The Price of Freedom

On Your Left

Hey! Here's the first chappie, and I hope you enjoy! Aladdin!AU is not on hold, I just wanted to write this, and need some time before Aladdin!AU gets its next chappie out.

Percy smiled brilliantly at her from his spot at the bar. "What'd I tell you? They're all idiots."

Annabeth huffed out a laugh and sat next to him. "What about you? You gonna follow 'Captain America' into the jaws of death?"

Percy laughed with her. "Hell no. That little girl from Long Island who was too dumb to run away from a fight? I'm following her." He leaned over and softly pressed his lips to hers.

Bam! A tan hand hit the punching bag in front of it.

Percy gulped. "Please tell me this isn't payback for when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island."

Annabeth pecked his cheek cheerfully. "Now why would I do that?"

Whack! The hand hit the bag again, this time slightly harder.

The duo ziplined down onto the train with a third person and dropped hard onto the slick roof. Annabeth slammed her shield into the back door of the train and made a hole large enough for her and Percy to fit into easily. They rushed in, weapons up, only to find . . . nothing. They glanced at each other. Annabeth crept towards the next car.

The hand slammed against the bag, which rattled on the chain that was attached to the ceiling.

Percy and Annabeth raced into the next car, but it was empty as well. Percy shook his head in confusion. "I thought they were supposed to be hauling something."

Annabeth unhooked her shield, wary. "They were."

The hand curled into a fist and pounded into the bag again.

Annabeth yanked the next connecting door open and stepped into another darkened car. She licked her lips and slunk forward, Percy right behind her. Then . . . WHAM! A steel plate drops over the door, sealing them in.

The hand was joined by a second. Both began punching the sack right after the other, in what seemed like a rhythm.

The lights brightened and revealed a massive HYDRA trooper. Six and a half feet tall and heavily armored, both of the trooper's arms supported huge cannons.

The pace of the punching picked up slightly.

Percy opened fire, but his machine gun bullets pinged uselessly off of the trooper's armor. Annabeth couldn't get a clear shot to throw her shield at the HYDRA agent. The troopers took aim at her and . . . BLAM! The blue pulse blew the shield out of her hand and slammed her into the back wall.

The punching bag was starting to lose sand at the seams from the sheer force of the punches.

The shield clattered to the floor and Annabeth groaned in pain. The trooper turned to Percy and fired. Percy dove onto the floor and out of the way of the blast, which ripped a hole in the wall behind them. Outside, a jagged ravine whipped past the speeding train. A red light blinked from a camera on the ceiling.

Low grunts could be heard in time with the punches, which were steadily getting harder.

The trooper turned back to Annabeth as she stumbled to her feet. He aimed at the star on her chest, but Percy grabbed Annabeth's shield off the floor and leapt in front of her. Annabeth yelled, "Percy, no!"

The punches kept coming, harder and faster.

BLAM! The cannon fired, hitting Percy square in the shield, blowing him through the hold in the wall. In a last desperate effort, Percy snagged the jagged edge of the train.