A/N: Nope. Not gonna apologize for updating late. Something came up and I needed to deal with it.

Most part of this chapter is flashback and a lot of important information that will come into play for Part 2 are revealed here, so I suggest you guys pay attention.

ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWasted: Here it is now. :D

iheartpickles: I know. And very much thankful for each review that you leave. :)

AncientTide: I didn't really think of it that way, but thank you. That made me smile. :D

RachelChaseJackson: Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Thank you so much, though, for each of your reviews. Indeed, Amara is Gaea. More backstory coming soon. And don't worry, I'm in love with long reviews. I read all of them, so please, keep 'em coming. :D

Got a question, though: A GUEST posted a review, and it's actually your review, only the wording has been changed. Was that you, too? If yes, thank you. :D

DareRelaqz: I am, aren't I? :)

IMPORTANT: This is the last chapter for Part 1 and do read the end note for a small announcement.

DON'T JUST READ, LEAVE A REVIEW!

o.O.o

DEMONS

Chapter 20: DANCE BACK FROM THE GRAVE

1998

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Cassandra Barton was not happy.

And no, it had nothing to do with the fact that she was about to be sent on what could possibly be the deadliest mission that had ever been authorized. It also had nothing to do with the idea of her being surrounded by people so much more experienced and older than she was - she was not easily intimidated.

No. Her annoyance stemmed from the person sitting across from her, who, incidentally, was also her partner for this mission. He was arrogant, self-centered and an absolute idiot.

At least an idiot for her standard.

The big bosses claimed that Seymour was one of the best that had ever joined them. Cassandra said he was the only pig-headed one in their midst. She did try to reason with them that she could do it on her own, that she was better off by herself. After all, they had to be as inconspicuous as possible, therefore just sending two of them instead of a dozen, but she was told she needed someone to be her eyes and ears while she was inside. She knew they had a point.

She agreed begrudgingly.

"If things go according to plan, you should be out of there right after the event," said Thomas, one of the oldest one in their group in terms of years in service, while she was the youngest, both in terms of age and duration of being one of them. "Seymour, you will be here for extraction," he continued, pointing to the back end of the hotel where the event was to be held. "We have cleared a path for you and made flight arrangements to get you out of the country."

He looked at her as though seizing her up. Cassandra subconsciously straightened in her chair, knowing very well what that look meant. She hated these people looking at her like she couldn't handle being one of them. They were always skeptical around her, giving her mostly desk jobs and communications because of her young age. It was precisely for the same reason why she was the only one who could infiltrate the organization and get the information they needed.

"Cassandra, we need you as close to her as possible," said Thomas.

She scowled. "Do not call me that. Not here."

Thomas grinned. "All right, Cassandra, she kept this storage device on her at all times and could only be accessed by her - "

"Then why bring her?" asked Seymour. "We both know that she does her job better here, away from all the actions. Have her just stay here and do those typing things she does."

Cassandra glared at him. "Well, Seymour, you haven't seen me out there. I can take this mission all by myself; I don't even know why they're sending you with me when the way you walk is louder than a herd of enraged bulls - that will be enough to alert every single one of her men."

Seymour burst out laughing. "That kind of thinking, my dear, will get you caught."

"Why, you - "

"Enough," Thomas cut off firmly. "We do not have time for this. The plane will land in half an hour and we wouldn't have anymore briefing aside this one so I suggest you both listen." Thomas was an easy-going guy, that Cassandra could tell from being around him, but he could be truly authoritative if he wanted to. Very so that even Seymour listened to him. "As I was saying the data in the device can only be accessed by her, but Tech division had developed this," he said, placing a diamond-shaped black button in the middle of the table. Both she and Seymour leaned forward to inspect it.

"What does it do?" asked Seymour.

"It emits the same frequency and waves that the storage device runs and will allow us to get into it undetected, review whatever's in it and get what we need," Thomas explained.

"How do we know that they have the same frequency?" she asked.

Thomas looked at her and smiled approvingly. "Good question," he said. "That's something you need not to worry about - "

"I don't want to leave anything to chance," she interrupted. "I'm walking into the lion's den and I don't want to find out in the middle of it that what's supposed to be my weapon won't work due to some technicalities."

Seymour laughed, but didn't say anything. Even Thomas gave a chuckle. "I can assure you that this will do exactly what it needs to do," he said playfully, though a note in his tone dared her to question his claim.

Cassandra leaned back and crossed her arms. "If you say so."

"Good," Thomas nodded. "Now this will only read her device and detect the data when you're near enough, which is twelve feet. You need to make sure you are within that distance, make sure not to draw attention to yourself and stay there until we get what we need. Tech will take care of the rest."

"And me," Seymour put in. "Don't forget me."

"And Seymour," Thomas amended. He turned his eyes on her. "She is a very clever and dangerous woman. Had there been another way to do this, I wouldn't have let you go in there, but if we are to save those children, we need to move now."

"I can do this," she said, in a way that left her wondering whether she was convincing them or herself.

"I do not doubt that," Thomas replied. "I do not, also, feel right sending you, but like I've said, we need to do this now. No room for mistakes."

Even Seymour turned serious as he replied. "We'll do it," he said simply.

"We will," Cassandra agreed.

"Very well, then," Thomas said in a clear dismissal. "I will make sure that everything is prepared. I will speak to you in a week."

He gathered his belongings and gave her one last look before leaving the room. That look chilled Cassandra's spine.

It was as if Thomas was already planning his funeral.

o.O.o

48 hours later

Location: Lotus Casino Hotel. Las Vegas, Nevada

Cassandra Barton was, once again, annoyed.

And no, this time it had nothing to do with Seymour, nor his sarcastic, less than witty, comments. This time, it was because of the silver silk dress and red high heels she had to wear. She tried to reason with Thomas that she could do better with a button down shirt and pants, but the piece of diamond she was given - she thought of it as a diamond, otherwise she would've been a nervous wreck - was disguised as a button on the matching handbag she was provided with.

"I hate this," she murmured, pulling on the edge of her dress to cover her thighs more. "What kind of evil invented these things?"

"Tailors," chuckled Seymour. "They're not that bad. You actually look good. For once."

Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "Excuse me, but I think you accidentally gave me a compliment," she said sharply.

"I did, didn't I?" he replied easily.

"Is that what you tell all your girlfriends?" she asked. "Is that how you get women in your bed?"

Seymour looked at her. "Excuse me, but I think you accidentally accused me of being a lover boy."

"I wouldn't call you that," she replied. "More like a humongous playboy."

"I've only dated one woman in my entire life," he shared. "I'm still dating her."

Cassandra raised her eyebrows. "You have a girlfriend?"

Seymour grinned. "The surprise on your voice is very discouraging." He typed in some commands on his computer and live feed from inside the hotel showed up on his screen. "And no, I do not have a girlfriend. I do, however, have a wife. And two boys."

"Oh," she replied.

Seymour produced a picture from his wallet and showed it to her. In it were three people: a beautiful brown-haired woman, a boy of about ten and a toddler sitting on her lap. "He looks like a mini you," she observed, pointing to the baby.

"Yeah," Seymour agreed. "Percy's a real handful, but is very smart and clever. He already talks, although I do not understand any of it."

Despite herself, Cassandra smiled. "He sounds adorable."

"He is. Very much," Seymour said, pride shining in his eyes. "What about your family?"

Before she could respond, though, the device in her ear beeped and a voice spoke, "It's time."

Seymour nodded. He fiddled with the mic on his lips. "Test," he said. "Can you hear me?"

The anxiety returned and Cassandra found herself snapping again. "Of course I hear you."

"I know; you're right beside me."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

"Will you just - "

"I think it's time you go in there," Seymour cut her off. She glanced to her side to see people starting to pour in, all dressed more or less the same as her. Cassandra took a deep breath and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you in the back," he added.

"Yeah," she said, tugging on her dress one more time before stepping out of the car.

The hotel definitely was top of the class and was clearly reserved only for the elite. There was also only a handful of people invited. Lucky for her, and through unknown means, Tech division was able to place her on the list.

"Name please?" a stern woman asked at the entrance.

"K-Katherine Banks," she stammered, nearly forgetting the identity she was given.

The woman skimmed over the list and stopped on one name. "Thank you for gracing us with our presence this evening, Ms. Banks," she said, forcing on a smile.

"Thank you," she said, stepping inside the premises.

Cassandra would've spent time inspecting the inside architecture of the hotel, if not for Seymour speaking in her ear. "Remember: look for possible exits, check the people around you and do not draw too much attention to yourself." She jumped slightly and immediately tried to cover it up by fixing her hair, something she had never really done.

"Do not startle me like that," she spoke softly, barely opening her lips.

Seymour chuckled again. "My apologies, Cassandra."

"Do not call me that," she hissed.

A pair of arms on her waist made her turn. A man of about thirty was looking at her like she was a piece of meat. "What does a beautiful, young woman like you doing here?" he asked.

She glared at him. "Touch me again and I'll make sure you will never be able to use your friend downstairs again," she threatened, walking away.

"Well that was awkward," said Seymour.

"Shut up."

He didn't reply right away, and when he did, she knew their mission was on. "12 o'clock," he said.

Cassandra spun and caught sight of her walking into the room, her arm looped around the arm of an attractive young man. The pictures she was shown didn't do justice on how beautiful she was. Her brown hair was cascading in curls over one shoulder; her make up was heavily applied but not overdone: dramatic highlights on her eyelids, a dust of blush on her cheeks and deep red lips; her cream-colored dress had a high waist, hugging her slender figure.

"Gaea," she whispered in awe.

"Yes, that's her," Seymour said. "You need to be as close to her as possible."

Cassandra mentally nodded. She went over to where the stage was setup. Gaea was up front on the podium. "Good evening," she greeted. "I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone here for being with us tonight and for the generous donations you have made."

People around her clapped. "Not close enough," Seymour said.

"I know," she said. "Give me a moment."

Waiters were going around, handing guests glasses of champagne.

"I've always wanted to give back to communities who welcome me and my company," Gaea continued. "And through your assistance, I will finally be able to do so, in this beautiful city." She looked around until her eyes landed on Cassandra, a small smile touching her lips. "I know that you will embrace me, and my extended family, just as much as we embrace you." She raised her glass. "To a wonderful partnership," she toasted.

People all raised their glasses and copied her.

"Now, it has always been a little tradition of ours to commence the evening with a dance, so please pick your partner and join us." Gaea stepped down the stage and took the hand of the young man she was with earlier. People around her all found themselves a partner while she made her way closer to where Gaea was.

"Perfect distance," Seymour said. "Tech said you need to stay close to her until they finish downloading the information."

"How long?"

"ETD: 8 minutes."

"ETD?"

"Estimated Time of Download," Seymour said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm pretty sure there's no such term," she said.

"I just coined it," said Seymour. "Now go find yourself a partner; you look silly just standing there."

Sadly, Cassandra agreed with him. She did a quick surveillance and saw the man who felt her up earlier. She gritted her teeth but knew she didn't have any choice. "Oh, no. Not him."

"Got a better idea?" she murmured as she caught the man's eyes and spread her arms. He grinned and made his way over to her.

Her stomach knotted in disgust when the man placed his hands on her hips but she held herself back. "Why the change of heart?"

She shrugged. "I love to dance, but there is no one available," she said.

"So I'm a last resort?" he asked, grin still in place.

"And here I thought all you do is feel women up," she said, not bothering to conceal her annoyance.

"I like challenges," he said. "And you, my dear definitely are one."

"Cassandra, she's getting away," said Seymour.

She whipped her head and saw that Gaea was walking away. Thomas had said she needed to maintain at least twelve feet to make sure the data download wouldn't be interrupted, and right now she was almost beyond that distance from her.

"Hey, I'm speaking to you," the man said, drawing her closer.

Cassandra brought her knee up and hit him in the groin. He wheezed as he fell down on the floor, hands between his legs. "And you should know never to disrespect a woman" she said, rushing to the direction where Gaea disappeared. "Is the download still on?" she asked. There was nothing but silence on the device in her ear. "Seymour?" she called. There was nothing. "Seymour!" There was a static but no idiotic comments from her partner.

Fine, she thought. You're playing games, huh? "Poseidon!"

There was still no response as she rounded the corner, only to come face to face with the metal barrel of a gun.

o.O.o

"Cassandra?" Seymour called into his device. She had gone silent right after he informed her that Gaea had exited the ballroom area. "Cassandra!"

He pressed a button on his ear to switch into a different frequency, one that would allow him to speak to the nerds back at the center. "Olympus, this is Poseidon, I need communication to be re-established." There was a faint hum in his ear, but no response. "Olympus, I need communication."

He waited but there was still none. "Shit," he cursed. Gaea must've a frequency jammer. He checked his monitor, only to stop at what he was seeing. It was a hallway and Cassandra was facing a uniformed man who was pointing a gun at her.

Poseidon grabbed his gun and got out of his vehicle. He'd be damned if he let anything happened to that girl. She was only eighteen, and yet he could tell she'd be one of their best. She was cunning, skilled and very clever. Not to mention that she had a family to look after.

"Sir, the event has already started," a woman at the entrance tried to stop him. He sidestepped her and dashed inside. "Sir!"

This was exactly what Thomas wanted them to avoid: drawing attention to themselves, but Poseidon believed he didn't have another option. Communication to Olympus was down, Cassandra was facing someone dangerous and he needed to do something about it.

Poseidon burst into the hallway where Cassandra was, only to be greeted by the sight of her being held with a gun to her head.

He drew his own gun and took aim, though he knew it was pointless. For him to shoot the guy, he would need Cassandra out of the way. "Let her go," he said, carefully finding a weak spot.

"No," the guy said. "She dared to cross us, thereby she needed to pay."

"How about I make you pay?" he snarled.

The man smiled. "Cockiness masking fear. How transparent." He pressed the gun tighter against her temple and she winced.

Poseidon took aim. "Cassandra, I need you to do what you did to Enoch last week."

"I told you not to call me that," she said through gritted teeth.

He paid no attention to her comment. "Can you do it?"

As an answer, Cassandra whipped her head back, her hair catching the man's face. He stepped back, eyes red. Cassandra, knowing what was to come next, dove out of the way, just as Poseidon put two bullets in his chest.

He bent down and grabbed her arm. "We need to abort the mission," he said.

"But -"

"There they are!"

They both looked up to see six guys rushing to where they were. "Come on." He spun around, bringing his gun up. He didn't see it until it happened. There was a flash of metal, a spurt of red and intense pain shot up through his entire arm. He looked down to see his severed right hand on the floor, still grasping the gun.

"No!" Cassandra screamed behind him. There was another gunshot and a loud thud. Poseidon spun, but everything seemed to be happening in a much slower pace. The guns trained at him, the determined faces of the men around him. They were all happening as though in slow motion.

That was until he saw the body on the floor.

"No!" he screamed. "Athena!"

But Cassandra Barton - or Athena, as she was called in Olympus - was unresponsive. She had a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead and her eyes were open, lifeless.

A bullet hitting him in the shoulder jolted Poseidon back to action. He dove forward and grabbed his gun. Of course, doing so, he was forced to acknowledge the fact that his hand had been cut off and his arm was still bleeding heavily. He didn't care, though. With precision he got from years of training, he took aim and brought them down one by one. He aimed for head, throat or heart, so each shot meant death. He kept firing, killing Gaea's people until he ran out of bullets, but more men kept pouring in.

He tossed the gun aside and pressed himself tight against the wall. Dozens of guns were trained on him but no one was shooting.

"Do not kill him," a voice commanded. A voice that Poseidon recognized.

He looked up, only to feel fire running through his veins. "You," he spat.

Thomas smiled. "Me." He glanced beside him and his eyes fell on Athena's dead body. He had a look of indifference on, but Poseidon thought he saw a hint of remorse. That didn't matter, though, as he launched himself at him, only to be stopped by two of Thomas' goons.

"You traitor!" he yelled.

"I didn't want you finding out this way, but still," said Thomas. He brought out a gun and aimed at his chest. "You know too much now. We can't have you running around trying to stop Gaea."

"You're a fucking coward." He struggled to get free, but he was already weak from blood loss. "You're siding with them? The demons? The ones we'd been trying to stop all these years? They need to be destroyed!"

Thomas sighed. "I know you think that, but you will change your mind," he said and pulled the trigger.

o.O.o

ANNABETH

Present day,

Chaos reigned.

Screams from all over the gym as gunshots rang. It wasn't continuous but were in irregular intervals, which made detecting the next one that much harder.

I was still on the floor and Percy was covering my body with his as shards of glass rained down on us. He was looking at me, panic very much evident in his eyes.

"Percy," I muttered.

"Let's go," he said urgently as he took hold of my arm and dragged me to my feet. The gunshots had abated and students were all starting to run around, screaming.

I kicked off my heels and let Percy drag me to wherever he thought was safe. We were moving with the current of our schoolmates, who were all heading to the exit.

That was until I saw Nico lying on the floor on a puddle of his own blood. His eyes were closed and he was unmoving. Will and Hazel were hovering above him, both of them crying.

"No!"

It wasn't me who screamed but Percy. His eyes were wide as he took in the sight of his wounded friend. He surged forward, only to be stopped by another gunshot.

"Percy!" I took hold of his wrist and dragged him away. It pained me to not know if Nico was dead or what, but we didn't really have a choice. We were going to die if we stayed there. Besides, I knew it was no random attack. There was only one possible person who could've sent the shooters. If I was right, staying in the gym would further endanger my schoolmates. "Percy, we need to go."

"No," he said, fighting against me. "Nico. I need to make sure if he's all right."

Before I could try and convince him to move, a voice spoke through a loud speaker. "Percy Jackson." It was a woman's voice. All the runnings and screaming stopped. "I am after Percy Jackson. Hand him over and these attacks will stop." I looked around as people I'd known for four years looked at us, more specifically to Percy, like we suddenly became lethal.

Of course in their eyes, he was.

"You have an hour, if he remains free until then . . . let's just say New York will have one less school. One hour."

There was a burst of static and the speaker went dead. Percy and I were in the middle of a circle, with seniors all looking at us. "What are you doing?" Brittany cried out. "Someone grab him!"

There was complete silence as we all waited what was going to happen next. I looked around, silently pleading for them not to do it while Percy . . . I wasn't even sure if he was hearing any of it. His eyes were focused on our unconscious friend being dragged out by Will and Hazel, leaving a trail of blood in their wake. The rest of our group was watching us, unsure of what to do.

Then someone stepped forward and grabbed Percy. Or at least tried to. The air hissed and Jeremy Hines fell on the floor.

Heads turned and I gasped at what I saw. He was standing there, not in the wheelchair he was confined to, a gun on his hand.

"Run, Percy!" Horace screamed.

I ignored the questions running in my head and tightened my hold on Percy's wrist, dragging him out of the gymnasium. It was hard, as Percy was nearly twice my weight and he wasn't exactly cooperating. We weren't far enough but I was momentarily relieved that where I lead us was the boiler room. No one but the geeks thought of going here so I knew we had a little bit of time. I halted and turned to face him. "Percy, I need you to work with me. Please."

"Nico's hurt," he murmured. "And Horace . . ."

"I know," I panted. "He's . . . he's not crippled. I don't know what's happening but we need to get out of here."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I need to get out of here a draw their fire away from the school. I need to make them focus on me and not you."

"No, Percy - "

"No!" he snapped. I could feel him getting over his panic and slipping back into the old him. "You need to go and hide. I face them on my own terms. Run and make sure they follow me. Only when I'm far enough will I hand myself over."

"You're crazy! I'm not letting you get hurt!"

"Such sentiment," someone commented behind us. We both turned around to see Gaea standing on the doorway.

"How did you find us here?" asked Percy.

Gaea tsked. "You're asking the wrong question, Percy," she said, walking to where we are. "I'm here to collect the payment for your girlfriend and friends' safety."

"Safety?!" Percy yelled. "You killed Nico! That deal is voided!"

Gaea raised her eyebrows. "Very well, then." She took out a hand gun and pointed it at me. "If that is the case, you can say goodbye to your girlfriend here."

I closed my eyes as she squeezed the trigger.

The light bulb beside my head burst. I gasped as I felt sharp shards run down my arm.

"Fuck you!" Percy screamed, throwing himself at Gaea.

Someone stepped in before he could make contact, though. He grabbed Percy on the throat and threw him across me like he weighed nothing. "Hello," he said to me, like we were old friends meeting. "I'm Kronos."

"Do not talk to her, " Percy hissed, bringing himself upright.

"Now, now," Gaea chastised. "No need for hostilities, boys. I am here simply for business. Percy, your target is in the building. He is the reason why my men are here and why they started shooting. He's also the reason why Nico is dead. You need to hold your end of the bargain if you do not wish Annabeth to follow."

"You're insane if you think I will still do it," Percy snarled

Gaea sighed. "This all would be easier if you just do it," she said. "I really don't want to use them, but motivation and all." She held out her hand and Kronos handed her a tablet computer. She typed in some commands and turned it around. My breath got caught in my throat.

It was everyone: Thalia, Jason, Piper, Leo, Calypso, Frank, Hazel and even Will. They were all tied and gagged with guns pointed to their heads. "Let's put a clock on it now, shall we?" Gaea told Percy. Kronos turned another phone to us, a stopwatch showing thirty minutes. "Kill him before the time runs out. Fail and I will kill them one by one. If they're all dead and your target is still alive, you will turn your gun on your girlfriend. Fail to kill her and I blow up the entire school. It's really your choice, Percy. You have thirty minutes." She pressed the start button and numbers ran down like crazy.

"You're a fucking psycho," Percy said. "You will kill innocent people for one man?!"

"I will turn that back to you," said Gaea. "Will you let your friends die, possibly your girlfriend, too, and everyone in this school in exchange for one life?" Percy was unable to answer. "Now you have twenty-nine minutes."

She tossed the gun on the floor, next to Percy's feet and went out of the boiler room. Kronos handed Percy the phone he was holding. "You'll find him with this," he said, then followed Gaea shortly.

"Why did you make that deal, Percy? What were you thinking?!" I demanded.

He faced me, his eyes burning in rage. "Wouldn't you have done the same thing if I was in danger?!"

"No! I wouldn't have made a deal with the she-devil, knowing very well that not one single thing is going to come out of it!"

Percy scoffed as he picked up the gun. "If it's between you being safe and me killing someone, then I have a clear choice."

I threw my hands in anger. "Well, if it's between my survival and you trading a piece of your soul to kill someone innocent, then I, too, have a clear choice." I stood on the doorway, blocking his path.

"Do not be melodramatic, Annabeth," he said impatiently. "It's not something I haven't done before."

"You didn't know what you were doing!" I answered hotly. "This - you killing someone consciously - there is no coming back from it. This is going to haunt you forever."

He gave a dark chuckle. "Reyna's death already do. Hylla's death already do. Gabe's suffering already do. This will be nothing."

"I'm not going to let you," I said firmly.

"This isn't just about you," said Percy. "This is about your friends. This is about the entire school. They have already killed Nico and I'm not letting someone else die because of me."

"I'm not letting you kill someone!"

"I'm sorry, Annabeth, but you don't have a say in this matter," he said, pushing me aside and leaving the boiler room.

"Percy!" I called, following him.

"Stay behind, Annabeth," he answered. "If you don't want to see your boyfriend kill someone, I suggest you stay behind."

"There is no way I'm letting you do this!"

He turned back to me. "Shut up, Annabeth!" I fell silent. He had never spoken to me like that. Never had he raised his voice to me that way. "Just stop talking and let me do some killing."

The phone Kronos gave him beeped. "He's here," he said. "Go."

"No."

He clenched his fist and punched me. No, he wasn't targeting me. My ear rang as his fist came in contact with the metal door of a locker next to me. "I'm not gonna let you get hurt."

"Percy . . ."

"No."

"Get down!" I screamed, tackling Percy to the ground as a bullet ricocheted off the wall.

I looked up to try and get a look at the person attacking us. I couldn't make anything of his appearance for it was dark, but I could tell he was taller than Percy by about three inches and more muscular. He had a gun on his hand and was aiming at us.

Percy regained his footing as he rushed to attack the man while I stood up and tried to find something to defend us with. I wasn't going to let Percy kill him, but I also wasn't going to let him hurt my boyfriend.

Percy was tossed aside and I surged forward. I really didn't have anything on me, except the martial arts lesson I had as a kid. I swung my fist but he ducked and slammed into me. My chest burst in pain as I came in contact with the wall.

"Don't hurt her!" Percy screamed, shoving the man away from me. They both lose footing and went rolling on the floor. They fought, punched, kicked and tried to gain advantage while I sat there, trying to regain my breathing.

The man ended up on top of Percy. My boyfriend, however, was no longer fighting. Instead, he was looking shocked at the figure above him. "You," he whispered.

The man brought his arm up and brought his gun down hard against the side of Percy's face, knocking him unconscious.

I shot to my feet. "No!" But before I could do something, a foul-smelling cloth covered my mouth and nose, then everything dissolved into infinite darkness.

I woke up, expecting to be in a cell, or a basement, or a broom closet. Anything except the nice room I was in. It even looked like a hotel suite.

I sat up and saw that I was not alone in the room. "Hello, Annabeth," Kronos said.

"Where am I?" I ask. "Where's Percy? Where are my friends?"

"Your friends are fine," he said. "Even Nico."

I shook my head. "No. He's dead."

"I can assure you, he is not. Yes, he was shot, but it was not fatal. He was taken out of the school just in time to be taken to the hospital."

"You expect me to believe you?"

"No," said Kronos. "But maybe you'll believe him."

The door opened and someone else came in. I could tell from his stature and built that he was the man Percy was targeting.

He looked at me and I got the feeling that he was someone I knew, which was ridiculous because I hadn't seen him before. "Hello, Annabeth," he said.

I recognized his voice. "That was you," I whispered. "You sent the text message. Months ago, you were the one on the phone. You told me to stay away from Percy. You sent me the disc . . . the disc of Reyna's killing."

"I did," he said. "I did all those things, hoping you would listen and not be with him. It is clear you didn't."

"No, because there is no way I'm abandoning him," I said.

"That is one choice you no longer have at this point, Annabeth." He paused and sat down in front of me. "I did tell you that war is coming and what happened at your school is only the beginning."

"What war exactly are you saying? A war between you - Gaea's puppets - and the police? Against the FBI? You're waging a war against a force you cannot hope to compete."

"You underestimate our reach, Annabeth," said Kronos. "You do not know the kind of connections we have."

"And you're underestimating the government."

"Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth," Kronos chuckled. I hated the way he said my name. It sounded awful. "Gaea had been in operation for more than twenty five years. Have you seen them coming close to destroying Gaea?"

"That's enough," the other man interrupted. He looked at me. "I'm afraid you misunderstand my intentions, Annabeth. We are indeed here to see this through the end. This will stop, one way or the other." He paused. "But before we go into details, don't you recognize me?"

"I do. Percy was supposed to kill you," I answered quickly, although there was a voice in the back of my head telling me that I was ignoring something crucial.

"Indeed, he was, but you are leaving the most important part out," he said. "Look me in the eyes and tell me what you see."

I did, and that's when it dawned on me. I did know him, maybe not personally but his face . . . I'd seen it before, on someone else's. Someone that I know very well.

But it's impossible . . .

"No," I whispered. "It can't be."

He nodded grimly. "I am Percy's target," he repeated. "And it also happened that I am his father."

o.O.o

A/N:Be ready for . . .

Reckless Behavior. Endless Pursuit

PART 2: OUTLAWS OF LOVE

Chapter 21: FRUIT OF A POISONED TREE

o.O.o

A/N:So, yeah. I will be taking some time off. One month, probably two.I don't know. I need it, due to some changes happening in my life right now. Besides, I haven't mapped out Part 2 yet. I do know what's gonna happen, I know how it's gonna end, but I don't want to screw it up. I want it planned carefully, so please bear with me.

Something I would like to share are songs that helped me write this part:

PERCY

Underneath - Adam Lambert

Unchangeable - Matthew West

Demons - Imagine Dragons

Monster - Imagine Dragons

Waiting Game - Banks

Don't Deserve You - Plumb

Sorry That I Love You - Clooney

Cut - Plumb

For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert

Anchor - Colton Dixon

Down - Jason Walker

Someone to Fall Back On - Ally Michalka

With Love - Christina Grimmie

The A Team - Ed Sheeran

ANNABETH

Gravity - Sara Bareilles

The Healing Has Begun - Matthew West

Brick By Boring Brick - Paramore

Broken Girl - Mattew West

Outlaws of Love - Adam Lambert

Just Like Me - Paramore

I'll Never Go - David Archuleta

It Is What It Is - Lifehouse

Skinny Love - Birdy

How to Love - Christina Grimmie

Let Me Love You - Ne-Yo

Unconditionally - Katy Perry

o.O.o

So, yeah. See you guys.