Phobia (A Percy Jackson AU)

Chapter Eight: Faster Than Lightning

I'm not even going to apologize this time. Please blame Kuroko no Basket and Attack on Titan.

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Annabeth couldn't stand it, watching Juniper convulse on the ground; unaware of how the screams echoed off the walls of the corridors, the tears that fell on the marble floor. Unable to comprehend, to feel pain, because right now her entire world is the fear, the phobia, and the microchip that's causing it all.

Behind her, they've all frozen, paralyzed in a disgusted horror that reflects off their eyes. Juniper's clothes were ripped, the fabric across her arms and legs shredded, scorched in seconds.

In a thoughtless decision, Annabeth surged forward. Only she doesn't care about the consequences. All she cares about is the look in Juniper's eyes, and the raw terror that shatters them. How Thalia looked the same way.

"R-run..."

"Thalia!"

Annabeth dived into the cloud, the electricity crackling over her skin painfully; a thousand needles stabbing her from the inside out. She shoved forward, and dived on top of Juniper, wrapping her arms around her torso and thrusting them both away.

The back of Annabeth's head slammed into the marble with a sharp clack, and she breathed out heavily through her nose, spots swimming through her vision as her heart thundered in her ears.

Then Luke was by her side shaking her and screaming her name, and she just managed to croak a few words, a taste of metal stuck to her tongue, "'M fine... Junper, pulse.... Run...."

Luke dismissed her easily, "Blondie checked on her. Her heart is fine, but she's got these weird burns all over her arms." He then scooped Annabeth into his arms with ease, while Blondie struggled to heft Juniper into his own. "So don't worry about her for now. She'll be fine. I think."

Luke flicked his head towards the others, signaling them to sprint down the corridors and away from the quickly reforming Venti. Annabeth bounced lightly in Luke's arms, her skin still tingling with static. Her vision hadn't yet stabilized, so the corridor in front of her was bleeding with a muddled darkness that slipped in and out of her vision.

"Let's see..." Luke mumbled glancing at the doors they passed, "What the chance that any of these will be clearly marked stairs... Ah ha!" Luke grinned down at her, which she meekly returned, "I found an elevator. And next to it, for obvious emergencies, a staircase." Something warmed in Annabeth's chest, and memories of alleyways and trash can fires, dumpster diving and pick-pocketing, days of warms smiles and bad jokes, they bloomed in her vision and brought forth a small smile that graced her lips. Days where Thalia was still with them and Luke's eyes weren't as hard as her old cell walls, days when it was just the three of them. Just her and her family...

"Shit." Luke swore, shifting Annabeth into one arm momentarily, "Door's locked. This'll take a second." Luke held out his palm, and gold tendrils streaming from the tips of his fingers swam through the air and wrapped around the door's handle. It criss-crossed across the entire door, and within moments the door easily swung open. Luke swiftly tucked his other hand back underneath Annabeth, and sauntered through the door with the others following his lead.

Annabeth's head bounced against Luke's chin painfully as he dashed down the stairwell. Behind her, Juniper changed hands twice, from the blonde guy, to the ginger, to the buff girl who was finally able to match Luke's pace while tightly gripping the green skinned girl.

Breathing heavily, Luke skidded to a stop in front of the emergency exit at the bottom of the staircase. He reached out his hand, and the door swung open in a flash of light and golden tendrils. He flashed a smile behind him at the others, and stepped through the door.