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"No Such Thing As Safe"

-x-

"You haven't seen the world as I have, Annabeth. People have become animals, and I'm not talking about the infected."

"They'll do whatever it takes to survive. I...don't want you to live like that. Stay with us. Stay with your family."

"There's no such thing as safe anymore."

Annabeth pulled herself up from the sewers and emerged onto the road, taking in her surroundings. Just as she predicted, the University sat to her right, the dorm complex, straight ahead at a football field's length.

"Come on, give me your hand."

She glanced at the skinny boy, as Percy took his hand. Shakily, he barely managed to pull him up and cover the manhole. His nerves were getting the better of him.

Annabeth wasn't sure why she decided to follow Percy and the skinny boy, whose name she'd already forgotten. Trust no one, was the number one rule when it came to survival. If you're by yourself, you can't be betrayed.

Then again, Annabeth had been on her own for months now. Her only human contact being the thugs within the city. She'd lost track of how many she'd killed, and how far she'd ran just to stay alive. It felt good, for once, to have some backup. The offer of a warm bed and food was also very tempting. She'd been living off of whatever she could steal from the apartments the Scavengers set up base in.

Outside of herself, she knew she was asking to get killed, following two strangers back to their camp with minimal knowledge. A rookie mistake. She blamed it on being caught off guard. Not expecting those two to come bumbling in her hideout of three days.

She also blamed it on weakness. The weakness of not being able to handle loneliness, or the overwhelming sense of dread that comes when faced with an army of the undead, by yourself.

Of not having the simple comforts she was used to. The exact things they promised in their offer. A warm bed, food, water, electricity. How she craved day and night for even just one of those things. All four at once seemed like a long-lost dream.

Had she been prepared, she would've done the smart thing and refused, killing them where they stood like she intended.

Percy's friend was an easy read. He was scrawny, nervous, and skeptical. He wore baggy clothes, had a wispy goatee, and wild hair covered by a rasta cap. Around his neck, sat what looked like reed pipes. Annabeth thought that was a bit stupid, considering the infected go by sound and smell. But she didn't judge. It could just be memorabilia of someone he lost.

She almost felt sorry for him. It was clear he wasn't fit for this world. He was one of many that never adapted to it by hardening his heart, sharpening his mind, and steeling his nerves. In a way, that was a good thing. It meant he still had his humanity intact.

But if it weren't for Percy, he wouldn't last a week on his own. She guessed since they were so close, he'd been protected all this time.

Percy himself was a bit harder to study, but not by much. Just by his expressions and attitude, she could map out most of his life before the outbreak. His easygoing smirk indicated a laid-back nature, a bit of a delinquent, punk type, who likes causing mischief, and not listening to the rules. She determined that before she even saw the skateboard, and Xiphos blade on his back.

He was capable at survival, but not the brightest. It made sense that he got most of his knowledge from this Brunner person, when it came to infected. Even without that knowledge, Annabeth could see him making it far on his own, due to sheer will and physical prowess. Unlike his friend, Percy wasn't small or scrawny. He stood six feet even, she'd guess, with a well-developed frame of lean muscle. He moved quickly, and didn't freeze up often, which was good, but he also seemed to get lost in his own thoughts sometimes. Down in the sewer, Annabeth caught him gazing off into space, thinking deeply about something. It was in a place where little infected wandered, so it was fine, but other than that, such a thing is incredibly dangerous.

His skin was tan, and his clothes were dirty, meaning he worked in the sun a lot, probably for his camp. Though the three years of hell had worn him down a bit, as it had everyone, Annabeth noted that he was handsome and well-groomed for a survivor. His raven black hair clean and messy, tousled in front of his forehead carelessly, eyes a beautiful sea green, hands scarred and calloused from fighting with that sword.

For a moment, Annabeth found herself in her body of three years prior. A teenager focused on entirely different things, not worried about fighting sick zombies every second of the day. She put herself in that girl's shoes, in the mall, or out on the street. If she saw Percy, she'd probably think he was cute. She might even be interested in him.

But that's another girl.

Annabeth now has no time to worry about wasteful things like that. Boys, romance, fun...that's all a thing of the past. Now, her only goal is to stay alive, to survive and go through any obstacle, human or not, to get back to them...

Dad...

Helen...

Bobby...

Matthew...

She hadn't forgotten their faces yet, even after all this time. She'd see them soon.

Annabeth hadn't realized they'd been walking the entire time her mind had been racing, until Percy nudged her. "Well, there it is. Home sweet home. Safest place on Earth. You'll be begging to stay by the time you walk in those gates."

"There's no such thing as safe."

"Huh?"

She flinched, not even aware of what she said. It came out automatically. Her father's words...came to her so easily, when at the time, she refused to believe it.

"I'll admit, there's not many safe places within the city," Percy's friend replied, "But Olympus is probably the best bet. We haven't had a major problem since it started, right Percy?"

"None. Grover and I have been there ever since this whole thing began. Mr. Brunner started the place, so I guess you could call us the first two residents."

"Why Olympus?" Annabeth asked, yet she could already see why. Looking to her right, even in the darkness of the night, she made out the silhouette of Columbia University, the image of its architecture burned into her brain. Annabeth resisted the urge to smile. She loved architecture, and anything to do with it. Most colleges followed the similarity of Greek design, with big marble pillars and engravings above it. She always enjoyed the aesthetic and size of such creations.

But the answer Percy gave surprised her, "Well, our leader Mr. Brunner used to be a world history teacher before he became a scientist. He's really into Greek and Roman stuff. His first name's actually Chiron."

"Like the centaur from the myths?"

"Yep." Grover said. "Though, he's not actually a centaur. I think we'd know by now."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Percy mumbled, "Weirder things have happened."

As they got closer, the shape of the camp began to take form. In front of the dorm complex, stood metal walls put together from wood and scrap, standing about twenty feet high, dimly lit by three working streetlights. Two watchtowers with lit torches on their roofs were parallel to each other by the entrance gate. Annabeth didn't have to see the people inside the towers to know they were there.

"Percy, get the lighter." Grover instructed, and Percy nodded. Annabeth watched as the latter reached in his pocket and pulled out a small lighter, the kind you'd find at a convenience store, and flicked it. A tiny flame burst from the tip and lit up a few inches of air. Percy carefully raised it above his head and waved it back and forth, never snuffing it out.

Within seconds, the gate of 'Olympus' began to open, staying surprisingly quiet. Percy took his thumb off of the lighter and put it back in his pocket.

He turned to Annabeth; his expression serious. "Alright, we'll do the talking. These guys might get a little ornery about us bringing a stranger back. Just don't make any weird movements, and it should be fine."

Annabeth nodded and followed both of them through the open gate. The walls beside them seemed to cover the entire area of the dorm complex, wrapping around it like a fence even to the back, protecting it completely from infected. It was amazing how they managed to do this. The amount of manpower they must have...had to be at least fifty people.

Suddenly, she felt a little worse about coming here.

"Yo, Percy! Grover!" A boy called down from the tower to her right. "You made it back in one piece!"

A dark skinned, brutish looking man looked down at them, grinning. He had short hair, and clothes covered in ash.

"Better late than never, Beckendorf." Percy said, greeting him.

"Better late than never, huh?" A new voice said.

Percy and Grover stopped, which made Annabeth stop too. She noticed their eyes were locked on a gang of people coming towards them. At the forefront, a big woman that looked like the daughter of war itself. She had shorter, brown hair, a harsh face, and a physique that could rival a man underneath that sleeveless camouflage shirt. Her cronies were no different, about five of them, some male and some female.

She marched up to Percy and sneered at him, "Didn't think you'd make it back, Jackson. Figured you became biter food."

Her lackeys snickered. Percy flushed with embarrassment, while Grover tried to make himself as small as possible. Annabeth found herself confused, reminded of a high school scene, where this girl was the bully. It seemed incredibly trite for the world's situation.

"I'm here, Clarisse," Percy said, wiggling the gas can he held, "And I brought what I went after. Like I said."

"Took you a few hours longer than you said," She countered. "I knew Brunner should've sent me on that run. I wouldn't have been so stupid to only take one person with me. And Grover of all people. What an idiot."

Grover almost gained a backbone, "Hey!" But when Clarisse raised an eyebrow at him, he hid behind Percy.

"Say what you want, but he sent me." Percy inched his face closer to hers, "Me. Not you."

Clarisse almost fell for it, but quickly fixed her expression. "It was an easy run. He probably just felt sorry for-" She stopped mid-sentence, eyes falling onto Annabeth, as if she were a stray dog. "Who the hell's this?"

"Her name's Annabeth. We met her...during the run. She helped us get back."

"Helped? You know the rules, Jackson, you can't bring strangers here."

"We helped each other out, all right? We made her a deal. It's none of your business anyway. Mr. Brunner makes the rules, not you." Percy shook his head and made to walk past, but Clarisse stepped in his way.

"Listen, runt. I'm the strongest we've got, and I don't see that old man anywhere. So right now, I'm in charge. And I say she needs to leave."

Annabeth was getting annoyed. She'd had enough. "Make me."

The cronies' eyes nearly shot out of their head in disbelief. Apparently, this girl wasn't used to people standing up to her.

Clarisse began laughing, "Make you? Please. Any of these guys could do it no problem. I'm not wasting my time messing with you, Princess."

She snapped her chin at one of the boys behind her, signaling for him to throw her out of the camp.

Beckendorf, the guy in the watchtower, climbed down to see what was going on, "Clarisse, what are you doing?"

Percy grit his teeth, "She's being insane is what she's doing. Clarisse, call off your dog or I'll knock him flat. We made a deal with her!"

They didn't listen. The boy came toward her, his hand outstretched to grab her wrist.

A couple of options ran through Annabeth's head. One, the riskier option, was to take her knife out and hold him hostage in front of the entire group. But that would be impulsive and stupid. It would not only ruin her chances of actually staying in a normal place for one night, but she'd turn everyone against her instantly. She wasn't sure what types of people these were. Would they hunt her? Would they let that man die?

Option two wasn't diplomatic either, but it was far less extreme. Annabeth couldn't just let them walk all over her. With Clarisse, and others like her, you had to assert dominance. Bully the bully.

The man never expected it. Annabeth grabbed him by the forearm and placed her back to his chest. With one powerful, swift motion, she used her momentum to send him flipping over her. Using her two years of Judo experience when she was younger, she pulled it off acceptably. The man landed hard on his back; the wind knocked out of him.

By now, they'd gathered a crowd, and everyone watched in shock. She noticed Percy wasn't even hiding his toothy grin, which nearly made her laugh.

But she kept her face hard as stone, staring right at Clarisse without emotion. "You want to try it yourself this time?"

The muscles in her neck tightened with rage. Clarisse reached behind her back to rip off the gun strapped to it. From the looks of it, a hunting rifle.

Annabeth's instincts screamed at her to duck and roll out of sight, immediately. A long-ranged weapon may be next to useless at close range, but a one in ten chance is still a chance. However, her thought process changed within a tenth of a second when she saw that she was mistaken. The hunting rifle wasn't a hunting rifle at all, it was an electric prod.

The kind that farmers use for cattle. Only this wasn't meant for cattle, it looked meant for...humans, or infected. It wasn't as primitive as something a farmer would use. Its handle was metal, and its tip crackled with white electricity, ignited by a small trigger at the bottom.

Clarisse held it in two hands now, dangerously close to Annabeth's bubble. With a thrust of her arms, she could shock her, and potentially kill her. If Annabeth moved, she knew it would happen, so she remained still.

Holding the electric spear, Clarisse looked like some kind of ancient soldier. Every sense of Annabeth's had been heightened to full use. This wasn't an infected, or a lackey, this was a dangerous person. She'd been confronted with worse, though, not even that long ago. She could handle it.

Clarisse took her stiffness as fear, and smirked. "Like this puppy? I got it off the body of a Project Atlas agent."

Project Atlas? Annabeth's confusion must've shown itself, because Clarisse snorted in disbelief.

"Are you kidding? You're a survivor in this city and you don't even know what Project Atlas is? You must be lucky or something."

Annabeth thought it over for a moment. She remembered before most of the world's power was lost, she saw men on television talking about restoring order and bringing on a new government. They wore black, armor-plated uniforms, and carried heavy weaponry. Project Atlas seemed more like a title to a team of researchers. Those people on TV looked more like a military.

"Clarisse, put the spear away!" Percy shouted, "Now!"

"Shut up." Clarisse growled. "I thought I already told you, I'm the boss. And the boss says this chick's got ten seconds to walk back the way she came."

Annabeth thought this was ironic, considering she gave Percy and his friend, Grover, a ten second ultimatum. But they talked their way out of it, Annabeth wouldn't.

She saw an opening in Clarisse's defense when she barked at Percy. She's distracted. Taking one long step, she palmed the non-lethal part of the spear away and slammed her elbow into Clarisse's nose. Careful not to break it, so she targeted the spot in between her eyebrows, stunning her.

The bigger woman fell on her rear, dropping the electric spear to clutch her nose. Through her groans of pain, she ordered the remaining minions to go after her. Four people of good size, likely going to attack at once and grab her, while someone wails on her face or torso.

Annabeth liked to think of herself as capable, but even a capable fighter can't handle four people at once. For a moment, she hoped, and expected Percy to help her, or maybe even his tall friend, Beckendorf. But Annabeth quickly shook that thought away. No, she can't put her trust in anyone else again, even for something like this. Even in someone that seems nice. Seem is a horrible word. It's a lie.

She'd have to just bring out an equalizer. Maybe if they see blood, they'll get scared and back off. Annabeth reached for her knife-

"What's going on?!"

Everyone seemed to recognize the voice, because all bodies stopped in their tracks, including the minions, their eyes wide. The onlookers parted to reveal a figure standing below the furthest streetlight. A middle-aged man propping himself up with a cane. Handsome, with an unkempt beard and medium length brown hair. He wore a tattered lab coat and khaki pants.

Within a moment, all chaos had stopped. Everyone respected this person's authority, so Annabeth assumed he must be the Brunner that Percy talked so highly about.

He walked slowly to the crowd, his face stern. "I asked a question. Is someone going to answer?"

Clarisse held onto her nose with one hand, and pointed with the other at Percy. "I'll tell you what's going on! This idiot brought back a stranger, and she tried to kill me!"

Percy looked ready to jump at her. "That's a lie!"

Brunner held up a calming hand in Percy's direction, "Calm down, Percy. Miss..."

Annabeth realized he was waiting for her to tell him her name. "Chase. Annabeth Chase."

"Miss Chase. Is this true?"

"No."

"We were minding our own business when Clarisse started messing with Percy," Grover explained. "That led to her pushing around Annabeth, saying she needs to leave, and that she makes the rules around here."

The majority murmured in agreement, while Clarisse turned red in the face.

"We'll talk about this later, Ms. La Rue." Brunner told her in a fatherly voice. He smiled at Annabeth, "If Percy trusts you, then so do I. Welcome to Olympus."

"But..." Clarisse stumbled, "Y-You can't-"

"I said we will talk about this later, Clarisse." He turned to the crowd, "All of you, show's over! It's late! You need to be well rested for tomorrow! The work doesn't stop just because someone new has arrived!"

Everyone immediately obeyed, milling about until they separated into their own groups, all making their way through the entrance doors of the dormitory. Even a reluctant Clarisse did as she was told, but not before shooting a harsh glance at Annabeth.

When the bulk of people were gone, and all was silent, Brunner sighed. "I do sincerely apologize for that. Clarisse can be...challenging. What do you say I make it up to you with some food?"

In an effort to not appear weak, Annabeth tried her best at eating slowly.

But she failed.

It was the first decent meal she'd had in months. And the first one that she actually felt full from. It seemed to be some kind of fish they caught by the harbor, a few weeks back, kept frozen with the others. Annabeth didn't really care if the meat came from a mutated squid. It looked like something a Michelin star restaurant would serve to her.

While she wolfed it down, Percy and Grover gave the gas cans to Brunner and explained the whole story. How they nearly got killed on their botched run, and ran into her. She only paid half attention, but caught all the important parts, like how they made her a deal to let her stay at least one night.

The last bite slid down her throat as Percy said the last word. Perfect timing. She looked for a place to set her empty foam plate, not wanting to hold onto it the entire time.

Brunner led them from the courtyard to the dorm complex, following a maze of a hallway, where several rooms sat parallel to each other, all the way to the back of the building. This room had been transformed into an office, with a desk, paintings, couches and everything. It was neat and dusted, almost resembling normalcy.

The leader of Olympus currently sat across from her, chin resting on his knuckles. Annabeth slowly sat her plate on the ground, deciding it would be rude to put it on his hardwood desk.

Finally, he spoke, "Well, first thing I want to say is...I'm glad all three of you are okay. That was a very dangerous run, Percy. You know better than to only bring one person with you."

Percy looked at the floor in shame, "I know. I'm sorry, sir."

Annabeth noticed Grover shaking his head in her peripheral, "No, sir. It was my fault. I should've brought someone else along despite Percy's insistence. But instead I went with it blindly. I'm sorry."

Percy looked at Grover in shock, but a hint of gratitude was there. Grover smiled at him.

Brunner chuckled, "It's all right. You brought back the gas as I requested. For that, I'm grateful."

Percy and Grover beamed at him, pleased with the praise. That beaming quickly turned to questioning, on Percy's part. "So...what about Annabeth? I know we're not supposed to bring strangers here, but we-"

"You're not in trouble, Percy. Not at all. If you wouldn't mind, I'd actually like to talk with Miss Chase in private."

"Uh...okay. What about?"

"Percy."

"What? I'm just curious."

Grover groaned and grabbed Percy by the arm, dragging him out of the room. "You really need to work on your listening skills, man."

When the door closed behind them, Annabeth and Brunner were left staring at each other.

In any other situation, Annabeth would be completely aware and tense, ready for a sign of hostility so she could prepare to strike. Every odd now stood against her. She was in the heart of the camp, outnumbered, easily outgunned, and sitting across from their leader.

But oddly, Annabeth felt quite comfortable. There was something about Brunner that reminded her of a high school teacher she used to like. He had kind eyes, no malicious intent hidden in them, nor in his smile. It wasn't fake in the slightest.

"You like being on your own, don't you?" He asked.

Annabeth thought that was an...interesting start to the conversation. "Yes."

"You don't like being weighed down, do you?"

"No."

"I understand. Where are you headed?"

Annabeth didn't respond as quickly. To be frank, she was a bit unnerved at how well he could read her by a simple yes and no question. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged, "Well, usually when a survivor travels alone, they have a destination they'd like to reach. Going with a group slows things down."

She nodded, the corners of her lips twitching. He was intelligent. "Virginia. I'm...going to Virginia."

"I see. What for?"

Annabeth hesitated.

As quickly as he asked it, Brunner apologized. "Forgive me, I shouldn't be asking personal questions."

"No, it's...my family. I'm trying to go back to my old home."

The words were out. She'd said them. To a stranger, no less. Annabeth wanted to smack herself in the face for being so careless. The minute she gets comfortable, she starts spilling everything. How pathetic. If she'd learned anything from this cruel world, it was to say less. Less is safe.

Brunner must've noticed she became uncomfortable. He placed his hands on the desk, "Well, I wish you good luck in getting there. For now...you're welcome to stay with us as long as you'd like. I imagine you're tired, so I'll have Percy show you to an empty room, and perhaps tomorrow he, or someone else can give you a tour."

"I plan on leaving in the morning."

"Of course. I understand."

Annabeth tapped her thumb against the arm of the chair, lightly shaking her head. She shouldn't say it, but such kindness was asking to be called out.

"I'm sorry...I'm just having a hard time believing all of this." She looked him in the eye, met with confusion. "You're acting like we're not in the middle of the apocalypse. Like I'm trustworthy. For all you know, I could slit Percy's throat once I get him alone, or I could burn this entire complex down, or steal something important. Hell, anyone could if you're this open to strangers."

He only smiled, "Will you do any of those things?"

"Maybe. You don't know for sure, and that's the point."

"You're right. I don't know for sure. But I do know that you could've killed Clarisse in the courtyard. Or Percy and Grover when they weren't looking. But you didn't. You're smart. You know what would happen if you were to act irrationally." In a second, his entire demeanor changed, going from kind high school teacher to hardened survivor. His eyes lost all the warmth from before. "I try my best to be kind in this horrible world we live in, because if I didn't, it would be a disservice not only to the people who trust me, but a disservice to myself. Despite that...I haven't survived for three years because of weakness. If I see an enemy, they will be dealt with accordingly."

There it was. That's what she wanted to see. Otherwise, it would seem like a dream, or a fantasy. There was no way such pureness could last in a world like this. Kindness, good intentions, and warmth were snuffed out before the outbreak. Of course, it couldn't be real in this version of the world, which was somehow worse than before.

Things were still the same. People lied, murdered, cheated, stole, checked off every box of sin imaginable, just like before. Only now...it was worse because Annabeth always thought that if an event like this, an extinction event happened, the human race would unite and fight it no matter the cost. They would work together, because together, humans can accomplish anything.

When she believed in God, she often wondered why he would put such a handicap on humanity. The handicap of being unable to work together. Was he afraid of the potential? Or was it all due to free will? Humans made the choice to cast aside the bigger picture for short term conflicts, over things that won't last forever.

That's why it wouldn't make sense for a pure soul to exist in this world. It simply wasn't possible. As soon as that soul came to life, it would be crushed and decimated. There had to be balance between light and dark. Neither can exist without the other. To survive, you must embody darkness to do what's necessary.

She imagined the Yin and Yang symbol. Two forces pushing and pulling, containing a small piece of the other. Annabeth wasn't going to say it was impossible for their to be anomalies in this balance, but on paper, it should be. Good and evil existed in old stories, not real life.

But to say there weren't examples of good and evil would mean that Annabeth had proof. That she'd met every single person on the planet and confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that they were, indeed, gray.

After all, she'd seen the worst in humanity not all that long ago. Maybe it wasn't so crazy to assume that the opposite of that existed. The best in humanity.

Yin and Yang.

Brunner only spoke when her vision focused back on him, and her thoughts finished, like he could tell that for a few seconds, her brain raced over her views on the world.

"But I don't have many enemies," He said, smiling again, "And I hope you don't become one. Truly."

Annabeth nodded slowly, "I don't plan on it."

"Good. Now then, I'll let you get some rest. Percy!"

Percy appeared in the next moment, opening the door and popping his head in. "Yeah? I totally wasn't listening through the door, by the way."

Brunner rolled his eyes, "Please show Miss Chase to an empty room."

"Got it. You want me to take over Beckendorf's shift? I'm sure he'd like to get back in the shop-"

"Percy, I think you need some rest as well. Why don't you go to bed. You've done more than enough for the day."

"I mean, I was gone all night," Percy persisted, seemingly intent on making up for something nonexistent. "I don't want it to seem like I'm dodging...or avoiding-"

"It doesn't seem that way at all, my boy. Get some sleep."

Annabeth could tell Percy wanted to argue, but ultimately agreed, silently motioning for Annabeth to follow him. "Goodnight, sir."

"Goodnight. You as well, Grover."

Grover waved through the doorway, "Goodnight, Mr. Brunner."

Annabeth reached for the empty foam plate she sat on the ground earlier, but Brunner shook his head, signaling that he would get it. Annabeth didn't resist. She got up from the chair and followed Percy into the hallway, leaving Brunner and Grover behind.

Percy rounded a corner, leading to another long hallway filled with doors and dim lights overhead. Now out of earshot, he lowly spoke to Annabeth. "Can I hug you?"

She looked at him, completely caught off guard. "What?"

Percy was staring at her as they walked like she just saved his puppy from a burning building. "You almost broke Clarisse's nose. You have no idea how long I've waited for that moment." He sighed dreamily, "And it was as glorious as I imagined."

Annabeth lightly scoffed, "You shouldn't let that girl bully you."

Percy flinched with offense, "Bully me? No, no, no, it's not like that. I hold my own with her, it's just...well, she's a girl, and I can't hit a girl."

"Then I guess you're lucky I showed up."

"It was pretty cool. Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"Two years of Judo. I was young, but I still remember a lot of the basic throws."

"Probably not very helpful with infected though, right?"

"No. But they aren't the only things to be wary of. Humans are more dangerous, if anything. They're smarter."

"Humans. Man, three years of this. Saying humans so we can tell the difference. When did that become normal?"

"It's never been normal. Not for me."

"Right...I guess you see something so often; you get used to it."

Annabeth didn't respond, and Percy didn't say anything else for a minute straight until he stopped at a random door in the bunch. It was unclear to her what made him pick this specific room out of the dozens they'd passed. Surely all of them couldn't be full. Did he just decide on the fly? Or did he time it to where the short conversation ended?

She sighed to herself. Less is safe. Assuming is safe. But too much assumption would make her insane. She didn't need to read into every single action every person she met took.

No, that's exactly what you should be doing. In fact, you're not doing it enough.

Annabeth tensed up, her mind back on high alert. Anything Percy said or did now would pass through a filter in her brain. Every single twitch and word would be processed, and determined as a threat or non-threat. A part of her hated it, but another part told her that it saved her once before, and it might again.

The worst in humanity...

"Alright," Percy said, opening the door for her. "This is you for the night."

Annabeth didn't walk in. She didn't want her back to face Percy, or reach the point where she couldn't see him in her peripheral. So she kept standing awkwardly in the hallway, looking into the room from the outside.

It was small, but comfortable looking. The walls were a creamy white, the floor was surprisingly clean, and there were two beds, both twin sized with minimal covering. A small nightstand sat in between them, no lamp, and one drawer, likely empty.

Other than the beds, the little nightstand, and if Annabeth had to guess, a closet to the left that she couldn't see from where she stood, the room was barren. But it was better than anything she'd seen in what felt like forever.

Percy put his hands on his hips and walked in, looking around as if it were an open house. "Well...it isn't much, but it's better than the bank." He chuckled nervously, "You uh...need anything?"

"No."

"Alright. Well...guess I'll be hitting the hay myself. You're leaving in the morning, right? I mean, I'm not suggesting anything. Just figured, you know..."

"Yeah, I'll leave at first light."

Percy nodded, "Gotcha. Well then, thanks again for helping us out. And uh, good luck on staying alive out there."

She gave a single nod, not looking at him. Percy scratched the back of his neck and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Annabeth stood like a statue for several moments, waiting for something that never came. An ambush from the door, or the closet, or under the bed. A few more seconds...nothing.

Feeling safe enough to sit down, she slowly eased herself onto the bed, propping her shotgun close by against the nightstand. If she needed it, it would be within arm's length.

Annabeth removed her ammo belt, sat it on the nightstand, then her knife, and held it, staring at the light gleaming off of the metal.

It was a gift. From him. She remembered it well. It had saved her from countless infected, and proven to be the most trustworthy tool she could carry.

Yet every time she looked at it, she felt sick to her stomach.

Annabeth finally tore her eyes away from it, placing it gently next to the ammo belt, and finally laying down, resting her head on the soft pillow. She didn't even turn the lights off.

Probably because she wouldn't sleep much anyway. She never did.

-x-