We Olympians (A Percy Jackson AU) || BOOK 1

Chapter 30 || Annabeth

As Annabeth walked with Thalia and Nico down the alley, she had a feeling they weren't alone.

"Should we turn back?" Nico whispered, scared.

"No, Percy told us to be here. He wrote it to us on the note he put in Thalia's locker," Annabeth said, determined.

"I don't know... Something seems a little weird. Why would he ask us to meet him in an abandoned alleyway?" Thalia asked.

"I just hope he saw the note we sent saying 'yes'," Annabeth replied. "Man, it's getting dark! Why did he ask us to come here at midnight?"

"He's a seaweed brain. I don't know!" Nico shrugged.

Annabeth quickly turned on her phone flashlight, scanning their surroundings. It was dirty, filthy, and what were just piles of trash seemed to glow slightly red like they were covered in blood. But that was probably just Annabeth's imagination because when she blinked, they were gone. Her palms were sweating, her breathing fast, her heart pounding. But when they reached a dead end, they froze.

"Wait..." Thalia looked at the note in her palm. "This note is written in black ink. Not blue ink. Percy always writes things in blue."

All of them froze, realizing what had happened in horror.

"So..." Nico trailed off, fearing the worst.

"Percy didn't write this note," Annabeth said, her whole body quivering.

"I did," a voice said and they all whipped around to see a person walking forward.

The man had an appearance worthy of a gang leader. His muscular build and his tattoos, his chains around his neck and his rough hair. His eyes glinted with malice and they promised death.

"Oh shit," Annabeth breathed, backing away from the advancing person. "W-Who are you?"

"Annabeth, am I right?"

Her blood froze as she stared at the man.

"How did you know my name?" she demanded. "And you haven't answered who you are yet."

"You're just like your mother." The man chuckled. "Such a stuck-up know-it-all. And you..."

The man seemed to be staring straight at Thalia, who's electric blue eyes blazed with fear.

"Your electric blue eyes say it all. You're Mr. Z's daughter."

"My dad's dead!" Thalia exclaimed. "He left my mom."

"Oh those pathetic Olympians and their lies! Telling their own children they don't exist? Why it's best if you join me! If not, you face the wrath of my blade."

The man took out a knife and Nico squeaked in terror.

"What the f**k are you talking about?"

"Yeah, what the f**k are you talking about, Mark?" A sassy voice sounded as 'Mark' whipped around.

A figure was summersaulting off the edges of the large building above them, landing on its two feet. There, standing with crossed arms, a challenging stare, and defiant sea-green eyes stood Percy Jackson. Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Jackson," Mark growled.

"The one and only." Percy chuckled.

"Why don't you save yourself the effort and just let these three go?"

Percy hissed, pretending like he was thinking.

"I would," he said, frowning. "But I can't, because then, you'd probably kill them just like you tried to do with me four years ago."

"And I almost succeeded, right?" Mark chuckled. "Drop the act, Jackson. I know you're weak."

"Hard to say," Percy sighed. "I've been training for years on end. Beating your sorry asses. Destroying you. Figuring out each trick you've tried to land. The Olympians don't just give power away, you little shithead."

Mark rolled his eyes, looking at Percy. "You done with your little rant?"

"No, I'm done with you." Percy stated as if it was obvious before doing a perfect roundhouse kick, sending Mark flying backwards. Percy tapped his watch. "Grover! Agents! We've got three unknowns on alleyway 5D! Hurry up!"

"On it!" the watch yelled as Mark lunged for them.

Percy barreled into Mark, intercepting the attack.

"Who did you send to spy?!" he growled, pressing the older boy against the wall.

Mark threw Percy off, Percy slamming into the brick wall with a crack.

"PERCY!" Annabeth yelled.

But Percy got up. His eyes swirled with unbelievable power. He tapped his watch and a hurricane began to form around him.

"WHAT THE F**K?!" Thalia yelled as Percy sent the hurricane tumbling towards Mark.

Mark and Percy were wrestling now, both men kicking and grunting in effort. Mark punched Percy straight across the face, breaking Percy's nose, but Percy whipped Mark onto the floor, literally jumping on him. The gang leader howled in pain and somehow managed to get Percy off of him by taking out a knife and stabbing it into Percy's thigh. With a large heave, Mark pushed Percy off of him.

"I thought we were playing nice!" Percy mocked. "You really don't fight with dignity, do you?"

Mark growled, lunging for Percy. Annabeth and the others were just watching with wide eyes. That's when more fighting happened. And it got worse. Percy shoved Mark against the wall, punching Mark across the face five times before Mark got the upper hand, grabbing Percy in a choking hold, squeezing as tight as he could. They were both on the floor and Percy grunted in effort, his face red from the choking.

Doing a full on tackle, the two boys took out their anger on each other, yells of protest loud against the night. Mark screamed, taking out a sword.

"WHAT THE F**K?!" they all yelled.

"PERCY, BE CAREFUL!" Thalia screamed when Percy took out a pen.

"THAT'S A PEN, PERCY! IT'S NOT GONNA PROTECT YOU!" Annabeth shouted. That stupid seaweed brain would get himself killed!

Their jaws dropped to the floor when Percy uncapped the pen and it turned into a gleaming sword. Blades met blades and sparks flew everywhere. Percy stomped down on the floor and a tremor passed through the surface.

"Fifteen more minutes, Perce!" a voice came from the watch. "Traffic is bad! How did those three manage to get to the alleyway so fast?"

"No idea, G-Man!" Percy yelled as Mark cut his cheek.

Percy gashed Mark's arm as Mark swiped for his head, Percy ducking just in time to make a stab wound in Mark's abdomen. Mark howled in pain and stabbed Percy's arm as Percy tried to get away. At this point, it was a fight to the death. Annabeth could tell by their faces. That's when Percy took off running into the building, where Mark followed.

That's when she saw Percy on the roof of the building. A fourteen-story drop.