Mission Accepted: Percabeth AU (HoO)✔️

Northern Rebel Headquarters: Part 1

Jason shouts but I hear the static go still. She just disconnected us.

Annabeth's POV:

Okay, look, I don't feel good about cutting off the communication, but I need to focus on getting into the headquarters without people jabbering in my ear. I feel the bags being lifted into the air and hold my breath. I slip my powers under the bag slightly to keep it stable and less heavy than it would normally be.

After too much waiting the bag drops onto the hard ground. I stifle a groan. I hear muffled voices through the bag, and a shiver passes through me. If I am found, I will never see the sky again let alone my friends.

"Why do we have these stupid bags anyway?" I hear a rough, scratchy voice say.

"It's ash and soot," someone else responds.

"But why?"

"I don't know, how would I know? Do I look like Cruz?"

"No, she's much prettier."

"Shut up."

"Idiot."

"Douche."

Another voice breaks up the bicker, "Hey! Get moving! I want those bags in Compartment 365, next to the uniforms."

I hear them shuffle around the bags quickly, the argument diffused in a second. I devise a plan to get out undetected. How can I? I recall the map of what we have so far from spies who failed to do the mission, most not surviving. I shove the last thought away.

I must be in the loading dock section. The headquarters is said to be massive, but no spy has gotten past the barracks which sits next to the compartments, who are next to the loading docks. The shirt from the rebel from the last base will not be good enough to get me through. Pursing my lips, I know what I need to do. But I need to get to the barracks first.

I shift my right foot hesitantly, the sound feeling like I'm sending up a flare. Not daring to breathe, I peel the top of the bag open. Light blinds me, shining through the darkness. Squinting, I push through my trembling legs to raise. People across the loading dock talk and move more supplies into bins or filing out papers while they complain about wanting to go to sleep. A door sits a hundred feet from me. My heart picks up its pace. Knowing this is my only chance, I crawl out of the bag slowly. Ash and soot cover my skin and clothes, and I leave a trail to the door. The entire walk, I keep my head down but strides confident. I almost laugh in relief when I twist the doorknob.

I have made it past the loading dock. A long, dim hallway greets me. The silence is enough to remind me of where I am. I try to brush off the ash but give up when it only makes my hands dirtier. The earpiece still rests in my ear, but I don't bother to connect it. Not yet. I am not in the clear yet.

As I walk, I note the various doors leading to different compartments and remember the map. There was this maze of hallways that lead to the barracks. Blowing out a breath, I continue to walk, keeping myself steady.

That is when a man rounds the corner, looking me directly in the eyes.

Percy's POV:

I hold her letter tightly in my hands, the grip unyielding. I re-read it a million times, my thoughts turning in every direction. The others jump at every noise, running to the mic and saying Annabeth's name over and over until they realize it didn't come from her and we are still disconnected. Stress piles on my shoulders, and I fight the thoughts of her being dragged bloody down a hallway if she gets caught. I fight the images of seeing other agent's dead bodies lying, discarded on the palace steps, delivered from the headquarters. It will not be her; I tell myself. It won't. It can't.