Running Through Water (UNDER REVISION)

11: T

"Caitlyn Snow?!" a faint voice said from right in front of them. Barry swerved his head toward the direction of the exclamation. 

The person who cried the name was a girl with blonde curly hair and a fit stature. Her gray, stormy eyes were wide, making her look like she shouted that by accident. Since Barry was a forensic scientist, he could observe things just like a detective and to his observation, the girl really didn't mean to blurt out the name.

But what really mind-boggled him was that how did this girl know Caitlyn? Was she a distant relative or long-lost friend? Or she was just a fan? It was pretty rare that Star Labs scientists would have fans, considering that what happened 2 years ago on a December night. 

"Oh schist," the girl muttered to herself. She covered her shock with a face of friendliness and a bit of determination. "Sorry. I didn't mean to butt in on your conversation, but I couldn't help but hear that you were talking about that Caitlyn. I mean, I know someone who knows her and he's missing and.."

"Oh, that's um..." Barry glanced over to Iris. She's a reporter and even with Barry's newfound (Well, at least new for like, two years.) powers and confidence, he had awkward scenes with talking to new people. 

"Actually, we are friends with Caitlyn Snow," Iris confirmed. Barry tried to keep his face in a neutral expression. He failed, but ostensibly the two girls ignored his face of annoyance.

"Really?" the blonde girl's eyebrows shot up. Her eyes gleamed with wit and curiosity, if somehow metal gears were reeling in her brain. Barry could relate to that. Before the particle accelerator explosion, Iris and Joe always commented of his nerdy personality. He always fanboyed over the latest scientific discoveries and whatnot, and he frequently had the same expression that the blonde girl had at that moment. But since he had gotten his speed, he mostly was focused on saving the day and trying to go faster than he actually was. Barry felt a wave of nostalgia as he mentally thought about this.

"Yeah. To come to think of it, she's working on something important. Cait can't find her co--a friend of hers and she really needs his help," Iris lied smoothly. Thank goodness that she didn't accidentally revealed on what Team Flash was actually doing.

Unfortunately, the girl caught up on Iris's hesitation. "How about we should take a seat?  You two could get some coffee and have a little chat with me. Maybe even compare notes. See if this is all connected somehow: Caitlyn's research and my boyfriend being missing."

"Wait." Barry made a time out gesture with his hands. "Your boyfriend being missing?"

The girl sighed. "I guess Clarisse was right. Seaweed Brain did rub off on me. 

"My name is Annabeth Chase, and I'm looking for my boyfriend Percy Jackson who apparently is your friend's long lost cousin. And yes, I know that the Flash is connected to this."

The couple gawked at her. Annabeth smirked. "So, go get the coffee, would you? I sit near the window."

---

The three compared notes on the leads they had on Percy. Turns out Annabeth only just started on the search for the missing Jackson. She explained to them on how he disappeared; he was snatched up by a blue blur and carried to an unidentified location. Annabeth went with her hunch and traveled to Central City with Percy's parents investigate. Central City was the home to most metahumans and a metahuman stole Percy. A metahuman who was a speedster. Speedsters were presumably found in--surprise, surprise--the home of the Flash, Central City. 

Barry elucidated carefully on how they knew he was missing. They told her Caitlyn and themselves worked with the scarlet speedster to fight crime and to win justice. Barry told Annabeth a video was sent to them, with Percy tied up and beaten like some kind of rag doll by the Flash's latest nemesis, the one, the only, Zoom.

Annabeth fought back tears as the forensic scientist told her this. "Gods--"

Gods. Plural, Barry noted.

"--I never would've thought. I mean, Percy and I...we've been through a lot of crap together. Dangerous stunts and whatnot. Now that I thought about it, it couldn't be a coincidence that Percy is the cousin of someone who is involved with scarlet Sonic."

Barry was personally offended by this. He didn't press the matter though. The blonde was trying to calm herself down by sarcasm. The secret speedster couldn't blame her.

Iris however looked like she solved a difficult riddle. "Dangerous stunts and whatnot?" she repeated. "Couldn't be a coincidence?"

Annabeth cleared her throat. "What I meant was that Percy has bad luck. He always gets into danger whenever he can, but not on purpose I assure you. It's...like trouble always gets to find him than him looking for trouble, I suppose."

"Like jumping off the St. Louis Arch for example? Suspended from six schools? Being missing for 6-8 months? His first stepfather being missing?" Barry blurted. He immediately kicked himself under the table for it.

"How did you know all of that?" the blonde snapped. She stood from her seat, her hands flat on the coffee table. The atmosphere around them didn't seem to notice, but a certain love interest of Cisco peered in silently. The three ignored her. The situation was already tense.

Iris erected up from her chair. "Caitlyn told us," she reassured, though it didn't seem like reassuring.

"Last time I checked Percy's cousin never visited New York for more than six years. My boyfriend's mom told me that."

A silence went throughout the table. The only sounds were heard was the rest of the bustling coffee shop. Kendra went back on serving her customers coffee and people lined in to get into Jitters or out of Jitters. Annabeth realized the only option.

"You researched him didn't you."

Barry and Iris didn't answer. Barry felt like he was a teenager again especially when him and Iris took a joyride in Joe's car and crashing it to a pole. Iris probably felt the same way.

The speedster sighed. "To be fair, we needed to know some valuable information about him to find some clues. It was just by accident we landed into the ''classified'' stuff."

Annabeth looked like she was going to argue more, but Barry's phone dinged with a notification. In more detail, a text from Cisco.

Get over here ASAP. We got a lead, a bad one. Code E2. And it's Percy's.

Code E2. Team Flash made that code up just a few days ago. It meant something terrible. It meant a doppelganger was on the loose.

"Iris.." Barry showed the text to her. Her eyes widened. She glanced at Annabeth then back to Barry.

"What happened?" she asked. Barry had no choice but to show her the text. "What's Code E2?"

Barry gently gripped Annabeth's shoulders. "It's hard to explain. You wouldn't believe it if I told you. Just...just don't freak out alright? Don't tell anyone."

Annabeth caught on the message. "No way. You can't be--well, I can't complain but..."

"There's no time! Come on!" Iris pressed. Barry grabbed Iris's hand. Annabeth quickly got her belongings and held the speedster's other hand. They sped-walked out of Jitters like normal people, and when no one was watching, the Flash took the girls to Star Labs, where the trouble had just began.

 A/N I woke up at three in the morning because of a thought that tugged in my mind. 

The Percy Jackson Musical is coming up in March 23. You know what's a few days after that? The Supergirl and the Flash musical crossover.

I'm writing a Percy Jackson and the Flash crossover fanfiction.

This could not be a coincidence.

Tell me your theories. 

                                                                            '''readingisapriority''''