Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Eagle's Path || a PJO/AC Crossover

Chapter 24: The Plan

Emily POV:
As Charlie led us down the basement of the house, the welcoming tunes of music grew louder; men singing to the tune, floors tapping against the wooden floorboards, and a few sounds of people exchanging conversations with each other.
"-Power cloaked in progress.
Smoke in Eden's eyes.
A Million choking Chimneys burn and blacken out the Sky-".
The singing grew louder with every step, and so did the creaking of the floorboards. Hopefully they don't break on us. Percy and the others followed behind, Charlie, Izzy and I, and I noticed as I looked back that they were suspecting the smell of Ale downstairs. At one point Hazel had covered her nose. "Gods, what is that smell"? She questioned, which Charlie turned and chuckled, "Gods? What a particularly strange way to speak. And THAT" he pointed down the bottom of the stairs, "would be the smell of London's freedom". As our footsteps brought us down to the basement, the source of the singing was located. As I looked around? The Rooks' Hideout was still the same as I remembered; Large Oak barrels surrounded the walls that were filled with Beer, Ale, and Wine just in case for special occasions. Surrounded by us were men as they sung along to the tune of the Piano, as song which I know as 'London Town'. Around, men wearing large coats and jackets say around on stools, benches, and chair as they either exchanged conversations or sung. Some decided to stand up to watch in the center as there was an old-fashioned Boxing Ring, shouting and cheering to the sight of two men with boxers and Boxing Gloves on, with bruises and bloody wounds. These were the Rooks, enjoying their time in the darkness, away from private eyes of the Police and Abstergo.
"-Come on down, to London Town.
So grab your mates and join us, where the Rats Rejoice.
The Brazen Brass of the Working-Class are here to find their voice.
Revolution holds us bound, come on down to Lo-" as we finally entered the Hideout, everyone had stopped their conversations, cheering, shouting, and singing to the sudden sight of the Percy, Annabeth, and the others behind us. Even the Boxers, Ricky and Logan had stopped their boxing as Logan trapped Ricky's head in a 'Head-Lock'. Eyebrows raised, one of the guys asked "oi... Who might these kiddos be"?
"Easy, Alex" Charlie said, raising a hand in defence, "they're with us". Everyone nodded in agreement, so they luckily accepted to let them through. And as if it were nothing, everyone continued their conversations, drinking, talking, and fighting. "Wow, so these guys are the Rooks"? Leo asked, "not the sort of gang I expected. But at least they're chill-axed".
"That's nothing" Charlie laughed, "you wouldn't want to see them on their bad days".
"Noted".
Charlie was leading us to his office, past the bar. Where the bartender was serving glasses and bottles of the finest alcohol they could score, but instead he was watching the fight as well, a cloth and glass in hands. The guys were seated at the stools, with their glasses in one hand, whilst they used the others to cheer on in the fight as Ricky left-hooked Logan a few times as he blocked the attacks. One guy kept eyeing us though, with an old WWI Bayonet in his hand, the other in his pocket, and was defined with the scratches, scars, and black eye. Robert Jamison. "Oi, who might these guys be"? "Hey"! Charlie replied, pointing towards him, "you stay your blade away from them. Or I'll take it from you myself".
"Like hell you will".
An eyebrow was raised "Don't believe me? I will".
"Yeah, whatever. Glad to see you back here Emily. You too Elizabeth". We nodded in greet, "nice to see you too Robert" Izzy said, "stay outta trouble. And while you're at it, place a $50 bet on Ricky for me". Robert placed his knife in his pocket, "whatever". We continued towards Charlie's office. "Who was that"? Frank asked. "A pain in my side, I'll tell you that" Charlie replied. Getting to the door, Charlie unlocked it with the key in his pocket, and welcomed us inside. Gladly, the place was still the way I remembered it. A banner was hung on the wall behind Charlie's deal with the symbol of the Rooks. On his desk were files and documents of Assassins and missions. His desktop computer was on and online, with various profiles of Assassins, their pictures, and background. With a dim light, I saw the leather couches in the corner with a coffee table and a flat-screen TV across from it. Not that many channels though. Papers, files, and old newspaper was scattered around the floor, and old posters hung on the walls, some older than me. All of us entering, Charlie flipped on another light switch, and the room illuminated with light. The others saw it was a mess, but I guess we never minded. "Make yourselves comfortable" Charlie welcomed, closing the door behind us, "sit down and relax. There's drinks in the fridge". "Thanks" Percy replied, and went to the fridge, grabbing a Coke out, and sat down on the couch with Annabeth beside him, and his arm around her. "Sorry about the mess, haven't had much time to clean up ever since... Ever". "No problem, reminds me of home" Thalia said, instead to sit on a stool, setting her silver bag aside. Charlie made sure to lock the door, and made his way to sit down in his leather desk chair, feet raised on the desk. "As I said, I am so pleased to see you here again Emily and Elizabeth". Izzy chuckled, arms crossed. "You missed us Charlie"? "Aye, I have missed you. Very much. Been a while".
"Indeed it has".
"Aye. But...".
"But what"? I asked. Charlie had lent back into his chair, rubbing his temple, and breathed a heavily sigh. The stress I saw in him, it worried me. "Emily... Elizabeth... Percy... We're in trouble". Percy had risen from the couch, hearing the conversation he asked "what sort of trouble Charlie"? He lowered his hand, sighing once more, and stood up from the chair, to only sort out the papers on his desk, and pick up a large map of London that was then unfolded. "Guys... The Templars, and the Blighters are too powerful here. Everyday, we try to assault their Hideouts and destroy their Drug Operations. The Assassins help too but... Every time we fail, MORE of us die. The Rooks and Assassins fall each day, and the Templars are getting more powerful by the second. Come over here-". Percy, Annabeth and Thalia had unseated to crowd around with the others and I, as we looked down on the map laid on the table; the papers pushed aside. Laid out on the map were red highlighted spots, one with X's, and Templar crosses. They were everywhere around London; Westminster, Lambeth, Whitechapel, the Thames, you name it. They were mostly located in the alleyways or the piers of the Thames, but it was clear enough; they were controlled by Templars and Blighters. "-As you can all see, London has been under control by Templars for years, ever since the Victorian Age. And with that, their power grew. So after Jacob and Evie liberated London, World War I came, and the Assassins and Rooks had to abandon the city, which gave the Templars the upper-hand to take the city back. But with a very short budget, they started to make money the ILLEGAL way; Arms, Liquor, Drugs, and to their system running, they had Corrupt Cops in their pockets to keep the local Police away. It was an impressive system, and overtime the Blighters returned. When World War II came, Nazi Germany was under control by Hitler and the Nazis, and the Templars had supposedly supported his armies with weapons and war machines, and had even given Hitler access to their files of the Pieces of Eden and other mystical objects. In return, they promised him power. And-". "Wait? Hitler"? Annabeth asked. "What good would the Templars be to him"?
"Well if you don't know, as the Nazis gained power and control, Hitler was obsessed with even greater power, and thus, he had a fascination of mystical objects like the 'Spear of Destiny' in hope for control. He believed that if he wielded such objects, he would have his ultimate 'Wonder Weapon'. If the Templars really held their promise, then Hitler would've won the war. It was up until his bunker was attacked and he committed suicide, ending the war" Elizabeth explained. "Does that explain much"?
"Very" Thalia angrily replied, glaring at her. "Good. Now as I was saying-" Charlie continued, "the Blighters took control of nearly every inch of London, and today, their hideouts turned into full-blown Meth Labs. And their warehouses are stocked, and I mean STOCKED with enough weapons for a private army. All of the money goes towards the Shareholder's Account and they use that money to expand Abstergo. It's too impressive. Which means we need to shut it down FAST". "Well then let's burn us some Kush" Leo said, with a devilish grin on his face. "Hey! Easy Leo" Piper exclaimed, "we can't take on a bunch of armed thugs". "Yeah, we can't go marching on in enemy territory, we'll immediately be killed" Jason added. "Aye, you're exactly right" Charlie replied, "we've tried sending in some of our men. We failed. And they just added more armed guards. They're like fortresses, so we decided to stay away from them until now".
"But they'll be coming back to attack you guys. Right"? Percy asked. Looking down at the ground, "yes. They will" Charlie exasperatingly sighed. "But fear not, I believe we will as well". "We"? Annabeth questioned. "Yes. You see in the head offices of Abstergo is information regarding clues towards the Pieces of Eden, and probably some weaknesses Blighters' territories. Uptown in Abstergo, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane had recently tried to gather as much info from their servers. But they got surrounded by the Head Director; Isabelle Ardent, and the two members of the Sigma Team; Violet da Costa and Juhani Otso Berg. Luckily they made it out alive, and were laying low. Now security increased at Abstergo". "Fantastic" Annabeth shrugged, "I guess we're gonna march our way inside and ask for their data". Sarcasm, I hate that. "Not to worry, just before they pulled out, they managed to grab some major data out of their servers, and had already received backup from Galina Voronina; a member of the Russian Assassin order. They are awaiting for pickup. I need some of you to pick it up. Any volunteers"? Nobody raised a hand, moved a muscle, or spoke. "We'll do it" I exclaimed, "Percy, Thalia and I will pick up the data". Thalia glared daggers at me, and Percy raised a brow. "We will"? He asked, and I gave him a confident nudge in his side. "R-right... We will". Percy may have slight smiled, but Thalia still glared at me evilly. "Way to get me involved" I heard her whisper. "Good. And as for everyone else, I have a couple of hideouts that are guarded by Blighters thugs here-" he pointed towards the map, on Whitechapel; Ellen Street. "-and here". He then pointed to Southwark; Law Street. As far as I knew, those streets were like ghost-towns. "All of them are armed from head to toe, but what I need is too vital. My sources say that in the leaders' apartments, or 'Offices', they have Ship Manifests for the ingredients for Methamphetamine, and Manifests for weapons that go in and out of London, and down the Thames. I need both of them burnt and disposed of". Looking by the nervousness of everyone's faces, they knew it was an impossible feat. "Why are you getting US to go in there. Like you said, there's a load of armed thugs and we're barely armed". "Do not worry my friends, I have a large group of Rooks nearby in the alleyways who might be of use. You can get them to start a large gunfight to attract the guards away, and they will be giving you cover. And don't worry about Police, the Blighters bribe the Police to keep away from their territories. So... Do any of you have a second opinion"? Everyone was looking around, back and forth to each other and seeing the nervousness in everyone's eyes.
"Jason. Leo... Are you sure you want to do this"? Piper asked. Looking down at her, Jason sighed, and replied "I'm sure. I'm not leaving your side, and I'll keep you safe Pipes". She smiled as he said that, and Leo exclaimed "sure, why not? It's been a pretty quiet day so far". As the trio smiled, Charlie spoke. "So it's settled. Jason, Piper, Leo, you three will intercept the Ship Manifests for the drug ingredients. Annabeth, Frank, Hazel, are you three sure you want to do this"?
Frank and Hazel exchanged worry in their eyes, but I saw the determination in Annabeth's stormy grey eyes. "Frank, Hazel"? She asked. As Frank and Hazel exchanged looks once more, Frank asked "Hazel"? As if she were frightened by the thought, I could see that the nervousness wouldn't overwhelm her. As they bend hands, facing each other, she said "I'll do it. Frank, please promise we'll protect each other". Starry looks in his eyes, he replied "I promise. It's settled, we'll do it". With a nod, a satisfied look complimented Charlie, and we knew we were ready. "So, with agreement, it is finally settled. Percy, Emily and Thalia will meet up with Shaun and Rebecca to retrieve the 'borrowed' data from Abstergo and bring it here for safekeeping. Jason, Piper and Leo will enter Ellen Street and enter the Gang Leader's apartment and destroy the Ship Manifests for the drugs. Annabeth, Hazel and Frank will go down to Law Street and destroy the Ship Manifests for the weapons. Elizabeth, you'll have to stay back here with me just in case to contact Master Tabai and tell him your progress". "Of course" she shrugged.
"Good, then it is settled. Everyone must return back here as soon as you are all done. No delays. Is that understood"? Everyone nodded in agreement, and Charlie held his hands together. "Good. I pray you will succeed-" he walked over to the door, and opening it for us. He placed a hand over his chest, and said "-Nothing is True, Everything is permitted". With a single nod, we exited out of the office, and walked down the little hallway, and out past by the boxing ring, where Ricky was now currently standing in victory and Logan was no laying on the ground, bloody and bruised. The ringleader raised Ricky's hand up and announced "CHAMPION"!!! The crowd cheered on, and drinks were raised up in the air. Looks like Izzy won her bid.
"Emily De Mérciér"! A feminine, commanding voice spoke in my head. Circling around, I tried to locate the source of the voice, but to no avail. "Who... Who's there"? I whispered. "I am not there, but I speak to you through the mind". Wait! A voice speaking to me in my head? Either I've truly gone crazy, or... A god... "Who're you"? I thought, in response, the voice spoke "I am Lady Artemis, goddess of the Moon, Maidenhood, and the Hunt. And I have been watching Perseus, the Argo, AND you two Assassins ever since the beginning of the quest. I've seen what you two are doing". Somehow, as threatening as the goddess' voice sounded, I felt no threat. But I had to remind myself, that this was a GODDESS, which means she has unbeknown power and abilities; power which I didn't want to mess with. "What... What do you want"? I questioned. "Assassin... I want you, Perseus, and Thalia to come and meet me in an alleyway off of St. Mark Street. There, you will meet me and my hunters for I will deliver a message to you and your Creed. Am I clear about that"? "I'm sorry, but I cannot, I can't-". "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR"?!?! The goddess' voice yelled in anger. As if to think a sigh, I replied "yes... Ma'am...". "Good"! And with that, her voice vanished.
"EMILY"!!! The voice of Percy yelled through the crowd's cheer. Looking towards the stairs, was Percy waiting for me. "Are you coming"? He asked. With a look around once more, I sighed, and replied "yeah. I'm coming". Following him up the stairs, Percy looked back and asked "Emily, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost". "Huh? Oh. Y-yeah. It's okay. I-I-I'm fine". "Okay. Let's go see Shaun and Rebecca then". As we made our way up the stairs, Percy had pushed open the basement doors, and with a blinding white light, the sunlight broke through, and we had resurfaced up to London. Time to go find Shaun and Rebecca.
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A/N: So, this one took a little long to update, but it was basically because I was getting the supplies for School; Clothes, Supplies, etc. And with that I was being a bit nervous for Grade 10, and it only starts on seventh of September tomorrow. And this means Summer is over. :(
But either way, I want to THANK YOU guys!!! "For what"? You may ask, but if you didn't know, this book has FINALLY gotten 30K+ Reads, and 1K+ Votes, which was a Milestone I did not expect when I first wrote this book, because I this it was going to be garbage. However, I'm grateful for all the Support, Votes, Reads, and Followers who have become attached to this book, so THANK YOU!!! I will hopefully finish this book sometime this year or the next year, but this will be a LOOOOOONG book. Maybe 50 chapters as I suspect. But I'll try to hopefully finish it. And be sure to check out my new YouTube Channel for Video Game and Overwatch Gameplay: TheAdventurer2001.

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