I did pause to clean up a plot hole I found.

Did I fix that plot hole? No. No I did not.

Did I completely deconstruct the rest of this manuscript in attempt to fix the plot hole? Yes. Yes I did.

I think I'm just going to keep feeding this out slowly and hopefully none of y'all will notice the discrepancies.

Chapter 16

The ocean was unapologetically dull that morning. A thin veil of clouds draped across the sky and seemed to make the calm waters an eerie sort of dark grey. Percy was happy to see its lapping shore nonetheless. It had been awhile since he stood on the cold shoreline and smelled the fresh distinct saltiness of the breeze.

"I wish it would just snow already." Annabeth grumbled without looking up at him. She was situated on her blanket with an unopened book pressed against her chest. Nestled in a heavy blue parka with a fur-lined hood today to combat the ever-dropping temperature.

"It's cold enough to own a polar bear, but there's no snow to validate it. I'll be pissed if it's a green Christmas again."

Percy chuckled and looked to the shrouded sky. That tense nervous coil threatening his heart seemed to relax a bit at her nonchalant comments.

She wasn't mentioning what happened. Maybe Piper had gotten through to her.

"It'll snow." Percy promised easily. "Give it time."

"I'm just about done giving things my time." She scowled. A sulking sort of tone in her voice as she gripped the book harder to her chest.

Percy stiffened. His head still tilted to the clouds as he released his breath slowly. A pale veil of vapor swirled into oblivion from his lips.

"Me?" he asked finally, unable to hide his dread.

"Not you, you Seaweed Brain," Annabeth scoffed. "Work, life, people, things. It's just annoying."

"Oh."

A little flower of relief blossomed deep within his ribcage. He let his shoulders fall back, content again. His eyes dropped to her a moment later to find that she was already staring at him. A discerning element in her deep eyes was reaching out to pull him in. Tempting him to avert his gaze. However, he was too intent on trying to figure out if her cheeks were pink from the cold or from the memory he had been unwillingly obsessing over all week. He hoped it was the latter, but with Annabeth he couldn't tell. Not this time.

"I don't know you, do I."

It wasn't a question. If it were a question he wouldn't panic as much at her tone, her inflection. Or at how her words were punctuated with disappointment and a serious understanding.

The thoughtful silence that followed made a sigh well up in Percy's throat.

He held it.

"No," he exhaled with a slightly mellow tone. Finally he dropped down beside her, roaming the horizon with his gaze again. "You really don't know me."

"Why not?"

She was still looking at him. Trying to find the answer before he said it in the way he moved, or the wisps of emotions that passed over his eyes. It made his heart shudder.

"Because I'm not a person who should be known well. Like I said earlier: I'm just showing you the best version of myself." He answered without giving her a glance. Fisting his hands as the bitter guilt started whispering taunts in his ear.

You're not worth her.

"That's dumb." Annabeth's gaze melted into a withering look. "Everyone should be known well by their friends."

"Well I don't exactly know you either, according to you." Percy laid it out flatly. The ache in his chest rose as he blatantly turned away from her. "How much do we have to know about each other until we can be considered 'friends'."

"I guess this is enough, isn't it? We're enough?" Annabeth asked tenderly. Quietly.

He didn't blame her, it was a loaded question. One he'd never been brave enough to ask.

His heart burned. "I think we are."

Annabeth sighed and kicked some sand with her boot. "Piper says otherwise… obviously."

"Did you tell her about…" The almost kiss? My moment of weakness? The subject of my deepest dreams?

"Yeah…" She puffed out a tight breath. Blushing from shame he was sure of it now. "Made her think better of you at least."

Percy chortled softly. "I'm not surprised."

He'd been semi-dreading talking to her again. Certain that since he rejected her, she was going to cut him out of her life. But now that he was sitting next to her by the waters edge, watching fragments of ice built in small piles on the shoreline, he realized just how intensely he missed her.

He watched her every second of the day, every day all week. Even going so far as to camp out under her window in her backyard. But being with her at a distance was not the same as being completely next to her.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked quietly.

Annabeth shrugged. "Part of me wants to call you a copper voiced asshat who is bleeding so many mixed signals he could be a radio studio for alien life forms but… I'm mostly just glad you were honest with me straight up. You could've done the real asshole thing and played along for a few months to completely shatter my heart."

"Yeah… I would avoid that at all costs."

"I also want to call you a dick for humiliating me. I don't often put myself out there and you so cleanly shut me down and took off, I felt like human garbage for even trying. To add insult to injury you took a bus home, and left your coat at Piper's." Barely putting any pressure behind it, she slapped (patted) him across the chest. "Dick."

Percy withheld the wince. "I deserve it."

Beneath his layers of clothing was a long shaky cut sewn back together with crooked stitches and clenched teeth. Percy wasn't prepared for how even a match his last fight was.

Right after he left the bathroom, he caught sight of the suspicious intruder. Watching him from the height of the stairs as the tall young man weaved his way through the party crowd. Talking to no one and throwing uneasy glances in Percy's direction.

Percy wasn't exactly being indiscreet in his interest towards the stranger, and he figured that's what first triggered him. In a desperate attempt, the man made a break for the backdoor through the kitchen.

Percy made chase in a casual walk first, so as not to draw attention. As soon as he reached the kitchen however he sidestepped past the catering staff and slipped through the door after him.

In the frigid night, a clear trail of dark footprints had been left behind in the glittering frost. Leading off into the vast darkness of the countryside. The sky was moonless and empty of light pollution leaving nothing but the pitch inky absence of space and glaring pinpricks of white stars scattered in the millions.

As he jogged on the light trail towards the back of the garden, it was soon too difficult to even make out the ground beneath him. All around were trunks of trees offering plenty of hiding places. Even a pond where the cat-tails were still tall and proud.

Just when he was about to give up, he heard the heavy breathing and the slight crackle of footsteps on frozen grass. Percy wheeled around just in time to catch the image of a figure crouched low and hemmed with starlight.

The first swipe of the blade skidded across his chest. Tearing open his only good dress shirt, slicking his skin with a shock of cold and spilling heat down his abs in a flood of crimson. The second swipe grazed his bicep.

Without thinking, his gun was in his hand. Glinting faintly in the sparse light, but enough. In alarm the man stabbed at his shoulder. Wary but still sharp, Percy stepped back. Clicked the safety off his gun. The man's breath hitched. He made a lunge for it, his knife leveling at Percy's chest in the same moment. Percy cocked the barrel as he spun to the side narrowly missing the knife's point.

Water.

The man staggered once, but proved more agile. Twirling back into the fight with the grace of a dancer. Too late, too late, too late, was ringing in the air, through the man's widened eyes. He knew. In vain the man stabbed once more but Percy sidestepped like before. Not quite quick enough. A fresh slice of cold bit into his side. Blood dribbled down his leg in a hot viscous flow.

Water. Cool, cold. Water.

He hooked his arm with the man's. Flipped him on his back.

Water.

Aimed.

"NO!"

A cry. That plea.

Water.

Nothing was in his head.

The shot was a tiny scoff of noise. A tiger sneeze. But a fountain of red shot back upwards at him and splattered a streak, pungent and thick, right across his face. The acrid taste of blood flooded his mouth. Percy spat into the darkness.

Brain tissue, sinew, skull fragments were left in a red orange sized concave implant in the ground. The bullet went clean through his forehead and out the back.

Empty, Percy dragged the body to the pond. Meticulously, he gathered fist sized rocks and filled the corpse's shirt, his pants, his pockets.

If he were still a rookie, that would've been enough. Let the corpse sink away and think no longer of it. But no. It took a bit of maneuvering to unclamp the corpse's hand to free the knife.

'Kings Catering' was legible on its side only thanks to the reflective nature of the metal and the dark lasering of the inscription.

"Dick," Percy scoffed. Kicking the corpse's arm for good measure.

It took a special kind of foul to kill someone for money then frame an innocent catering server for it.

Whatever. Percy got to his knees, regripping the knife. Doesn't matter now.

He worked quickly, cutting a deep T shape into the body. Splitting the esophagus, the stomach, the intestines, anywhere gas could accumulate and cause the body to float. Filling each empty cavity with more rocks as he went. When it was so heavy that Percy could barely drag it, he broke the fine layer of ice on the pond and yanked the body to as deep as he could.

Ignoring the sting in his chest and side, ignoring the painfully numb cold water as it filled his shoes and prickled against his skin. He watched the corpse sink into the murk and waded back to shore.

It would freeze overnight. There would be no chance that this body would be found until spring.

When he was ready to leave, he pried the bullet from the frozen ground and scattered the pieces of flesh, that had been jarred free, with his foot. Scavenger snacks.

He walked two miles to the nearest bus stop. Shrouded by his headspace the entire time.

Percy shook his head clear of the memories. They were too vivid, too recent. He swore he was still brushing clumps of blood out of his teeth. He picked a spot on the horizon to focus on again, keeping his breathing steady and calm.

That's four assassins I've deterred. Three killed. Percy pursed his lips. I can't go on killing them forever. I need a solution to all of this.

But with Annabeth three feet away, it felt impossible to come up with a solution. He wasn't accustomed to forming exotic plans to free people from the psychopaths of the earth. Without knowing the full story, he couldn't kill Mr. BigMoney without risking something of Annabeth's. What did that man have on her? With a deep sigh, he let his head fall backwards.

The veil-like layer of clouds had thin veins of light coursing through their ever changing forms. Percy couldn't help but liken them to spiderwebs trapped enchantingly in the atmosphere.

Are you sad my boy?

Yes. So much more than before.

Can you change it?

Not even if I tried to.

Can you change it?

No.

Can you change it?

Percy shook his head even harder to clear his muddled thoughts. The imagery of soft brown eyes alighted with love started to fade into the back of his skull. Another deep sigh welled up in his throat as he glanced timidly at Annabeth. His heart yanked at the way her eyes were so lost into nothing, and her mouth was still uttering low grumbles about who told who what to do.

You schmuck. You idiotic schmuck. Nothing would've gone wrong in your life if you just shot her the first chance you got.

"I guess I should be getting back." Percy said. Half-heartedly trying to pat down his hair that had been licked up in the breeze. "I got… work stuff… soon…"

"Or we could go down to the weird Christmas carnival thing they're having in town."

"Well I told Nico that I'd-"

"C'mon. It'll be fun." Annabeth finally looked up at him pleadingly. An apologetic smile lifting up the corners of her lips. That element about her that said she was going to be absolutely stubborn about this too. "Besides, I feel like I royally freaked you out at Piper's engagement party."

"You did not."

"Percy, you made yourself pretty clear. I don't need to take any more hints." She chortled softly, with a tinge of embarrassment lining her cheeks.

Percy's chest felt tight. A clawing sort of desperation was climbing into his throat as he ran a hand through his hair. The memory was burning and real, and he so badly wanted it again but how could he?

"Annabeth… if I were different-"

"Oh shut up." Annabeth shook her head while crossing her arms. "You don't need to try and fix my pride. I'm fine. Now let's just forget about me being a moron and go down to that stupid christmas carnival and make fun of pipe cleaner snowmen, and ugly santa cookies. I just need to know that I didn't mess this up."

"But-"

"Can it, Seaweed Brain. We're going. Now."

"Okay, okay." Percy put his hands up in surrender. "We'll go, sheesh."

.:oOo:.

Things essentially returned back to normal.

Well normal as in the new normal. The normal where he was just some guy who was Annabeth's friend, and who kept his sharp eyes and reflexes centered on keeping her safe. Not the old normal where she was the target.

That normal was just too weird to think about.

Then there were the moments where he'd catch her staring.

"I wasn't!"

"Sure…"

"...Idiot."

"Whatever, Wisegirl."

He'd lie awake that night dying to know what she was thinking. A few ponders deeper and he'd be blushing at the idea of her actually full on liking him enough to unconsciously stare at him.

But still… only dream, never act.

Then he'd sneak out of bed to make sure Nico was still in his room, unarmed and not concocting any schemes. So far, the boy had been diligent in collecting data. Even happy to do so, Percy would go so far to claim.

"Piper's going to spend Christmas with Jason's stupid family in California." Annabeth huffed one day as they wandered back down the street. The warm yellow lights, the wreaths and all the cheery festive decorations were starting to surface in shop windows. Candles and displays of jolly red garbed men and candy canes and strings of twinkle lights and special programs on TV. Yet the ground was still barren of snow, and Annabeth seemed all the more disappointed and miffed for it.

It seemed a bit early for Christmas decorations anyways.

"Really? She's leaving while you're pretty much in constant danger?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

Annabeth shrugged. "I told her to go, then she begged me to come with her. I promised her I'd be fine so I have to be still alive when she gets back on New Years."

Percy scuffed his boots against the sidewalk, hoping to get some of the kernels of salt out from between the tread. "That's a tall order. What's the plan?"

"Well… I was thinking maybe you could come over on Christmas" She glanced at him from beneath the line of fur from her hood and the thick white scarf swathed around her chin. A cloud of vapor dissipated from her words and drifted into the black moonless night. "You might scare away a few bad guys."

"Oh yeah, I'm tons scary. Look at all these muscles," Percy chortled. "I'll be there."

"Good." Annabeth nodded curtly with the plans for the day already filling her mind. "I hope you like Chinese food because I do not cook."

"Really?" Percy said. "You're so picky but you don't cook?"

"I'm simply a family owned restaurant enthusiast and very keen to support the chinese-american citizens." Annabeth stuck her nose in the air.

"Translation: You're a terrible cook. You burn water." Percy teased. "Don't worry. I'll cook for you. I'll be your knight in shining cookware."

"You cook?" Annabeth crowed. "Who taught you, a hot dog vendor?"

"My mom, sheesh."

"Oh…" Annabeth's gait stalled for a second. "Great. Now I'm insensitive."

"Don't worry, you always were."

Annabeth cuffed him upside the head "Seaweed Brain!"

"Wisegirl."

His heart hummed when he was with her. It was hard to explain but everything about walking in stride with her was right. It just all clicked so well. The only gap was… well his hand felt cold swaying so close to hers. Barely missing contact with every swing.

"I have hot chocolate at home." Annabeth offered. "If you promise not to guzzle all of it we can go and have some."

"That…. Sounds good."

You can't have both. You can't have both.

"Great." Annabeth smiled impishly at him and his heart stopped for a moment. "If you use candy canes as stir sticks then it's ten times more Christmassy."

"Fascinating," he said as they turned into an alley. "If you use breadsticks, does it make it more Italian?"

"You Seaweed Brai-...,"

Annabeth stopped dead. Her eyebrows screwed down in confusion. A twist in her lips as if she found some horrid odor or a sharp feeling of rage.

"Wha… What's wrong?" Percy followed her gaze in confusion. He had to squint through the dark.

A stuffed Santa toy had been pinned to the brick wall with a heavy iron stake. Its stuffing was littered throughout the alley like traces of guts being carried away by rats. It's simple button eyes had been shattered.

It was stuffie murder.

"Who would-"

She would.

"GET DOWN!" Percy's voice ripped through his throat before he could even muster up his next thought. Every nerve, every hair, every fiber was standing on end in a sharp zap of electricity. Fear raged waves throughout his gut as he yanked Annabeth forward in a violent jerk. Confusion swam in her eyes as Percy and she slammed against the side of a garbage bin.

The ear splitting rip of a gunshot resonated throughout the small alleyway not a heartbeat later. Cutting through the air with a wave of heat and whisper like hisses. It struck the ground just inches from Annabeth's heel and ricocheted into the night, leaving a bitter dent and the after image of sparks.

"Fuck," Annabeth gasped barely above a whisper. Her eyes were wide and lucid. "Fuck. Not again!"

"Move!" Percy latched onto her shoulder and dragged her to her feet. His eyes trained on the roofs framing the sky because he knew that's where the bullet had fired from. "Move! Move!"

They were in the assassin's line of sight.

Percy already had his gun in his hand. Angled back, and pressed against his side so Annabeth wouldn't see.

In a flurry of bounds and breaths they made a dash for the end of the alley. Annabeth, with her arms thrown over her head and Percy glaring up at the eaves prepared to return fire.

Above his pulse in his ears, he could hear the slight whoosh of fabric hurling through air. Then the heavy thump and skid of shoes on concrete.

A figure, lean and tightly clothed in black, had a gun pressed to Annabeth's forehead the next time he blinked.

Percy's heart stopped. His throat clenched shut.

All of it came in slow motion. The tendons tightened in the person's arm, the trigger finger shifted, tensing. The way it slowly started to sink, started to doom her.

Percy wasn't fast enough.

But Annabeth was. With one mighty shove, she directed the arm away from her. The flash of the fire momentarily lit up the alley in a flare of orange, the assailants gun aimed towards the sky. Percy's ears rang from the crack of the shot but he still heard Annabeth's furious tone.

"FUCK YOU!"

She rocketed her foot forward and into that soft tender area between a person's legs. He folded, quickly and without falter. Struggling to maintain the gun in his hand as his body tingled with radiating pain.

For a moment, Percy was stunned.

He. He realized. It's a man.

Annabeth wound her leg back for another blow, but he was already recovering. Re-aiming for her. Percy leapt forward, wrapping Annabeth in his arms and body slamming her to the ground.

"Fuck," he hissed when the second nerve jolting bang ruptured his ear drums.

This time, the bullet whistled close. Brushing his bicep and leaving a love trail of chilly tingling sensations.

Scrambling, Percy met the assailant just as he was recocking his gun.

Percy rammed his fist into the side of the sinner's clothed head with a knuckle popping crack. Pain skittered up his arm. As the assailant crumbled to the ground, Percy whipped his foot into his temple. Knocking him cold.

It's not her. It's not her.

It was a man. It was not the perpetrator behind the gutted stuffie.

"Percy-" Annabeth was reaching for his arm, drenched with red. Scolding himself, Percy yanked her into him and shuffled her along the wall. Keeping his eyes up towards the rim of the roof. Desperately, he curbed around the side of the building, under a little eave, and pressed Annabeth flush against the bricks.

Through their coats, he could feel her heartbeat stammering in wild thumps. Their mingled breaths were short and quiet.

Crunch.

Someone was stalking on the roof. Quietly, slowly. With calculated steps going one over the other.

Annabeth's heartbeat started slamming against her chest. Her jaw quivered uncontrollably. Terrified, she locked eyes with Percy, pleading. Softly, Percy lay his hand over her mouth. Letting his forehead fall to hers in a comforting gesture.

"It's okay," he barely breathed. "It's okay. It's okay. I won't let anyone touch you."

She clutched to the front of his coat and didn't let go.

From above an impatient scoff rang in the air. Annabeth tensed against him. Together, they listened to the footsteps pad away, towards the edge. Then the gentle rush of air as they leapt over the side and landed in the alley.

Percy held a finger to his lips and back stepped softly. Annabeth tried clinging to his coat sleeve to keep him close, but Percy was more determined. Cautiously, he peeked around the corner. Watching the woman slink over the unconscious body of her partner. Humming softly to herself as she played with a gun. Dressed in an all black bodysuit and black ski mask.

Percy flinched when Annabeth's hand came to his shoulder. She was watching with him now. Examining the lithe movements of the woman, her rippling muscles and power driven stance.

When she extended her gun, Percy reached to cover Annabeth's eyes.

He wasn't fast enough.

Tsuch

There was a flash of light, a squirt of red. Another little gasp of noise. The man jolted. Blood poured out from the corpses back, dripping in a slow moving stream towards their hiding place. Annabeth was gripping his arm, a hand over her mouth to muffle her gasp.

Still humming, the woman bound the body by his arms and legs and dragged him over the pavement. Leaving one long scar of crimson as if she were using his corpse as a paintbrush. There was a blue minivan parked on the street. She loaded him in the trunk as if he were simply groceries. Humming, humming, humming as she got into the driver's seat and took off.

"What the fuck-" Annabeth started. A confused sob split past her lips. Covering it, she steadied her breathing until it stopped hiccuping.

Percy regripped her arms. Everything was sharp, clear. He was in his headspace without even calling for it. As he held her, he allowed his touch to soften.

"If you ever see that van or a van similiar you get the fuck out of there. Okay?"

Loosely, Annabeth nodded. Still in shock. "Why did she… why did she-"

Kill him.

"I don't know." Percy lied.

But he knew what was behind that mask. The mangled face, the missing ear, the pure hatred that lay in her eyes as he cut away the cartilage dangling from the side of her skull.

Most called her Edgewise because you could never get a word in when she was talking. It was a well known fact that she didn't hunt women, she didn't kill girls.

She was here for him.