Percabeth - Timeless AU

Chapter 6

ANNABETH

"How do we find a bomb on a balloon?"

"It's not-"

"Sorry, wise girl, it's not a balloon, it's a death trap. It's irrelevant, how do we find the bomb?"

The three of them are storming down the corridors of The Hindenburg, dodging staff and playful passengers alike on their hunt for the thing that might get them all killed. When Annabeth turned round for a quick headcount of the team, she found that Percy had bumped into Kate.

"I need a steward!" She cried, trying to back away from him. The trio, Percy, Grover and she, were quick to hush her up. "You attacked me!"

"No, I am trying to save you. There is a bomb, planted by the guy in the photo. Please. You've got to help us."

Annabeth is taken aback by just how sincere Percy sounds. His green eyes are glistening and she swears she can see his lip quiver.

With a huff, Kate leads them to the kitchens of the ship, telling them that this is where she had last seen Castellan. Instantaneously, the three of them dart about to search the counters and tables for the bomb. Annabeth's head is spinning.

"Hey, I got something." Percy pulls a device out from underneath a countertop. It beeps and reads a number in bold, red LEDs and Kate's eyes widen. "We've got to get everyone off this ship. Now."

"So, here's the thing..." Grover's voice snaps Annabeth back to reality. He's looking outside the window and watching the ground move further away. Wait. Watching the ground move further away, no, this can't be happening.

Her heart climbs into her throat as Percy snaps into action. His movements are careful and delicate as to not knock something that will set the bomb off any sooner than it's already planning to blow. His tentative response to her question about his bomb diffusing experience is more than a little unnerving.

"I've seen it done. I had some training in Afghanistan."

"Since when were we fighting Afghanistan?" Kate questions, causing Annabeth and Grover to eye each other.

Instead of answering, Percy turns his head to Annabeth. "I need to you to ground the ship. Get the people off." His stare was intense. The glistening of his eyes was gone, replaced with a cold gleam. Soldier mode. They're so close that Annabeth watches him gulp and can see his individual eyelashes as he blinks.

She nods, determined to help. She needed a weapon... A kitchen knife catches her eye and she picks it up by the handle. It's no sword or even a dagger, but she would know how to use it if it was necessary. You point the pointy bit in the bad person, how hard could it be? Grover follows suit and grabs some more weaponised utensils and together they're run out of the kitchen and down the hall.

Annabeth knew the floor plan to The Hindenburg like it was her own home so she weaved through passengers confidently, turning periodically to make sure Grover was still on her tail. The cockpit was easy enough to get to once everyone was out of the way. She supposed she should warn the passengers but there was no need, what she had planned would sort it. Though when they'd left the kitchen, the timer had said 3:17 so they'd better hurry up with it. Her head was reeling on what she would tell the Captain, every possible cover would reveal something they couldn't know about history. Come on, Annabeth. Make yourself into your own part of history.

"Stop!" She called, barging into the cockpit, knife at arms length. "We're the Anarchist Black Cross. We have a bomb on this ship." As she spun around in an attempt to scare the crew, she spotted Grover with his knife to the Captain's neck. It would almost look intimidating if it weren't for the fact that she could still make out the residue from chopping vegetables on the silver of the blade.

"You will land now and await further demands." Her hand shook as she pointed it. She must look awfully skittish. Nothing happens. The edges of the Captain's mouth twitch as if he's about to laugh and Annabeth flashes her eyes at Grover.

Thankfully, he gets the hint. "Do it or I'll cut his throat, you Nazis!"

Eventually, one of the crew members hits the siren and she can hear someone calling them to drop the mooring ropes.

PERCY

His fingers twitch as he manoeuvres the wires of the bomb in the pads of his thumbs.

"Ask me something. It relaxes me to talk, we need all the calm we can get right about now." He calls to Kate who is watching him with fear and curiosity.

"Well-" He can hear the tension in her voice. "Where did this glowing clock come from?" The bomb flashes the countdown in face. "Or you? You're not from here, are you?"

He aches to give her the information she wants. She's a curious reporter and it's her job to ask questions, but Percy is very aware that they may only have moments left to live. Two moments and forty nine seconds, to be precise. So what does he do? He cracks a joke. Of course, his name is most definitely not Buck Rogers and the bomb is not from outer space, they both new that. The small smile she offers makes it worth it.

A split second later and she yelps as a man slams a butchers knife into the counter a mere inch from her hand. Percy's all go and manages to land a few good punches to the guys face before a few hit him. That's gonna leave a bruise, he thinks as the mans fist thumps his gut and he gets shoved against a cabinet. The bomb beeps again. One minute thirty two.

He somehow gets behind this big brute of a man and latches onto him, arms round his neck. An elbow to the stomach makes him regret that approach but he doesn't have time to reconsider. Fifty eight seconds.

Percy and the man shove each other around the kitchen in an awful (and painful) dance. Something smashes underfoot which causes the man to freeze for a moment. Percy, ever the impulsive fighter, uses this as a distraction and slams the man's body weight into a table. It splits in half and the bowls of fruit roll onto the floor. Thirty one seconds.

While the man is semi-subdued, he tries to make a dash back to the bomb. It needed detonating and Percy needed all the time he could get to figure out how to do such a thing. Twenty nine.

He gets pulled back before he can reach it.

À la Rapunzel in Tangled, Kate is suddenly stood over Percy armed with a frying pan. She deals a surprisingly good thwack to the man's face, but Percy doesn't have time to offer any congratulations to her. Fifteen.

He had no time. He didn't even know what wires to pull, what to disconnect or what any of the strange looking lettering down one side meant. Instead of pulling his hair out, he grabbed some scissors. At least if he gets this wrong, they're only going down fifteen seconds earlier than anticipated, right?

Snip.

Percy doesn't even have a chance to be proud of himself before he hears the telltale cock of a gun behind him.

"Don't shoot, you idiot!" Kate cries, diving at the man to put off his aim which had been Percy. He knows as soon as the bullet leaves the chamber that maybe she should have just let him shoot because the bullet flies through the ceiling above them and the after affects are not exactly desirable.

The Hindenburg shudders and flames erupt, burning his skin. Percy grabs Kate and runs.