Chapter 40: Annabeth and I get Dirty in the Janitors Closet

When Percy reached the door, it could be more accurately described as falling through it rather than opening it. He staggered out into a sterile white corridor, illuminated only by the flashing red and yellow emergency lights that were positioned at various intervals down the hallway. Without his sensing of Annabeth's location from earlier, he would have had no idea where to go, but almost on instinct, he veered to the right, using the wall to keep himself steady.

He felt exhausted, his throat was burning with the acrid taste of vomit, and the pain from the burn on his right leg made it difficult to concentrate, especially when each step he took sent another shot of pain racing up his body. He needed water, ambrosia, nectar, or at this point, even a shot of vodka.

He heard distant footsteps, the pace and volume of them suggesting that they were in a hurry, but they never came closer. Whatever was happening on the surface had the military bases' full focus, which gave him the window of opportunity he needed to get Annabeth and figure out some sort of next step. They had been hideously underprepared for what they were facing.

"The United States government is dangerous, Percy," Chiron had warned him. "There are those within the belly of that beast that could do us a great deal of harm."

He had been naive and stupid to think that he could just rock up to one of the most well-defended military bases on the planet, organise a prison break, and get out all without a plan. It had been a gross oversight, but it was too late now. He was in the belly of the beast, and all he could do was work on the fly to try and figure a way out of this mess. Lucky for him, he worked best on the fly.

He passed a few doors, but they were empty of occupants, and so Percy pressed on, against the pain, until he came to a door near the end of the hallway, near an elevator and what looked like a small janitorial closet. He could sense two occupants in the room, one close to him, a guard, and another deeper in the room, sitting alone: Annabeth.

He was too exhausted to try bloodbending again, so instead, he simply opened the door and staggered inside. The guard turned, frowning, only for Percy's fist to swing in from the side of his vision and cause everything to go black. There had been a crunch when Percy's fist connected, and the way the guard slumped to the ground in a heap suggested that he would not be getting up anytime soon. Percy looked around the room and found himself in the same viewing section that had been present in his own room. He looked through the one-way mirror and found himself staring at Annabeth.

She didn't look to be in great shape. Her golden blond hair, usually sleek and previously held up in a ponytail, now hung in wild, tangled strands, matted with soot and streaked with blood from a gash near her temple. Dark smudges of ash clung to her cheekbones, and a thin trail of blood had traced its way down her jaw. The gray blazer she had been wearing had had both the sleeves shredded, while the blouse beneath was torn and blackened with ash.

Despite the state she was in, she sat defiant. Her stormy gray eyes bore into the mirror, and she remained with her spine straight and her shoulders squared. Her arms were bound behind her with chains, although they were noticeably thinner than the ones that had been used to contain Percy.

He staggered towards the door leading to the interrogation room and found a lever nearby that caused the door to swing open slowly. As it revealed him to Annabeth, her face changed from one of stoicism to one of relief and then concern.

"Hey, Wise Girl," he groaned, making his way into the room and towards her.

"Percy," she breathed, "What happened? Are you okay? How did you break out?"

He leant against the table and held up a hand to pause her questions, "One at a time. Long story short, the Annunaki are here. For the first time ever, that's a blessing." He reached behind her and used the blade he had found in his room to burn through the manacles, freeing her wrists and then her ankles. Once finished, his leg gave out, and he collapsed onto the table.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed, jumping up to his side, "What happened?"

"My leg," he hissed. "He used that knife on my leg."

Annabeth appraised the wound, wincing slightly. "It doesn't look great. We need to get you some ambrosia."

Percy shook his head. "I just need water. Apollo said it heals me as well as anything."

"There wasn't a water fountain outside?" Annabeth asked.

"Why would there be a water fountain in the depths of Area 51?"

"Why wouldn't there be a water fountain in the depth of Area 51?"

"Because it's Area 51!"

"People still need to drink!"

"They probably bring water bottles!"

"Percy, this is a government-run facility. I think it's against the law not to have water fountains."

"Ah, yes, because I'm sure Area 51 has to abide by the federal construction code."

Annabeth scrunched up her nose. "Touche," she muttered, "But regardless, I'm sure there is water around here somewhere. Come on."

She supported Percy's weaker leg by shouldering some of the weight. They shifted awkwardly through the door and then made their way past the unconscious guard.

Annabeth appraised the scene with a dark expression. "I was so stupid. I can't believe we walked in here without a plan."

"I agree," Percy nodded. "I can't believe you were that stupid."

She shot him a withering glare but refrained from punching him, which Percy chalked up to her concern for his current state. The bloodbending had taken much more out of him than he had expected. It seemed like, for now at least, he could only use it as a last resort. He also realised that his new sense had dulled to just Annabeth and the guard. Now that he thought about it, it was kind of a passive ability that was no doubt also sapping his energy as he came to grips with it. If he had nothing else to thank David Hudson for, he had at least forced him into a situation where he had discovered new abilities.

Apollo's words from the Camp Jupiter hospital rang in his ear, "I'm telling you to keep pushing yourself. You do things that no child of Poseidon has been able to do before, and anything a child of Poseidon has managed to do in the past, you already have in your arsenal. I have millennia of experience, and I have no idea what your ceiling looks like, so don't stop looking for it. If we're going to fight the Annunaki, then you don't just need to be the most powerful demigod ever; you need to outshine even gods."

He was pretty sure bloodbending was a new one, even for Poseidon. For a brief moment, the thought of fighting the Annunaki didn't seem completely hopeless. Maybe he really could reach a level to contest them, as long as he delayed Enlil's return for as long as possible. But to do that, he needed to get that portal.

They exited into the hallway. As he stood there, shoulder to shoulder with Annabeth, the emergency lights flickering around them, Percy couldn't help but be reminded of Tartarus. They were deep underground, surrounded by enemies, with only each other to rely on and a looming threat in the distant future. It was a brutal case of deja vu. Percy cast a glance downwards to see if Annabeth shared his feelings, but her eyes were scanning the hallway.

"Let's try the janitor's closet," she said. "There's probably a good chance of water in there."

"Dirty water maybe, " Percy grumbled, but he began walking with her nonetheless.

"Like you're in any sort of state to complain."

Percy pouted, and as they reached the door, Annabeth pressed him gently into the wall, allowing her the opportunity to open the janitor's closet. The door revealed steel-paneled walls, lined with mounted racks that held not just brooms and mops, but industrial-grade cleaning equipment that looked durable enough to survive a warzone. Shelves were stacked with airtight storage containers labeled in precise, military-standard font: HAZMAT LIQUID, BIOHAZARD AGENT, CORROSION-RESISTANT FOAM. All things that sounded way more intense than a standard bucket of bleach. A reinforced cabinet in the corner had a biometric lock, because of course it did. A row of metal lockers, scuffed and dented from years of use, stood against the far wall, each labeled with call signs instead of names, as if the custodial staff doubled as a black-ops cleaning unit. The air smelled sterile and chemical, like something acidic had been used a little too recently.

Percy exhaled and gave Annabeth a look. "I'm so over this place."

As Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, there was a ding from the elevator.

The moment Annabeth yanked the door open, Percy didn't need to be told twice. He lunged inside, dragging her with him just as the heavy doors began to slide open. The door clicked shut behind them, plunging the closet into almost total darkness, with only a small flashing emergency light giving vision. The space was tight, especially with the door closed, and Percy felt the pain in his leg, straining from the awkward position. As he twisted in an attempt to reposition himself, his injured leg gave out, sending him backward. As he lost his balance, he brought Annabeth down as well, directly on top of him.

He hit the metal floor with a muffled grunt, Annabeth landing half-straddled over him, her hands bracing against his chest. The weight of her pressed down against his torso, the warmth of her body all the more evident due to the tears in her blouse and jeans. His breath hitched, and for a second, neither of them moved.

Outside, heavy footsteps marched past the door, towards the room Annabeth had been in. There were a few muffled words spoken, and then the footsteps increased near the door.

Annabeth stiffened. Every muscle in her body tensed, her breath ghosting across his cheek. The only sound between them was the faint buzz of the emergency light overhead.

But gods, this was the most awkward possible way to be forced to be quiet.

Percy's hands had instinctively found her waist, steadying her as they fell, but now he was hyper-aware of the way his fingers curled against her blouse and how her hips had settled between his legs in a way that made it impossible to ignore. Annabeth's breath came fast, too fast, and he felt it when she swallowed hard, as if trying to steel herself.

She wasn't just tense from the risk of being caught.

Her fingers, still splayed over his chest, twitched. Her nails dug in slightly, whether out of frustration or something else, he wasn't sure. Her gray eyes, wide in the dim light, flickered down to his lips for a fraction of a second, so quick he might've missed it if he weren't watching her so closely.

And god's help him, he was watching her.

Heat coiled in his stomach, a familiar ache that he had been fighting against since he came out of the ice and only more so since he had picked her up at Stanford. They had been each other's everything, and there was a pull between them that he was sure even she couldn't deny. She had been fighting against it, fighting for the man she had married when she thought he was dead.

But he wasn't dead. He was right there, his heart beating against her fingers

Annabeth's lips parted like she was about to say something, the footsteps behind them be damned, but no words came. Instead, something raw flickered across her expression: desire, hesitation, regret, all tangled together like in a swirling mess of emotions. She shifted slightly, just enough that Percy had to bite back a curse because damn it, this was not the time, not the place.

The footsteps outside stopped.

She inhaled sharply, her hands pressing down against him as if grounding herself, and Percy clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay still, forcing himself to ignore how much he wanted her right now.

There was a short burst of conversation outside. A muffled voice, and then the footsteps retreated back towards the elevator. They waited until they heard the elevator ding and the elevator doors opening and closing.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

And yet still, she didn't move.

Her fingers curled slightly against his shirt, her body still draped over his, her breath still too quick, too shallow. She was fighting herself, he knew it. He could see it in the tight set of her jaw, the flicker of something tormented in her storm-gray eyes. She wanted him.

Then, suddenly, she let go. She turned away from him, reaching for one of the industrial shelves behind her, scanning labels with sharp, precise movements, as if by focusing on a task she could pretend that the last thirty seconds hadn't just happened

Percy exhaled slowly, shifting to sit up against the cold metal wall, trying not to wince as his leg throbbed. His pulse was still hammering in his ears, but he forced himself to breathe, to shove down the fire still burning in his stomach.

"What are you-"

"Here," Annabeth breathed, cutting him off.

She pulled out a metal canister labeled Purified H20, twisted the cap open, and handed it to him. Percy's eyes widened in understanding, and he took the canister.

"Drink," she instructed, kneeling beside him now and pulling the remains of his jeans away from his burn wound to free up space. "And don't spill it."

He recognised that tone, the same sharp and authoritative voice she used when she was trying to pretend she wasn't worried. He gave her a look but obeyed, tilting the canister up and taking a few careful sips.

The effect was instant. Cool, soothing relief spread through his body, pooling in his injured leg but spreading across his body in an experience he could only describe as heavenly. He then poured some of the water on his leg and watched with immense satisfaction as the skin began to change colour and repair itself. What started as an ugly black and red soon faded into pink until it was barely distinguishable from the rest of his skin. The removal of the pain, coupled with the flood of energy coursing through him literally felt like magic.

Percy let out a slow breath. "That's better."

Annabeth nodded, but her expression had changed. Her eyes had softened, just slightly, and the tension in her shoulders eased as she watched him. He set the canister on the ground, his hand accidentally brushing hers as he did so.

Neither of them moved.

The air between them felt alive with electricity. His fingers, still ghosting over hers, twitched like they wanted to pull her in, and for a split second, he thought she'd draw back. That she'd remember her ring, the promise she made to someone else, and put space between them.

But she didn't.

She leaned in.

It wasn't slow or hesitant, either. Her hands found his face, her lips crashing against his, the force of years of longing and want washing over him with her lips. Percy barely had time to react before he was kissing her back, his fingers threading into her hair, tugging just enough to make her gasp against his mouth.

Maybe it was wrong, but there wasn't a gods dam thing he was going to do to stop it.

Annabeth shifted, swinging a leg over his lap, and Percy groaned against her lips as her weight settled against him. His hands slid down to grip her waist, pushing aside the blazer as his fingers pressed into the soft fabric of her blouse. Her mouth moved against his, reckless and desperate.

Her hands trailed down his chest, then back up, nails dragging just enough to make his breath hitch. She kissed him like she was trying to forget, like she was trying to burn every other thought from her mind except this.

Except him.

A knock echoed through the room from the door.

Annabeth tore away from him with a sharp inhale, her hands still gripping his shirt, her pupils blown wide. Percy's breathing was ragged, his fingers still wrapped around her waist, his heart hammering so hard he swore she could hear it.

The knock came again.

"Percy," a familiar voice called, "Are you in there? Asmodeus says you're in here with a girl."

"Scarlett," Percy breathed.

Annabeth turned to him, raising an eyebrow in the dim light, "Whose Scarlett?"

Percy couldn't fight the smile that broke out across his face. "Jealous?"

The knock came again.

"Percy, they are telling me I shouldn't go in. What's wrong?" Scarlett's naive question hung in the air, and Percy reminded himself that she was only 10, and while she controlled demons and had fought battles, she probably wasn't quite ready for the birds and the bees.

Percy stood, marvelling at the ease in which he was able to put pressure on his burned leg after drinking the water and washing the wound. He lifted Annabeth as he did so, smirking as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He held her gently, his hands holding her up by her butt.

"Copping a feel?" she whispered into his ear.

"I wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity," he replied with a wink.

"I'm a married woman, you know," she scolded, but there was a twinkle in her eyes, a kind of crazed look he hadn't seen before.

"I do know…" he said slowly. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

In response, she kissed him again, her lips fitting perfectly against his as though they had remembered the shape of his lips after 20 years.

"Stop asking questions you know the answers to, Seaweed Brain."

There was something about the way she said Seaweed Brain that made his heart flutter.

The knock came again.

"That's it. I'm coming in. Three…two….one-"

As she got to one, Percy opened the door, having already lowered Annabeth to her feet. He stood there and grinned down at the daughter of Hades. "Scarlett, I am both delighted and devastated to see you."

Scarlett frowned, her dimples making the gesture look adorable. Her long black hair, usually left down to cover her face, had been pulled up in a messy bun, revealing her dark eyes. "Why would you be devastated? I'm here to rescue you."

"You're here to rescue me?" Percy asked, stunned.

"Yeah. Asmodeus said that there was a girl in there trying to hurt you. He said she was on top of you and suffocating you."

Percy blushed, and as Annabeth stepped out from behind him, he could see that her face was also bright red amidst the emergency lighting.

"Hello," Annabeth said meekly, "I uh…I wasn't…we weren't…"

Scarlett squinted her eyes at the daughter of Athena. "Wait a minute…you're Annabeth Chase. You're one of the Seven."

Annabeth nodded, her eyes softening and her shoulders relaxing, "I heard your name is Scarlett, is that true?"

Scarlett smiled, sticking out her hand towards Annabeth, "Scarlett Gray, at your service."

There was a shift in Annabeth's demeanour that was hard for Percy to place. She suddenly seemed completely enamoured by Scarlett. She shook the young girl's hand and looked down at her, concerned.

"What are you doing here alone?" Annabeth asked.

"I'm not alone," Scarlett chirped excitedly. "I always have the demons with me."

"The what?" Annabeth queried, swinging her head around to look at Percy with a frown.

Percy shrugged. "She has demons."

Annabeth shook her head, "If this girl has past trauma, she shouldn't refer to them as demons. She needs to get proper support and counseling."

Percy looked over at Scarlett "Belial needs counseling."

Scarlett giggled. "Belial said he could say the same thing about you."

Annabeth glanced confused between the two Big Three kids, "Percy, this child is so young, you shouldn't be dismissing the dangers of the mental health epidemic in young children. These traumas should be addressed, not made fun of."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Scarlett, bring Belial out here."

Scarlett's eyes hummed red for a brief moment, and a tendril of shadows curled out from her arm. It grew and churned into shape until it took the form of the familiar demon that Percy had fought alongside.

Annabeths eyes widened, "What the fuck is that?"

It was immensely satisfying to Percy to give Annabeth an 'I-told-you-so' look. "That would be Belial. One of Scarletts trauma demons."

Annabeth's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she stared at the demon before she turned back to Percy. "You said 'one of' her demons?"

"I have seven!" Scarlett exclaimed.

"S-seven…" Annabeth muttered. "And you just have them…hanging around?"

Scarlett nodded. "I'm kinda the best; it's what I do."

Percy nodded in agreement. "She is kinda the best. After me."

"Pfft," Scarlett responded. "You wish bozo."

"Hey, who you calling bozo, bozo?"

"Don't call me a bozo. You're the one that got caught, bozo."

"I had it under control, but you wouldn't be able to tell because you're a bozo."

"If I hear the word bozo one more time," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm gonna twist your pinkies until you scream."

Belial turned to Scarlett. "She would do well in hell. Her torture methods would be efficient."

"A compliment from one of hell's demons," Percy noted. "You're moving up in the world."

Annabeth opened her mouth in what was almost certain to be a scathing retort, but as she did so, footsteps echoed out from behind them and they turned in unison to see a lone soldier standing in the hallway. He was looking at their group with abject terror written all over his face.

"Belial," Scarlett commanded. "Don't let him tell anyone we're here!"

The demon followed her orders without hesitation. Closing the distance on the soldier with speed. The soldier drew a cross on his chest and whispered something under his breath before turning on his heel and sprinting away, letting out a very manly scream as he did so.

"So," Scarlett said, continuing as though there hadn't been an interruption, "Are you ready to rescue everyone?"

"Rescue everyone?" Percy asked, frowning. "What happened?"

"I'll explain on the way," the girl sighed, walking to the end of the hallway and hitting the down button on the console next to the metallic doors. "What were you guys doing in the closet anyway?"

"We were…um…we were…" Percy petered off, but thankfully, Annabeth picked up his slack.

"We were hiding," Annabeth said. "He had hurt his leg, and we were looking for water, but some people came by and so we had to hide."

"Did you find any water?" Scarlett asked.

"Yep," Annabeth nodded. "We found some while we were hiding."

Scarlett grinned. "Yay, sounds like a successful adventure."

"Very successful indeed." Annabeth agreed, turning to Percy and biting her lip.

Percy gulped. The way she was looking at him made him feel like he was a piece of meat.

There was a ding as the elevator doors opened on their floor. Thankfully, there was no one inside, and when they stepped in, Scarlett swiped a card and hit the bottom floor.

"How'd you get a key card?" Percy asked, doing his best to change the conversation to distract himself from the heat pooling in his stomach at the looks Annabeth was giving him.

"I just took it when they weren't looking," Scarlett shrugged nonchalantly. "They were so excited about catching the others that they didn't even realise I had taken it from them."

Percy glanced at the number of floors and saw that they were on floor 7, heading down to floor 15. There wasn't an option to go higher than Floor 7 though, which suggested that they would need another elevator to take them to the surface. "What happened to the others?"

Scarlett huffed in frustration. "No one listened to me that they should let me scope it out first with my shadow travel. They said it was too dangerous. So first, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang went to look, and they got captured. Then, Piper went to look, and she got captured. Mason went to rescue them and, surprise, he got captured. So I started shadow travelling through the facility to learn as much as I could. It's been pretty exhausting though, so I've been taking it slow. Then you showed up, and I thought you were here to rescue everyone, but then you got captured. Crazy how all this could have been avoided if people didn't just look at me like a kid."

"Well…you are a kid," Percy pointed out.

Scarlett turned to him and crossed her arms, pouting, "Yeah, well I'm the only one that didn't get captured. Scarlett 1, Bozo 0."

Percy looked to Annabeth with a frown, "What happened to twisting her pinkie?"

Annabeth shrugged, "She's cuter than you. And you are a bozo."

"Oh so I'm a little cute?" Percy shot back.

A playful look danced across Annabeth's eyes, "Maybe a little bit."

Scarlett looked back and forth between them. "Is this flirting?" she asked, "Percy why do you flirt with every girl you meet?"

Percy's face flushed red and Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow in his direction, "Do tell me more Percy."

"I…uh…Scarlett you're a snitch you know that?"

Scarlett rolled her eyes, "Besides, isn't she old enough to be your mother?"

Annabeths eyes flashed as she turned to Scarlett, "Excuse me miss?"

Some of the bravery in Scarlett seemed to wither up and die under Annabeth's gaze, "I…uh…you just look kinda…"

"Old?" Annabeth offered, her expression daring Scarlett to answer in the affirmative.

"Mature," Scarlett answered slowly.

Now it was Percy's turn to roll his eyes, "Nice save. Who told you to say that, Lucifer?"

"Asmodeous," Scarlett replied, "Lucifer is down here waiting for us." She turned her attention back to the front of the elevator as the metallic doors slid open, revealing another hallway. Except instead of being white and sterile it was cold, damp, and made of stone. There were no emergency lights placed at intervals, just dim fluorescent bulbs flickering out a monotone light.

"What's on this floor?" Percy asked as the trio stepped out.

"This is the base prison. It's where they're keeping everyone but Leo Valdez."

"Where is he?" Annabeth inquired.

"I'll show you," the daughter of Hades answered, strutting through the hallway like she owned the place. Percy and Annabeth shared a confused look before following her. Scarlett curved off to the left and knocked three times on a heavy metal door.

The door swung open to reveal a room bathed in the cold, artificial glow of monitors. The walls were lined with towering server racks, their blinking lights casting patterns across the stone floor. Thick cables ran along the ceiling like veins, disappearing into terminals and control panels that lined both the walls and the ceiling. The steady hum of the computers was immediately noticeable. And in the middle of it all was a sleek black desk, and standing by the desk was a figure that made the hairs on the back of Percy's neck stand up.

He was polished. Refined. Dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit, obsidian-black that blended in with the table in front of him. A deep red tie lay neatly against the pristine white of his shirt, and a simple gold pin—shaped like a serpent—clasped his collar together. His hands were clasped behind him, and although he must have just moved to open the door, it seemed as though he had been standing in that position for hours. His face was too perfect. Sharply cut cheekbones, a jawline like it had been sculpted from marble, and eyes that were the same crimson red as blood. His black hair was neatly styled, not a strand out of place, and when he finally moved, just a slight tilt of his head, it was with controlled restraint.

"Percy Jackson," The demon spoke with a tinge of an accent that Percy couldn't quite place, "I've waited a long time to meet you in person."

"Lucifer," Percy guessed, making his way towards the table while Annabeth closed the door and Scarlett locked it behind them, "I guess you're the demon in charge?"

"It would seem that way," Lucifer remarked, his red eyes boring into Percy's ice-blue ones, "Not a position I chose. I was simply the eldest of the seven demons. And I had leadership experience. My resume simply couldn't be matched."

"You look a lot different to Belial," Percy noted.

Lucifer shrugged, the gesture elegant, "Belial is the demon of Wrath. He represents strength and fury. I am the demon of Pride. It simply wouldn't do to be as unrefined as my kin."

"Lucifer…Belial…" Annabeth reflected, the cogs turning in her brain, "You're a Christian demon."

Lucifer's eyes moved to Annabeth, "And you are Annabeth Chase-Walker. Daughter of Athena. Saviour of Olympus. One of the Seven. Dean of Architecture at Stanford University."

Annabeth's shoulders tensed, "What are you doing here?"

"Serving my master," the demon responded, his eyes turning to Scarlett and softening as they did so, "I see your mission was a success."

Scarlett grinned up at the demon, "I was struggling to find them for a minute but then Asmodeus was able to help."

"Asmodeus?" the demon mused, turning his attention back to Percy and Annabeth, his gaze switching back and forth between them, "Asmodeus is the demon of Lust. Interesting that it would be he who uncovered your location."

Annabeth suddenly grew interested in the floor while Percy merely met Lucifer's gaze, daring him to continue.

"What's lust again?" Scarlett asked the demon.

"I will explain when you are older," the demon replied, "I think it best to shield you from sin for as long as possible."

Annabeths eyes shot up to the demon, "Aren't you like the cause of all sin or something?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, "Because I broke the chains of man's enslavement? Because I rebelled against tyranny?" His eyes shifted to Percy, "It sounds not too dissimilar to what you are trying to do. If that is the case then it seems we're both sinners," His eyes shifted back to Annabeth, "Some of us are sinners in more ways than one. Need I remind you of the Seventh Commandment?"

Annabeths eyes flashed while Percy struggled to remember the Ten Commandments from high school. He had never taken a big interest in religion. To be fair it was slightly less interesting when you're the son of a god.

"Wow, it's tense in here," Scarlett exclaimed, "Aren't we all on the same team?"

Lucifer turned his attention back to Scarlett and once more his expression softened, "I am sorry, my lady. Perhaps it is best to turn to more pressing issues."

The demon turned towards the black desk and pressed a button on the underside of it nearest him. The black table sprang to life, colouring the entire surface in a dull blue light while a single white line rose up to the ceiling. The line spun for a moment before expanding, filling the entire space between the table and the ceiling with a holographic projection of what looked like multiple floors of a building. The hologram spun at Lucifer's command, and zoomed in on the lowest few floors. He pointed to the lowest floor.

"This," the demon began, "Is where we are. It is regarded by those who run the base as being the prison floor. We are in this IT room on the far side. It serves as the primary signal generator for the lower half of the floors, and since we seized control of it we will be able to use it to serve as our base of operations."

Annabeth clearly wasn't happy about how the demon had spoken to her, her gaze still harsh and confrontational, but she turned her attention to the projection. "Why would they leave this room unprotected?"

"They didn't," the demon replied, "They staffed it with a couple of IT workers. They didn't put up much of a fight."

"Where are they now?" Percy asked, suddenly concerned that they may have just become accomplices to the murder of Area 51 workers.

Lucifer pointed to a small room nearby where they were located, "Abbadon is guarding them in this cell here."

Scarlett turned to Percy with a smile, "He wanted the job with the least work."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at Lucifer, "So I'm guessing that would be the Demon of Sloth."

"You inherited more than your mothers eyes," the demon noted.

"You know my mom? You're Satan of course you know my mom."

"I am Lucifer," the demon corrected, "Satan is the Demon of Greed."

"So Belial is Wrath, you're Pride, Asmodeus is Lust, Abaddon is Sloth, and Satan is Greed. Seems like we're just missing Envy and Gluttony." Annabeth sighed.

"Leviathan and Beelzebub respectively." Lucifer replied, "Both are on standby if they are needed."

Percy turned to Scarlett and looked at her with a hint of awe, "You can summon the demons separately?"

The daughter of Hades nodded, "Belial is taking care of that soldier, Abaddon is guarding the IT workers, and Lucifer is here making a plan."

Scarlett wasn't just a daughter of Hades, she was an 8-in-1 package consisting of powerful demons representing each of the seven sins. He remembered what Clarisse had told him when he first arrived at camp, that the new campers weren't built like they were. Everything he had seen so far about the new campers suggested the opposite. Alice was the most powerful witch of her generation, Axel could literally regrow limbs, Scarlett commanded the seven sins, Olive could form tree armour, and Jett was…well a piece of shit but also powerful in his own right. They might not have the combat experience that Percy's generation had had, but they were learning fast, and with this war looming on the horizon they would have plenty of enemies to hone their skills. With the right guidance and training they would be considerable threats in their own right. Even as he thought back to the First Titan War against Kronos, if he had had Alice, Axel and Scarlett on hand, it would have significantly altered the course of the war in the demigods' favour.

He had built an army before, in a desperate and hopeless situation against hordes of monsters and the Titan of Time himself. He needed to do the same again, and this time the building blocks of his army were looking a lot more powerful than they had before.

"So what's the plan?" Annabeth asked Lucifer, knocking him out of his train of thought.

Lucifer pointed at the far side of the bottom floor, "Our scouting has determined that the daughters of Aphrodite and Pluto, and the sons of Mars and Heapheastus are being kept in cells along this wall. There are guards, demigods and magicians. They are strong but I believe with a strategy we will be able to overpower them."

"There are demigods and magicians working for the government?" Percy asked, his eyebrows knitting into a frown.

"Not all demigods who resent their parents side with Titans to destroy them," the demon cooly explained, "Some decide to turn to something less destructive."

"Would we call the United States military less destructive than the Titans?" Annabeth mused, and Percy was reminded that Annabeth was currently teaching at Stanford, which he was willing to bet had some liberal leanings.

"I am a demon of divine lineage. I care little about your political ideologies and indulgences, I care about reality. The rise of the Titan Kronos and the overthrow of Olympus two decades ago would have been significantly worse for mankind than the machinations of a singular national military apparatus." The demon snapped back, and once more the tensions rose between the two.

Percy stepped between them, "We're getting off topic. So you're saying that there are demigods guarding our friends? Do we have any idea how powerful they are?"

Lucifer's eyes lingered on Annabeth for a moment before his eyes flicked to Percy, "I am unsure of their combat capabilities. But they are not armed with conventional military weapons, they wield weapons I have not yet seen before."

"Like what?" Percy pressed.

"It is a fusion of pre-industrial weaponry augmented with modern technology. Don't worry, you will see it in action in due time. This facility holds many secrets." The demon turned back to the hologram and moved up the floors, explaining them as he went "The bottom two floors are, in essence, prisons. The bottom floor is reserved for more dangerous prisoners. Floor 13 is for weapon testing while Floor 12 is for weapon development. Floors 10 and 11 are research hubs, we are unsure at this time what exactly they are researching. Floor 9 is for weapon storage whereas Floor 8 is for miscellaneous storage. Floor 7, the floor you were on, is a holding floor. It is primarily used for interrogations, temporary detainment, and, ironically enough, job interviews. Floor 6 is the medical bay. Floor 5 is where the command structure is located. Floor 4 is a reserve defensive position while Floor 2 is the primary defense position. Floor 3 is for vehicle storage. Floor 1 is just below the surface and operates much like a standard military base." He dragged the hologram down until they were staring at the surface, a gathering of buildings in the middle of the desert. "The explosion earlier was due to a large-scale attack on the surface. They have forced their way through the entrance and are currently engaging the primary defenses on Floor 2."

"Project Aegis and Sentinel," Percy muttered, remembering David Hudson's commands immediately following the attack, "They're gonna get their asses handed to them so we have to work fast. Everyone else is on this floor with us?"

"Everyone but Leo Valdez," Scarlett answered, walking over to the hologram and pointing at one of the lower floors, "I shadow travelled to Floor 13 and he was being held in some sort of tube. He didn't look good."

"How so?" Percy inquired.

"Like 'missing an arm' not good," The daughter of Hades replied.

Percy felt a surge of rage at the thought of what DESA had been doing to his friend. He was going to teach them a lesson right after he was done with the Annunaki assault.

"Are there any cameras that might have alerted them to our escape?" Annabeth asked.

Lucifer nodded, "There are cameras throughout the entire facility with the exception of Floors 12 and 13. We replaced the 15th floor cameras with static images once we seized control of this room and we did the same to the seventh floor cameras once we realised that you were mounting an escape attempt. With Belial running rampant on the seventh floor they should have no knowledge of your escape at this point in time."

"So we have the element of surprise on our side," Annabeth noted, "Any chance we can see the feed from the floor where the attack is happening?"

Lucifer glided over to one of the monitors and his elegant fingers danced across the keyboard. He started clicking through various feeds as Percy, Annabeth, and Scarlett crowded around him. Percy had always found movies cool when they had a 'guy in the chair', but he had never expected his 'guy in the chair' to be Lucifer. The demon found the one he was looking for and took a step back beside them.

The footage on the screen showed a couple of soldiers decked out in what looked like cheap knock-off Iron-Man suits, holding assault rifles behind a series of barricades. A flash of light blinded the camera, but when it cleared the soldiers were engaging an enemy off screen. One of them took a step out from the barricades only to receive a bolt of lightning to the chest, sending them flying off screen in the opposite direction. The remaining soldier seemed to be yelling at someone behind them when a blur flew across the screen. It arced behind the barricades before swinging back behind the barricade and decapitating the soldier in one fluid stroke. It embedded itself in the barricade, a staff about six-foot long, capped at one end with a circular blade and at the other with a crescent. A few moments passed and then a woman stepped out from behind the barricades. It was hard to see through the camera, but she appeared rather small, significantly smaller than the weapon, but she wrenched it free from the wall with minimal effort and spun it as though it was a weightless baton. She strode forward despite the bullets raining in from offscreen, seemingly unfazed by the barrage. A white hot lazer shot from off screen, but the woman merely deflected it with the larger end of her weapon.

"Who is that?" Annabeth whispered, fear evident in her voice.

Percy looked over at Lucifer, but the demon shook his head, "Not one I am familiar with."

They continued to watch as the woman strode off screen. A man appeared after her, a familiar face that instantly set Percy's blood aflame.

"Jett," he growled.

The son of Zeus waltzed after the woman, a smirk on his face.

"Jett…" Annabeth muttered, "I remember him from dropping my kids off at camp. I always thought there were a few screws loose with him."

"Yeah well he decided to throw his lot in with the Annunaki," Percy turned to Lucifer, "Do you know where they took the relic they showed me from earlier?"

The demon nodded, "They returned it to Floor 8 for storage."

Percy turned to Scarlett and Annabeth, "Can I trust you to break everyone out of the prisons?"

Scarlett nodded but Annabeth frowned, "Where are you going?"

"Their defenses won't hold, especially if that woman is what I think she is. I need to support them to buy us time to break everyone out and get that relic. Rescue everyone on this floor, rescue Leo on Floor 13, then get the relic from Floor 9. Once we've done that-"

The room shook with the force of an explosion from above them, and the warning sirens eerily cut off. The power in the room shut off for a few moments before a backup generator slowly returned light to the room.

Lucifer moved to another monitor and scrolled through a few pages of text. "The elevators have been disabled. The only way in and out is the central staircase."

"And the second floor defenses?" Annabeth asked.

"Holding but…the humans have not engaged with their primary defense weapons. Reports from the command centre say that they are utilising the Cannae strategy."

"That only works if you can overpower them with your flank," Annabeth pursed her lips and turned to Percy, "They need something powerful to be that flank."

"I know," he replied, his eyes not leaving hers, "That's why I have to go."

Annabeth shook her head, "Whatever the military has they'll use. Fighting the Annunaki right now is unnecessary. We need to free everyone and figure a way out."

"We might not have time for that."

"We only have to get our friends and get out, anything else is not our fight."

"We need that relic."

"Why?"

"It's what they're going to use to bring back Enlil. It's the doomsday device. If they get their hands on it, it's over."

Annabeth paled, "Okay, so we need to get our friends, get the relic, and get out. Let's use the military as a cover. There is no point splitting up."

"Annabeth, this is the Annunaki we're talking about. This is what I've been training for."

"And are you ready?" She shot back, "Are you strong enough to take on the Annunaki?"

"How can I know unless I try?"

"Don't bullshit me Percy," Annabeth growled, "I'm sick of your fucking sacrifices. You don't need to fight them here. We came here with purpose, and that purpose wasn't to get bogged down by an enemy we didn't even know would be here until 20 minutes ago. We get our friends and we get out."

"Annabeth-"

"No, I'm done arguing. You brought me along for strategy, so you better dam well listen to me when I'm talking strategy,"

"You don't understand-"

"NO!" She yelled, getting in his face, tears glistening in the corner of her eyes, "You don't understand! You don't have a fucking clue! I was stuck on that boat, waiting for you to come back to me. But you never came. I waited, and I waited, and I waited and I prayed to every god I could think of that your head would break the surface of the water and you would be fine and it was all just a bad dream. But you didn't come back Percy. You left and I was alone. And I am not about to let you go off and leave me again to fight something you have no idea whether or not you'll be able to survive, let alone beat. I won't let you, Percy. I won't let you."

Percy didn't respond, he just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She was shaking gently, and Percy could only hold her as Scarlett and Lucifer shared awkward sideways glances.

"I'm sorry Wise Girl," Percy whispered, "I never meant to leave you. The first thing I wanted to do when I came out of the ice was find my way back to you. I'm sorry I was gone for so long."

Annabeth pulled her head back and looked up at him. It was strange, Percy mused, looking at how time had changed her features. The lines at the corners of her mouth weren't deep, but they were there, the faint marks of someone who had spent too much time over the years frowning. Her eyes, those storm-gray eyes that he had fallen in love with, were different too. Wiser, harder. But beneath the steel, there was something else, something tired. Not weak, never that, but…worn. As if two decades of life and grief had chiseled away at the girl he remembered and left something else in its place. Something lonely.

"You haven't changed a bit," she whispered under her breath, "I spent years longing for you and you come back and it's like I'm 16 again."

Percy didn't say anything, he just leant down and captured her lips with his. It was short, but it conveyed all the emotions he wasn't able to put into words. "I'm here Wise Girl," he breathed, "And I'm not going anywhere."

A beep sounded from one of the monitors and Lucifer scanned the newest page, "The primary defenses have fallen. The attackers are pushing to the third floor and will soon engage the reserve defenses on the fourth floor. We are running dangerously low on time."

Percy pulled away from Annabeth, but she slipped her hand in his, clutching it tightly. "We keep talking about rescuing our friends," he announced, "It's time we actually did it. First we get Hazel, Frank, Piper and Mason. Then we grab Leo, then we get the fuck out of here."

"Language," Lucifer scolded, nodding his head towards Scarlett.

The daughter of Aphrodite just grinned, "Hehe, I love having Percy back. The adventures just get crazier and crazier."

Annabeth pulled herself closer to his side, looking up at him with what he could only describe as adoration, "I agree with Scarlett. I love having you back."

Author's Note: Am I a piece of shit for starving you of Artemis content? Maybe. Am I a piece of shit for instead feeding you Percabeth content? Maybe. Am I a piece of shit for making you wait over a month for an update? Signs point to yes.

In all honesty the start of 2025 has been super crazy for me. My workload at work doubled and I'm in my final semester of school so I just honestly haven't had as much time to work on the story as I would have liked. However, what I originally planned for this chapter ended up needing to be split into two, so I have a really clear idea of how the next chapter is going. That, coupled with the fact that my workload at work should go back to normal soon means I will have plenty more time to work on the story. Spring Break is also next week so hopefully I'll sit down and churn out the next chapter fairly quickly.

In terms of the story I have a few things to say. First about the Percabeth content: This is still a Pertemis story. However, I feel like a lot of Pertemis stories don't do a good job addressing Annabeth. She is either OOC and cheats or dies. I wanted to find a way to give their relationship an ending that feels natural, and I feel like that can't happen without at least exploring their new relationship dynamic. Second: Where is Artemis? She was originally supposed to appear in this chapter until I had to split it, which I guess means she will appear in the next chapter. And what's the fastest way for you guys to get that next chapter? That's right: REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

Special shoutout to Razma2648 for a really insightful review. I appreciated the critiques and the amount of thought you put into it meant a lot. All I can say is that based on your critiques, you're going to enjoy a lot of what is to come.

Finally, and this has been a big critique I've received throughout this story: Percy's power levels. All I want to say is I am aware of the concerns, and I will be more mindful of it going forward.

Thank you so much for the constant support, and I will see you again soon.