Variance [A Percy Jackson/Divergent Crossover]

Chapter 2

Annabeth's P.O.V.

We arrive just outside Chicago. A wall rises several hundred feet in the air, encircling the entire city and containing those inside. We were dressed in dull gray to blend in with the crowd. Chiron sits in his fake wheelchair. My heart pounds as if to escape my chest. I calm myself down and turn to Chiron.

"I will sneak you into the city. A few Dauntless are guarding the entrance, but they're mortal, so it won't be too hard to get you past them undetected. I'll speak with the school's principal and use the Mist to put your names in the database. Good luck, children." With that, Chiron leads us into the city.

Chiron bends the Mist and hides us from view as we pass the Dauntless guards. My breath catches. "Gods, the architecture," I breathe. 

The city was even more magnificent up close. Beautiful glass buildings as large as skyscrapers dot the landscape, with train tracks suspended in the air. A futuristic train zips past, and I could hear the group's jaws drop.

"It's a different universe," Percy says in awe. "Why can't the entire world be like this?"

Chiron smiles. "You'd be surprised what mortals can do with science in a city as organized as this one. The outside world is much too cluttered and disorganized to make so many advances in technology."

People stroll past us, dressed in black, white, blue, gray, red, and yellow.

"Where's the pink?" Leo frowns. "Pink is the best color in the world. What's with all the doom and gloom colors?"

I glare at Leo. "They're representing their faction, idiot. I think it's a brilliant way to discern which people belong to which faction."

"I've bought a simple gray house for you to stay in. It's large enough to accommodate you all," Chiron says. "You won't see me until next week. Here is the address." Chiron hands me a slip of paper and steers his wheelchair away from us. "Good luck," he calls over his shoulder.

I examine the address. "Let's get moving," I tell the group.

__________.__________

I open the door to a plain gray house on a street packed with children laughing and playing. 

"This is the place," I say, my heart sinking as I survey the building. It has only four rooms: a living room, a bathroom, a small kitchen, and the living quarters, where nine beds are stacked against a wall.

"It's better than my mom's apartment," Percy says. I realize this is almost luxurious for him. 

We find the kitchen, the bathroom, and our wardrobes fully stocked. Everything in it is gray, sadly. 

"I'm starting to hate gray," Thalia mutters. 

"We have to take our aptitude test tomorrow," Jason reminds us. "I wonder what our results will be."

"We'll dwell on that later," I say sternly. "Everyone go to sleep. I'm in charge."

Percy rolls his eyes. "I expected you to say that." He crashes in one of the beds and falls asleep. The rest of us follow suit.

I lay down, close my eyes, and fall into a dreamless sleep.