Chapter Text
“I really do like this jacket,” Annabeth said, on a particularly chilly walk from Sally’s to the subway station.
“I’m glad you do, seeing as you’re the one wearing it most of the time.” Percy had been left in just his short-sleeved black shirt and gray sweatpants. Annabeth loved him in a shirt that showed off all the benefits of her husband being a certified gym-bro, and Percy didn’t mind the cold like his wife did, who would complain that anything below 50 degrees is cruel and unusual punishment.
They walked in silence for a little, at first holding hands then severing the connection so Annabeth could shove her hands in her pockets and act like a little wind was the cruellest torture in the world.
“How's work, by the way?” She asked as they finally descended to the subway. She swiped her metrocard while Percy jumped the rail.
“It’s good! I checked on a few families today, and we are making some good progress reuniting Natalie with her mom, now that her mom’s been clean for a few months. Oh, and the kid that came in a few weeks ago, another schizophrenia case? Well I got a call from Frank that she arrived at the rehabilitation facility in California.”
Annabeth grinned. He was such a superhero, a social worker who worked tirelessly to beat the system and get kids to good homes. She knew he had a pretty rough time with his first step father, and he was just trying to give back. For some reason, every kid that had any mental aberration got sent straight to her husband, who had dyslexia and ADHD, and had contacts out in San Francisco for good homes for kids with any complaints of ‘visions.’
Secretly, Annabeth thought Percy might be dealing with a stray demigod or two. But they were in New York, and there were rarely any kids that slipped under Camp’s radar if they were in the city. Plus, there were good satyr settlements in California too, and she just had to trust that the fates would deliver kids to where they needed to be. If Percy was dealing with anything un-mortal, he didn’t know it. She watched for the telltale signs of clear-sightedness, but if there was any monster around, Percy was unafraid.
Secretly, Percy wasn't dealing with a stray demigod or two. Secretly, Percy was in charge of the largest demigod location and relocation operation in the nation, ensuring every half-blood he could find got to New Rome.
“What about work for you? Did you secure the land for development?” He asked.
“It’s good too, we signed contracts for development, but I'm afraid it’s not going to be enough land for what the company wants. It’s good though, in the very start of the Adirondacks, I’ll have to be going out to the site more and more though. I have a few coworkers doing a feasibility study for some conceptual designs, making sure we’re all good with zoning, etc. It’s getting off the ground though, which is exciting.”
Percy grinned back. It’s nice that Annabeth was climbing the ranks as an architect. She was building this planned community for her company, and had been obsessing over the project for ages. She just loved her job, getting to build a whole city from the ground up, and getting to lead a team of people, it was a dream.
Secretly, Percy knew of one of her coworkers. Malcolm Pace. Son of Minerva, a graecus . Figures, a son of Minerva–or, Athena, he supposes–couldn’t do anything useful in the magical world, so he’d have to get a mortal gig. He hoped Malcolm wouldn’t attract any attention to Annabeth’s gig, but he’s a graecus son of Minerva, so he wasn’t super worried. Annabeth had an awesome mortal job, and Percy had an awesome mortal wife.
Secretly, Annabeth was working to build New Athens, a permanent settlement for Greek demigods. She had heard of legacies at New Rome, and while the uptight, bigoted, asshat legionnaires did a lot wrong, the idea of permanent safety was attractive. She was working with Camp for a mass relocation, away from Olympus into the mountains, with room to grow into a thriving community, with a real government, school, and lessons to teach that weren’t just how not to die 101 .
They boarded the train, then got off and switched to the next, and chatted about small, meaningless things. Three stops away from their apartment, a mariachi band boarded. And a cyclops. The Mariachi band started playing, and the Cyclops stared at Annabeth and Percy until the next stop.
“Annabeth, I can’t handle this. Wanna walk the rest of the way?”
Annabeth’s eyes darted at the cyclops. Perfect. She nodded and purposefully left her purse behind. When her husband stepped off, she pretended to realize she had left it, and went back into the car just as the monotonous stand clear of the closing doors played.
“It’s okay! I’ll just meet you there!” She yelled to Percy on the platform.
The subway sped up and departed, and Annabeth threw a knife at the Cyclops’s head, without even blinking.
Percy cursed on the platform. sh*t , he left his mortal wife alone with a monster. And then, he grinned, his mortal wife. She’d be fine. He walked upstairs and plugged some earbuds in to walk the rest of the way home.
Annabeth called him halfway there, saying she was going to pick up some milk and bread while she was out, and she’d be home a little after him. Percy told her to get some more parchment paper while she was there.
He was fishing his keys out of his pocket outside his door when he heard footsteps from inside his house. He grabbed his sword, Riptide , imperial gold and beautiful, and uncapped it. He concentrated to try to figure out how much more water was in his house than usual. About 120 pounds, so about 180 pounds of person inside. Not too bad. He concentrated harder, and fixed the molecules to their current place, freezing the intruder.
He unlocked the door to find a girl, silently screaming in pain, twitching under the freeze.
He placed his sword at her neck and unfroze her. She yelped at the release, and panted in exhaustion.
“What are you doing in my house?” He growled. The earth shook under their feet with his anger.
The girl had wide set eyes, and was 17 at best. Stocky and short-ish, the girl trembled under his glower. He knew what he could look like when he wanted, taking off the mist that carefully concealed his scars on his face and arms, he knew he was the son of Neptune, earthshaker, stormbringer.
The girl quivered, but pulled herself together. “Former Praetor Perseus Jackson, I am Probatio Angelina Smith, legacy of Mercury, and I am to deliver a message from New Rome.”
Percy used his sword to lift her sleeve. Sure enough, SPQR layed.
He capped his sword. “Good afternoon, Probatio. I cannot begin to emphasize what a bad idea it was to break into my house. You had better make this quick, my wife is on the way home. My mortal wife.”
Angelina nodded, apologizing and still trembling. “Sir, uh, you have an assignment from the senate. There is a Saturnist in New York, and he’s attempting to resurrect the titan through his daughter. We need–uh, the senate wants you to find him and uh… end his activities.” She stammered.
“You want me to kill him?”
“Ye-yeah. For Rome. Oh! But the senate says because it's so close to the Greek settlement, you might find a graecus there, so. Anticipate that, I guess. Sorry. Praetor Zhang will send you the rest of the briefing.”
Percy nodded. “I accept this quest.”
Angelina took her cue and scurried off.
Annabeth retrieved her knife from the gold dust before looking up and seeing her mother. She tied her braids back and sheathed her dagger before sitting next to her.
“Mother.”
“Annabeth. Olympus has given you a quest. There is a Kronos loyalist here in New York, attempting to finish what Luke Castellan started. You are ordered to clean this mess.”
Annabeth nodded, before looking at her mothers scowling face, before saying “Yes, my lady.”
Athena nodded back, told Annabeth to expect a file on her desk tomorrow, and vanished.
Getting off at the next stop, Annabeth elected to grab groceries. Milk, bread, parchment paper.
Annabeth got home, in the lobby there was a quivering young girl who sped past her. She shrugged and headed upstairs. Percy had turned on the Jets game and was half-watching it. Annabeth put the groceries away, called Thalia while Percy gradually got more invested in the game, and the two ended their night playing Modern Warfare, a game they were exceptionally good at, and showering together, where the water always seemed to be the perfect temperature when Percy was in..
“Oh, the Colemans want us to come over for their party tomorrow. Should be pretty small, we’re going.” Annabeth told Percy in bed.
“The Colemans… That’s John and Janet right?”
“Mhm”
“Oh sounds fun. Do we need to bring anything?”
“Probably a bottle of wine. Could you stop in and get a merlot on the way back from work tomorrow?”
Percy nodded, and both of them fell asleep.
Annabeth listened to Freakonomics on the way to work and read the file on the way back.
It was a couple, Eddie and Jasmine. Eddie was a seer, and was low-ranking in Kronos’s army. Jasmine was a Romaïkós , daughter of Ceres . Attempting to imbue the spirit of Kronos into their daughter, Titania—Titania, really? Subtle much?—they recruited a small mix of Kronos loyalists, Greek and Roman alike.
The file said that Jasmine was off the grid, but she had probably left another Roman to protect Eddie and Titania, so to expect backup. It was no tricky job though. Kill Eddie, take the baby to camp, and if Jasmine reappeared then the nearest squadron of demigods would carry out the rest of the mission.
Annabeth went home and found Percy working in the kitchen. He had his glasses on, which always reflected strangely onto his face, making a thin line appear over his eye, almost a scar. The glare, probably. She changed out of her work clothes and into leggings and a kevlar-blend workout top, and threw an old Delphi Strawberry Farms sweatshirt over it.
“I’m going to go get some exercise,” she said. It wasn’t a lie. Her and Percy never lied. He glanced up from his computer, where he was scrolling through, reading some documents.
“I might go meet up with a family for work later. What time are the Colemans?”
“9ish but I say we arrive at 9:15?”
“Sounds good. Have fun!” He bid her goodbye, and resumed his work on the computer. Annabeth secretly grabbed her knife from where it resided under their entryway table, strapped it to her leg, and slipped out.
She stopped at the mailboxes downstairs and pressed one that revealed her secret compartment. She tied her hair up, put her combat boots on, and tucked knives into each boot. She put her yankees cap on and slid out of the building.
Once she had left, Percy stopped reading the article. Titania? Really? How tacky, for the supposed vehicle of the Titans. No one got creative anymore. He really was going to meet with a family for work. He and Annabeth never lied.
He smeared seaweed paste on his eyelids, that always helped him concentrate in battle, and put on his tactical gear. He let down his mist guard, his SPQR tattoo prominently displayed, 16 vertical lines in neat formation, and a trident at the top. Riptide appeared in his pocket, and he left his apartment to go kill this Saturnist.
Annabeth snuck in through the fire escape and perched herself on top of the cabinets, invisible, belly and back squeezed between the ceiling enough to be uncomfortable, but easy to escape. She hears two sets of footsteps, one up the stairs and one up the fire escape, entering just like she did. Eddie, carrying Titania, opens the door, but before Annabeth can throw her knife at him, the sink explodes, and grabs her , tearing her down from the cabinet ledge. The invisibility cap remains on, but she can’t see as she wipes the water from her eyes. The man from the fire escape charges towards Eddie and grabs the baby from him, who had now begun to cry.
The water pulls off Annabeth and heads like a jet towards the baby and the mystery man, whose large, muscular back was to her. Before the water can shoot the baby and kill her, Annabeth attempts to tackle the man from behind. As if sensing her approaching, the man, face blurred by the mist, turns around and pushes her down, then draws his sword, wanting to fight with a crying baby in hand.
Annabeth draws her knife to try to wretch the baby away.
“Huic infantem non nocebis!” He yelled in latin. She took a step back.
“You’re Romaïkós ?!” she said. Some power-hungry centurion, sent to use the baby for his own will. She snapped back into it, and threw her knife at his shoulder. His grip slipped, and she wretched the baby away. She looked for Eddie, but in her fight with the roman, he had disappeared.
She leveled her gaze at the Roman, who was tearing the knife from his shoulder, and realized the only thing he saw was a floating baby. She hid the baby under her shirt so she would be concealed too, and disappeared, only realizing later she had left her dagger.
Percy felt out for the molecules in the building, trying to sense something strange. He couldn’t find anything. Everything was too familiar to him.
“Romaïkós” she had called him. “Roman” in greek. The graecus had taken the baby, and had ruined his kill.
He texted Frank.
Quest went bad. Graecus interfered with some sort of invisibility power. I couldn’t see her, but she left her knife in my shoulder. She took the baby. Eddie escaped.
Frank replied in seconds.
Took you this long.
You finally failed at a quest. Percy, you’re losing your touch.
In all seriousness though, that baby is number one priority. We don’t know how successful Eddie was, so your new target is the graecus. Ask Hazel if she can identify the knife, she oughta know with the metals.
Thx frank
He splashed water on the knife wound. It wouldn't be awesome, but he’d deal. It scarred pretty quickly, a nasty thing, and he reapplied the mist, that made his muscles look smaller and his scars fade, and he took the seaweed paste that helped him blur his face off and smeared it around his new scar, which looked just as gnarly, just less recognizable.
He saw a wine fridge and picked out an unopened bottle of merlot. Saturnists didn’t deserve nice wine.
Percy changed in the restroom downstairs to his previous attire, and shoved his used clothes in his private mailbox to pick up later.
“Tough workout?” he asked when he got upstairs.
Annabeth startled. “Yeah. It was uh, unexpectedly hard.” she said, changing into her party clothes.
Percy pulled her in to kiss her, and she practically melted against his touch, and they went back to changing.
“How was the family?”
“Huh?”
“The family you visited.”
“Oh. Mom wasn’t there and Dad did not want to see me, so I guess we’ll reschedule.” Percy shrugged, then winced, shoulder wound.
Annabeth looked at him skeptically through the mirror, then resumed putting on her makeup. “You got the merlot, right?”
“It’s in the kitchen,”
She pressed her lips to his as thank you, then continued to apply her eyeshadow.
Thirty minutes later, they headed to the Colemans to get wine drunk with their neighbors.
Annabeth couldn’t stop checking her phone at the party. The emergency Satyr she had called up had to be less than 30, and although Brooklyn wasn’t a far cry from Camp Half Blood, she worried about little Titania.
In the bathroom, she used the Coleman’s sink to iris message Piper.
“You need to keep checking for Alden, the satyr. I want to make sure that baby stays safe.”
“Sure Anna but… I don’t know if Camp is equipped to deal with a baby? Much less a potential Kronos-baby.”
“There’s no one else to keep her. Keep an eye on her.”
“You sure?”
“What do you mean, am I sure? Who else is there?” Annabeth asked.
“I don’t know, don’t you think it’s time for you and hubby to have a kid? And isn’t this a great way without putting Hera in charge?” Piper asked.
“For the last time, Piper, Percy is a mortal . And I intend to make sure he’s never aware of the fact I am not.”
Piper shrugged. “What happened on the quest?”
Annabeth recounted the story to her.
“The water grabbed you? Do you think it’s a demigod or a monster?”
“Demigod, definitely. I may not have been able to see his face but there’s something familiar about him.”
Piper pursed. “Well, if the Romans are after this baby, you’ve gotta be on the lookout. And he definitely didn’t see you?”
“I had my cap on the whole time.”
“Still. He’s a liability. And he has your knife. It’s only a matter of time before he finds you, Annabeth. Try to find him first.” Piper severed the connection, and Annabeth was left face to face with her reflection. She looked nice, but she had a mark that she suspected would be a zit in a few days on her chin. Too much wiping blood from her face on there, got it dirty again. Maybe she’d treat herself to a nice facial soon, cut out a few frivolous expenses and go to the Aphrodite kid on 42nd that always gave her discounts.
She left the bathroom to find Percy, who she found nursing a coca-cola. He smiled as she approached. “You look gorgeous tonight.” he said.
“So you’ve said. Many times.” She teased, pushing him in the shoulder. He winced, but shook it off.
“Eh. Truth never gets old.”
“Well I think you look very nice tonight too. Anyone here worth talking to?”
“I don’t know John and Janet, they’ve really been more your friends than mine. Everyone else here has been nice, although I cannot remember any names.”
“That’s good. Wanna get out of here?”
Percy grinned, and they escaped.
While Annabeth changed into her pajamas, Percy mailed the knife off in hermes express to California, with a note to Hazel explaining the situation. He changed into his pajamas and got into bed with Annabeth, who was engrossed in her book with a lime facemask on.
“What are you reading?”
“Uh…” she turned the book around. “The Liar You Love: Dealing With Your Narcissistic Parent,”
“Oh that sounds useful, give me a summary when you’re done.”
Annabeth furrowed her brows. “What?”
“What?”
“Percy it’s not funny to call Sally a narcissist. That’s so unlike you. Are you okay? Did something happen?” she asked.
“What? No! My dad. My dad is the narcissist.” Percy said, and he could feel the earth give a little tremble. He reached out in his gut and stopped it.
“Oh. Right. I forget about him. It’s weird how little I know of your life before I met you.”
“I could say the same. I just don’t like talking about the past. There’s no point in it.” Percy said. Annabeth wanted to press him, to find out who his dad was, and his first step-dad, but knew that doing so would lead her husband to ask questions about her past.
“Yeah. You’re right. Thanks, by the way,” she said, putting her book away. “For not pressing me on it. The past is stupid.”
“Thank you too. I much rather like the future. Our future.” Percy said. Annabeth smiled, and kissed him.
Percy’s phone dinged. He checked it.
Percy paled as he saw the text.
Percy,
I have got some strange news on the knife front. So, it turns out it belonged to Luke Castellan, the graecus who hosted Saturn back in the day. It's been in play for ages, and it went through a fusion with another metal during repairs about three years back.
I had Larry, Mercury’s son, dig into its travel records, he said it was shipped out of 511 W 122nd Ave, Apartment 6B. Might be worth checking out. Let me know what you find. I had Mercury ship it back to you, it should be on your kitchen table.
As he sat in the bed in 511 W 122nd Ave, Apartment 6B, the gears in his head started turning. His wife had picked up the narcissism book again. He looked at her harder, feeling her weight in molecules.
Identical to the graecus he battled.
A graecus. Who had stolen a baby. Who had the knife of the host of Saturn. He took off his shirt, the scar from earlier that day still visible.
“Annabeth, babe. Could you grab me a glass of water in the kitchen?”
She looked at him strangely, her eyes flicked to the scar.
“Sure, babe.”
She got up, and shut the bedroom door behind her.
Annabeth saw her knife on the counter. A note was attached. “Bonam fortunam! - Hazel”
The scar on his shoulder. She picked up the knife, slowly, and in her silk pajama set, she advanced toward her bedroom door. Romaïkós , her husband, the man who had grabbed her with water, who had blurred his face with the mist.
She racked her brain for what she knew of New Rome. Child soldiers, high mortality, unsteady relationships with the gods, although her “graecus” ass couldn’t judge too much for that.
A son of Neptune had single handedly killed the Titan Krios. Had brought down Mount Orthys. And now he was attempting to kidnap Kronos babies, no doubt to add to the New Rome ranks.
What a godsdamn fool she had been.
She went around the apartment shutting the water pipes, but her yankees cap was stuck in the bedroom with him. The facemask and pink PJs were not her usual warrior’s attire, but she was entering to battle nevertheless.
In the bedroom, Percy dissolved the mist around him. The mist he had learned from Hazel, the mist he had battled Krios with. He felt Riptide quake and shiver in his pajama pants, and he uncapped it. He felt Annabeth close off the water pipes.
His smart wife.
He shook off the last of the mist, and called out.
“Sweetie?” He put on the slippers his mom gifted him and Annabeth for christmas, and approached the door. He opened it and Annabeth lunged at him. He overpowered her and swung her off, knocking her against the wall. She got to her feat, bouncing on her toes, in defensive position. He rolled his shoulders. She stretched her arms, and they lunged at eachother.
Their blades clashed with a hideous clang and they danced all around the apartment, their brutality escalating with every hit. Annabeth used her smaller size to gain on him in speed, but he was strong , and parried her stabs with much less strength than she used. She stabbed again, and when he caught her blade she pushed upwards to allow herself to sweep him off his feet, sending him tripping to the ground. She used the time to run out of the apartment, leaping down the six flights of stairs, and out onto the street, barefoot in her pajamas and a facemask in November in New York.
She hailed a cab and pushed the driver out of the car. It smelled disgusting , but it would hide her scent from whatever monsters Percy would inevitably call on her.
He grabbed a gun– of course he would grab their gun on his way down, Annabeth is ashamed to call herself a daughter of Athena –and shot at the car.
He’s trying to kill her. Annabeth revved the engine and aimed the car straight at him.
“Annabeth! Annabeth wait!”
His body tumbled over the windshield, down the back of the car, and Annabeth sped off.
“Annabeth wait! We need to talk!” He cried after her, but she was already gone.
Percy prayed to Jupiter for mercy. He prayed to his father. He prayed that slaying titans and saving the world would grant him the ability to get on a plane, and he booked a Spirit Airlines flight from JFK to SFO. He had a young Probatio pick him up for a few Denarii, and entered New Rome. He tried to make all aspects of him being back in the city discreet, but meeting with the Praetor had its consequences, and he was in the New Rome Times by afternoon, heralding the Titan-killer’s return.
Frank was in a meeting. Budgeting for the new university expansion or something, and as soon as Frank saw Percy come into the senate chambers, mist down, haggard, with fresh cuts and bruises along his side, he excused himself. Wordlessly, they went to the baths.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“My wife.”
They moved from the tepidarium to the calarium and Percy regaled the tale, which was pretty short, to be honest.
“She tried to kill me Frank, I tried to blow the tires out on the car and she ran over me .”
“Gods, Percy, I’m sorry. I know what you’re thinking, man. If she lied about that, what else has she lied about? She’s a graecus , she’s engaged in guerilla warfare 24/7, 365. They’re ruthless over there, absolutely ruthless.”
“What are you saying dude?” Percy said. The room started to steam, and the heat choked out their faces. It had been a while since Percy had been in this much water, he felt his muscles strengthen, his cuts heal, his brain clear of the fog of the last 12 hours.
“She’s a graecus, Percy. You think it’s happenstance she married a Titan-killer? She carries the knife of Saturn, she kidnapped a baby .”
Piper poured wine, some Pinot from New Zealand that Dionysus recommended. “What? Your husband is the guy from the Titania case?”
Titania, the maybe-Kronos-baby, was in the other room. Piper was right, Camp didn’t have the facilities to support a baby. This is why Annabeth was working on New Athens. Still, she felt bad she saddled her best friend with a baby she hadn’t asked for.
“Your husband is a Romaïkós? That’s impossible.”
“Come on man. It’s a 3-year stakeout to get information from you. Mission accomplished. See? You’re still wearing her ring! Percy I’m so sorry but you’ve been duped.”
Percy twisted the ring on his finger. On the inside, there was an inscription. Their wedding date and initials. He didn’t take the ring off.
“Well. Here’s the upside. You don’t love him. You’ll sever the ties, you’ll make sure he never thinks of coming after you again, and the good news is is it’s easy. No one’s stronger or braver than you are, Annabeth. You’re the only one I know who could handle this.”
I’m not handling it , Annabeth thought, but just took a sip of the Pinot and tried to retrieve herself. “Thanks Piper”
“It’ll be over soon. You have your whole life left. The world will not end for this, Anna.”
She nodded, and twisted the wedding ring.
Frank was quiet the rest of the time. Neither of them knew what to say. Percy just kept thinking of Annabeth, his wife , who tried to kill him. Who kidnapped that baby. Who is a graecus . Who is his wife, who is smart and kind and fiercely protective of those she loves.
“I know your fatal flaw is loyalty man. I know this has to be the biggest betrayal. I–words cannot express how sorry I am. But you have to overcome it. She is a loose end, she is a Saturnist, and she will come after you.”
Percy stayed silent.
They moved from the caldarium to the frigidarium, into the tank of cold water. Frank spoke once more.
“Why did you give her the knife man? Why did you lower the mist?”
“I… I don’t lie to my wife.” Percy said. And they were silent the rest of the time, in the freezing cold baths of New Rome.
Piper made up the couch for Annabeth to sleep on. She knew how hard it was to stay in the cabins as an adult, but Jason insisted they stay at camp. Still, Annabeth wasn’t ready to see her younger siblings.
“He looked different, Piper. He had these great big scars, and the SPQR tattoo. He’s been manipulating the mist.”
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry. If he was manipulating his looks, what else might he have been manipulating to get you closer to him.” She said it more to herself than to Annabeth, but Annabeth still froze at the thought. She hadn’t even thought of the idea that her husband–that Percy , the social worker she had fallen in love with on their commute–could wield the mist to manipulate her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of the accusation yet. It disquieted her, but the idea of him playing mind tricks seemed so outlandish that she couldn’t truly believe he had been manipulating her.
Why had he given her her knife back?
The question tormented her until Piper spoke, in quiet charmspeak, Annabeth. Rest. and she fell asleep at last.
