Chapter Text
Once, Annabeth thinks there's a bike following her. Double-checking her mirrors, she confirms there's nobody else on the road.
Her nerves are wrung tight. It's still jarring to think that she's been kidnapped, threatened, and been shot at. That was just as bad as having to strangle her captor, fight her ex, and steal a jeep.
Keep it together, Annabeth. Just get to this small town on the map and you'll be okay.
A full hour later, she finds a sign pointing her to said town.
It’s a rusted and bent sign with chipped paint, but she can read it well enough. And it matches the jeep’s GPS so it’s another plus point.
Then, it goes to hell.
Annabeth zips by an empty tollbooth and instantly hears the tires burst, her jeep swerving on the road. She yells out, trying to hold onto the steering wheel, arms shaking, to stop the car from turning and skidding across the road.
One wheel hits the dirt outside the tar and the jeep jostles wildly. Annabeth slams on the breaks and yanks the handbrake up. The tires squeal and the jeep comes to a stop.
The silence is jarring because while the outsides are calm, Annabeth’s insides are screaming.
She shoves the door open, barely managing to stand on solid feet. It takes a hot second to make sure she won’t throw up. Her body still feels the adrenaline rush. She spies a line of tacks on the road feeling sick.
Someone whistles.
Annabeth looks up, her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach.
Mountain Man and a gang of men approach her, climbing out of several hiding spots all around the road. It’s an ambush.
None of them are wearing masks. Mountain Man has a sneer across his pale face, his beady eyes small for the gigantic skull. He’s bald and built like a brute. Annabeth can’t look away, her knees trembling.
“Now…” Mountain Man says, his voice rumbling. “I remember telling you to not be stupid. I wonder what knocking one of my men out and stealing a jeep to escape sounds like?”
The men around him guffaw and smirk at her.
Mountain Man leans down and whispers, “You don't wanna do this the hard way, sweetheart. Trust me. Make it easy on yourself and get in the car.”
A large Toyota drives in, climbing out of the wilderness and onto the road, perfectly timed. Annabeth has no options, so she gets a grip on her limbs and stands up straight, walking to the car.
A bullet rings out and hits the driver. His head whips to the side and Annabeth spots a gruesome red hole in his skin and skull. She screams, backing away quickly.
Mountain Man grabs her arm and pulls her towards him, shouting, “Defense, omega formation!”
The rest of the men immediately turn around, facing out of their little circle. They have their guns out, aiming toward the road from where she’d come.
It’s empty.
There’s a sharp cut-off gasp of air and everyone turns to the left. One of the men standing too close to a thick bush has his neck broken, his gun now in Percy’s grip.
Annabeth’s jaw drops.
He’s back? For her? He’s fighting them?
Percy shoots one… two… three men down before they realize what’s happening. He jumps back behind the bushes while Mountain Man bellows in anger, yelling instructions to the remaining men.
“I want the eyes ripped out of his head!” he roars, shoving Annabeth into the car.
Mountain Man tears the dead driver out of his seat, taking his place and slamming on the gas. The car jerks forward and Annabeth makes her split-second decision.
Just as Percy shoots at Mountain Man, missing him by inches, Annabeth opens her side door and leaps out of the moving car. It isn’t going fast enough, but she hits the grass and dirt off the road, rolling over her forearms and knees, crushing the wet grass, and knocking into every pebble there is.
Mountain Man is screaming at her, the car screeching to a halt. Annabeth gets to her feet, blood rushing through her limbs, and hobbles into the woods, running for her life, still barefoot.
The gunshots grow fainter in the distance as she runs in the direction of the town. It’s still in sight from the road which means she’s so close to getting help.
Plants break and dried leaves on the ground scrunch behind her. Someone’s running after her and by the heaviness of the foot thuds, she knows it’s not Percy.
A bullet zips by, scuffing the top skin of her arm.
The sound plus the sudden fire that erupts over her upper arm is sudden and shocking. Annabeth shrieks, clutching the burning skin, losing momentum in her run.
No, don’t slow down!
There’s a tall red brick house just twenty yards from her. Annabeth is determined to not give in yet, her feet blistering from the rocks and sticks she keeps stubbing over.
The back gate of the house opens and a tall woman steps out. She’s dressed in a dark and leather outfit, matching her short spiky black hair. Her calm, confident aura is made dangerous with the rifle in her arms. She’s familiar to Annabeth in a way that can’t be explained.
“Get her!” Mountain Man yells from behind. Annabeth slows down, horror dawning upon her. This person is on their side.
The blue-eyed woman raises her rifle and aims, not at Annabeth, but Mountain Man. She shoots once and Annabeth knows that it’s a kill shot, without even looking.
The brunette lowers her weapon and grins at her. Her eyes are eerily electric. “You’re a while away from New Athens, Annie Bell.”
Percy’s fought a few people on his own before, but this is easier. He has the element of surprise on his side and it’s very clear that this little group is not Kronos’s best or most trained fighters.
Gods, Percy hates calling him that. Why couldn’t Luke have picked a better moniker? The man has obviously spent more time choosing a fearsome title than considering if he should fire Atlas.
It’s obvious that Atlas has been slacking. Percy leaps into the abandoned Toyota to duck from a rain of bullets that pierce the side of the car. As he figures, the sides are bulletproof, so he’s safe for approximately four seconds before the minions figure something else out.
As smart as he is dumb, Atlas has left the keys in the car.
(Percy, you did the same thing when you saw Annabeth running out of the cabin and had to go chase her down, ya hypocrite!)
Percy pulls it in reverse and drives back, slamming into two of the men even while they shoot at the rear window. He slouches down in the seat and keeps a close eye on the dashboard screen which shows a perfect view of the people standing behind the car.
Swerving the car around, he rams the side into one of the shooters. Body broken, the man is pushed away from the force, hitting the ground without even a grunt. Percy winds the window down to use the last of his bullets to take down the remaining two men who’d tucked tail and begun to run away.
He doesn’t like shooting at people’s backs, so he sends clean headshots.
Road cleared (of living shooters), Percy focuses on the car, taking a moment to recalibrate. He finds Atlas’s shotgun in the back seat. Nice.
It’s heavy but loaded and that’s the point. Percy steps out of the Toyota rolls his shoulders and sets off into the forest. Atlas left a trail of broken plant stems and crunched leaves.
It’s not hard to track where the pair ran, but there is fury slowly burning in his veins. He prays that Annabeth’s managed to outrun the massive man because there is no other alternative that Percy will entertain.
He hears the loud blast of a rifle.
Percy swears, running faster and cocking the shotgun. Please let her be alright, please, I’ll do anything.
He breaks into the clearing, coming upon a large brick safe house.
Atlas is on the ground, a bullet lodged in his skull. His open eyes are staring at the sky in an expression of twisted anger.
Annabeth stands just ten feet ahead, clutching her arm and staring down at him in shock. And beyond her is Luke’s ex-wife, Thalia Grace. She holds aloft her favorite rifle, smoke still hovering over the muzzle.
There’s a reason why Thalia is one of the most feared people in the country. Anyone who could divorce a crime boss and live a mostly sane life is not one you want to mess with.
Still, it’s curious that she killed Atlas. Last Percy heard, she still works for the Scythe gang as a silent partner.
“Percy,” Thalia smirks, pointing the rifle at him. “I thought we had an agreement.”
Percy curses in his head. He already has his shotgun aimed at her. If they get into a fight now, there’s no way Annabeth can get back to the city. Luke may detest his ex, but he’d never stand for her death at the hands of Poseidon’s gang.
This would be the all-out war he’d been told to avoid.
“Agreement still stands,” Percy says through his teeth. His body is tense. Annabeth’s frozen between them, just off to the side. Percy wonders if she’s ever seen anyone die before.
“And how is that?” Thalia snarks. “Have you forgotten? This is Titan territory.”
He bites back. “My memory’s grand. We agreed to stay away from each other’s affairs. Annabeth is not neutral and you know it.”
Annabeth shoots him a glare, but he shakes his head at her.
Please be quiet! He thinks wildly. I’m trying to get us out of here without another gunfight!
“You don’t own her,” Thalia says simply. “Anyway, this is between Luke and Athena. The Mayor sides with no one. And exes are fair game. ”
Percy sees his opening. “Luke may believe the same thing about that last part. What’s he gonna say when he sees that you killed one of the men in his inner circle?”
Thalia glowers. “None of your business.”
“Atlas fell out of favor after that last shipment sinking,” Percy guesses. “You guys have been facing some export losses in the past year. Rough storms.”
Thalia shakes her head. “Again, none of your concern. The only reason I haven’t shot you is that I’m not looking to blow this out of proportion. Athena’s crossed a few lines. It’s in everyone’s best interests if she steps back.”
“The Pallas Project,” Percy says nodding. “That’s not actually in your territory.”
“Still too close,” Thalia shakes her head. “Turn around and walk away Percy. We’ll send Annie home as soon as the Mayor stops the construction.”
Percy does not back down. He knows he’s out of line. Shooting Thalia here would throw off the tentative peace in New Athens.
“Thalia,” Annabeth whispers. She raises her arms slowly, palms facing out.
“I’m sorry about this, A,” Thalia says, shaking her head. Percy stares. She honestly does seem a little apologetic.
Also, Annie? A? Annabeth had never allowed anyone, even her mother call her anything other than her full first name. How the hell does Thalia Grace of all people get away with calling her Annie?
“I have an idea,” Annabeth says, eyes pleading. “It could help all of us. Can I… can I just run it past Percy?”
Thalia’s jaw juts out. “No. Things are different now, I can’t just let you—”
“Please, Thalia?” Annabeth says, looking genuine. “I’m serious, it really could benefit everyone.”
Percy’s shoulders are so tense, he feels like he’s wearing battle armor. Why would Thalia listen to her? Why does it seem like they know each other?
Thalia grunts and points her rifle away from Percy. She jerks her head for Annabeth to move. Percy lowers his shotgun and stays still as Annabeth carefully walks over to him. She’s holding her arm gingerly and he wants to ask her if she’s hurt, but Annabeth’s far too determined for that, he can tell.
“What are you doing?” he hisses.
“Tell me about the Pallas Project,” she whispers.
They glare at each other for a few seconds. Thalia clears her throat. Percy huffs.
“Fine!”
It’s a construction project of a sculpture for the young goddess Pallas, tragically killed in a sparring fight.
The council had wanted to lustrate the city of New Athens by building a statue for the Goddess of Wisdom. But Annabeth’s mother had suggested changing it to show reverence to Wisdom’s daughter instead, Pallas. This way, it gives proper respect to the House of Athena by honoring the goddess who was lost far soon. It was a move that endeared the Mayor to many factions since modesty is rare nowadays.
Annabeth sighs. Of course, her mother turned an honorable idea into a selling point for her prominence. Apparently, it had taken her nearly three years to get the council board to agree, even with the public clamoring for it.
“How close is the construction site to Titan ground?” she asks Percy.
“They’re basically side-by-side. And the statue’s on a pedestal so anybody from that height will be able to look over the moor. It’ll leave the whole area exposed for people to spy on them.”
“How much land is that?”
Percy whistles. “More than 12 square miles, running right by the ocean. But it’s mostly bush cover. We’re sure they don’t have any active command posts there. They’re doing this to prove a point that the Titans shouldn’t be crossed, not even by the government.”
Annabeth nods, getting the full picture now. “Tell me about their shipment losses.”
Percy squints at her. “Should I be worried about this?”
She huffs, her voice growing louder. “You wanna walk out of this alive? Thalia will send us both in bags. I’ll be unconscious in a jute bag, you’ll be dead in a body bag.”
“No,” Percy says, giving an unavoidable smirk. “She can’t risk killing me. I’ll be in the jute bag.”
“You’ll both be in body bags if you take another minute longer!” Thalia shouts.
Percy huffs. “Do you two know each other?”
She looks over to the side for a moment. “Thalia used to babysit me.”
“Come again?”
“You heard me!” she snaps. “Ever since I was 3 until 11, she’d pick me up from daycare and stay with me until my mom came back from the office.”
The disarming information obviously bothers Percy, his eyebrows coming together in a scrunch. Annabeth has to physically hold back from smoothening his forehead.
She closes her eyes for a moment before whispering, “Percy, their shipment?”
“Oh, right. We’ve been having storm systems in the Aegean Sea for the past ten months. Greece has had to divert around and take a longer route to avoid losing people and cargo. Atlas convinced Luke that he could send three ships out on a shorter route, but everyone was lost in the storms. Nearly thirty people and hundreds of millions of dollars drowned.”
Annabeth almost reels. Oh jeez. “But you’ve had no problem with that? Your shipments are fine?”
Percy makes a face. “Yeah, I’m not telling you.”
“I think they’re good. Your dad managed to find a shorter way through, didn’t you?”
He rolls his eyes. “It was Triton. If I tell you, I’d have to kill you. And I don’t really want to do that.”
His face darkens and she realizes that his cheeks are flushed. She looks at him, wondering if Percy… still… likes her?
“What if you helped transport some of the Titan’s cargo,” Annabeth says. “In return for the land around the statue.”
Percy now looks at her fully. His disbelief renders him voiceless for a moment.
“Are… you shitting me?”
“No,” Annabeth says, patient. “You said the statue is to be built near the east coast-forest line. Close enough for you to secure another area next to the ocean. The Titans don't lose any more people and cargo, you get 12 square miles next to the ocean.”
Percy looks over at Thalia’s bored face for a moment. He’s thinking it over.
“Then we’ll face the same problem as the Titans have now,” he argues. “Anyone on the Pallas pedestal will see right over the land!”
Annabeth’s lips quirk up. “So? Make sure it’s your guys on the pedestal. Shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
Percy’s jaw drops.
She waits on tenterhooks. This ought to work. This would help everyone on all sides and keep the peace between them.
“You’re an evil genius,” Percy whispers. He’s staring at her like he’s seeing her for the first time; like he never wants to look away. Annabeth feels moved, light in a way she’s never felt in the past few years.
Percy’s the only one who’s ever made her feel this way.
“Make it look like you’re getting the shorter end of the deal,” Annabeth says under her breath. Hopefully, she wasn’t blushing.
“Yeah,” Percy says, quickly wiping the awe from his face.
Annabeth nods and looks over to Thalia. “Hey!”
Thalia wields her rifle like it’s a sword. Or a plaything. Or a fun toy. She gives them a hard stare and says, “Are you done flirting?”
Annabeth slips her palm between Percy’s fingers. He holds on tight and she has to fight to keep the smile down.
“We have a deal for you and Luke,” Annabeth says. Thalia raises an eyebrow but allows her to continue.
Kronos is the dreaded alias of Luke Castellan.
He’s surrounded by elite bodyguards, all of whom are dressed in leather and could go against the late Atlas a couple of times in the ring. Percy drops the shotgun on the table beside them. Luke shows the insides of his blazer, unarmed. Both men are aware that the bodyguards belong to Thalia. But she sits back, content to watch the show.
“Interesting proposition,” Luke says. His eyes seem to mock him, but Percy’s run into him a couple of times and makes the good guess that the Titan leader is actually considering the deal.
“One ship from Port Demi,” Percy says, unwavering. “We’ll make sure to crew it past the storm. It will reach your destination on time, no resources lost.”
Luke drums his fingers on the table. The room they’re standing in is Thalia’s office. She’s sitting in the chair behind the table, legs propped up on it. Her boots are prominent, their shine reflecting the fire from the hearth.
“I’m sure you’re aware of the exact number of ships that went down,” Luke mentions.
Percy makes a face. “I don’t control the seas and neither does my family. One ship for 12 square miles of coastal moorland.”
“Three ships.”
“For thirty-six square miles?”
Luke glares. “Careful, Jackson. You’re not the master orator your girl is. I lost three ships. I will get them reimbursed through you.”
Percy scowls. “Two ships. And we still keep it the original area.”
The scar on the blond’s face twists unhappily. “What’s in it for you? It’s a heath that can’t be mined or irrigated. It has no beach on the coast, just rocky cliffs. And with the statue, it’ll be open season for tourists to sightsee anything you try there.”
Percy shrugs. “It’s a large place by the ocean. We’ll make-do.”
“Uhuh. Is she worth that much to you?”
He tries to keep his face from making any sudden movements, but something must ping Luke off because the Titan smiles.
“Young love, eh?” he snarks. “Thinking less with your brain… Will your father accept my terms?”
“I’ll convince him,” Percy says.
“The Don has thrown people to the sharks for lesser infringements,” Luke hums. “You’d be lucky if he lets you walk out without a scratch even if you are family. But… if you can guarantee that he’ll sign my deal within the next twenty-four hours, I’ll let you and the girl go.”
“No, we leave right now.”
Luke laughs, “Not gonna happen. You’re my best collateral for this.”
Having listened for long enough, Thalia clicks her tongue, annoyed. “Call the Don. Make the offer right now. I don’t want them on this land any more than necessary.”
Luke glowers back at her. “This isn’t your land, darling.”
She cocks her head at him, her eyes shooting daggers with impeccable accuracy. “But this is my house in my part of town, sweetheart. These are my men in the room. Besides, the girl posed the deal to me. So, maybe I should call the Don—"
Luke barely bites back a snarl. He digs into his pocket for a phone and dials in a number.
Percy holds his breath. The call connects and his father's voice is stern and impatient, but controlled.
The call is tense and Curt, but short enough. It's done.
Poseidon accepts the deal after listening to the tenor and keywords in Percy's explanation, rather than the settlement itself. He understands that Percy's planned something very vital and hums and has before agreeing to Luke's terms.
Thalia whistles as the call ends.
Percy narrows his eyes. “Attestation?”
Luke holds out his hand and Thalia tosses him a pen. He rips out the sheet of paper that has the terms of their agreement written down to Percy’s satisfaction. Two Titan ships guaranteed safe passage through the Aegean before the end of the month in return for 12 square miles of territory surrounding the future site of the Pallas statue.
Dad didn't sound happy about the ships. But he’ll get to be in league with Athena which is what he’s always wanted ever since he’d given his son a photo of Annabeth and told him to make friends. Sixteen-year-old Percy hadn’t thought much about that. He hadn’t known about his father’s existence, much less his not-very-legal business.
Sophomore year had been about discovering his dad wanted to get in touch with him and Percy assumed he was helping the boy out by encouraging him to talk to other kids.
Bitterly, Annabeth leaving New Athens had been the best thing to have happened to Percy.
Zoning back in, Percy watches Luke sign the paper with a flourish and scan it for a few copies. He folds the original and slips it into a golden lined envelope, sealing the lip with wax.
“We’ll read it over again and send you a printed copy,” Percy tells him.
“Ethan will drive you and Annie back to the city,” Luke assures him before his voice grows menacing. “ Never wander into my land again, Jackson. You will not get the opportunity to leave.”
Percy nods, placing the precious envelope into the inside pocket of his jacket.
One of the silent men cleans and bandages the bullet graze on her arm. She thanks him after he’s done.
Annabeth rotates her left forearm, very aware of the fact that she’s in a heavily guarded house that belongs to Thalia. Sentries are posted at every exit and this is not a place Annabeth can manage another escape.
Percy is up in Thalia’s office with the leader of the Titans. Annabeth’s seen him only a couple of times when Thalia would finish her babysitting hours and call her boyfriend to pick her up. Eleven-year-old Annabeth had thought Luke was the coolest boy in town, driving his own car, primped with sleek blond hair, smirking with icy blue eyes, and an awesome tattoo on his arm.
He’s very different now.
Having wrestled control from the previous leader, a man so old he could have been Luke’s great-grandfather, Luke built an empire by amassing land and taking control of the area outside the cityscape. There are plenty of towns outside Athena’s influence where Luke and his gang work from the bowels.
Things really have changed.
Annabeth lowers her arm when Percy walks down the stairs. He doesn’t have his gun but looks just as dangerous as before. Thalia’s men keep a close watch on him.
His eyes meet hers and he jerks his head towards the door. Annabeth bristles at being summoned like someone waiting underfoot and she glares at him.
Percy makes a face and walks towards her.
“If her majesty would be so kind,” he begins, and oh wow, she really wants to deck him now. “Will she get into the jeep so we can go back to the city?”
He even inclines his head towards her, eyes sparkling.
She stands up and walks past him towards the door that’s held open by another goon. Annabeth will not entertain his pitiful attempts at… at flirting or whatever, not after he ditched her and went to talk big mob stuff.
She’s better than that.
The trip to New Athens is awkward at first.
Their driver, a man named Ethan, is quiet and straight-laced. Eye on the road, he does not stare at either of them in the mirror or listen in.
Percy is humming a tune, cracking his knuckles now and then. Annabeth taps her fingers on her thigh. Neither of them can keep still.
“Dressing looks good,” Percy finally says, nodding towards her bandage.
Annabeth, who’s been staring out the window looking at the trees and rivers flash by, turns to sneer at him.
“Now you notice?”
Percy sighs. “Are you okay?”
“After the past few days? No. But thanks for asking.”
“You’re welcome.”
She grumbles under her breath. Back in the forest, when they were whispering away from Thalia, she’d found the connection again. And Annabeth had foolishly hoped that would fix it.
Fix what? How their lives are always governed by their folks?
“Can I ask you something?” Percy asks, his voice low enough to keep it away from the driver. But it sends a soft shiver up her spine.
“What?” she whispers.
Percy leans in. “Did you leave because of me or your mom?”
Annabeth rests against the seat, playing with the window. “A lot of things. Not you, specifically. I mean, in my head… prom night… you remember that?”
“Of course.”
“Yeah, when you told me what your dad said, in my head, it felt like everyone was working against me, deciding my whole future for me. My mom had written out a full career point list for me in Sophomore year. The only change I made to it was adding you… and then, it turns out that wasn’t even my choice. Nothing had been my choice. That was the day I seriously began hating her.”
Percy winces. “I’m so sorry.”
She sighs. “It’s not your fault… you were in the same boat, right?”
“Basically. I loved swimming. I made the team, Coach was impressed. Said I’d be first pick for the scouts at competitions. When my dad came back into my life… I thought it’s because my mom got in contact with him to help out with training fees and stuff. He started paying child support, finally! But that made him think he had a say in my life.”
Annabeth feels her anger melt away.
Percy drops his head back, thumping it against the headrest. “The reason I hadn’t heard from him until high school is that my mom managed to keep him away for all those years. She did such a good job… and then I had to go screw that up by going after him and… and seeking praise from a man who had his own family, his own bloody empire.”
She wants to hold his hand, touch him somewhere to offer comfort. At least, Athena doesn’t deal with such nefarious plots. Or maybe she does if she’s willing to side with Poseidon on certain issues.
“Is your mom okay?” Annabeth asks, recalling Sally Jackson’s sweet persona. How the Don fell for her, she’d never understand.
“She’s alright as long as I do my part,” Percy says, tone hardening. “Dad paid a lot for my training, but I didn’t qualify.”
Annabeth stares. “Qualify?”
“Olympics. I didn’t get in. My speed just wasn’t up to the mark.”
She nearly gasps. But… how’s that possible? Percy was the best swimmer at school. The coach, all the teachers, even the principal had no doubt he’d get in. Even Athena knew he’d qualify which is why she invested her best asset in the Don’s affairs.
Percy makes a face and explains, “My head wasn’t in it. Everything you’d said kept bouncing around my brain for months. All through training, I knew I was losing because I just couldn’t focus. The ADHD wasn’t helping either. I had to limit my meds because they do serious drug testing before and after the races. It just built up until I lost it completely.”
He blinks a couple of times. “My muscle memory failed. I was slow on the turns, didn’t even dive at the right angle. I had a catch in my calf in the last race. I’d lost before I even began.”
Annabeth is reeling. She has no idea it had gotten so bad. All the while in New Rome University, she’d been so sure that she’d see his name for the races at the 2021 Olympics but then, he never showed up. And this was why.
“Percy…” she whispers, unable to come up with the right words.
He doesn’t look at her, his hands curled in fists.
“I’ve never seen my mom so scared. She didn’t even care that I’d lost, just that we both knew what my father could do. Actually, I didn’t even know what he’d had planned. I had nightmares of him just shooting us both.”
Annabeth reaches to him and takes his clenched hand. He jerks a little but lets her wind her fingers through his.
“He didn’t hurt you, right? And Sally?”
Percy inhales. “He had a lot riding on me. I guess he placed bets too. Your mom didn’t help matters either.”
Annabeth blinks. “My mom? What did she do?”
His grimace sets her on edge. “I’m not blaming you, Annabeth. You did the right thing by leaving. You shouldn’t be in this place. It’s just not good for you.”
“What did she do?” Annabeth repeats.
“She blamed me for you leaving. And technically, I did tell you that my dad made me get close to you… I guess if my father thought you leaving was Athena’s fault, he’d have placed a hit on her for letting the deal fall through. But since it was my fault, she’d be safe.”
Annabeth can’t believe her ears. Her mother… accused an eighteen-year-old of a high-profile deal between a mob boss and the Mayor falling through?
That bitch.
“Dad was… not happy. Let’s just put it at that,” Percy says. “Athena is good with words. The printed deal that they had, fell through and that meant he was indebted to her because of me. That’s why she called him when the Titans took you. Said that if my father could bring you back safe and sound, she’d consider them even.”
Annabeth wants to throw something. Preferably at her mother.
“He didn’t hurt you, though?” she asks again.
“No… not like that. But he’d spent a lot on my training and all of it was wasted. He said if I could pay him back, he’d never bother me again. He still respects my mom, so he promised to not go near her, but I had to clean things up.”
Percy scoffs for a moment. “Let me tell you… hearing your father tell you that you owed him a six-figure sum is… life altering.”
The sound that escapes Annabeth’s throat is inhuman.
He squeezes her hand. “No way I could even put a dent in it without putting my mom in serious debt. My grades at school were decent thanks to you, but I hadn’t applied to any colleges because I was banking on the heats. Either way, I couldn’t get out of town. So, I asked him for an alternative.”
Annabeth sees where he’s going with this. “The Don told you to work for him.”
“Fifteen years,” Percy said, without humor. “When I complete the full term, he’ll let me go and won’t bother me or mom again.”
The car is silent again. Percy looks out the window where the sight of New Athens springs up in the distance. Annabeth sits there, head empty and heart cold.
How could she have just left him? How could he be so close to her and not hate her?
“Percy?” she whispers. “Did your father force you to come get me?”
Percy blinks. “Oh, not really. Your mother called him, I happened to be in the room when he spoke to her. I wanted to do it.”
“You… wanted to help me?”
“Of course.”
“Even after everything that happened?”
Percy turns to gauge her fully. He looks surprised for some reason. “It’s not that I thought you were helpless or anything. But Atlas wasn’t someone to be messed with. Why wouldn’t I want to save you? ”
Annabeth looks down at their hands. Her thumb makes circles on the back of his knuckles, feeling the tense skin and veins and the bony bumps. She’s always loved his hands. They have changed over the years. She spies a fainted scar in the middle of his palm, healed over several times.
There are so many stories in his life that she hasn’t been part of. Annabeth chose to walk away from him.
“I left you,” she says, still feeling raw. “Why would you still show up?”
Percy looks at her, far too open and trusting in this business. “I’ve never blamed you for this, Annabeth. You made the right choice to leave. I’m glad you did that. It must have been one of the hardest choices you’ve ever made, right?”
“I… yeah, but—”
“No, buts,” he shakes his head. “We were pawns and you figured it out. At least one of us made it out.”
“But how can you not hate me?”
Percy smiles. It’s far too genuine for her to handle. Annabeth feels tears burning behind her eyes. This isn’t some hardened gangbanger, fallen out of favor with the Don of a feared mafia. He’s just Percy who’s sad and strong and so reminiscent of the boy she’d fallen in love with back at school.
“I came back to New Athens nearly a year ago,” Annabeth whispers.
“I know,” he says, holding her hand carefully.
“You didn’t reach out to me?”
He grimaces. “It would have been too dangerous. I didn’t want anyone to get close to you or involve you in their games again. I was surprised to see you in the city. Saw you at the ice cream parlor a few months ago. Nearly stalled my car.”
Annabeth doesn’t comment on the joke, though she lets him glimpse a smile. “It took me a while to make up my mind… New Rome was wonderful. I made friends, had problems, solved problems… I had a job offer there too.”
“Why didn’t you take it?”
She leans her body towards his, dropping her tired head on his shoulder. He stiffens for a moment and she almost regrets it but feels his cheek pressed on the top of her head. It’s perfect.
“I kept asking myself if I was hiding or healing. I hadn’t talked to my mom at all when I was over there. Didn’t call her when I came back either. I thought if I tried to make it work in the city I grew up in, at least that was something. I drove over to your mom’s apartment one day. But she doesn’t live there anymore.”
“Yeah,” Percy sighs. “We moved out. She has a house in the suburbs now. It’s not too fancy, but she’s protected. No one should get to her there.”
“That’s good,” Annabeth says.
They’re quiet for some more time. New Athens looms over them.
“You could get out now?” Annabeth whispers. “This deal… if your dad’s impressed…”
“He’ll consider us even and let me go?” Percy says slowly. “I don’t want to get my hopes up. Maybe, he will. He’s a man of his word if nothing else.”
Two weeks later
Annabeth’s first day back at the office is a rush day. Her superior is aware of what happened since she’d applied for sick leave. Being kidnapped has shifted her priorities to looking after her mental health first, rather than just completing the work for the day.
She’s running late. It’s past six in the evening and she needs to leave right away if she wants to meet Percy at their restaurant for dinner.
It’s not a date by any means… but it’s something.
Annabeth’s switching off her computer and locking her drawer when a woman from the reception walks up to her.
“Ms. Chase?”
“Yes? That’s me.”
“There’s someone in the lobby for you. It’s urgent.”
Is Percy picking her up? He'd asked her if she needed a ride, but Annabeth had specified no.
"I'm on my way out," she tells the woman, grabbing her bag and jogging out of the floor and into the elevator.
It's good news. It has to be. He'd sounded excited on the phone, asking her to join him for dinner.
Annabeth's in the lobby, searching for a mop of dark hair, but she finds her mother instead.
They hadn't met in five years. Annabeth's taken aback.
Athena is in a pantsuit, adorned with a thin gold necklace and diamond earring studs. She's older than what Annabeth remembers, a few more wrinkles adorning her face, but otherwise, just as vigilant and demanding even in her stance.
"How's your arm?" Athena asks, grey eyes calm and controlled.
Annabeth doesn't want to get into this. Not now.
"I have to be somewhere," she says shortly, marching past her.
Athena snaps. "I've been waiting for you to call me! I haven't heard a peep out of you in years! And now, even after what happened with the Titans, you want to go back to ignoring me?"
Annabeth's so close to the revolving glass doors. She can leave.
She wants to shout and scream as well.
"Castellan said he'd have his people leave you at my office," Athena says. "I waited for hours, but then I find out from the Pearl Don that you asked them to drop you off at a clinic?"
"My arm was hurting," Annabeth mutters.
"Is it better now?"
"Why are you here?" she asks, deflecting instead.
Athena's gaze is sharp. "Perhaps I'm worried about my only child? Is that so difficult for you to understand?"
Annabeth turns around to glare at her. "You do not get to say that! Not after all that you did!"
"You're out of there because I called in a favor," Athena warns. "I'm not looking for thanks, just a reassurance that you're alright."
Annabeth scoffs. "How did you even earn that favor, huh?"
Athena frowns. "What does that mean?"
"Why did the Pearl Don owe you?" she hisses so no one else except her mother hears. "It's very odd that a mob boss is in your pocket, mother."
Athena straightens up. "Old business. It's none of your concern now."
"You threw Percy under the bus," Annabeth says, tired of the games.
Athena shakes her head. "Is that what he said? That I blamed him? I barely even brought him into the conversation. The truth was, something or someone spooked you away right after prom. The Don put the pieces together."
She says this like it absolves her. Annabeth just stares.
"So you admit you made a deal with the Don about Percy and me, without even telling us?"
Athena falls silent.
"How could you even think that was fine?" Annabeth asks, hurt. "You really assumed I'd be okay with it?"
The Mayor is tired. Annabeth watches the exhaustion seep in, the floodgates of the past many years showing through this one person.
“You had such big dreams. It wouldn’t have been possible with outside help.”
“You thought I wouldn’t make it without someone minding my every step?”
“You have no idea what it takes to run this city,” Athena snaps. “Poseidon’s always wanted New Athens. Everyone does, it’s the pinnacle of our country’s greatness and I’m the one who put it on the map. I’ve sacrificed things for this place that you’ll never understand.”
“Yes, like the Pallas statue. A great sacrifice to not have the Goddess of Wisdom herself.”
Athena shakes her head. “I’d hoped… you didn’t even think to ask me about that? That the statue was less for me than for you?”
Quickly inhaling of air-conditioned breeze in the lobby, Annabeth repeats to herself what her mother just told her.
“The Pallas Project… was for me?”
Athena shrugs. An odd gesture for her. “As a sign… The goddess Athena mourns her daughter’s loss by taking on her name so she is remembered for all time. I don’t mean to take on your name. But I just wanted you to know how complicated all this is. Though you never took the time to understand it.”
Annabeth bristles. “Don’t put this on me. You’ve played the field, making sure that I’d model my career the way you wanted me to. My list on the corkboard was written mostly by you. I thought about that every day in NRU and I was so glad I got out. I would have lost myself, living in your world. That statue is a reminder that you don’t know me at all!”
She pushes the doors open, marching out because she’s so close to tears. Athena will not get the honor of seeing her daughter cry.
“Fine!” her mother shouts. “Run away then, that’s what you’re best at!”
Annabeth freezes.
“Do you believe that life comes easily to everybody?” Athena continues, incredulous. “People have to work for it, we have to fight for it! If something doesn’t pan out the way it should, we have to stay by it and fix it! You packed your bags and left! You ran when life gave you a problem. You were scared and you let that fear rule you. Do not push the blame on others. This is all on you.”
Annabeth’s staring at the ground, disbelieving of what she hears. Her mother can’t be serious, can she?
“Do you believe that?” she whispers.
Athena frowns. “What?”
“Do you honestly believe the bullshit you just said?”
“How dare—”
“Don’t interrupt,” Annabeth tells her, swiveling on her feet again. She faces Athena head-on. “You think I ran away from a problem life gave me? Do you even know how that sounds? You just called yourself a problem in my life. Is that what you meant? That I should have stayed back and fixed you?”
Athena goes red. “Do not use that tone with me, Annabeth!”
“I left because of you. Because you made this place unbearable for me to stay another day. But I stayed and waited it out until I could really leave. You kicked me out, did you forget? You threw a stapler at the wall when I told you I was Salutatorian.”
“You messed up the answers in AP Latin when we both perfectly knew that it was one of your best subjects!” Athena retorts. “You gave up the Valedictorian post just to spite me! You can never take that back.”
“I’d do it again,” Annabeth says, vindictively admiring the rising color in her mother’s face. “That day opened my eyes to what kind of a person you were. Imagine if I actually did my best and still fell short of your expectations? You wouldn’t care that I tried my utmost, you’ve never cared about that. I was done trying to please you. It was time I chose to try a happier life.”
“Running away wasn’t the solution,” Athena says, eyes flashing at her.
Annabeth glares right back. “You made the problem. You pushed that on me. You made me hate this city so much! You should be the one fixing things! I will not take the blame for what you did. I will not be in your life if you can’t admit that you were wrong. And I won’t let you in my life if you won’t even try to make amends. I’ve grown up and learned some things I needed to. It’s your turn.”
She leaves.
Annabeth walks as quickly as she can in her comfort sketchers. Her mother had been shocked by the words, she could tell. Annabeth doesn’t want to wait around to hear anymore. She's done fighting Athena. If they ever met, it’ll happen only if Athena would try to bridge the gap. Annabeth is far too angry to even think of forgiving her mother.
She manages to calm herself on the drive to the restaurant diner.
Annabeth was happy and safe in New Rome. Still, she came back to New Athens because something in her felt unfulfilled.
It isn’t just about gangs and politics. Every city in the world has crime, some more gruesome than others. It’s the people living there who try to make every day a little better… they’re the ones worth staying for. That’s the key to life, ain’t it?
Percy’s one of the people who want to be better. She sees him at the table inside the diner. Annabeth walks from her car, feeling her head consumed by all her thoughts and her heart consumed by his grin. The look on his face tells her that his father has relented. He’s free.
She left New Athens to get help for herself.
Even if she hesitates to stay for the entire world or even a full city, she can still try and help one person at a time. Maybe, Annabeth thinks as she hugs Percy tight, maybe that’s why she’s back.