I held my hands behind my back the handcuffs were placed around my wrists. I thought this was going to be a normal day at the bank, but instead I was going to be captured. My name’s Annabeth Chase and this is my life after I divorced Percy.
My mother had put a curse on Percy about a year ago and I was forced to divorce him. If I hadn’t, he would have died from electric shock. If he died, it would have destroyed me.
I was shoved to the ground and kicked and punched. I would have done something, but my hands were bound, so I couldn’t do anything. “We’ll have to take a hostage.” A hard voice above me snarled.
“She’ll do. Come on.” I was pulled to my feet and about to be pushed into a big van when the glass doors exploded into little pieces that flew all over the ground, scraping my arms and legs. I bit my tongue to avoid screaming and looked up to see a guy dressed entirely in black standing in the door. He wore sunglasses and his face was serious.
“Let the girl go.” Even his voice was familiar. It couldn’t be…no. That’s impossible. We haven’t seen each other or heard from each other in over a year. There was no way….or maybe there was. His sunglasses covered his eyes, so I couldn’t tell if my theory was correct, but I knew that somehow, I was going to meet up with him again. One day.
“Let the girl go.” The voice was harsher this time.
“Make me.” One of my kidnappers yanked me to my feet, as if to use me as a human shield. The guy in black raised his gun higher so it wouldn’t hit me, and he could tell I had a plan. I bit down on his arm, knowing that I’d have to chew on soap for a month to get rid of the dirt taste in my mouth. I got him to release his hold on me, and I turned back to kick him in the stomach.
He staggered forward, and the shot gun went off, killing both my attackers. Everyone else that was hidden behind the teller lines ran out screaming. “Thank you.” I hugged him before I could stop myself, but he didn’t seem to mind.
“No problem, Annabeth.” Now I knew my theory was correct.
He removed his sunglasses, and I started to see those eyes that I’d known and loved for so long. “Percy!” I couldn’t stop myself, nor did I bother to try to stop myself, from jumping into another hug. He didn’t bother to stop himself from hugging me back either.
“I missed you so much.” He mumbled into my hair.
“I’ve missed you too. Has Athena bothered you?” I asked. He shook his head.
“I haven’t heard from you or her since….that day.” Pain flashed in his eyes.
“I swear, I didn’t-” I was cut off by yelling as more people who were dressed like Percy came through the door.
Choruses of, “Nice going Jackson!” and “Were you made to save the ladies or what?” rang through the crowd that mobbed him.
“Not exactly.” This was true. Percy was never much of a ladies’ man, but he had saved everyone a load of times.
“Who’s this?” A tall guy with brown hair, brown eyes and a red face, probably because he was tired, elbowed Percy.
“Annabeth.” Percy responded, though his eyes never left mine.
“Nice name. I’m Spencer. How long have you known Percy?” He asked. I still didn’t take my eyes off of Percy.
“Since we were twelve, so ten years.” I responded.
“I’m so glad the CIA hired you! You’re good with a gun!” One of his friends joked. Percy nodded and sighed.
“Back to the office.” His friends muttered unhappily. Percy nodded and sighed again, but looked down at the cuts on my arms and legs. I even noticed that some blood had gotten on Percy’s black T-shirt.
Percy held me at arm’s length and looked at the cuts. “We need to get you to the hospital. Now. These are really bad. Come on.” Before I could protest that I was fine, he dragged me to his car. I buckled my seat belt as he looked at him.
“Can’t you heal these?” I asked as he reached for a bottle of water.
“Yes. I just wanted to get you out of there. What were you trying to say?” He asked, spilling water over my cuts, which vanished easily.
“I wanted to say that I never wanted to divorce you. I love you. My mother made me. She said if I didn’t, you would get hurt.” Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn’t stop them from flowing over.
Percy wiped the tears away for me and gathered me in a hug. “Annabeth, sssh. I’ve always loved you. I stayed faithful to you at every moment. When I was doing my job, I was thinking what would happen if anyone hurt you? I couldn’t stand that. I love you.” The words came out in a rush, as though he couldn’t get these words out fast enough. He kissed my hair. “I never wanted anyone to hurt you.” He whispered as his kiss trailed over my face.
“I’m really sorry. I love you too. I never wanted anyone to hurt you either. That’s why I did what I did. What do we do now?” I asked. “You probably have a life now that doesn’t involve me.”
“Are you insane? I still have a life, and it certainly involves you. I love you. You still love me, I still love you. We’re getting married again. What else is there to do?” He grabbed my hands as he asked. We couldn’t.
“We can’t. My mother will only tear us apart again. We can’t be together if it hurts us. I can’t stand to see you hurt you.” Tears kept flowing out of my eyes and nothing could stop them.
“Sssh. Don’t cry anymore, please.” My breath hurt and I tried to hide it, but I don’t think I hid it that well when I winced in his ear. “Did they kick you? Those…” He bit his tongue to avoid cursing and sighed.
“It just hurts a little bit. It’s no big deal.” I responded, though it was a lie. Even my breath hurt, but I was more focused on making Percy feel better, not my well being.
“Annabeth let me take care of you. Be mine again. Please. I can’t live without you.” He grabbed my hands, begging in any way he knew how. I thought he was cute when he begged, but now he didn’t looked cute. Well, he did, but right now, he looked more frightened than cute. His eyes had a mixed look of fear and love.
“I can’t live without you either.” I whispered. His eyes gleamed with tears as he looked up at me. I never knew that Percy was the type to cry, but apparently, he was. “My mother will tear us apart again.” I reminded him as he wiped the tears off my cheeks.
“I don’t care. I love you. I won’t let anything keep us apart. I’ll fight my way back to you.” Before I could protest again, he kissed me, making the words fall out of my head. After a few seconds, he pulled away, and pushed my hair out of my eyes. “Will you marry me again, Annabeth?”
I looked down at the ring I’d kept since we’d gotten divorced; I’d never taken it off. How else was I supposed to respond to a plea like that?
“Of course I will.” I wrapped him in a hug with my arms wrapped around his neck as his hands wound around my shoulders. I thought, now this is perfect, but of course, everything for me that’s perfect has to get messed up.
Suddenly, a pain exploded in my back, and I screamed. Percy looked at my back and noticed that my white T-shirt was stained with more blood. My eyesight got to the point where I could barely keep them open anymore and I closed them as Percy cried into my hair. “Annabeth!” He screamed as my head fell back.