When It Fades To Black: Percabeth AU

The Rescue

(All story line rights go to ChasingFreedoms)

Piper POV

Nico falls to the floor, his face red where my fist hit him. Everyone stares at me in horror, "What did you do?" Will exclaims. The only one who looks as grimly determined as I am is Percy. 

"What she had to." He announces. Hazel, though still wary, bolsters herself with some confidence. She nods at me.

I turn to Will and Hedge, "Move." They both step aside in shock. Suddenly, arms encircle me from behind and Jason says, "Don't do this. Just chill and let Thalia and Luke do their jobs. And apologize to Nico when he wakes up."

I turn my head slightly to look at him. He'd never forgive me if I left. But I had to. I owed it to my best friend. I whisper, "I'm sorry Jason. I've got no choice." With that, I elbow him in the head and he falls to the floor.

I look at Hazel, Leo, and Percy. They all nod. We turn and walk out the door. I'm coming Annabeth. Hold on just a little bit longer. 

Percy POV

I googled Gabe Ugliano, getting his address and sharing it with Piper. She drives there quickly, only to see a police barricade. Expertly, Piper turns and drives to the block behind Ugliano's house and parks her truck. We all get out.

Piper leads, sneaking us through backyards to get to Gabe's back door. She looks through the gaps in the fence and curses. "Cops. Three of them. I don't know how we're going to get in."

Hazel speaks up, "I do. Nico told me that Mafia members usually have underground escape tunnels in case of raids or they use them to discretely move drugs or money. It stands to reason that there should be something like that somewhere." 

I cut her off, "That'll take ages to find."

Hazel shakes her head, "No. They mark tunnel entrances and exits with a commonplace item that should be marked with some kind of insignia or something."

 "Well, this still seems like a long shot." Leo says. 

Piper shakes her head. "It's our best chance. Fan out." 

Leo, the doubter, is actually the one to find it, a lawn gnome with a bullet carved into the bottom. He ends up having to find the opening mechanism too; his mechanical experience means he's the only one smart enough to work it. 

We all climb into the tunnel: it's a long dark underground path with cobblestone floors and damp earthen walls. Piper turns on her phone's flashlight so we can see. In the dim light cast by her phone, we are able to see, if only just barely, but we see much brighter lights coming towards us.

We all shove into a nook in the uneven wall of earth. Piper draws her knife, I still don't understand why she even has the thing, but I'm grateful for it now. Suddenly, Hazel has one too, only hers is slightly longer and looks more golden. Piper, Thalia, and now Hazel? When did I become friends with a group of well armed young adult girls? 

The Mafia men pass us by quickly. I breathe a sigh of relief. But my relief is short lived when I hear Piper whisper, "Go find Annabeth, Percy."

"Wait, what? They're gone, come on." I say.

Hazel hisses "No, Percy go. Those guys will escape without us to stop them. I'm with Piper. You go."

Piper turns to Leo, "Look,we can't ask you to do this. It's our choice. You can go with Percy."

Leo's face turns stony with determination, "I'll stay with you beauty queen. Those guys have probably hurt more people than just Annabeth. They can't get away. We can't let them get away. Go Percy. Annabeth needs you." 

I am about to raise the issue he has no weapons, but he pulls a blow torch out of of his army jacket. Why the Hades does Leo have a blow torch? 

I don't dwell on it as Piper pushes me around the corner and runs after Hazel and Leo. All I can think as she runs away is that Jason is going to kill me if she gets hurt.

I look after her only a second longer and then follow the tunnel to Annabeth.

Annabeth POV

I couldn't hold on any longer. Gabe and my father were becoming more and more brutal. They had just left.

My blood soaked the black carpet as my crimson lifeline grew thinner by the minute. 

I was dying. And I was okay with it. 

Suddenly, there's a series of yells and the sounding of gunshots. I knew what was coming. Thalia and Luke would find me dead. My father suddenly burst through the door and pointed a gun at my head, "The game is up my dear, and like hell am I going to let you live to see me lose it."

So this was it then, no peace of age, no safety. Just a clap of thunder and then the dark. Quick and easy, a less than fitting end for a girl who suffered slowly and with great difficulty for years. My life was not quick it was eons in those few seconds.

Those seconds stretched into a millennia as I thought of the good in my life. Leo, smiling brighter than daisies in the summer. Frank, sticking his tongue out at a not-so-Chinese finger trap. Hazel on horseback, teaching the rest of us to ride, her hair flowing behind her as she laughed, sweet bells. Jason, trying to tackle a mischievous Latino elf who had 'improved' his phone, barely suppressed laughter waltzing in his eyes. Piper, a grin plastered to her face as she sat on her boyfriend until he agreed not to buy homecoming tickets, a gleeful glint shining in her kaleidoscope eyes. Thalia and Luke handing upside down in a tree punching one another. Percy, holding me hand, smiling at me lovingly.

This was my legacy, my friends, my beautiful glorious friends who loved me. Who I loved. 

And for the first time in years, I smiled genuinely, contentedly.

Bang.