Hello everyone! I've probably said this a billion times…but BUNCHES AND BUNCHES AND BUNCHES OF THANKS to anyone reading my story. Literally anyone. I will still thank you even if you accidentally clicked on the title but you still got drawn in. So I've made a mental schedule for myself: Every day this week, I will post a chapter. All the way until Monday. On Monday, the chapters shall stop. Because you know, the sleep-away-camp thing. . On one hand, I'm really excited to go! ! But on the other hand, I don't want to stop writing. . I've got bunches of ideas for different stories, but I've managed to control myself and not start them. Because I really like this one, and I don't want to just abandon it. (Which happens sometimes to my stories…). Once I've gotten really into this story (Perhaps around Chappy 20?) I'll start a new one. Until then, I've basically been making summary after summary for all the stories in my head. Which I will all review and then pick one that I like the best before beginning to post on that. Once I start my new story, that means less frequency for chappy posting in this story! . But don't worry, that won't happen for a few weeks! ! Oh, so I've realized that I've forgotten to write the disclaimer in my other chappies, so here it is:
DISCLAIMER: I sadly, unfortunately, do not own PJO, or HOO. I am also not Rick Riordan.
Bam.
Chappy 4:
Chapter 4:
Annabeth's POV
When Piper walked in through that door, I can't say that I wasn't surprised. I had expected that hooded gang leader, or someone else. But definitely not an innocent looking girl.
I scrutinized her. She had constant color-changing eyes, and choppy brown hair. She appeared to be of Native American descent, but I couldn't be sure.
"Hi, my name is Piper." She said.
"What do you want?" I asked…I wasn't exactly sure if they had sent her in to convince me to agree to their preposterous plan, or if she was in the same position that I was. Not physically though.
"Well," She said, astonished by my rude outburst. "I'd like you to think about the…um…terms that Pe-" she coughed. "Um. Peter. That Peter gave you."
"Peter?" I laughed aloud. "The great horrible boss's name is…Peter?"
Piper's face had turned red.
"Yeah…Peter…." She had mumbled softly.
"So tell me why I would agree to this?" I asked her kindly, finding a shred of sympathy inside my for the poor girl who most likely had no idea what she had gotten herself into.
"Wait, can you tell me your name first? So this isn't as awkward?" Piper asked. Clever girl. They probably told her my name already.
"Annabeth." I said.
"Okay, Annabeth. The reason why you should reconsider being so stubborn about not doing this, is that you will have a murder on your conscience." At the end of her sentence, her voice had begun to fade out, so I had to strain myself to hear what she said.
"What?! A murder?!" I said shocked.
"I shouldn't really be telling you this…but…" Piper quickly looked around the room, as if they were watching. Which they most likely were.
"I was in the same position that you are now." She whispered. Ding ding! Annabeth's ideas 1, other 0!
"And I refused to help them." I nodded at her to continue.
"I actually hadn't been kidnapped alone. There was someone else."
"Was?"
"You'll see. Anyway, it was…my sister. Lacey. And after I refused…they-they-they…" Piper burst into tears.
"Forced me to watch as they murdered her!" I watched helplessly as Piper cried her eyes out.
"Oh…Piper. Sweetie, that's terrible!"
Sweetie? Where did that come from? "But I didn't come here with someone!"
"You don't understand." Piper sobbed. "They have Percy. Peter has Percy."
I drew in my breath. Percy? The Percy I haven't seen for months? After he said he would "Catch up with me later"?
"Yes." I said. "I'll do it."
"Thank you, Annabeth. Thank you." I didn't know exactly why Piper was thanking me, but I got it as a general idea. She was letting Lacey rest peacefully by preventing further deaths. Piper's a good person. Unlike me.
"Piper, may I ask you something?" She paused from her brisk walk towards the door. Wiping tears away with one hand, she turned around and answered.
"Sure, what is it?"
"How long have you been here?"
She seemed startled that that would be the one question I chose to ask.
"Lacey has been dead for two years now…and it was one year from my refusal to her death. So about three years."
"How old are you?"
"I recently turned sixteen. I was kidnapped at twelve."
Twelve? "What an ordeal it must have been for you…"
"You can't imagine." She said before walking out the door. For a brief moment, I heard laughter and the sounds of festivities trickle through the crack in the door, but Piper slammed it shut and it disappeared.
Oh well. It's to keep Percy safe. Safe and not dead. I reminded myself.
For a moment I pondered my memories, wondering if I knew him from the past. Nothing. It was a silly thought.
I closed my eyes and attempted to make myself comfortable but ultimately failing. I feel asleep to silence and knowing that on the other side of a simple piece of metal, lots of noise was occurring.
"Rise and shine Annabeth." I woke up to a soft voice and a pair of hands gently shaking me.
"Hey, Piper."
"Good morning!" She said brightly as she began to take off the ropes that bound me to a chair. I rubbed my wrists and ankles where dark cuts in my skin showed what I had endured.
"Today is your first mission!" She excitedly yapped at me. I just stared at her glumly. I was being forced to commit a crime with a notorious group of wanted criminals, because if I didn't I would most likely be killed or a very good friend of mine would.
How do you think I feel right now, Piper?
"Yay." I managed to say unenthusiastically. Piper raised an eyebrow.
"Anyway! We'll be meeting my mo-I mean my moped driver?" She said, acting a little confused. "Yes, my moped driver who also happens to be into makeup, fashion, and costumes! We'll be posing as cheerleaders who are trying to get a fund started for the National Cheerleaders Outfits Group! Or the NCOG! Right Becky!" This girl had had too much caffeine this morning…
"Your name is Becky from now on, and my name is Molly! GO US!"
"And we'll be your partners, girls." I turned around and my mouth dropped open. A total drop-dead gorgeous guy stood in front of me. His classic wind-swept hair and sparkling blue eyes labeled him as a stereotype surfer, but I don't think I would mind.
HOTNESS. I thought, before face palming. Though…he's not as amazing as Percy… A critical voice in my head responded.
"Sparky!" Piper exclaimed and rushed towards the guy before enveloping him in a big hug.
"Hey Pipes!" He kissed the top of her head.
"Annabeth, this is Jason!"
"Hi." I said.
"And this, is Peter Johnson." Jason replied, before gesturing to my not-so-favorite kidnapper.
All I could think of…was that he was a carbon copy of Percy. Except that he had blue eyes, like Jason. Other than that…they were exactly the same.
"So you were the one that kidnapped me and threw me into this mess?" I snapped angrily at him, trying to cover up my shock with rage.
"Yeah…duh…" "Peter" said.
"Well, Mister PETER JOHNSON. If you harm ONE LITTLE HAIR on Percy's head. I will personally send Thalia AFTER YOU UNTIL YOU ARE SIX FEET UNDER KAPEESH?" I asked.
"Kapeesh." He mumbled. "So…are you ready?" He asked me with a challenge in his eyes.
As I tied my hair into a ponytail, I bounced on the balls of my feet and mentally rehearsed my cheers. HI MY NAME IS BECKY, NICE TO MEET YOU! I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS, WHO WANT NEW UNIFORMS TOO! It was absolutely horrible, but it was for Percy. No way was I letting something happen to my friends.
I smoothed down the ruffled skirt of my hot pink cheer uniform and smacked my lips to make sure that the cherry lip-gloss was still there.
"Chillax Becky! It'll all be super! As long as you remember not to be a party pooper!" Piper screamed, throwing her pom-poms in the air.
"Jeesh, girls." Peter rolled his eyes, and I felt a little spark roar through me at the simple gesture that felt so familiar.
"Ready? Okay!" I said perkily. I knocked on Ms. Beauregard's door.
She opened the door cautiously before only peeking her head out. I mentally scolded the young woman for her smeared lipstick and mascara.
"HI MY NAME IS BECKY, NICE TO MEET YOU! I HAVE A LOT OF FRIENDS, WHO WANT NEW UNIFORMS TOO!" I waved my pom-poms in the air.
"Excuse me, what?" Silena asked, confused.
"Well open right on up! And we'll show you what's UP!" Piper pushed the door open and squirmed inside; the boys and me right behind her.
As I noticed Silena turning towards where the guys were sneaking to her office, I decided to distract her with another cheer.
I cleared my throat. "DONATE MONEY NOW NOW NOW! AND OUR UNIFORMS WILL HAVE THE EXTRA POW POW POW!"
"Now girls," She started.
"PLEASE BE NICE, YOU'LL ALWAYS WIN IF YOU'RE POLITE!" Piper screamed at the poor woman.
"Well, I think I'll go get my purse…but I think I left it in my office, would you mind waiting here for a minute?" She asked politely. I wondered what she had done to these people…it just seemed cruel to rob her.
THINK OF PERCY. THINK OF PERCY. I chanted in my mind.
I closed the door with my foot. "Wait wait wait," I said slowly, bugging my eyes out at Piper, hoping that she would be able to make up the end of my cheer-sentence.
"Becky's got some guy problems, mate!" She finished. I glared at her, not forgetting what she had told me about Silena's girly-girly side.
"Oh dear! I'll go put on a pot of tea and grab some cookies and you can tell me all about it!" She giggled before walking to the kitchen.
"Piper," I said through clenched teeth.
"It will buy them time?" She asked.
"Now, Becky," Silena began as we were both sitting on the couch munching cookies. (Piper was in a chair texting someone.) "What seems to be the problem?"
"WELL MISS!" I said loudly, trying to act like a cheerleader. "There's this football player I like…and we were kind of dating!" I smacked the gum I was chewing and blew a bubble.
She nodded for me to go on. "But I like caught him with like a fellow cheer sister!" I said, fake sobbing. "And that like made me feel so like stupid…because it was like my cheer sister!" I emphasized, "cheer sister".
"That must feel so hard." Silena said, stroking my cheek. I watched her hand. CREEPY! Ugh…I hate sounding so fake…give me an hour with Isaac Newton and I won't be struggling to find conversation….
"Like and then he like broke up with me via like text!"
"Come here!" She wrapped me into a hug, and over her shoulder I saw Jason and Peter sneaking in the general direction of the door with Silena's laptop.
As she tried to disentangle from me, I just held on tighter. "And then…like….like…the day BEFORE he broke up with me…he like…was like…making out with her!" I sobbed into her back.
With my eyes, I glared at Jason and Peter's silent snickers.
*knock knock*
"Come in!" Silena said cheerfully, still comforting me from my "breakup".
"Hey Silena!" A male voice said as the rest of his body popped into view.
"Charlie!" She flung herself off the couch and into his arms.
"Um…who are they?" He pointed to a bored Piper texting on now, the floor, a teary me on the couch eating cookies and drinking tea, and finally Peter and Jason with Silena's laptop.
"Oh crap." Jason said, voicing it perfectly.
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE SOME MONEY!" I recovered quickly, waving my pom-poms in his face as Peter and Jason struggled to sneak past "Charlie" and Silena.
"Yeah!" Piper said quickly, jumping up next to me.
THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY THINK OF PERCY. It's sort of become my mantra now. I am now officially obsessed with that boy. If only he knew what had happened, and could rescue me…
"PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" A voice blared. At this point, all I wanted to do was lay down on the ground, curl up into the fetal position, and cry.
When I had mentally asked if this could get any worse…I hadn't meant it as a challenge.
"Becky," Piper said cheerfully. "We're innocent; we haven't done anything! So we'll be fine here. Just answer some question and then go home." Bye the dangerous flash I had seen in her eyes, I knew that by home she meant simply wait around until I could get kidnapped and brought to the secret safe house.
"You're right Molly!" I laughed. THIS IS CRAZY.
"Excuse me, miss." A police officer said, after shortly arriving with blaring sirens. "Have you seen these two men?" He held up a picture of Jason and Peter.
"No, I haven't!" I said merrily.
After wandering the deserted streets in New York dressed like a dumb cheerleader, all the looks that people were starting to give me were really ticking me off.
I almost yelled: "GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO STARE AT!" Plus some other really not nice words, but then again…I am wonderful.
When the finally made the abduction, I was really almost glad for it, since I had extremely disliked being hungry and cold and alone.
I woke up in a cafeteria propped up by pillow in an uncomfortable chair.
"Hey Wise Girl, when did you decide to grace us with your acquaintance?"
I scowled at the one and only stupid Peter Johnson. Surprisingly, he was sitting next to me, and even more appalling was the fact that I could smell him. He smelled like the ocean. Which wasn't really an appalling thing…but…
"Seaweed Brain." I retorted.
"What?" The black haired, blue eyed boy, to tell the truth…seemed down to earth confused.
"Because you smell like the ocean, I assume that you go there often. And because you are dim, you have a brain filled with seaweed." I explained matter-of-factly.
"Well, then." He sniffed, mocking being anguished. "I got you some food by the way." He pushed a plate of spaghetti in front of me, and watched amused as I devoured it.
"Since we are holding the threat of Percy's death above your head, it had been decided to let you roam free in the building, but all windows and door leading outside are banned. After all, seeing poor Piper's tears must not have been a good experience…. hmm?" I hated him. I hated Peter Johnson and the fact that he was blackmailing me to become a criminal.
Though I had to admit…it had been the most fun and exhilarating experience I've had in a looooonnnggg while.
"Helllloooo Peeerrr-tteerrr." A familiar looking redhead slid into the other seat next to Peter and corrected herself. She chuckled nervously.
What is with these people and Peter?
"Annyyywaaayy. Hooowww arreee yooouuu, Annniiiieeeebethhh?" She asked me, but I could see that all of her attention was focused on Peter. Just like it had been on Percy. I shuddered.
"Fine." I answered curtly.
"Misterrr Pppp. Wooullldd likeee tooo speeakk with you." She handed Peter a phone, and instead of leaving the room, he simply flipped it open and began speaking into it, seemingly oblivious of redhead's presence and mine.
"Hey Dad."
"…"
"Yeah, Annabeth?"
"…"
"Oh. So that's the real goal for Operation Annabeth?"
"…"
"I see. So basically just get her to love being a criminal so she never goes back to who she was?"
"…"
"You want to change her whole personality, Dad?" Peter snapped. I blinked dumbly and stared at the redhead, whose name I had finally remembered. Rachel. She simply gave me a smirk before slinking off to who knows where.
"Well I don't care if it's "final"!" Peter chucked the phone into the nearest trashcan.
"Peter?" I asked gently. I understood what it meant to have family problems.
"I just can't lie about it anymore, Annabeth." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the cafeteria and into a closet.
I blushed at the extreme closeness of us.
Slowly Peter raised his finger and stuck it to his eyeball. I screamed.
"Oh my gods, Annabeth. Chillax." He held a blue colored contact lens on his finger. "Contact lens." He proceeded to remove the other one, but I held my face in my hands, attempting to not vomit all over Peter.
"Annabeth. I'm done." I looked up at Peter and my mouth literally dropped.
In place of startling blue eyes were familiar sea-green ones that I had missed so much.
"Percy?" I managed to choke out.
"Yeah, it's me." I hugged him and burst into tears. I untangled myself and then punched him in the face. Hard.
"Ow, Annabeth! What was that for?" He cradled his bloody nose with a hand as I shook out my knuckles to relieve them of tension.
"FOR KIDNAPPING ME AND THREATENING ME WITH YOUR OWN DEATH AND FOR BEING A WANTED CRIMINAL OH MY GODS PERCY WHAT WERE SCRATCH THAT, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" I screamed at him before enveloping him into another hug.
"Wise Girl?" He asked tentatively. "Are you going to punch me again?"
"Not this time, Seaweed Brain. But may I ask…what in the friggin' world is going on?"
"Well, I guess you deserve a few answers." We sat down on the closet floor.
"My other identity is Peter Johnson, that's the name that I go by to everyone except for family and people in the gang." He held a finger to my lips, and I closed them, knowing that he was about to answer my question. "I'm not quite sure why I actually told you my real name." LIES. I saw something flicker in his eyes, but I ignored it. "But I guess it was a good thing when Thalia flipped out as she saw me." We bother chuckled.
"My real name is Percy Jackson." I stared at him.
"I know you." I whispered.
"Of course you do, Annabeth. We met a month or two ago."
"No," I said. "I've known you for years."
*flashback*
"Annabeth! The annoying person who demands to play with you is here, yet again!" My mother yelled at me, standing at the foot of the staircase with her hands on her hips. "What did I tell you about that boy? He is no good for you! But what does what I saw matter? Not like I'm your mother or anything!" She sighed and went back to her bridge club.
I ran down the stairs excitedly. Ever since I had met Percy on the first day of kindergarten, we have been best friends. For two whole years! For my little eight-year-old mind, this was a looooonnngg time.
"Hey Annabeth! Wanna go to the park and build a sandcastle?" I grinned, when have I every not wanted to build a sandcastle?
"Of course! But leave the designing part to me. You can carry the sand and water to our area." I laughed at how silly and unable to design a perfect sandcastle Percy was.
"MOM! I'm going to the park!" No response.
"Okay, Percy! Let's go!" I grabbed his hand and skipped cheerfully from my house towards the small beach at the man-made lake at the park.
*end of flashback*
"I remember everything." I whispered and Percy smiled at me.
"I'm going to continue with the story, alright? We don't have much time."
I nodded my consent.
"There are the Big Three, or so they're called. My dad, Poseidon, and my uncles Zeus and Hades. Or Uncles Z and H as everyone calls them. Grandma had a small Greek mythology obsession.
"I don't know exactly how it happened, but they all got into trouble one day. Big trouble. Long story short, bam there's a gang of thieving teenagers!" I stared daggers at Percy and he gulped, knowing that I would drag all the details out of him later.
"Let's talk about something you remember, huh? Well I lived with my mom Sally in San Francisco (with you there too) until the sixth grade, when I moved in with my dad in New York. At that time you had had your memory loss, and couldn't even remember me…so when I moved it wasn't really painful." His eyes gave him away so I snuggled in closer.
"I took up the family business and worked my way up in the ranks until I became Alpha Leader." He gave me a smug smile, and I crinkled my nose at him in confusion.
"Basically the number one guy around here." I rolled my eyes at his smirk.
"Everything was all nice and dandy until you showed up. Then I couldn't stop thinking about you and everything that had happened back in San Fran."
"When I was ordered by the Big Three to kidnap you for mission purposes, it broke my heart…but I had to do what I was told. This is a dog-eat-dog world.
"Piper and Jason were actually sent in from an organization called Camp Jupiter, specifically for the purpose of helping on our Double Duos' missions. You, me, Piper, and Jason. So yes, everything Piper told you except her name was basically all fake.
"We did the mission somewhat successfully, but I just couldn't keep up the façade…and how you said my fake name…" he stared at me sorrowfully.
"I just had to do something."
"I understand."
"You do?"
"Yes, I would have done the same thing had I been in that position."
"Really?"
"But I wouldn't have gotten into that situation in the first place, Seaweed Brain."
Percy guffawed and hugged me tight. All was right in my world. Until a topic came upon my mind.
"Percy?"
"Mhmm?"
"I'd hate to interrupt our snuggle time—I enjoy it—but what about Thalia? Isn't she going nuts that I disappeared or something?"
"Oh gods. I forgot about her. She alerted the police, her fellow PI's, people that owed her favors, even tried to get the President to make a search party for you."
"Well that's Thalia."
"Yeah."
"Wait. The police?"
"Umm…that's what I said, right?"
"Percy…I didn't just come to New York several months ago. I ran away from home."
He gaped at me. "The do-gooder Annabeth Chase finally did something bad?" He sounded horrified-ly proud.
"Oh shut up." I punched his shoulder lightly.
"Thing got bad at home, huh?" He said sympathetically.
"Yeah…" I trailed off thinking about the happy Chase family home. Note the sarcasm.
"Hey…you know…there's something I've been wanting to do since that first time I became Peter Johnson…actually since the 6th grade school dance…scratch that, a loooooonngg time."
"What is it?"
He leaned forward and kissed me. I wrapped my hand into his hair and put my other one on his neck. Both of his hands had somehow become bundled around my waist protectively, before one hand moved up and began stroking my hair.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. My teenage mind was freaking out. But what the heck, I was in love with every second of it! Or more like every second with a certain person…
We broke apart, panting. In the last ten minutes, I had by some means ended up sitting on Percy's lap, and I turned into a fire truck…blushing away a mile a minute.
"Annabeth Chase, will you officially become my girlfriend?" He asked me hopefully.
"Are you kidding me?" I asked before crashing our lips together again.
"So that's a yes?" He wondered after we came up for air.
"Yes." I said, gazing into his eyes. With all of my newfound memories coming back, I could feel the younger version of me, crushing hopelessly on Percy, and the older-now-present me. Who was actually dating him.
*knock knock*
"Perseus Jackson open up right now! We know you're in there with Miss Annabeth Chase!" I watched the door carefully, and then asked Percy a question with my eyes. He shook his head no; he did not have any idea what the heck was happening.
"Zeus, he is my son. I break the news to him, no other shall!" I shared a scared look with Percy. It was his dad!
Percy slowly unlocked the closet door, and I slid off his slap before standing up, hoping to keep some of my lost dignity.
"Father. Uncles." Percy nodded towards the "Big Three".
"Percy what is the meaning of this?" Poseidon pointed at me. "She wasn't supposed to find out until Phase Nine!" Phase Nine?
"Father. She is my girlfriend. She deserves to know!" Warmth spread through my chest as Percy defended me.
"It is too late, Perseus." Hades spoke.
"She knows too much, too soon." Zeus chimed in.
"So?" Percy asked.
"So?" Poseidon repeated angrily. "SO? You have just ruined months and months of planning! And money!"
"Do you perhaps care about something else then money? Maybe me?" Percy spat back. I took a step back as I watched this verbal tennis match escalate.
"IT IS TOO LATE ANYWAY. NO ROOM FOR FEELING-DRIVEN LOVE-SICK BOYS IN THIS GANG." Percy's dad snapped. "She will have to be terminated." He said in a quieter tone.
"What?" Percy and I said at the same time, sharing an anguished glance.