I hate this chapter. Not cause it's bad but because I've written it over and over so many times cuz it was never right. So you better enjoy it.

-Jaz

~~~~

Chapter 8

"Hylla's got methods of transporting people and things easily. We're just lucky that's she's on the east coast this week. She lives out in California but comes out this way for business deals."

"Is that the girl who tried to get me to wear a jumpsuit and collar?" Travis asked.

"Yup."

~~~~

"Not to ruin the mood or anything but there is a black SUV swerving around cars quickly behind us," Rachel said peering out the rear window.

"He's following us?" Connor asked surprised looking out the rear window.

"Apparently your closet encounter wasn't enough to satisfy him," Travis snickered.

"You do realize that man may try to kill us all right?" Silena asked him.

"Oh right..."

"So we better get there fast then," Beckendorf summarized pressing down harder on the gas.

"Where are we even going?" I asked.

"I told you we've got a friend in the area," Clarisse responded. "My cousin really. Hylla's got methods of transporting people and things easily. We're just lucky that's she's on the east coast this week. She lives out in California but comes out this way for business deals."

"Is that the girl who tried to get me to wear a jumpsuit and collar? Travis asked.

"Yup."

"Great..."

"We need to lose the car," Beckendorf interjected. "We're close to the city and I'm gonna park in a garage or something then we need to lose this crazy guy on foot. Percy mind giving us his description?"

~~~~

"Where are we meeting her?" Silena asked Clarisse as we walked as a group down the crowded streets. We tried to look like a casual group but it was much harder than it looked. I was continuously limping, Rachel looked ready to sprint away (I was honestly unsure why she was still here), and Beckendorf was carefully watching for the man.

"We've got a ways to go. So I'm gonna call her and see if we can get to meet her closer."

"What exactly did the guy who tied you up look like?" Travis questioned.

I paused thinking back before answering. "He had curly black hair, blue eyes and he was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt, oh and I covered him in a pink chemical to get away. So he might look a bit different."

"Alright now that we know what he looks like. I suggest we run fast and far, cause it looks like he's angry."

We followed Travis gaze and saw the man storming after us. His hair was messed up, his eyes were red from the chemical and he did indeed look angry.

"There's a bus over there," Beckendorf said quickly. "Let's get on it." We hurried to the bus and hopped on without complaint. Rachel paid for our passes and we hurried to the back of the bus as the doors closed. I glanced out the window as the man glared after us.

~~~~

"Well now were on the wrong side of the city. Great. Just great," Clarrisee muttered as they climbed off the bus.

"At least we're not dead," Silena reminded her.

"Is Valdez really worth all of this?"

"Who knows. But the money is, and we need him to get said money," Travis reminded her.

"You never told us how you met Leo by the way," Connor commented looking to Percy.

Percy opened and closed his mouth a few times. "It's complicated but we were both held in the same facility."

"You've been to prison?"

"Not that kind of place..." Percy said slowly searching for the right words. "It- it was a research place. They did research on um... well, they used people for their experiments..."

"Oh."

"On that happy note lets get moving," Beckendorf commented. "Rachel if you don't want to get more mixed up in trouble I suggest you take your leave now. That guy is clearly after us. You should leave while you can."

Rachel blinked surprised but she nodded. "Yeah I guess. But..." she felt around her pockets and grabbed a receipt and a pen. She scribbled something down and handed it to Percy. "Call if you need something. I know some kickass lawyers who can get you out of trouble if you get arrested... again."

Percy rolled him eyes and nodded and shoved it in his pocket before the red headed girl hurried off down the street away from the group. Percy turned from watching her go and back to the others. "Shall we keep moving?"

There was a short pause as the group looked amongst themselves deciding what it was they wanted to do.

"I need a pay phone or something," Clarisse announced.

"Well hate to break it to you, but in this day and age they are scare," Connor commented.

"We should split up," Percy suggested. "Give us the number and then whoever finds the phone firsts calls her then meet back here in like twenty minutes."

Clarisse sighed. "Fine. Stolls and Percy you go one way, we will go another. You better remember this number because I will only say it once."

~~~~

Percy mumbled the number to himself over and over hoping he had it right as he walked. He couldn't check with either of the brothers as both had seemed to vanished into thin air. Percy tried his best not to limp, and not to think of the pain which flared. His adrenaline had died down, and he would kill for an Advil or Tylenol. Anything which would stop the pain. Percy swallowed his pain and scanned the area.

On the next block he noticed a coffee shop, he silently hoped they'd have a pay phone and hobbled toward it. He pushed opened the door and a small smile came to his face as he noticed a pay phone. He hurried to it and shoved his hands in his pockets when he realized something, the Stoll brothers had the money.

Percy groaned and moved away from the phone and decided he'd at least sit for a moment, and give his leg a rest. He turned to look at the tables and he nearly fell over in shock. There were only three tables occupied in the shop. At a table toward the back sat six people about his age. Six familiar people. Percy hurried over a smile coming to his face. When he reached he table they all looked up to him blankly.

"How the hell did you get here?" Leo asked finally scooting over, effectively squishing Nico.

"I thought you got shot? And arrested?" Luke asked pushing Nick off of him and back into Leo.

"Stop it," Nico glared at them both.

"Grab that chair," Annabeth said pointing to another table.

"I did," Percy told them once pulling up the other chair and sitting in it. "But-" Percy was cut off by the sudden screech of a chair on the floor as someone at a nearby table got up. Percy glanced over and his heart fell to his feet. The same stupid man. The same man who for some reason refused to give up.

"Percy?" Annabeth questioned.

Percy shook his head and stood. "We need to go," he told the group moving away from the table keeping his eyes trained on the man who watched him with a smirk.

"All subjects are cornered," said another voice. Percy turned to see the woman which had occupied the other table was speaking into a phone. "We shall return them to you shortly sir."

"Nico?" Thalia asked.

"Am I just a get away guy?" Nico said quietly. "Give me a sec, it's not at easy as it looks. A distraction perhaps?"

"We can handle that," Piper smiled standing up from the booth. "Cover you ears," she winked. Percy quickly did as he was told as Piper looked at the people in front of them. "Don't come closer!"

Percy suddenly felt like his feet were rooted to the spot despite his hands coming closer.

"I can't get us to go far," Nico put in and Percy looked to see Nico's body seeming to slip away. He hurriedly fought Piper's words and grabbed on to the others not wanting to be left behind again as they were transported.

~~~~

"We should be about a block away," Nico said when the reappeared in an alley.

"Not far enough," Percy commented looking around nervously.

"Who are they?" Luke questioned.

Percy shook his head. "Dunno for sure. But I think they work the facility. That guy has been following me for a while. I keep losing him, but he keeps coming back how?"

"He's probably tracking you," Leo commented stepping away from Percy.

"What?"

"A tracking device."

"Did he ever get really close to you?"

Percy opened his mouth to protest but he immediately remembered the closest debacle. He didn't remember anything besides the zip ties, but had the man planted something on him.

"Get out of here," Annabeth said sharply.

Percy blinked. "W-what?"

"I'm not going back there. If they are following you, they'll catch me. Get away from me. Get away from us!"

"I agree," Nico said quietly. "I need to find and help my sisters. I can't do that if you're bringing them straight to us."

Percy's eyes flickered to the others in the group. All of which refused to make eye contact with him.

Shouting and yelling met Percy's ears and at it the others bristled and they stepped further away from Percy. Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Luke shook his head.

"It's nothing personal," he said before he sprinted off the others at his side. Percy tried to follow, but his leg protested. Instead he watched them go. For the split second he was with them Percy felt that he had belonged somewhere, for the first time in a very long time. But truly he didn't really know them. He didn't know them well enough, to realize that's while he needed them, they wouldn't need him.

"Percy!"

Percy turned slowly to see Travis run up to him.

"We've been looking for you!" Travis told him. "What happened?"

Percy glanced back the way the others had gone. "Nothing."