Phobia (A Percy Jackson AU)

Chapter Six: Bleeding Angels

Okay, yeah, I didn't update when I planned too... 

But, hey, this is a very special update! 

IT'S SABRINA'S BIRTHDAY YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY.

::

Annabeth watches over Luke's shoulder, her arms crossed and cap drawn low, casting her face into a cool shadow. He barely hesitated as he types in code after code, flawlessly unlocking the files for the Third Level that she ordered him too.

Annabeth bit her lip, and squeezed her arm as Luke turned to face her, triumphant, "There. Six files for the six mutants holed up on the third level." Annabeth sighed, and the grin slipped off Luke's face. A frown etched into his mouth, "What? Are you mad that I surpassed your skill level or something."

Annabeth gave a dry laugh, "Not that. But..." Annabeth bit the inside of her cheek, "I want to see if you can unlock a file on the company's history for me. There's a lot of security on it, but I think it can help me figure out why my chip malfunctioned." Annabeth licked her lips. This is the true test, She thought, If he can do this, then there is no doubt about it.

Luke shrugged, "Sure. Can you get me to the farthest point you've reached?" He holds out the laptop to her, and she takes it, feeling the heat of the device as she props her leg up against the tree, and uses her knee to support it.

"Easily."

Moments later she is returning it, not sure if she should feel excited or terrified. Luke takes it from her and places it in his lap. He stares at the screen for a moment, as if imagining the flashing red mountain logo, before tentatively setting his fingers onto the keys.

Annabeth nervously chewed her lips, and turned her head to the side, waiting. Her arms are burning from the sunlight, and she rubs them, trying to dissolve the feeling of fire. Her heart's in her throat, pounding loudly in her ears.

"Done."

Annabeth blinked.

"Already?" She muttered in disbelief, scooping up the laptop from his arms. "No denying it now."

Lines creased along Luke's face, "Denying what?"

Annabeth gave a nervous chuckle, rubbing her hand behind her neck, "... That you've surpassed my skill level." She said weakly. Luke laughed, throwing his head back, wrapping his hand around his water bottle.

"Finally admitting it then." He grinned, unscrewing the top and taking a long drink. Annabeth mumbled another  weak response, scrolling through the document.

"Three original founders to the company..." She mused, tapping her fingers repeatedly against the computer, "Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades Olympian..."

"That explains the logo. " Luke interjected, leaning back against the trunk of the tree, glancing up at Annabeth, "Seeing as it's a mountain and all."

Annabeth lazily nodded, eyes fixated on the screen. Her eyes lit up, and she straightened her posture.

"What?" Luke asked, turning to face her, "Find something?"

"Yeah." Annabeth breathed, "The third founder, Hades, left the company after the failure of the Parasites. But, he did it at the start of our experiment... He made the chips, Luke! And... he was the one to steal that experiment from the Parasite Project! I think he might've been the person who disabled my chip! We've got to tell--"

Annabeth jolted suddenly, nearly dropping the laptop. Luke leaned forward, eyes wide, "Woah, Annie, you okay?"

Annabeth nodded slowly, pushing her cap farther back on her head, "Yeah... Yeah, I'm good. It's just... Wow, uh, I think everyone else needs to see this."