Dream: Percabeth AU✔️

16

What's wrong with being confident? 

Percy's POV:

"For the love of...ouch! Would you stop that!" Thalia says and she and Leo struggle to untangle the picks so I can climb the tower, but they aren't getting very far because Leo keeps accidentally elbowing her as he struggles to untangle cords and what not.

Rolling my eyes, I gaze at the scenery laid out before me. Soon I begin to recognize more and more. It is when I see the vines covering the entrance to the tunnel, that I notify Will, "Tell the driver to stop right outside of those vines!"

Will exchanges word with the driver and in no time, we're getting off the hay trolley and waving him goodbye. Turning around, I open the vines with my arms. The tunnel behind shows itself and I feel the stares of my fellow peers, drilling holes into my backside.
"This way," I call to them, as I begin to walk through, over my shoulder.

Entering the hollow tunnel, the sound of our footsteps echo. "So, she lives in a tunnel?" I hear Leo ask.

Looking briefly over my shoulder at him, I answer, "No, but I wasn't lying when I said she has been cooped up all her life ever since."

Nobody says anything from there and we continue to make our way through. Time goes on and soon I find us at another set of vines. Spreading my arms out wide, I open the vines, revealing a massive valley with cliffs all around, a grande waterfall behind the soaring tower.

"Whoa," I hear Piper comment.

"Definitely 'whoa'," Jason laughs, craning his head around.

Nico taps his foot, "She's been here all along?" I nod my head. "I can't count how many times I have passed that vine entrance," He sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"If I knew she was this close, I would've come and got her," Piper says, her awe tone changing to a sad tone.

Everyone nods and I gaze at them sadly, "Sorry to break up this little discovery moment, but uh, we need to get to her."

"The last one to the tower is a rotten potato!!" Leo shouts, sprinting across the valley.

"Oh no, you don't!" Frank and Jason shout, bolting after him.

I laugh and join, Piper, Thalia, and Hazel at my side, running. When I look back, I see Nico and Will walking hand in hand with us, shaking their heads and snickering.

Arriving at the base, I glance up at it, the sun blinding the living daylights out of me.

"I BEAT YOU! HA!" Leo shouts, dancing around Jason, Thalia, and Frank, shaking his butt.

Thalia holds up her hands, "I was two seconds off of you Valdez, don't get cocky."

"It's called being confidence sweetheart," Leo flips his curly brown hair. Sassy, I think smirking.

Jason and Frank have to both hold her back, "Enough, we need to get Percy up there."

***

When I arrive, I pull myself in. The tower sounds eerie quite I think, shivering a little. Looking up I see a sight I would never want to see again. Annabeth sits on the floor, her wrists bound in chains and a gag over her mouth. She begins to scream at me and I step back a little, I totally forgot about her hating me for a second.

Coming up to her, I take off the gag and I'm telling you, all hell breaks loose. "WHY? YOU JERK, YOU SON OF A THUG, YOU TORE ME APART AND YOU DIDN'T CARE, NOT FOR A SECOND YOU BAS-"

"WHOA!" I raise my voice, covering her mouth with my hand for a second. "First things first and then you can yell at me to your heart's content."

She shakes her head, "No, I'm not going anywhere until you tell me." That's my stubborn Wise Girl, I think smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

Snapping out of it, I sigh. "Look, I was protecting you-"

"PROTECTING ME?" She screams at me again.

"Do you want to hear the truth or not Wise Girl?" She goes silent and I nod my head, "Okay, so..." The entire time I am telling her, her eye contact does not break mine, which I'm not going to lie, was very intimidating. Upon finishing, I lean back, putting my hands behind me and wait.

"You did that...for me?" She whispers faintly.

Running a tired hand through my hair, I say, "Of course Annabeth, I told you before that I've never felt anything like this with anyone until I met you, everything I told you on the boat was the truth." I think for a second, "Actually, even the restroom part, I didn't have time to go, but I did have to go."

Annabeth rolls her eyes playfully at the last comment, smiling. "You are such a dork."

Using Leo's comment from before I smirk, "It's called confident sweetheart."

Before she can say another word, a menacing voice cuts through the air. "Oh, how sweet, the two star-crossed lovers are finally reuniting."

"No thanks to you," Annabeth retorts.

I turn around to see Luke, Ethan, and a middle-aged woman. "So you're her kidnapper," I say.

The woman balls her hands in fists, "I am her mother."

Annabeth growls, "You were NEVER my mother!"

"Hush hush darling, this will all be over soon," The woman says, patting the air like a mother would the head. Her gaze shifts to Luke, "Take care of him."

I hold up a hand. "Luke, you don't have to do this."

"Nonsense," The woman scoffs.

Ignoring her, I keep my eyes on Luke. "This is not you." 

"You don't know me Jackson," Luke sneers, attacking me with a sword. I have just enough time to grab a frying pan from the kitchen counter. Sheesh. 

I continue, not losing hope, "You don't want to hurt us." Luke jabs at me again and I dodge, rolling to the floor and getting back up. "We're on the same side. This is not you, Luke," I repeat. 

"Jackson, you know nothing about how I became who I became," Luke breathes, as I counter him. 

"I may not, but I do know that we choose who we want to be and I know that deep down inside of you, you know that's true." 

"AHHHH," Luke attacks again. 

"Seriously," I mutter to myself, throwing up the frying pan to defend myself and block him. 

Annabeth's POV: 

Percy and Luke were fighting, Luke with a sword and Percy...with a frying pan. Helen seems to be bickering with Ethan about something. And I? Well, I'm fighting to unlock my hands from the chain. This is chaotic.

I watch Percy try to reason with Luke, and I see Luke slowing down each time. "And I know," Percy says softly, throwing the frying pan to the ground. "That you're going to choose to be a better person." 

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a slim shard of glass. Slowly, I make my way over to it, straining to grab it in my hands. Once I have it, I twist it towards the lock over my wrists and jam it in, feeling clicks every time I twist.

When I feel the sweet release of the lock, I look up, brushing a wisp of hair from my face. Percy stands, his back to me. Luke throws his weapon aside, shocking me. "You're right. I didn't sign up for this." That isn't what grabs my attention, however. Ethan begins to creep up behind him, as I spot Helen grabbing something out of a drawer.

My eyes narrow and I spot a glimmer from the sun shooting in, off of the object in Ethan's hand. A knife. It all happens so fast I can't process it. One minute I'm on the floor watching in horror, the next I'm standing in front of Percy, with a knife being cut into me. I cry out in pain as the knife enters my side.

That's when Helen comes to the side with a knife as well, going in to kill Percy. Breathing heavily, I struggle to remain standing, sharp pain piercing through me every moment I move. My hand comes up and locks around Helen's wrist, stopping her from stabbing Percy. She shrieks in frustration, dangerous, menacing eyes flickering towards me. "You will not hurt him," I say dangerously, growling. "And you will never rule my life again!"

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HoO. I do not own Rapunzel. I do not own these characters.