Mission Accepted: Percabeth AU (HoO)✔️

Obey

The night begins in a carriage. Jason, Leo, Thalia and I sit at the back of the carriage outside while the twins ride on horses with the other guards. I watch Percy listen to his father explain why the spies are here, but I know he hasn't revealed my secret yet as Percy has not looked at me like I have two heads yet.

The ride is hard on my muscles and I grunt, shifting my position on the bouncing carriage. Leo groans, "If I knew how uncomfortable this would be, I would've chosen to run on foot."

I shoot him a look and we slide back into silence. I watch the road, the map I analyzed over and over playing in my head. The forest I pinned as our jump-off point emerges around the bend and I breathe in, signaling to the others. We all jump off the carriage and begin our run into the forest. We jump over logs and maneuver through the thick bush. The carriage would be heading straight through the walls of the fortress right now. I monitor my breathing and continue heading for my main target. This could give us the lead of who is the rebel scum in the palace. I hesitated when leaving because I am leaving our own base a little undefended, but I don't think the rebel would want anything there since we have the heir and King with us.

Adam Barber, having come back from a trip to meet with some members of the council, has joined us on this little mission. He sits with Percy in the carriage, which unsettled me. Despite what everyone has said to me, I believe something is off about him. And I will be keeping a very close eye on him tonight, especially with us going into the lion's den.

A massive stone wall reveals itself and we all instantly begin at work. Climbing stone walls are my specialty since I can use my power to support myself and others, like a rope. When I reach the top, I jump to the bottom. This is where we are most exposed. Jason lands beside me, his breathing all I can hear in the silent courtyard. We drop to our stomachs and begin crawling toward the moat that surrounds the fortress. One thing I realized during my research that the fortress is a very old school; I came to the conclusion they would have old school ways of keeping others out. This, however, is not the main rebel headquarters. They have taken us to a very low-quality base, and I know why. The look and state of not only the fortress but the rebels will give the King some confidence in his own forces. Of course, the rebels are not going to take them to the actual fortress and reveal just how skilled and dangerous they are.

Curling my hands into fists, I allow myself to concentrate for a split second. The moat is easy to carry myself across from. Thalia whispers, "Annabeth, you need to conserve your energy for inside." I shake my head, implying I am fine and push my power underneath them all to lift them over the moat. I regain my breathing after they land.

I signal and Jason and Leo part ways with us, running around the side of the fortress. Thalia and I begin climbing the walls again toward the roof. I place pressure on cracks and ledges of the fortress, balancing on hardly anything. I pause for a moment, an unsettling gut feeling filling me. Thalia gestures for me to be faster and I join her on the roof. We crouch, watching the rebel's guards monitor their gate and main entranceway. Something doesn't feel right, this shouldn't be this easy.

"This is all too unguarded for my liking," I whisper.

"I agree, let's just get inside," She says.

We make our way across the roof, feet placing themselves in peculiar ways to not make noise. We drop through a barred window, squeezing in. The place is quiet at first until we hear voices that boom against the walls. The Royals stand in the center of this grand space, and Thalia and I upstairs in a room that then leads out to this railing area circling over the grand space below. I sink into the shadows, watching their every move as Thalia grabs papers and searches the room. She signals for me to stay as she tries to sneak out to another room, but I grab her arm. Stupid, I mouth to her.