When It Fades To Black: Percabeth AU

Bleed

(All story rights go to ChasingFreedoms)

Percy POV

When I get to Annabeth, her father is pointing a gun at her. I watched in horror as her father's fingers tighten around the trigger. Before my body knows what it is doing, I fling myself in front of Annabeth. A scream. The world goes red from pain. 

Annabeth POV

I screech as Percy flings himself in front of me. Luckily, the bullet only hits him in the calf because I was laying on the floor and my father had been standing. But the blood is coming out faster than it should, and I realize the small artery in Percy's calf has been hit. He's already unconscious from pain and blood loss.

My father looks at the pale teen in shock, but recovers quickly and points the gun at me again. Bang. I stare at my father's body on the floor, Thalia Grace standing over him. She looks at me, and I can no longer feel the pain coursing through my body from two weeks of beatings and no food. Adrenaline. Instead of laying there or thanking Thalia, I crawl over to Percy, salty tears stinging my wounds as he continues to lose blood. 

Without thinking, Thalia gets on the ground next to us and applies pressure to Percy's wound, while shoving her walkie talkie into her face. "I need some medics." She takes my sorry state in as my adrenaline starts to disappear, and my vision starts to blur. "Godsdamnit, I need some medics NOW. Hold on you stupid selfless morons. Oh gods. Please, please. Gods. Please." Those are the last words I hear before my vision is gone, my consciousness following soon after. 

Piper POV

Those Mafia guys never saw us coming. We we're behind them before they knew what was happening. I slammed the pommel my knife into two of their heads in rapid succession, watching them fall quick and fast. Hazel mimics my actions, and Leo uses the heavy gas canister of his blow torch to knock them out. Six down, three to go. Enraged, I ask, "Which one of you is Ugliano?"

Two of the guys look at the one in the middle and I say, "You're mine, bastard." Hazel and Leo shrug and rush the other two before they can fire their guns. I run at the ugly fat guy, and he hits me twice, hard, before I manage to judo flip him. Once he's on the ground, I kick him in the head, hard enough to daze him, but not to knock him out. This son of a bitch is going to be awake when I drive my knife through his heart. 

I kneel, bring my knife up, ready to drive it through his sternum. I begin to bring it down but then strong arms grab me from behind. A familiar voice says, "Don't Pipes. He's not worth it."

I turn to see Jason's face. I shrug him off and turn back to Ugliano. I bring my knife down on his head, reversing it last minute so the pommel slams into him, perhaps a little harder than necessary. Jason looks relieved. I look up at him and whisper, "Sorry." 

He looks at me and says, "As long as you never hit me that hard again, we're good." I smile a little and he puts his arms around me when I stand up, facing him. Then to my surprise, he pulls me in and kisses me. I smile as we break apart and I ask, "Where'd that come from?" 

He sighs and says quietly, "Nowhere. I've been waiting to do that since I met you.

I smile and whisper, "Good. I've wanted you to do that since we met."

From across the room Leo yells, "PDA! Geez beauty queen, you and staple eater need to get a room." I roll my eyes.

All I say is, "Let's go find Annabeth."

Hazel nods and we all stand up, and I see Nico, Will, and Hedge. I nod to them and say, "Sorry about earlier."

Nico shrugs and says, "Piper, I've made much worse choices. Selfish choices. Yours was at least for you friend."

Will looks at him sadly and says, "You were a kid. It wasn't your fault." 

Nico sighs sadly, but says nothing. The pained look on his face said everything I needed to know: that Will had said this a hundred times, and that no matter how many times he said it Nico wouldn't listen. I am about to say something but we suddenly hear noise in the tunnel coming from the direction of the house, and we all ready our weapons and sink into a fighting stance.

As the people round the corner, we face the Mafia... no, actually we see a few cops, the lead one being a very familiar face. Nico grins at his "friend," Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, as she rounds the corner in the uniform of a cop, and not just any cop. A detective. 

"Reyna? You're in highschool. How?" I ask dumb-founded.

She sends me a sly grin and says, "Graduated three years ago, earlier than my age allowed. And Thalia and Luke are young, not this young, but we're all just really good at our jobs. I've been working on drug busts undercover. It's actually really advantageous for the force." 

And then her face turns stern as she says, "And you better not tell anybody. Also, McLean, you're the most stubborn, annoying, brave idiot I've ever met. Also, don't you ever hit Nico again. Once was enough, he had a lump on his head for 3 weeks."

Nico awkwardly clears his throat, and before he says anything, Reyna looks at me, scandalized, "Really? Are you kidding me right now? I like you, McLean, BUT DON'T GO AROUND HITTING PEOPLE!" 

I just grin sheepishly while Jason, Leo, and Hazel laugh. Suddenly I remember, in horror, that we really need to find Annabeth and Percy. Reyna and her force round up the unconscious gangsters and I ask if we can go find our friends. Even as I'm about to ask, I hear Thalia's panicked voice on Reyna's comm. "I need some medics." It's all I need to see Reyna's stricken face to take off running towards the house, Leo, Hazel, and Jason behind me.

Vaguely, I hear Reyna yell at the other cops to stay and watch the Mafia as her feet pound after us. But I don't really care. I don't feel the pain from Ugliano's fists, or the chill in the air, or Jason's hand take mine when he finally reaches me. I don't hear him try to tell me they'll be okay.

All I can hear, over and over, is the fearless Thalia Grace's voice as she calls for medics. Terror. Hopelessness. Pain. 

I had to reach Annabeth. Because if she wasn't going to live, I sure as hell was going to get to say goodbye.