Hey guys! So I stayed up way past midnight to finish Chappy 4 and then post it, so sorry if it seems a teensy tiny bit crappy. But technically I don't consider it "tomorrow" until I wake up after sleeping, so I technically kept to my mental schedule of posting one chapter per day. Also if anyone and I mean ANYONE, has an idea for a filler chapter just go to the bottom, click on the button that says REVIEW and tell me your wonderful ideas! I'll try to use everyone's, but remember: I'm looking for filler chapters. Maybe in a few chapters I'll ask for AMAZINGLY EXCITING chapter ideas, but for now just filler chappies. Lately, I've been running low on duh creative flow (THAT RHYMES!) so any and all criticism welcome! Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan, and I do not own PJO and/or HOO. Also, because I just love these things: CYBER COOKIES3! (::) (::) (::). Hmm. Also vote if you would like Thalia back into the story more! (Again, just go down to the REVIEW button and click on it. Then type "yes" or "no". It would be helpful if you said what you were saying "yes" or "no" to, too.).
HELLO! If you are reading this, then I have successfully come back from camp alive, and I have removed the other Chappy 5, and the horrible author's note about it! YAY! I have decided to keep the other Chappy 5's author's note, as can be seen above, because it contains some important info that I would like to keep.
Chapter 5:
Annabeth's POV
"You heard me right. Terminated." Percy's dad repeated.
Death….death…death….termination…
"Let's go, girl. Now." He grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Percy.
"DAD!" Percy screamed while being held back by his two uncles.
I stared back, broken as I was dragged from my life.
Poseidon roughly lugged me through long winding corridors, full of interesting architecture—but I noticed none of it, still in shock.
"Alright, listen. Before you start panicking on me, you are not going to die."
I sighed in relief, relaxing.
"But," He paused, looking me in the eye. "We can't have any of this…" he gestured to me, "lovey-dovey stuff between you and my son. He is supposed to fall in love with Rachel, and only use you. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case."
"Now, don't think I don't know who you are. Miss Annabeth Chase. I've known your mother for a long time…. and I can't say it's been a pleasure. So I have a preposition for you…. Break his heart and I won't break you."
Usually it's the other way around…and the dad talking to the guy….
"So, we will pretend that you are dead, hmm?"
"No—I can't. I love Percy, I've known him all my life, even if I've just realized it, but I know for a fact that I can't do that. No."
Poseidon glared at me, as if he hadn't been expecting me to disagree.
"Listen here, missy," He leaned in, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "This needs to happen, whether you want it to, or not. I have two words that might make you think about your choice: Jeremy Genic."
I froze, frightened. Poseidon pushed me into a room and locked the door from the other side so I couldn't escape.
"Now I'm going to go tell Percy that you've died." He said, his voice echoing from behind the door.
I pounded my fists on the door, screaming. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! PERRRCCYYYY!"
I frantically ran around the small room, trying to find something heavy. Aha, this chair will do.
I smashed it against the window, wincing as the glass created a waterfall around me. Jeremy taught me something, but if he was here, I have to warn Percy.
Climbing out the now jagged hole in the wall, I moaned as some glass imbedded itself into my skin.
Suddenly, I found myself in the common area, along with many people staring at me, confused.
"Hey guys…" I said slowly, not sure where they stood on this. "Does anyone know where Percy is?"
Piper frowned at me. "Annabeth? But you're dead…." Her eyebrows furrowed in uncertainty. Oh, crap.
"Peeeerrrcccyyy I am surreeee that you willlll gettt ovverrr thattt "giiiiiiiirrrrlll." I heard Rachel's voice outside the door that led to the common room, and two pairs of footsteps halted.
"Rachel, I—No. I—" Percy sighed.
"Piper," I whispered urgently. "I'll owe you big time, but please can you distract Rachel? Preferably lead her away?" I pleaded, begging on my knees.
She raised an eyebrow, but slowly nodded. I exhaled in reassurance.
"Hey, Rache. So, the Big Three need to see you, like right now. Hey Perce. C'mon Rache, let's go." She was a miracle worker.
Percy walked into the room, and my heart stopped.
"Annabeth?" He said, unsurely.
"Percy!" I ran into his arms, hugging him tightly.
"You're in dang—scratch that, everyone is in danger!"
"Wise Girl, hold on. You're not dead?" I smiled at his Seaweed-Brain-ey-ness.
"No, Percy, I'm not dead."
"Good." He squeezed me tight again. "Now what was this nonsense about being in danger?"
"Your dad said that this guy, Jeremy Genic, was here and if he is…" a tear rolled down my cheek, "then we're all in grave peril."
"Sh…there's no one here named "Jeremy Genic", you're just hyperventilating because you're not dead." I slapped him.
"This is serious!"
"I repeat: there is no one here named—"
"Jeremy Genic?" A different voice finished Percy's sentence. I turned to see a blond haired, blue eyed wonder, and my eyes traced the familiar scar down his face.
I sucked in a deep breath.
"That is correct. Because my name is actually…Luke Castellan. I was simply lying to all of you for your entire lives." Jeremy/Luke smile at me.
"Hello Annabeth, aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked me, giving me a smile that had once melted my insides.
{8-18-15} OKAY guys. I admit, I have been a VERY VERY VERY bad, bad author in completely forgetting about this story. I thought I would have loads of time to write over the summer, but apparently I just wanted to relax. Now that school is back in session, I (ironically) have time. So, once again, I'd like to apologize, apologize, apologize.
"It's okay, Wise Girl. This is Luke—he wouldn't harm anybody!" Percy said reassuringly, squeezing me tightly.
"That's right, Annabeth." Luke gave me a grin, but I could see a cold glint behind his eyes.
I shivered. You may seem harmless, Luke, but I know you. I know who you are.
*flashback*
"Ouch! St-stop! I'll tell the teacher! OW!" I stopped in the hallway, confused. I was coming back from the restroom, having asked permission and received a hall pass by my second-grade teacher, like a good girl. These must be students who had snuck out without a hall pass and were berating each other for it.
Serves them right. I thought smugly.
I turned the corner, and stopped in my tracks, shocked. A boy in my class, Jeremy Genic, was kicking a little girl—who seemed to be in kindergarten—in her back, most likely bruising her ribs.
"Jeremy?" I said, my lower lip trembling. He had always been at the top of the class with me, we were both class presidents and the golden children…. how could he hurt someone?
He gave the girl another good final kick, before turning to me and staring at me sadly.
"I was only defending myself!" He protested.
"Didn't look like it." I retorted, helping the girl up, whom I recognized as Kathleen, my friend Sara's little sister.
"Sh-she…" Jeremy said, trembling, even though I could see his mind racing. Whether it was to think up an excuse, or to remember his clear reason for causing someone pain.
"She insulted all of my family!" He said proudly, sticking his upper lip out.
"I swear! I didn't do it!" Kathleen objected.
"Don't lie!" Jeremy told her sternly, giving her arm a little smack.
"Kathleen," I began, "it is not a good habit to lie or to insult other's families. And Jeremy," I turned, directing my reprimanding gaze upon my fellow classmate, "do not harm others! There are other, better ways of fixing mistakes."
I promptly swiveled on my heel and pulled Kathleen behind me to the nurse's office before returning to my classroom.
*end of flashback*
"Anyways, Annabeth. You have not answered my question." Luke said. I stared at him dumbly.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" He asked again. I took a breath before composing myself.
"No—well, yes. Actually, Poseidon simply locked me into a closet and told me that he was off to tell you," I looked at Percy, "that I was dead. So, I knew I needed to escape and tell you the truth of what had happened."
Percy put his face into the crook of my neck and sighed.
"And that's not all." I continued. "Your father also told me that he wants you to fall in love with Rachel… I don't know why…"
Percy's face contorted with anger. "I told him, I won't be able to like, or love, a creature of that kind!" He spat out.
"Well, I see you have passed my test." Poseidon's cruel voice came into presence.
"What?" I asked, wrenching myself from Percy and facing his father with both fists up in a fighting stance.
"I didn't know if you were worthy enough of my son, so I gave you a test—without you knowing of it, of course—and, you passed, Ms. Chase. Unfortunately." He added under his breath.
"Welcome to the organization." He shook my hand, even though I was still glaring at him.
"Thanks." I replied curtly, before burying myself into Percy's chest. His arms wrapped themselves around me and I felt him rest his head on my head.
"Remember, people! We have a mission tomorrow!" I had forgotten about all of the other people in the common room.
"Ms. Chase, you will be working in headquarters. Someone will point you there. I expect all of you reporting to your stations at six o'clock in the morning tomorrow!" He left the room, and murmurs began working their way around the room.
"As long as we're together." I whispered to Percy, and he smiled and nodded.
"And honey you should know,
That I could never go on without you,
Green eyes,
Honey you are the sea,
Upon which I float…"
"Ugh…" I groaned, and slapped the desk beside my bed to find my phone. Coldplay's "Green Eyes" was playing, which meant only one thing: I had to wake up. Now.
Grabbing my phone—which had recently been returned to me—I lifted my right pointer finger to tap the button to turn it off, but I hesitated.
"The green eyes,
you're the one that I,
wanted to find,
And anyone who tried to deny you,
Must be out of their mind,
Because I came here with a load,
And it feels so much lighter since I met you,
Honey you should know,
That I could never go on without you,
Green eyes, green eyes,
Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Oh oh oh oh,
Honey you are a rock,
Upon which I stand."
When the song finished playing, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror hanging on the wall opposite my bedside, and thought about Percy.
"Wise Girl?" Came a knock at the door.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Are you ready to go to HQ?"
"Oh my god. No. Give me five minutes." I jumped off my bed, and ran to the small closet that my room was equipped with. I heard a chuckle and then a creak from my door as someone leaned themself against it.
"Something business? Casual? Formal?" I asked desperately, digging through clothes hangars.
"Business? Casual? Formal? What?" Asked Percy, confused.
"What should I wear?"
"Oh. It doesn't really matter." He began to whistle.
"UGH." I groaned, before settling upon a gray shirt with three-quarter length sleeves that had white lace around the edges, a pair of comfortable jeans, and gray flats. In a split-second decision, I threw on a long, bejeweled, owl necklace that had been my mom's, and a white headband.
I brushed my teeth in record time, and took a few moments to observe my room.
After being accepted into "criminal society" yesterday, I had made many friends, and I had fit in quite nicely. Shudder. I couldn't wholly process the fact that I was now in a mass convict organization.
Piper had stuck by my side for the rest of the day, and had introduced me to a few people. First, she had acquainted me with a young girl named Hazel, and her boyfriend Frank.
Hazel had large, bushy, brown, and curly hair that was held back from her face with a golden headband at all times. Her cocoa colored skin often glowed in contrast with her dark brown and gold-speckled eyes. She had a quiet, gentle personality, and an obvious voice of reason.
Frank immediately struck me as Chinese, but after further inquiry I found out that he was Chinese-Canadian and he had Greek ancestry—it seemed that everyone here had some sort of Greek ancestry, even me—his black hair was cut short, military style, and he had a large bulk, looking like a huge, ferocious animal at times, even though his personality was also very mild, like Hazel's.
Then, Piper had tugged me into the cafeteria, to meet her best friend: Repair Boy. "Repair Boy" turned out to be a short, Hispanic-looking, elf-like boy named Leo. Leo had curly dark hair, dark colored eyes, and a mischievous smile on his face. He seemed to be smudged with ashes from a fire, and his clothes were singed. Around his waist hung a tool belt, from which he had been constantly pulling out items and tinkering with them during our conversation.
After protesting to Piper that I was tired, she led me along several hallways to my new assigned room. It was larger than what I was used to, about forty-five by forty-five square feet with an attached bathroom that was fifteen by fifteen feet. The walls had been painted a light gray with turquoise patterned stars.
I had a four-poster bed that had a silver bedspread and silver blankets and pillows, all with an owl on them. The curtains around my bed were a beautiful light blue color, and the ceiling and floor were also painted that same color. At the left-hand side of my bed, there was a simple, plain, wooden desk that had architecture books stacked all over it.
I fell in love with my room; it was perfectly fitted for me.
"Annabeth. Annabeth. ANNABETH. ANNABETH!" Percy's voice woke me from my daydream.
"IT'S FIVE MINUTES TILL SIX!" I quickly pulled open my door and ran out, bumping into Percy, causing us to tumble onto the floor.
"Sorry, Seaweed Brain." I mumbled, blushing.
"It's fine, Wise Girl." He said, giving me a hand to help me up.
I closed my door behind my and said, "Well, let's get going! Off to HQ!"
He laughed, which made my heart flutter, and grabbed my hand—intertwining our fingers—and pulled me behind him down the hallway.
"So, I'm going to have to give you a complete tour later—since we don't have enough time currently—so here's the short version: there's a hallway to the left of your room, at the end of it is the cafeteria. The hallway to the right of your room leads towards the game room/common area, and the final hallways in front of your bedroom is the main hallway—which we are currently walking down. On the left-hand side, there are bedrooms, so don't go into those unless specifically asked, and on the right-hand side, there are the generic meeting and planning rooms for missions. Don't go into those either, unless you're asked to, because that's where the Big Three and their Council meet.
"Up this staircase," he took two steps at a time, causing me to stumble and almost fall, before catching myself. "There is only one room. There isn't even a hallway for it; it's just a door at the top, see?" He pointed at the door. "And that, Wise Girl, is Head Quarters." Percy pushed open the door confidently and—still dragging me—power-walked towards the center of the room. "There are more doors and hallways, of course, but unfortunately you don't have the level of access for them yet." He added ruefully, giving me a sympathetic look.
"Anyway, this is Malcolm, our head of our Head. Quarters." He added after a laugh. "Malcolm, meet Annabeth." Percy pushed me forwards in front of another teenager, who looked to be the same exact age as me.
"Hello, it is my pleasure to meet you." Malcolm shook my hand, as I stared at him open-mouthed. Malcolm's steely gray eyes looked into my identical ones for a long moment, before softening around the edges. His hair was a dark, golden brown—not as light as mine, but a few shades darker—and it was also a curly mess. In other words, we looked almost exactly the same.
"Hi, I'm Annabeth." I said, giving his hand a firm shake. For a few seconds, our hands still connected, Malcolm and I stared into each other's eyes, a few glimpses of recognition bouncing back and forth from our pupils.
"Well, err—" Percy coughed awkwardly, and I quickly retracted my hand to my side.
"If I may ask, when is your birthday?" Malcolm asked suddenly, and I stared at him, shock written in my facial features at his sudden outburst.
"You see—" Percy continued but I ignored him, my entire concentration focused on this boy in front of me.
"July 12th." I said, and Malcolm sucked in a frantic breath of air.
"What is your father's name? What is your mother's name?" He fired at me.
"Um, Frederick….and well, my mom….Athena." I answered, fading off a little bit at the end, thinking about my mom.
"Well, Annabeth," Malcolm held his hand out to me again, "Nice to meet you, I'm Malcolm. Malcolm Chase, born to Frederick and Athena Chase on July 12th." I stared at him, open-mouthed.
"Whaaaaaatt?" Percy said, voicing my thoughts exactly.
"We will talk later." Malcolm—who was my brother, actually my twin brother—told me, before telling me, "We only have three minutes left until Go Time, so here's the rundown: only work at your station, instructions will be posted digitally on the computer's desktop." He attached a headset to his head, and began to yell at everyone in HQ. "Let's GO GO GO, PEOPLE! MOVE IT ALONG! TO YOUR WORK STATIONS, EVERYONE! HURRY UP!"
"Your cubicle is number fifty-seven," Percy pointed out to me, before dropping a kiss on my lips. I stared at him breathlessly; it still amazed me every time he did something like that. "Bye, I'm in one of the teams actually doing the work. I'll see you later, Wise Girl." He gave me another quick kiss before departing.
I simply stared at the space that he had occupied.
"Annabeth! GO TO YOUR CUBICLE!" Malcolm's voice shocked me back into reality, and I ran towards the fifty's, where my own station was located near the end of a row of look-alike cubicles.
Taking a moment to admire the handcrafted Daedalus Laptop that was sitting neatly on the metallic desk, I gazed around my workspace.
"ONE MINUTE!" I heard Malcolm's shrill sounds almost burst my eardrums, and I hastily flung myself into the black swivel chair, attached a similar looking headset to myself, and logged on to the computer.
Objective of today's mission: infiltrate Kronos Time Workshop.
Lord Kronos, as he is known—no other name has been found—owner of Kronos Time Workshop (Watch Shop), is guilty of stealing many diamonds worth millions of dollars from Hades' Enterprises: Jewel Select, to accessorize his cheap watches.
Your mission, Annabeth Chase, is to guide Group Alpha—headed by Percy Jackson—to Kronos' private safe in his office, where intel is said to have found records of the stolen diamonds. Under no circumstances, are you allowed to become distracted. Other teams are working now at this moment to make sure of all operatives' safety.
Using your headset, please turn it on now…
I complied with the instructions.
Inform Percy Jackson of any security measures (i.e. Laser beam security alarms, etc.) that you spot on your camera screen on your computer. Watch your group's progress diligently, to ensure the completion of the mission.
We thank you in aiding our goal to help the common people.
—Olympus
Woah, I thought, Olympus as in Olympus Architecture, Olympus Shipping Express, Olympus Cruise Liners, Olympus…well, everything?
Seconds after finishing to read my instructions, several screens flickered on.
"And we are a GO!" Malcolm shouted, and furious clicking could be heard.
"Annabeth?" A cautious voice echoed into my headset.
"Hi, Percy." I whispered back.
"Can you see us?" He asked, and I scrolled through several open tabs before finding Percy, the Stolls, Piper, and Jason huddling next to a door clearly labeled: KRONOS TIME WORKSHOP.
"Yeah." I breathed, feeling my nerves go on hyper alert. I saw thin lines, almost barely visible, crossing the door with a thick "X", glowing softly in a pale purple color.
"Percy? You see those lines? On the door? Glowing kind of purple-y?"
"Noooo…..oh yeah. Alright, thanks." I watched tensely as Piper and Jason attached several devices at each point of the cross, and as the lights fizzled out slowly.
"Good job, Annabeth." Malcolm's voice came into being through my headset, and I smiled, feeling pleased with myself.
Looking back at my screen after beaming at myself for a few minutes, I noticed that Percy and the gang were inside the store, only a few yards away from Kronos' private office, which housed his safe.
"What's up?" I asked him, glaring at the harsh lights, attempting to make heads or tails of why they had stopped prowling through the shop.
"I don't know…" Percy replied, his voice sounding a little drowsy. With alarm, I noticed the Stolls swaying a little from side to side, unsteady on their feet. I scrutinized the picture in front of me, before finding a small stream of lightly colored air blowing with full force from a vent.
"PERCY! Listen to me, some kind of strange air is being vented into the room, it's making all of you drowsy and unable to think or fend for yourselves! Look! Travis and Connor are starting to fall asleep!"
"Mhmm. Annabeth, have I ever told you that you smell nice? Like lemons…. I like lemons…. I also like you!" I groaned in frustration, but the corners of my mouth quirked up at Percy's adorableness.
"PERSEUS JACKSON! IF YOU DO NOT LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW, THERE WILL BE NO BLUE IN YOUR LIFE, NO PANCAKES, NO OCEAN, AND MOST CERTAINLY NO ME. SO LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!"
"Yes ma'am!" I could see Percy salute to a blank space, where I supposed he pictured me to be. "Woah," I saw his confusion. He quickly applied a mask to his face, and then proceeded to help his teammates, who were incapable of doing the act themselves at current times.
"Okay, we're heading into the office now."
"Alright." I affirmed, cracked my knuckles, and stooped forward, analyzing everything that I could see.
"Annabeth?" I frowned at the screen that I was intently staring at, displeased to be disrupted in my work. Percy and the others were working their way back from the office, stolen goods in hand, and it was crucial for me to pay attention.
"What?" I snapped, turning around in my swivel chair, before allowing a shocked expression to take control of my face.
Jeremy, I mean, Luke, stood in front of me; leaned against a wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"What do you want, Je-Luke?" I corrected myself hastily, trying not to show how much his reappearance affected me.
"Well," He smirked. "I wanted to have a little chat, you know…talk about old times, and what better time then during an important mission?" He chuckled dryly, sitting down in a spare chair, facing me.
"If what you mean by talk, is introduce my fist to your face, then gladly!" I beamed a fake smile. "Now get out, I'm busy." I pointedly spun around, and glowered at the monitor's display, imagining it to be Luke's stupid facial features.
"Annie, Annie, Annie…" He sighed, disappointed. "Is this how you treat old friends?"
"First of all, do not call me 'Annie'. My name is Annabeth, not Annie, not Beth, not Anna, not Annabelle, but Annabeth. Now that that's established, my second point: you are not an 'old friend'. Not. To. Me. Thirdly, go away."
"I'd like to apologize. For my actions….I'm very sorry, Annie. I didn't mean to hurt you."
I stared at him, weighing his actions mentally, and observing his eyes. Emotions could be found quite easily in the eyes, but with Luke, I found that his eyes seemed to be blank slates…. nothing in them to show a spark of anything.
I saw a flicker of humor in his eyes, and I made my decision.
"That…. is crap. Now leave me alone before I get security in here." I threatened, not sure how the concept of "security" would work for a criminal head quarters.
"I am the head of security." Luke said, devoid of any emotion.
"Okay…." I replied, a little puzzled to why he was still here. "I chose not to accept your apology, now scat."
He still sat there, not moving a muscle except to blink. It was a little unnerving.
"Why are you still here?" I asked bluntly, taking a few seconds to switch to a different desktop so I could still observe Percy and the others out of my peripheral vision.
"No reason." Luke stood up and left my cubicle. I gazed after him, confused.
"Wise Girl?" A different voice filtered into my hearing, and I blinked for a minute, thinking I was hearing voices before realizing that it was Percy.
"Yeah?"
"Could you notify someone to pick us up?"
"Sure."
"Thanks."
I fiddled with my headset for a little bit, before feeling satisfied with what I had done.
"Malcolm?"
"Hi, Annabeth. Is anything wrong?" He asked concernedly.
"No, Percy was just asking for a getaway vehicle."
"Ah, okay. Send me the coordinates." Click.
I heard static, and assumed that Malcolm had switched to another channel.
I changed to Percy Channel.
"I'm sending Malcolm your coordinates, and he's sending someone to pick you guys up."
"Alright." He sent his affirmative, and I opened another tab, my fingers flying quickly to check exactly where Percy—and by that I meant Percy's earpiece, which was attached to him—was.
Click, click, click.
"Sent them to you." I told Malcolm, and I as I heard his thanks, a slight blush came to my cheeks. I had to admit it, I was happy here, and proud.
Click, click, click.
"Hey Seaweed Brain."
"Hey-oh!" I giggled at his response.
"Woah! Did I just make Annabeth Chase giggle?" He asked, dumb-founded.
"Shut up." I said, through my laughter.
"You know you love me!" He replied jokingly, but my breath got caught in my throat. Did I? Did I love Percy?
I was interrupted from my thoughts when a small text message icon appeared in the top right hand corner of my computer.
"Hold on Percy, I have to go really quickly. See you." I turned off my earpiece, and clicked on the message apprehensively.
Hi. The message said.
Hello. I replied, cautiously.
Annabeth? I blinked.
No. I replied quickly.
It's me, Dad. How had he found me?
I know you probably don't want to talk, but I just wanted to say that what you did was no excuse, young lady. Helen and I have been feeding you, paying for your education, and even supplying you with siblings to amuse yourself with, but in gratitude all you do is run away? I expect you home in exactly one week, nine o'clock in the morning. No excuses. Love, Dad.
I watched the lines of text move downwards, and thought about it. Go home? Stay here? Go home? Stay here? Go home…? No chance.
Sorry, sir, but I am not "Annabeth", so it appears that you are mistaken. You have most likely received a wrong number. I typed back, and hit send.