Jo pulled a face at this, drawing a knife and quietly unscrewing the panel. Louisa grabbed it before it fell and Lucy-Jo threw out a grey marble that billowed thick grey smoke when it hit the floor. The pair dropped down. Lucy-Jo disappeared into the smoke; her disappearance followed by consecutive dull thuds and pained grunts.
The smoke eventually cleared, revealing two unconscious, muscle-bound gormless idiots, one slumped over the other. Lucy-Jo dusted her hands down and they moved to the door. Louisa peered through the window, frowning.
"He's not here."
"What?" Louisa stepped back and motioned. Lucy-Jo peered through. "The hell?"
"Dunno. Leo, Joel, why ain't he here?"
"It's coming up that he's there. Hold on…" The pair were quiet for a few seconds and the red light on the electronic look beeped green. "I should get paid more."
"Shut up, Joel."
"I will when I get a raise."
"You won't." Lucy-Jo pulled knives from her sleeves while Louisa summoned her sword. They cautiously stepped into the room.
"Pressure pads on the floor and a tripwire a metre in front of you."
"Anythin' else?"
"Um… block the door!" Louisa turned in time as the door swung shut. She lunged forward and jammed her shoulder against the door, fighting the mechanisms.
"Did you really think I would be so stupid to leave a powerful mind in a room so easy to break in to?"
"Who said that?"
"Speakers… jamming frequency… get out!" The microphones started spewing static and they had to be switched off. Lucy-Jo backed up and fought against the door with Louisa, but the gears only whirred faster and more force was applied.
"Oh, you two are amusing. No, you won't find Alvie. I have many research centres all over the world, all top secret,"
"Great secret." Lucy-Jo muttered, stealing Louisa's sword and jamming it in the hinges, throwing her weight on the opposite side.
"It's very nice of you to come and get him when figuring out my ruse. But a day is not enough to study his abilities and I'm afraid you lose this time, Lucy-Jo." The assassin tensed and looked around, glaring at the walls as if they were the offensive ones.
"How d'ya know me?"
"Everyone in your business knows you, Lucy-Jo. The first female Assassin to ever train in the many millennia of the Keepers. Besides… your widely hated opponent is such a beneficial employer. He's also very interested in Alvie. Should the boy live, I suppose we could keep him as one of our honorary guards."
"Alvie's a friggin' pacifist." Louisa argued. "He ain't gonna fight on your side, creepo."
"Oh, is that so? Let's see you say that once we're finished with him." Lucy-Jo managed to free the sword before the door slammed shut and a brain-scrambling, high-pitched tone filled the room.
Hm, slight detour from my original plan. Hope you don't mind me bringing in Lucy-Jo and all that, but it was part of the idea.
Any guesses?