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#he needs his thief family T_T))
fantomevoleur · 1 year
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💛 for everyone, 💙 for futaba (and mona and lavenza yes they're test muses shhhh) and 💚 🖤 for goro!
What kind of relationship does your muse want with mine?
💛 platonic
💙 family
💚 rivals
🖤 enemies
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((You know me and my love for platonic ships! The Phantom Thieves as a whole are just incredibly blessed and lucky to see some of Akira's more intimate side. It's his way of showing affection and how much he cares for this friends. So you bet he's gonna be giving them hugs, headpats and shoulder pats, hair ruffles, holding their hands, and so much more. He...also hopes the favors are returned because HOO MAN this is one very touch-starved lad right here!
Futaba is, and will always be, Akira's little sister, and Mona gets to be like his little brother too. But MAN, I would love to see a sibling bond with Lavenza too!! He's spent so much time with both her halves, he's very curious to see what Lavenza is all like, and to spend more time with her too. She gets special piggy-back privileges and can use Akira's shoulders as a pillow whenever she gets sleepy!
Akechi and Akira will ALWAYS have their rivalry, and Akira never wants to let that go. Whether it's trying to best him in a polite argument or beating him at a board game/video game, Akira treasures the relationship he has with the detective. Akechi has his own special place in Akira's heart, and even if they find themselves disagreeing on certain topics, Akira will ALWAYS give his respects to Akechi's opinions. Even if they are wrong in Akira's eyes~ :3))
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tenebrius-excellium · 6 months
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Neil being made to believe he can't change his ways by some stupid psychiatrist in 5x04 hurts so much T_T
Fascinatingly, we meet an ex-criminal who DID change his life for the better in the same episode. And on the other hand there's Dr. Mara Summers who sows this terrible doubt in Neals mind about who he is and who he can be. That he can never be anything else but a thief.
It's very untypical for Neal to listen to random strangers, and so that had me startled. However, there's a distinct difference between the woman's and the other ex-criminal's voice of influence on him...: He is just a family man, she is cunning and on his level intellectually.
When Neal meets Dr. Summers, they immediately spar a mindgame.
And I'm not sure what about that made Neal change his mind about getting clean of his criminal history, because he clearly despises himself for being a con man afterwards. He's learned to hate the manipulation which he is able to intuitively force on the people he interacts with. It becomes wildly apparent who Neal is and who he is not in Season 6 with Keller and Amy (no more spoilers but those who have already watched know what I'm talking about).
So what did Dr. Summers trigger in Neal that made him lose faith in Peter and in himself? Why does he give up on the legal life again when he - once free - could have easily found work that feeds his desire for the thrill within the FBI, within security firms or insurance companies (like Sara)? Of course the conversation with Dr. Summers may have reminded Neal of how much he missed the high life. But it shouldn't have tampered with his identity. Neal claims to not know who he is, I say he has a fairly good idea. He knows what he's good at, he knows he doesn't do violence, he knows he wants an extravagant lifestyle and he knows who his friends are. That's a lot more than can be said about just any person.
So in a way, Neal went back to old habits, but they became very purposeful. It stopped being a game to him and it became about getting out for good. He somehow went back to shady behavior yet grew as a person and lost all joy in it.
I feel that part of his arc remained unfinished at the end of Season 6. Neal was on his way to learn that he doesn't need to steal to be able to live out who he is. And it kinda stopped there halfway.
I feel like Neal was about to become a Robin Hood type of guy. In saying that he could never change, Dr. Summers solidified the fact for him that he had definitely changed, but since everything was going too slow for him, he used the old methods to speed up the terms of his release. One last con.
The con to get out. For good.
I just wish I didn't have to analyze that in a wholeass essay. I wish it had been spelled out for us in the ending of the show. I wish I didn't merely have to hope that Neal found his peace after Dr. Summers got into his mind, while deep down knowing he is haunted. I wish someone had told him that he didn't have to listen to her.
I wish him peace.
@e7y1 @kimkhimhant
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sovonight · 8 months
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Thoughts on vanilla BG2 companions?
these are pretty surface level, but thoughts nonetheless!
edwin: i've never actually traveled with edwin, i can never really justify taking 2 dedicated wizards and my limit is one mean person per party (that slot is usually taken by viconia). i can see his selling point though so i've been meaning to take him along
imoen: i feel the need to bring her along for story reasons but if i'm honest i don't see the need for a thief/mage, especially if i have aerie :'I also the way that they established a canon dynamic for imoen & charname in the bg2 intro always rubbed me the wrong way. in my head imoen regularly skipped class and still got top marks, and radri attended class dutifully and just isn't as good sefjkfsen. like--imoen's a scamp! she's a trickster! what do you mean she was content to sit in lessons listening to stuffy tutors all day?? she always struck me as someone who's kind of effortlessly, deceptively smart and learns on her own schedule
jaheira: i also feel the need to bring her along for story reasons loL but unlike imoen i genuinely like having her. she's obviously dealing with a lot in bg2 but i find her attitude refreshing & am touched that she'll defend charname against the harpers :')
minsc: he's always on thin ice with me, he's just too loud lmAO but i keep him anyway until someone better comes along. when the missing boo quest started (the one added by unfinished business, i think?) i very nearly sighed and ejected him because i didn't want to use my brain on the clues, but at the last minute i found a walkthrough that spelled it all out for me, so. he's still in the party. sigh.
viconia: i don't know what it is about her but i like her T_T i also think radri sees kind of a connection with her & gives her plenty of chances because of it, even though radri barely survives talking to her. i don't think anyone else actively likes her in the party configurations i choose though so i do feel a bit bad whenever i bring her along
aerie: i was a little over her at the beginning but now i think she's cute! seeing her make all those missteps around jaheira really made me feel for her. i like viconia and anomen equally as much as her though, so i've never dedicated myself to traveling with her for extended periods of time
anomen: if xan didn't exist i'd be interested to delve into what his whole deal is. i think he has an interesting personal quest with interesting outcomes, though i think the decision making on the player's side could've been more subtle
cernd: i… never spent time on him… in my current paused playthrough i didn't even take him temporarily to do that whole animal trouble quest, purely because it's just a hassle to move equipment around to dismiss people. and maybe i've just let my dao experience color my impressions but i've always been a little underwhelmed by shapeshifting
haer'dalis: i don't remember anything about this guy either lmAO i'm sorry but i'm immune to tieflings and bards and i'm not into theater
jan jansen: i can see why people like to bring him along, but i'm already playing a thief, imoen is already a thief/mage, i can't justify the thief oversaturation. pass. also his other thing is he's talkative, right? i unfortunately already have a guy dedicated to talking my ear off
keldorn: i always recruit this guy, and i'm always sad when i have to let him go to reconnect with his family ;_; but it's the right thing to do
korgan: i'm sorryyyy i can't tolerate chaotic evil in my party. pass
mazzy: i've never taken her, but i should! honestly i should swap minsc out for her
nalia: i've never been interested in taking her because, once again, thief/mage. oversaturated. pass
valygar: the last time i traveled with this guy was back in 2014, and i remember nothing about him?? i should bring him along again
yoshimo: thief, oversaturated, pass. i would say something about his "betrayal" but i'm not there yet in my current playthrough and don't remember anything about it from 2014. i'm sorry yoshimo... i must've found you so inconsequential
bonus, sarevok: ok i said no chaotic evil but he's the exception. i can fix him
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thejudgingtrash · 4 years
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hello mel i Love You
HELLO DIL I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!!!
You had me SCREAMING! Criminal genius/Detective Annabeth is my new hyper fixation, I fucking swear T_T
My brain went OVERBOARD with this! It’s super long! Please enjoy!!
(I’ve withheld this story due to the current political climate and I still feel sorta a way. But if reading about the p*lice triggers you or makes you feel uncomfortable, I wholeheartedly understand if you want to skip this one. Also... the story has some... a little bit of heat in it. Not much, it’s SFW. But it’s there <.<)
And: law enforcement, medical and science side of the pjo fandom, I doubt that this will make any sense :D
Also thanks again Torie @percyheartsannabeth for being an amazing beta!!
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The Golden Age (WC: 9,5k)
i.
“Absolutely not,” Detective Annabeth Chase crossed her arms and shook violently her head. The blonde curls nearly escaped her bun. Her partner Detective Luke Castellan was surprised. He had never seen Annabeth reject a direct command.
“We need his statement, Chase,” said Sergeant Charles Beckendorf. “It’s his M.O. The drugs, the paintings. Either he’s operating from prison again or someone’s copying him. We need to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all!”
“Even so, we’re busy with the robberies in Chelsea.” Annabeth didn’t want to pick this case up again. The case that made her famous, the case that changed her life forever. For the worse.
“Stoll will take over that with his younger brother. Chase, you don’t have a choice. You will talk to Perseus Jackson. That’s an order,” Captain Dougenis commanded. He had the final say. Luke nodded, Annabeth did nothing.
“Don’t you think we haven’t tried to get him to cooperate earlier? He said he only wants to talk to you. The person that put him behind bars,” Beckendorf explained.
Fuck Annabeth thought. She did not want to face Perseus Jackson again. She wanted to forget him and move on. The looks from her two superiors said that they would deny her wish. Jackson was a cunning manipulator. She knew how he worked and what he was. A criminal. A thief. A criminal.
“When will I speak with him?” she sighed. A battle that was lost quickly.
“In two days. Should give you enough time to study the case files,” Dougenis said.
Off to a great start. The sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway muffled as the prisoner was placed into the interview room two days later. He sat down and the cuffs fell from his hands. He rubbed his wrists. A little bit of freedom regained. Orange was a hideous color, but he actually managed to make it look good on him.
He and Annabeth were separated by the thin layer of the one-way-mirror. His sea green eyes scanned the plain fake wall in front of him. They tried to find her as he knew he was being watched. The piercing stare actually caught her eye directly. Annabeth sighed. He couldn’t hear her, but a smirk found its way onto his lips regardless. He knew her.
“You’ll be fine in there?” asked Luke who would stay outside of the interview room. He had been a part in arresting that monster. The condition that Jackson gave them was that he wanted to speak with Annabeth – alone. Annabeth nodded. Then she stepped into the small room. Tension laid in the air.
Four years had passed since he had been locked up. Perseus looked good. His hair was grayer, the beard had been trimmed recently. He looked like he exercised on a regular basis. Annabeth’s eyes spent two seconds engraving the picture of his brown biceps into her memory.
“Perseus Jackson, 38, born in New York City, arrested due to art theft and extortion. Twelve years. You’ve managed roughly a third so far.” Despite her marvelous work, they never were able to charge him for drug trafficking directly. The witnesses had remained silent. Annabeth took a seat in front of him.
“Annabeth, you know me,” Perseus pouted. A contrast to his deep voice. “Call me Percy,” he winked.
Her neck felt hot. “It’s Detective Chase for you!” she hissed. Amusement sparked through his eyes.
“Okay, Detective Chase.” How was he able to make her name sound so… dirty? So profligate?
“The woman that I have to thank for my new cozy home needs my help now all of a sudden. The tables have turned. I like that.” And Annabeth did not like one bit how his mocking tone sent shivers down her spine. The way his tongue flicked. The urge of standing up and fleeing the room was prominent, but she was a professional and had a job to do:
Make Perseus Jackson sing.
“I need information.” Annabeth’s mouth was pressed to a thin line.
“Straight to the point, Detective, huh?” The attractive man leaned forward. “And what information do I supposedly have?”
“Your family never stopped your business,” Annabeth spat. Perseus shrugged and his fingers tapped on the desk. An annoying habit.
“Someone is operating with the same methods as you. Art gets stolen and drugs follow the leads. Either you’re behind it or someone else has been recruited to fill your place. We need to find that someone.” She opened the case files and showed him pictures of missing paintings and locations as well as new collecting points for drugs on a map.
“Oh?” Jackson made and tilted his head. He faked interest and glanced lazily over the pictures.
“I’m pretty sure that I don’t have the time in my precious little cell to run all of the things that you’ve been accusing me of. Everything comes at a price, Detective,” he then smiled.
Sea green met light gray. Annabeth swallowed. Memories came back.
ii.
Two years. Annabeth had spent two years on that fucking case and barely made any progress. The smuggling of paintings to cover up or be used as payment for drug operations just didn’t make any sense. Her partner Luke got undercover into the business as a small middle man, but the rules were different for women. Sexism ruled yet once again. Detective work had narrowed the window down and came to one person: Perseus Jackson. He was invisible. He was a phantom. He had been swallowed by mother earth, never to be seen again.
He was part of the Greek syndicate that ruled with an iron fist over the East Coast. Not even the Italians, Chinese, Egyptians or Russians had that much power. Chrýseon Genos. The Golden Age. A fitting name for a bunch of pieces of shit that found joy in ruining people’s lives and making New York unsafe each and every single day. Everything was coded and followed the basic principles of Greek mythology. After Konstantinos Olympianidikis, otherwise known as Kronos, died in the 1970s due to a raging war with his own brothers, his three sons split the legacy and entire empire into three sections:
Adrian Olympianidikis. Hades. Racketeering and money laundering.
Petros Olympianidikis. Poseidon. Theft and drug trafficking.
Zacharias Olympianidikis. Zeus. Prostitution and human trafficking.
All these crimes were tied to the Golden Age and the police forces couldn’t do anything. Witnesses vanished or remained silent. The little evidence they had left was either compromised or disappeared. Everyone in the Golden Age had their little specialty. Everyone passed missions and power onto the next family member in the hierarchy. So did Petros aka Poseidon do the same thing with his sons. One of those sons was Paris. His youngest. The only pieces of information that Annabeth had of him were a 17-year-old picture that showed Paris shoplifting with some of his cousins and a diploma that showed that he had studied art history. A picture of him as a boy and proof that he had a college degree. Wow. Compelling evidence.
Annabeth took one final look of the teenage boy. The picture had been taken in the year 2000 hence the quality of the security camera of Macy’s being complete shit. Despite seeing a long mop on his head and awfully baggy clothes there was next to nothing that was useful for Annabeth in the year 2017. Hell. Who knew what Jackson looked like now as a grown man? The probability of him running around like in the early 2000s was next to none.
“And?” Annabeth asked Luke as he returned from a meeting in the syndicate.
“Poseidon is willing to speak to you,” her blond colleague nodded. The scar under his eye had proved his loyalty. A near fight for life and death. The other person had remained in the hospital for a while but was fine and dandy by now according to Luke.
“Okay.”
“Only you. Not anyone else. I’ll drive you.” Annabeth nodded.
The townhouse in the Meatpacking District did not look much like most of the houses in the area. The real luxury laid within. The house was filled with two kinds of people: security guards and young models. Annabeth felt uncomfortable and underdressed as she was following a young girl’s lead. Barely a woman. Not only did Poseidon enjoy his life at the fullest, no, he was also rich as fuck. Young women served drinks and cooked in the kitchen. Bikinis, shorts and cocktail dresses so short that they nearly gave Annabeth whiplash. A young thing named Lacy brought Annabeth to the garden where a mini pool party was going on at its fullest.
Despite being in his 80s, Poseidon looked good. He looked young and was full of life. He looked like he was in his solid early 50s. The hair and the bushy beard were so white that it seemed to have been dyed. The tanned skin was healthy. A friendly face. The only indication of his age were the neck and his hands. Had Annabeth been into older men, she had to admit that she wouldn’t have said no to Poseidon from the visuals alone.
Poseidon enjoyed his book and the giggling girls in the background as Lacy caught his attention with the new arrival. “Ah!” he said, and his eyes twinkled as he put the sunglasses away. Girls were swimming in the pool or playing volleyball, music was blasting, and food was served.
“Detective Chase!” Poseidon stood up and shook her hand. A firm grip. He spoke with a soft Greek accent.
“What can I do for you?” he asked friendly.
“More like how can you help me speak to one of your sons?” Annabeth smiled.
Poseidon laughed. “Which one? I have many.”
Yes, you do you horny bastard the blonde thought. Poseidon had twelve sons in total. Or twelve sons that he publicly claimed. All by different mothers of course. All of them had joined the family business and most have paid the price with their lives.
Proteus. Triton. Khrysomallos. Pegasus. Arion. Polyphemus. Bellerophon. Theseus. Orion. Sciron. Chrysaor. Paris. More than half of them were dead, less than half of them were alive. Tryfon aka Triton, the son Poseidon had when he was 19, had been killed by his cousin Iraklis also known as Hercules in 1974. Orion had been twelve when he had been shot in the street by Antonios and Phoebe aka the twins Apollon and Artemis in 1986. Assassinated by his own cousins. The trend of getting killed by your own family members was fairly present in the Golden Age.
“The youngest,” Annabeth answered which made Poseidon laugh.
“Ah, my boy Paris. What did he do?” Curiosity swung in the words of the old man that referred to his son in his codename.
“Sorry, confidential,” Annabeth deflected and pouted.
“Of course, of course. Ah the police. Friend and helper. As you can see-” Poseidon pointed to the precious gardens. “My son isn’t here.”
Annabeth nodded. “Well, if you happen to see him, tell him to give me a call.”
She gave him her card. Poseidon studied it. “Of course, I will Miss Chase.” Another friendly smile.
The blonde nodded and then left. The smile of the old man vanished for a split second only to appear as one of his young helpers gave him one of the many burner phones of the house.
“Thank you, Drew!” he said before pressing a number into the small device.
“Yes?” asked the tired voice of a man on the other side.
“Can you explain to me why a certain Detective Chase from the NYPD came to my home to talk about you?” The old man sounded cold and amused at the same time.
“What?” Now he was wide awake.
“I thought the woman would introduce herself as your fiancé! Something that would actually make me proud,” complained the old man and nodded to another young thing that handed him a drink.
“I will take care of it.”
“Yes, you will.”
The line was dead.
And Annabeth continued to work for another two weeks without any other results. Her shift came to an end but at least the desk was clean. She didn’t drown in mountains of paperwork like Castellan did.
“See you tomorrow!” said Connor Stoll as she crossed ways with him in the hallway.
“See you!” Her mood had reached its lowest so far. It was time to visit her best friend since childhood and his bar The Grove. As soon as Annabeth stepped out of the police department, it started to rain.
“Great.” Her steps got faster.
Fortunately for her, The Grove was within walking distance. The pouring sky distracted Annabeth so much that she didn’t realize neither a black Lexus parking around the corner nor the footsteps that had been following her. The leather jacket and the blonde curls were wet but nothing that would worry bartender and owner Grover Underwood all too much. He had seen her in fairly worse states.
“What can I do for you, Annabeth? An Old Fashioned like usual?” His friend nodded.
“Have you eaten something?” The dark-skinned man knew Annabeth and her habits. Overworking herself and forgetting to eat lunch were her favorite deadly combinations.
“Well, I wouldn’t mind something to snack on,” she confessed.
Grover only shook his head but gave her a glass full of pretzel sticks. A delicious Old Fashioned stood on the counter a few moments later. The door behind her opened and closed.
“What can I do for you, sir?” asked Grover and looked to the door.
“Whiskey. Double.” A rich baritone. Pleasant to the ears.
Annabeth heard the squeaking of the barstool next to her. She turned her head to the right and nearly fell to the ground. A man sat next to her that was a younger copy of Poseidon. Paris Olympianikidis also known as Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon. The man she had been searching for since forever randomly decided to appear. Her talk with Poseidon must have sparked something and Annabeth hated the stupid rule about women not being in the family business unless they had been born into it even more. Precious time that could have been used for undercover operations had been wasted.
Perseus looked… good. Good didn’t even describe it. His salt and pepper hair had the same streaks in the beard. He had a chiseled face with a straight nose. Wrinkles around the eyes showed that he loved to laugh and smile. He seemed to enjoy his regular exercise; the way his shirt shifted whenever he moved a muscle made it seem like it was about to tear apart. His skin was of a rich brown, and his lips were curled into a devilish smirk. The sea green eyes were a direct copy of his father’s. He had won the genetic lottery. He had nothing in common with the shoplifting boy from the year 2000.
“A little bird told me you were looking for me,” he winked.
Why did her chest feel so heavy? Why weren’t her lungs functioning normally?
Percy had to admit. His father had been right. Annabeth Chase was his type. Her body had a beautiful shape from what he had observed in the past few days. A firm ass that did Pilates on a regular basis in a class not far from her shithole of an apartment. A heart shaped face and a slight tooth gap that made her look only more adorable. Blonde princess curls that seemed to be fairly taken care of with expensive products. But her eyes… an interesting gray that told him one thing: she had a flaming spirit that was blessed with intelligence. Or was it cursed by its burden?
“Your father,” she commented.
The whiskey was served, and Percy took a swig. He was pleased.
“Do you mind?” the handsome man asked as he grabbed a smoke. Annabeth turned to Grover who ignored the antics of the new customer. The bartender placed an ashtray in front of him instead. What in the fuck is going on?
“I usually don’t smoke,” he confessed and lit the cigarette regardless. Annabeth pulled a face. Where was the logic in that?
“And you do now because…?” The interest was honest.
“I only smoke when I’m having a good drink-” He raised the glass to Grover who nodded and appreciated the compliment. “And am sitting next to a beautiful woman,” Perseus winked.
Annabeth didn’t know whether she wanted to blush or strangle him. She was 29 and acted like an insecure school girl for fucks sake! She nearly laughed.
“So, I have the honor of finally meeting you, Annabeth.” The way he said her name. So smoky and dark. He belonged in prison for that.
“It’s Detective Chase for you!” she hissed. The criminal next to her only raised an eyebrow.
“Bossy. Kinky. I like it,” he smirked and enjoyed the redness of her face as he pulled from the cigarette and blew the smoke.
Grover in the corner tried to hide his laughter with a cough. Annabeth turned to her best friend with a murderous rage. “Annabeth and kinky. Yeah right.”
“Grover, shut up!” she commanded. Jackson next to her was more than just amused.
“Now I’m interested.” He tapped some of the ashes off.
“You really want to know the details of her love life?” Grover asked.
“Oh, I definitely bite,” Percy smiled. Yes please. Annabeth wanted to smack herself.
“Could we come to the more pressing matters?” the woman groaned.
“Sure,” Jackson shrugged.
He lifted his drink, she lifted hers. They met in the middle and both felt a spark immediately.
“I need information.” Chase cutting the chase.
Percy smiled. “Everything comes at a price.”
The fact that Annabeth had spent another hour next to him and had let him pay for all of her drinks made her stomach churn in hindsight. He even insisted on paying for the Uber that picked her up.
As Annabeth returned to her apartment, she started searching through it high and low in her semi drunken state. The stupid Greek syndicate had to have bugged her. Her already chaotic apartment was even more disheveled. At least she would be forced to properly clean up once the weekend hit. The worst part was that she found absolutely nothing.
What’s worse? Being wrong or being crazy?
iii.
“I’m pretty sure you got the wrong person,” Percy said and grabbed the glass of water in front of him. The interview room looked sad. “I know nothing.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got the right person,” Annabeth retorted and leaned forward. Her hand grabbed the edge table so tightly that the vessels nearly popped. He had to give her something.
“You’re the key. You were the blueprint and now someone’s running off with your legacy. And you’re more than okay with that?!”
“Mmhh,” Percy made. As if he had seen the most delicious thing in his life. The fact that he didn’t lick his lips was a wonder. Annabeth’s eyes followed his gaze right into her cleavage. Two buttons of her blouse that had been left open. Boys will be boys.
“Are you fucking serious, Jackson?” she spat.
The prisoner leaned backwards into his chair with a grin that quickly vanished. “It stinks in here,” he sighed.
Annabeth halted her movement. Her eyes widened in shock.
“No,” she whispered.
His beautiful sea green eyes told her one thing. Yes.
iv.
“Is this really necessary?” Annabeth questioned Beckendorf’s decision behind his back.
A visit to an art gallery. Perseus Jackson decided to become visible to the public eye all of a sudden and started to work as an art collector and conservator. He had meetings with clients, he had visitors in his studio and seemed to actually use his degree for something. Whether it was for the good or not was a matter of perspective. The criminal went to the gym daily; he even bought his own fucking groceries. Observing him had been nerve wrecking. Especially since probably he knew that he was being watched and therefore enjoyed every second of Annabeth’s annoyance. The detective felt like a true voyeur. He hadn’t done anything suspicious unless being a little piece of shit counted. Jackson didn’t separate his waste for an instance. Prick.
When Luke told her that Jackson had planned the opening of a gallery and proposed that they should go, the blonde almost laughed. A public event where no invitation was needed. A ballsy move. It seemed like Jackson really gave no fucks. Unfortunately, Beckendorf caught wind of it and now she was forced to go.
“I’m afraid so,” Luke said as he rubbed his temples. He really wasn’t in the mood for a fight with Annabeth. She was an opponent that just maimed you with arguments.
“What’s going on, Annabeth?” her colleague asked. “You wanted to find Jackson the entire time. You’ve worked for years on this and now you’re basically backpedaling. This is so not you.”
For better or for worse, Annabeth didn’t talk about Luke with her meeting with Jackson at The Grove. Something told her that she should hold onto the information.
“I don’t know. Just a bad feeling I guess,” she confessed. Annabeth didn’t know what would happen once Jackson was aware of her presence. And he would definitely see her.
“You’re not alone.” Luke patted her shoulder. “Grace, Beauregard and hell even that di Angelo informant guy said they would be present. Jackson must have pulled a big gig if even the Italians are interested in his shitty joint. Nothing will happen to you.”
I’m not so sure about that, Annabeth thought, but the only thing she did was nod.
A month had passed, and the day of the gallery opening was finally there. Annabeth stood in front of the building where soft string music could be heard from the outside and guests flooded in. Annabeth saw how undercover cop Jason Grace entered. He quickly glanced in her direction but turned around. Annabeth understood; he was a valuable asset who could not let his cover get blown over.
The blue dress that she wore hugged her curves tightly and the high heels that she chose made the detective regret every life decision that led up to that exact moment. Her soles would be burning the next day and it wasn’t like in the movies. An attempt to run in those things would be a one-way ticket to the ER. The wire in the dress didn’t make the discomfort any better.
“Chase, everything's fine?” asked Beckendorf in her ear. Of course, she had been bugged.
“Yes, everything is good. I’m moving,” she said.
Annabeth mingled with the crowd and entered. The blonde actually stood in awe and registered all the modern pieces. Pop art, minimal art, abstract expressionism, all sorts of different post-modern works that fought for space but harmonized wonderfully together in the rooms. How the fuck was that criminal scum be able to display works from Andy Warhol, Helen Frankenthaler or Jackson Pollock?
They had to be either stolen, bought for a large sum, rented, which was not the style of the Greek syndicate or, something that was Jackson’s supposed specialty, be forged. A waiter offered her champagne which she politely declined. As much as Annabeth would love to cloud her mind, she could not afford it on that evening. She had to look out for Jackson. The blonde made her first round at a slow speed.
“Can you see him yet?”
“No, not yet. Oh, there he is! With Chiara Benvenuti!” A known mafia bride. Chiara was surrounded by her bodyguards like always as she pointed towards a picture.
“Good,” Beckendorf breathed into her ear. “Perhaps we can finally raid this place.”
The painting was an abstract piece with lots of red elements. Blood that was spilled on the dance floor. Something fitting for a coldhearted villain.
“Of course, painting it was a task, but I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Annabeth heard Jackson say. The way Benvenuti laughed made her rage. Jackson joining her, didn’t make it any better. The fact that Benvenuti stared at his tanned chest as he had left some of the buttons of his shirt open, pissed the detective even more off.
Jackson’s sea green eyes shifted to the right and caught her staring at him. A pleased expression rested on his face and the smile could almost be considered to be honest. Embarrassed, Annabeth turned around and immediately left the corner. Fuck that mission. Fuck everything. Fuck that man in particular and the uneasy feeling that rested inside her heart. She saw Luke mingling with two people in black suits, they looked like they would fit the description of some of the Golden Age’s lackeys. Luke was irritated but there was no time for explanation. Annabeth needed alcohol, she needed it badly.
“Chase, what’s going on dammit?” hissed Beckendorf as he heard her frantic steps. She was glad he was unable to see her in that pathetic state.
“Nothing,” Annabeth lied. “Don’t want to blow cover.”
Fortunately, another waitress was making her rounds and Annabeth grabbed a glass which she nearly inhaled. She was wandering through the gallery and tried to figure out her next steps. Too little, too late.
“You left me waiting. Good evening, Detective.”
Annabeth almost let the glass fall as she heard his deep voice behind her and felt his large hand around her waist. A scent of musk and fresh sea breeze crawled into her nose. The grip wasn’t extremely tight, but it was clear that Perseus Jackson had no intention of letting her go.
“Fuck!” hissed Beckendorf into her ear. It was too early to storm the place. They had nothing in their hands against Jackson.
“You have quite the collection,” Annabeth complimented him.
“Thank you, love.” She punished him with a sour look that made his grin only widen.
“Interested in buying?”
“If it’s real perhaps.”
“Oh, my dear Annabeth, everything is real.” The warmth of his hand spread throughout her entire body. Her glass was empty, and he gave it to one of the lackeys.
“Mister Olympianidikis,” the boy nodded and ran off with it immediately. Oh, the power of someone in the higher hierarchical position of a crime syndicate.
Jackson accompanied her through the gallery and showed her his favorite pieces.
Annabeth could picture Beckendorf walking up and down in the small van, nearly losing his shit at the man babbling about oil colors or frameworks that he or other painters used. Jackson was hindering them on purpose. Something was going on.
“There’s something I want to show you. Follow me.” He took her hand and walked to a hidden niche. Jason Grace who stood in the corner and spoke to a woman eyed them with suspicion.
A white door was there with the words Emergency Exit engraved on it. A cold and naked hallway was in front of them. Lights were off and the moon was the only orb that illuminated the place. They were alone.
“And what are you supposed to show-” Jackson cut her off. With a brutal kiss.
A spark that set the entire place in flames. Annabeth did the one thing she was not supposed to: not use her intelligence. Her arms automatically wrapped themselves around his neck as she fiercely kissed him back. Their lips fought a battle against their lungs, and they dived into each other again and again. Taste. That was all they thought.
Percy pulled away from Annabeth. She was beautiful. Her citric smell was divine. The delicate updo was no more. The lipstick was smeared. Her lips trembled and there was something else written in her eyes. Lust. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. A wild look was on his face. He kissed her again. He held her close to his body and pressed her against the wall.
Annabeth felt how one of his hands slid underneath the dress. Did Annabeth exchange the boy shorts for a thong in the last minute? Yes, she did. Did she regret that decision? No, she did not. But his hands had a different goal in mind. The yanking made her shriek into his mouth. A solid welcome for his tongue. The wire underneath her dress was no more. Only then did he place his tight grip on her ass.
Oh, two can play this game Annabeth thought and grabbed the wire that stuck out of his collar.
“Guess that no one’s listening in on us anymore,” Percy commentated.
“It seems like it,” Annabeth agreed. A calm before the storm. A storm that broke loose as they kissed each other again. Percy’s lips wandered.
“Who told you to waltz in this place with this fucking dress?” He claimed her neck with kisses. His beard tickled her. “You look perfect!”
Annabeth wished she could retaliate the compliment. Percy looked fairly handsome in the beige suit, but her brain was short circuiting and only focused on not moaning too loudly and enjoying the feeling of being pressed against him. The probability of her colleagues rushing in that compromising situation was way too high.
Percy broke the kiss off for good. He made a move towards the staircase. A foot was set to the lower step. “Come with me!” His hands reached out for her.
Annabeth was panting. Heart or sanity who would win? Annabeth made one decision that would seal her fate forever. She took his hand and the unlikely pair fled out of the building.
As soon as they opened the backdoor, Annabeth heard a frantic scream for her name. There was no turning back now. A black car was waiting for them in the hidden alley. It looked like Castellan didn’t do his homework properly and had received the wrong plans of the building to study.
Percy held the door open for her and she slipped into the limousine. Percy followed. “Leo!” he barked. The vehicle moved with screeching tires and drove through a garage which led to a tunnel that Annabeth had never seen. She stopped paying attention to it as Percy claimed her lips yet again.
The car ride was a blurry memory. They entered another garage which was when the car stopped. “We’ve arrived,” announced the chauffeur.
Percy nodded to the front and then exited the car. He reached out for Annabeth and helped her out of the car. “Where are we?” she asked as they entered an elevator.
Percy pressed a key card against the board. “My home.”
There was no time left for sightseeing. They immediately entered the bedroom. His jacket was tossed aside, her dress slid to the floor. Both of them fell to the bed. Both of them never wanted to leave the bed.
Annabeth woke up to the wonderful smell of coffee. Her eyes fluttered and the memories hit her. The wonderful night she had shared with a wanted criminal. Her naked body was wrapped in satin sheets. The blonde sat up. Her pale body was sore and ached but in the best way. She didn’t remember the last time she had sex with anyone; work had been way too busy. She didn’t want to remember. What Perseus Jackson did to her would be fairly impossible to top.
Said Perseus Jackson entered the bedroom in nothing but sweatpants and two mugs. Oh yes, he did enjoy his daily workouts. “Morning,” he smiled.
“Morning,” she replied and thanked him for the cup. A delicious aroma took over the room. Annabeth took a sip.
“Mmhh,” she delightfully sighed. Two pumps of hazelnut and heavy cream, just the way she liked it.
“Yes, I did do my homework,” he laughed and drank his tea. “You aren’t the only people that study others. Was seeing me work out at least fun?”
“Shut up, Jackson,” Annabeth blushed. He laughed.
The cop finished her cup and Percy put it on a nightstand. “And what do you want to do now?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Something’s coming to my mind.” His light eyes darkened, and he cupped her face. Annabeth pushed the blanket aside, revealing her perfect self.
“That insatiable?” she laughed but didn’t receive an answer as she felt his lips on hers again. Her hand went on to grasp his black curls.
“Very,” he said as his hands roamed over her very naked body.
Putting the blue dress on again felt wrong. Percy wouldn’t have minded for Annabeth to stay the entire day at his apartment, but he knew she had a point when she said that her colleagues would searchthe entire city for her. Turning brick by brick if they must.
“I honestly can’t come up with a good excuse for my boss. You didn’t think this through.” Annabeth wandered through the modern apartment. It was bathed in light and had window fronts that showed her the entirety of Manhattan and the green of the Central Park. A dream apartment. The Golden Age had money, no doubt in that.
“Well… I actually have an idea,” Percy started. Annabeth turned to him with one cocked eyebrow and her hands on her hips.
“That sounds like I won’t like it,” she predicted.
He opened a cabinet and showed her the bottle.
“Are you fucking serious?!”
“Well as you’ve said. I didn’t think it through,” he shrugged with a goofy grin. It made him look adorable. Stop Annabeth. No time for that. Percy grabbed a cloth as well.
“Let’s just say that I never had the honor of being treated that way,” Annabeth muttered. But she agreed with him. It would make the lies that were about to come out of her mouth easier.
Percy kissed Annabeth one last time and brushed a lock out of her beautiful face. “Sweet dreams, Annabeth,” he wished her.
Then he pressed the drenched cloth over her nose and mouth. Her eyes rolled back, and she was embraced by darkness. Annabeth slumped down but Percy caught her.
Four hours later, Luke Castellan and Jason Grace made their way to Annabeth’s apartment, looking for possible clues. Both of them were fucking pissed. At Jackson, at Annabeth, at the entire fucking operation. The police force was frantically looking  for her. They got Paris Olympianidikis for kidnapping at least. If they would catch him.
Luke had a key to Annabeth’s apartment because they were  close friends. Annabeth had actually defied orders, nearly ruined a mission and drove him to the hospital as his wife gave birth three years ago. He had to find her. Not to make it even, but to know that his friend was safe.
“Look for anything useful,” Luke commanded. Jason nodded.
Luke entered the living room and Jason worked through the bathroom which was followed by the bedroom. He nearly slipped to the floor.
And there she was, sleeping like a princess.
“Annabeth?! Annabeth! Luke, she’s here!”
The next thing Annabeth remembered was waking up in the hospital. She knew that everyone was pissed at her. But Castellan had defended her for the stupid act of following a criminal to nowhere. Jason had seen where they left, and Annabeth thought the Sergeant could hear important information. Who would have guessed that the wiring would be cut off?
Examinations. DNA samples were taken to get a hold of Jackson. Questions. So many questions. A knock. Yet another person that wanted to annoy her. “Yes?” Annabeth sighed.
“Annabeth,” Beckendorf entered the hospital room. Annabeth felt patronized but of course her hands were tied. She refused to speak with her boss about a certain criminal. She covered up the truth and enjoyed living her life in lies. The young detective had no family who anyone could call. That made Beckendorf extremely worried about her.
The tall man took a seat next to her bed. “I’m not here to tear you apart, pretty sure Captain Dougenis had the pleasure.” Yes, he had. “I want to hear from you what happened.”
The blonde retold her vision of events. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “It was a trap. I can’t remember how I ended up in my apartment.” Annabeth spoke a little truth in her web of lies.
“The way our connection cut off as soon as you left the exhibition… I thought it was static. Then you were gone.” Oh no, he heard us making out Annabeth thought. She tried to suppress the panic that was bubbling up in her and was glad that Percy had discarded the wires. The technicians at the police department would have immediately figured out that there had been no static. She remembered almost everything. The staircases. The car. The apartment. The way he felt between her legs. The way she straddled him. The way he grabbed her throat. The pleasures and the cries.
Beckendorf looked deeply into her eyes. He knew that she had something to hide but was wise enough not to ask. The old man was one of the few people that blindly trusted her instincts in the department.
“Okay,” was all that he said. “I’m trusting your judgement.” She nodded. He was a kind soul.
“Take the next week off. You need the rest.” Beckendorf stood up.
v.
Percy saw how her delicate fingers grabbed the folder and closed it. The shiny object fell into his vision.
“I like your ring.” His sea green eyes shot up to her face. He saw a slight blush on her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she nearly whispered and played with the small white band.
“Someone very important gave it to me a long time ago. Someone dear to my heart.”
He blinked twice. She blinked twice.
A devilish smirk rested on his face.
vi.
Their affair lasted an entire year. The fact that it came to an end was saddening. But it was predictable. Star-crossed lovers from two entirely different universes that weren’t meant to be. Otherwise the balance of both of their worlds would crash, burn, and fall.
Annabeth had insight into the police work and Percy had insight into the Golden Age. That was the sole reason they barely saw each other in a work related context. They actually managed to live a fairly happy life outside of the working hours. They went on secret dates, they visited museums after they had been closed and reopened only for the powerful son of Poseidon, they watched movies together, they even flew out to visit his Hawaiian mother Sally who adored Annabeth. And the sex was amazing. A welcoming bonus. Both felt happiness for the very first time. Both felt love for the very first time.
The secret studio in his art gallery was one of the few places where they could be free.
“And here’s the Mona Lisa,” Percy grabbed the painting out of the box. He showed Annabeth some of his latest pieces that were part of his collection or creations. Real paintings and forged ones.
“Wow, that looks so real. An incredible copy.” Annabeth had visited France in her college days.
“The thing that’s hanging in the Louvre?” he winked.
“Tell me you’re joking.” The corners of his lips pointing up was all she got.
Annabeth laid next to him a week later. They were inside of her shitty apartment. Percy had surprised her because of course he could cook as well. To the question “Is there something you can’t do?” Percy only answered, “Change a tire and board planes because I hate heights.”
He might have been joking, he might have been serious. Annabeth did not care. She had returned from yet another demanding shift. This time her task force had hunted down one of Zeus’ kids. Aristidis also known as Ares. Despite being in his late 40s he was an annoying little piece of shit. The fat fuck tried to sell child slaves on the dark web and barely managed to escape them.
As Annabeth had entered her apartment, she was greeted by the delicious smell of parmesan that melted over fresh pasta. Seeing houseman Percy cook was not only a picture for the gods but something she could get used to. Annabeth placed her bag on the sofa and ran to the kitchen to greet Percy with a kiss. A passionate kiss.
“Aren’t-” kiss. “You-” kiss. “Hungry?” he asked between their kisses.
“Well, I think we can eat later.”
“Grover is right, you’re a terrible liar when it comes to food,” he joked. The Grove was another spot for them together. Once the customers left, the three would sit together and joke. Mostly at Annabeth’s expense.
Annabeth pouted and then kissed him again. The only thing that broke her silence was her stomach grumbling.
Percy broke off from her with a roaring laughter. “Eat first. Then we can come to the more fun activities.”
Annabeth pouted but Percy unfortunately had a point.
Now she was fighting against falling asleep as she laid on his chest and he played with her hair. He inhaled her smell. Raindrops were racing on the window as gravity pulled them down. The shower on the outside calmed them. “There’s a good reason why you never found me. Why no one found me,” Percy started.
Her tiredness was gone. Curiosity won. “The fact that my father uses me as his master forger is abundantly clear, right?”
Annabeth nodded. They didn’t talk much about his business ventures in the Golden Age, but she had pieced large chunks of the puzzle together.
“I want to leave my family,” he confessed.
“What?” That came as a surprise to Annabeth. Percy seemed fairly content with his life in the family business. He joked about it and enjoyed the high standards of life that came with the fruits. Then again, Annabeth had seen the dark shadows that followed the Golden Age everywhere they went. Blood, bodies, chaos, destruction.
“A rule that my father engraved into my brain was to be invisible. Live like there’s no tomorrow, but don’t forget to clean the remains of yesterday. The day me and my cousin Ethan were caught shoplifting seventeen years ago changed me. It changed us all. We were so naive, and felt so invincible. For normal parents that would have been a tirade and grounding. Our parents think differently. For Ethan, whose idea it was to begin with, it cost him his eye.”
Annabeth’s eyes widened. The cruelty of parents. The fact that the Golden Age had no problem with hunting their own down was still sickening to her.
“It didn’t matter. Four months in and he had been shot by the Russians, the Bratva. Nearly started an entire fucking war,” he sighed.
“Percy, that’s horrible.” Annabeth tried to see if there was any emotion left in his eyes. There was none. His eyes were dull from the wars he had seen. Percy was blind and used to the cruelty of the survival of the fittest.
“Annabeth, I’ve witnessed my first murder as a thirteen-year-old. At least I haven’t pulled the trigger myself yet. Not in a deadly way.” He stared at the white ceiling.
Her heart broke for the boy that lost his honest smile. “That doesn’t make it any better.”
“No, it doesn’t. It really doesn’t.” Percy hugged her tightly. “I want to be free. Die as a free man. Live in the sunlight and not in the shadows. Not in fear of getting gunned down by a crazy family member. My father spoke with my uncles. They gave me an impossible task. Once I solve it, I’m a free man.”
“Who are you? John Wick?” she joked. She wasn’t in the mood for cracking stupid jokes, but she had to uplift the situation or else the mental image of Percy losing his innocence as a child would forever haunt her.
“That guy is amazing; I’m not going to lie.” Percy managed to crack a crooked smile.
“And the task?”
Percy sighed. He wouldn’t have minded a smoke. “It stinks in here, the three of them had said. ”He turned to Annabeth. “There’s a rat.”
A rat? she thought. “Someone that betrays my family. They mix up our business and create chaos from within as if they want us to implode. I have to find and either obtain or eliminate them.”
Someone that betrayed the Golden Age? Whoever they were, they were crazy and suicidal.
“And what do you want to do once you’re free?”
“Move to Hawaii. Be reunited with my mother again. Find a woman,” he looked at her and grinned. “Marry her, pop out a kid or three. Be an artist.”
Silence. Annabeth was speechless. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that and being a part of that,” she whispered.
Percy only kissed her.
Another month later. The fact that Percy disappeared around her birthday upset her, but that was life. He had been in Los Angeles for a gig. Which gig exactly she did not ask. Was it a legal gig? Highly debatable. It had something to do with the rat. That was all that he told her.
A small package got sent to her and she was curious to see what it was. No sender. Carefully she opened it. A small ring box was in there. Tiffany’s & Co.
A card was attached to the box. Happy Birthday, Princess – P.
“Oh no…” Annabeth opened the little box. The ring had a small silver band that was covered in small diamonds. Her jaw dropped. The ring was beautiful. And it was meant to be for her?
Annabeth put it on. It sat perfectly on her ring finger. Annabeth looked at the box again. It had a code on it. The detective grabbed her phone and searched for the ring.
“WHAT THE-”
Perseus had spent fifteen thousand dollars for that little piece of jewelry.
“No…” she cried. How could he have spent so much money on her?
Annabeth ran into her bathroom and shoved a loose tile aside. She used that little space to hide something. That something was the burner phone that Percy had given her so that they could always stay in contact. Annabeth called him.
“And?” he asked.
“PERSEUS JACKSON!” she yelled.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND?!”
“Why? Don’t you like the ring?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. I love it. We have to talk about the price.” Her left hand already played with the beautiful ring.
“Why? Do you want a more expensive one? Let me know which one, I’ll buy it,” he stated.
“What?! No! You’ve spent way too much on that ring! I can’t accept this!”
Percy laughed. “You can and you will. It is my gift for you. Happy birthday, Annabeth.”
Annabeth wanted to scream. Denying his gift felt so wrong, but it was the right choice she made.
“Once you’re here we’re going to have a talk. We have to return this!”
Annabeth could practically hear how he shook his head. “You’re going to like the ring and you’re going to keep it.”
“Fine,” she huffed. Annabeth accepted her fate and waited until the days of solitude would be over. Until she was reunited with her Percy again.
The year had passed. Then it happened. The day Paris Olympianidikis would fall.
vii.
“Cooperate with me, Jackson,” Annabeth sounded soft. He merely raised an eyebrow.
“Cooperate and we can make a deal. Better conditions in prison, a reduced sentence perhaps and-”
“I want out,” he boldly stated.
Annabeth stared at him blankly. “Pardon me?”
“You said cooperate and we can make a deal. That’s my end of the line.” Jackson leaned back into his chair again.
Annabeth was speechless. He had beaten her with her own game. She closed her eyes for a second before focusing on him again. Don’t let him get the best out of you.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He smirked as he loved to hear that answer. Then she remembered what he had said.
“You said it stinks in here?” she repeated. Annabeth eyed him suspiciously.
“Yes, Detective,” he truthfully answered.
“What does it smell like?”
“Colors, Detective.”
“Why?”
“You should be able to see it for yourself.” He scratched his temples.
viii.
They got him. They didn’t get him with drugs or anything else that would give him a long sentence. But they got him with one of his forges. The good old Al Capone method. If you don’t get him with the big guns, try to stick to the petty crimes. Criminals get sloppy. Especially criminals that do way too much in too many places. The meeting was over, and everyone cheered. Everyone but Annabeth.
“Shouldn’t you be happy? Hell, Annabeth. You’ve spent more than three years on this case.” asked Travis Stoll.
“It’s just…unbelievable. The fact that everything comes to an end. Goal completed and all,” she smiled sadly.
Annabeth dreaded her seeing Percy again. He was waiting in her apartment and probably preparing food for them. The sight of her apartment complex made her heart sink. Where once was joy, ruled depression.
“Annabeth, what happened?” Percy ran to the door as he saw her in her desolate state. The door closed and she told him what would happen in the next sixteen hours.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried. Percy just held her and hugged her tightly as the tears blinded her. He fought his own tears that threatened to rise. Their future, destroyed.
“It was bound to end like this,” he said. Sadness rested in his voice. But also, tranquility.
“No.” Annabeth shook her head and buried her face into his strong chest.
“Whatever happens. I’ll be fine. Most of the prisons and the judges are smeared.” He kissed her head.
“Of course, they are,” she laughed darkly. Knowing that he wouldn’t be subjected to fights in prison didn’t do much to calm her down. She’d rather have him next to her.
“Annabeth. I want you to arrest me.”
“No. Never.” She violently shook her head again and slapped his shoulder.
“I mean I’m already used to your cuffs, now’s the chance to make it official,” he grinned.
“Percy! Now is not the time to joke about our sex life.” They shared a laugh anyway.
“I have another wish. Move on, Annabeth. Live life to the fullest,” he whispered.
“Everything but that.” She refused to move on. How could she?
“Find an idiot, marry him, have kids and live happily with him. Do that for me. Please,” he continued.
“I want you to be that idiot,” she pressed and looked deep into his eyes. “I don’t care how long it’ll take. I’ll wait for you.”
He kissed her. Don’t do this Annabeth. Don’t give me hope he thought.
The unlikely couple hugged each other tightly as they went to bed. One last time. It didn’t come to Annabeth as a surprise to find his side of the bed cold and empty. His side. His side was no more, it was only her side.
Perseus spent the night and morning hours in the art gallery. He had one final piece to finish. He drank and smoked and cursed. The bottle of cheap whiskey nearly fell to the ground, but he managed to catch it.
The oil painting was a self-portrait. An anchor to the last few moments of his life as a free man that hid in the shadows.
The task force broke into his gallery. He had a cigarette in his mouth and put the paintbrush down as his lover approached him. He had a sarcastic smile on his lips which vanished as he registered the pain in her eyes.
“Perseus Jackson, you are under arrest,” spoke Annabeth with a commanding tone.
She put him into cuffs and read him his rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court... A glance at the painting he had been working on ever since he left the apartment.
Annabeth knew immediately that it was them. Percy in the painting hugged her but their faces had been cut off. She saw the birthmarks on her back and the accuracy of how he portrayed his hands on her hip. Percy’s final act of love to her for all of them to see. Unfortunately, all of them were blind to it. All of them but Annabeth.
The moment she was at home she ran to the bathroom and emptied her stomach. Gush after gush came out of her. Her mouth felt sour and dry, the teeth hurt and had an ugly yellow color, the tears that blinded her ran towards her nose. “What have I done?” she cried and looked at her pathetic self in the bathroom mirror.
Judgement day came eight painful months later. The judge slammed the hammer and sealed his fate.
Twelve years. Twelve years was the sentence. Perseus lost his coolness for one second. Annabeth’s heart broke in two. Poseidon who sat on the other side of the room looked like he wanted to shoot the judge right then and here and Annabeth would have gladly joined him.
They were robbed of twelve years together. Percy was put into handcuffs. His sea green eyes searched through the ranks until they found her gray ones. He blinked twice. I love you. She blinked twice. I love you too. The police officers around her almost cheered.
They complimented her for the worst decision of her life. An act that had destroyed her life. Her lover was gone. And a free rat was still out there.
The trail of memories stopped. Annabeth knew that Luke was restless behind the one-way-mirror. The talk had stretched into eternity and gave little information to the hidden detective, but so much to Annabeth. Percy had been right. He was roaming freely in prison. He was able to talk with his family day in and day out. And most importantly. He knew of operations. And he knew of his own operations the best.
Finally. There was movement in the gallery. Whoever was decided to continue the work of Percy Jackson was stupid enough to revisit the place where it all began. The rat would be caught in a trap.
“NYPD PUT YOUR - no.” Annabeth had the gun pointed at him. But she couldn’t believe it. The rat. The rat that had cost her four years of their life.
“I’m sorry, Annabeth,” he sadly smiled. Then he pointed his gun at her.
A shot.
Annabeth had closed her eyes. The bullet didn’t hit her. It had hit him as Luke Castellan had fired a warning shot into the abdomen. The detectives moved to him.
“Call an ambulance!” yelled Annabeth to the cops that flooded the place. He laughed on the floor as he bled.
Jason Grace. Secret son of Zacharias Olympianidikis also known as Zeus. He not only wanted to act in revenge as Percy’s brother Sciron had killed his older sister Thalia. He wanted to spite him and take over his businesses as well. The money and the gold. The cars and fame. In his twisted mind he was able to run the syndicate and destroy it at the same time. It was over.
Annabeth saw as the ambulance drove off. Percy scratching his temples as an indication for the glasses and his talk about colors to point to the gallery would be his ticket to freedom. Hopefully.
ix.
It was the first time that Percy had seen the sun as a free man again. He left prison with the clothes he entered. The deal with the district attorney went smoothly although the old man would have rather wrung the half-Greek’s neck.
A black car drove up to the prison. Two people exited the car.
“Mom? Dad?”
Sally and Poseidon hugged their free son tightly.
“You are stupid!” cried Sally. “Both of you!”
Father and son winced. That was Sally Jackson for them.
x.
Quitting her job had been freeing. She had made the decision about half a year ago. Annabeth wanted to see something new. Experience something new. She was on the way to the small airport. The day was sunny and warm. A new day to start a new chapter in her life.
Annabeth arrived. “You can stop hiding, we aren’t being followed,” she laughed.
Percy yawned in the backseat. “I was sleeping,” he excused himself.
“Of course, you were.” She rolled her eyes and smiled into his reflection in the rearview mirror.
Her colleagues were upset, especially Luke, but it had to be. She had to quit for her own sanity. Beckendorf would check up on her and then see who she was with and connect the dots. But he would be wise enough not to contact her, not to rat her out. He would be happy about the fact that she had found love.
They would live with Sally and her little family for a while before they would buy their own house. The private jet that Zeus had given them would bring them to Hawaii undetected. A small sorry as the son of Zeus had caused a lot of trouble in the family. At least Jason was still alive.
Annabeth stopped the car and turned to Percy.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” she grinned. A delicate kiss was shared.
A golden age was truly upon them.
The End
Ummm... I... I think this might be a poppin feature fic? I have still many ideas and many things could be fleshed out...? Help?
BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE SUGGESTION DIL OMFG ILY!
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junionigiri · 5 years
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bnha 250 - my ulcers! also!!!! LEAVE NATSUO ALONE!!!! T_T
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my boy deserves better than to be used like this T_T story-telling wise i guess this is the fastest way to an endeavor redemption arc, but im not sure how to feel about all the emphasis on natsuo’s (righteous) bitterness about their past right before he’s put in a situation where he needs his father as the number one hero. but that aside, wow, what a suspenseful chapter. it seems that not only are we going to go deeper into the Todoroki family history, but also:
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The Takami family history. 
So we are introduced to this shady-looking stalker character who thinks the world of Endeavor, named Takami. But not Takami Keigo (looks like an admiration for Endeavor might run in the family), but a different person who was old enough seven years ago to be tried and convicted as an adult criminal. there’s lots to nitpick about this character and his resentment of Endeavor for all the things he has. But what does Endeavor really have?
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What Endeavor has is a family whom he screwed up.
There’s a continuation first on the discussion on the Todoroki family drama. Fuyumi is being awfully vague about someone who doesn’t think Touya is a family secret, but now it’s implied that Endeavor’s actions are directly the reason why he’s gone now. At least, as far as Natsuo is concerned. The most likely reason is an abusive training regimen that Endeavor subjected Shouto too, but that’s just extrapolating from what we already know from the previous chapters. It’s possible also that Endeavor did something else more extreme that made the family lose Touya, and I bet this fight with Ending will bring all that to light
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That said, I think Fuyumi means well but it’s kind of unfair to say that everyone else in the family has moved on from this event but Natsuo. I don’t believe for a second that Rei has let bygones be bygones, neither has Shouto who still openly resents Endeavor--I mean, the kid told him to his face that he’s using him as a tool to become a better hero, and that his feelings are still conflicted. There’s definitely a difference between tolerating someone and forgiving someone and moving on, and I don’t like that Natsuo’s reaction is framed as merely someone who can’t let go? I dunno if I’m explaining this correctly, but that’s how I feel
(Also, isn’t it just the Todoroki family’s luck that two very perceptive kids made their way into their house to pick up on the drama? Deku of course, but also Bakugou who surprisingly picked up on Natsuo’s dilemma as well?)
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There’s also a continuation of the narrative about the reality of what Endeavor has at present, which is a confused family trying to repair itself together. Mostly Fuyumi’s effort, as well as Shouto with the help of his friends. It’s definitely not a perfect situation, nor can it be said that they’re a happy family, but they get by.
Endeavor might not have anyone to process his situation except Fuyumi, but Shouto at least has Deku to help him sort out his head. :( But he is lucky that he has Deku, and to some extent Bakugou to have knowledge of what he’s going through. That kinda support is so valuable for him to come to terms with their past
(Wow, Bakugou really likes that mapo tofu. My excitement over him interacting with Fuyumi has not been for naught. Now I have an HC of them swapping recipes using Shouto haha)
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So back to Ending--this bitter guy has only watched Endeavor from a distance. What he sees is a nice house with servants, a car, family members who seem to be doing well and healthy from a distance. He doesn’t know that Endeavor has to do the dishes by himself and that his small-ass car barely fits three teenagers at the back, and that his family definitely isn’t doing as well as they should be.
It just goes to show that the discrepancy of what the public knows about the number one hero and what he actually is is super big. we can assume from these that touya’s and rei’s fates are not public knowledge and that endeavor’s public image is probably more contrived than it actually is
in any case we see the ill effects of that by having someone who’s bitter about all his material possessions and--
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The concept of having “something to protect”.
So... a lot of things to be said there. We know from this that Ending’s probably Takami the thief who was convicted 7 years ago. And we know that Hawks’ name is Takami Keigo. It’s easy to assume that they’re related.
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What we know about Hawks is that when he was young he rescued a lot of people using his quirk, and he was instantly groomed from that point on to be a hero. But we see unexplained details, like how old Keigo was, how trashy the place is (is it his house), who his parents are, who gave him that Endeavor doll when he was a kid, what were the circumstances of the deal that got Keigo out of that situation to become a hero. Was his caregiver around already? Were they decent people or criminals? Was Keigo taken forcibly from this home into a better one? If this guy is related to Keigo, it’s easy to see how he would be jealous of everything Endeavor has, because he definitely doesn’t have a nice house and a family (anymore).
7 years ago, Takami the thief was captured by Endeavor and jailed until just before this chapter. 7 years ago, Keigo is 15 years old (if my math is correct)--the age where kids go to high school with hero tracks. While Keigo certainly doesn’t look 15 in this flashback, I wonder if these events can be linked together?
So this Ending guy, is he really related to Hawks, and if he is how close are these two? Are they father and son? As a villain, does he regret losing Hawks to the side of the heroes? Is that what he means by not having anything left to protect?
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Additionally, the contrast between his situation and Endeavor’s continues to be intriguing. We possibly have a villain who lost his relative to the Heroes, and we have a hero who probably lost his relative to the Villains. Oooo how the turn tables
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Anyway I said a lot of things, but ultimately in the end I have one thing to say:
If anybody hurts Natsuo I’m killing everyone in the room and then myself
Somebody please save my favorite jock from hurt pls hori im begging
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Home- Ysolda
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Pairing: Ysolda x Reader
Characters: Ysolda
Warnings: N/A
Request: @kittenlordofdarkness - Ok so I freakin LOVE Yosolda but my game hates my and now she does too. T_T just because I decided to move our family to a cute house that just "happened" to be right next to a necromancer altar. Your work is amazing so I was wondering if I could request sonething cute with her. Like maybe her and her wife caring for their kids as they travel Tamriel protecting people. (This is totally extra but my character is a thief so bonus if her wife was a thief that gave up her life of crime) Thanks :) 
Word Count: 586
Author: Charlotte
A pleasant smile curled onto your lips as you saw your cabin amongst the nearby forest. As a home that you had worked so hard to build to provide your family a perfect home and safety from all of the evils that Skyrim held, you were fond of seeing it again. Even though your blood, sweat and tears had gone into your home, you very rarely ever got to see it, let alone the occupants inside.
You swung open the door, to the smell of freshly cooked food seeping throughout the house. You allowed your nose to lead you to the cast iron pot hanging by the fire. Dipping the ladle in, you scooped out some of the stew that simmered in side, drinking it with great joy. Certainly, you missed your family, but you missed your wife’s cooking terribly as well. The stew warmed you through, something that had lacked whilst traversing Skyrim.
The door behind you opened, but you hadn’t heard the movement until your wife gasped loudly. You shot around to see Ysolda in the doorway, arms filled with a mixture of her own and your daughters clothing. She discarded the laundry onto the floor, rushing to you. Her arms flung around you, as you steadied her and pressed your lips to hers.
Of course, you loved travelling and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves, but it did hurt your heart to not have your wife and daughter around you.
“I did not think that you were to be home for several moons,” she smiled happily. “Your face? Who caused you such an injury?”
You gave her a reassuring smile to let her know that you were not as bad off as you looked.
“I did not need to travel as far as I first believed. The bandit camp was far easier to clear out than they usually are, and I was able to catch a carriage to Falkreath and their camp wasn’t too far from there,” you explained.
“Do not ignore the matter of your injury,” Ysolda said firmly.
“It looks worse than it is. The bandit leader caught me off guard and hit me with his dagger, there is no real damage and he certainly didn’t come out as well off,” you laughed.
She gave you a disapproving glare as she allowed her thumb to trace the scar on your cheek. It certainly wasn’t your first scar and you doubted it would be your last, but anything was worth knowing the good you had done.
“I do miss you when you are away, it tears me apart not knowing what has come of you, but it would be wrong for me to ask you to stay here and not assist all of those that you do help.”
You kissed her forehead lovingly.
“I have always promised you that I will come home to you, nothing shall ever stop that,” you smiled. “Now where is our daughter?”
“She’s off by the creek with that little fox she has befriended. Lucia has missed you, she’s been picking you flowers and leaving them in a basket in her room for you,” Ysolda commented. “I shall call her home now to see you.”
Shaking your head, you rested a hand on her arm gently, to stop her from leaving the home to shout your daughter back.
“Do not disturb her, my love. Allow her to play whilst the sun shines, she shall not wish to be cooped up in here until morning.”
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killian-whump · 6 years
Text
OUAT 3x01: Rewatch Blog
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Welcome aboard, mateys! It's time to start rewatching Season 3! As usual, I'm a bit behind everyone else on this rewatch, but I've decided it's more fun for me to move at my own pace, so I probably won't be catching up anytime soon ;)
That said... Let's get started on Once Upon a Time Season 3!!!
Whoa. Wait a minute. Eleven Years Ago?! I really AM behind... ;)
Seriously, though. Do they really have to handcuff her ankle to the bed? Do they have a problem with women in labor jumping up and escaping prison right at that precise moment in their lives?
That's sad, though :(
Ooooh... I love the deadly stillness after the ship "lands" in Neverland. It's so... eeeeeeeerie. 
Ahhh, and the ominous look on Killian's face.
You can just FEEL the tension in the air.
"Aye. Neverland."
AHHHHHHHH TENSION AND ANGST
Kinda lame title card, haha.
Aw, great. It's this guy. NOBODY MISSED YOU GREG. YOU CAN GO BACK TO WHEREVER YOU WENT DURING THE HIATUS NOW.
SHIT. HE BROUGHT TAMARA, TOO.
I really hate these two, guys. Like, really.
Oh, come on. Don't shove a fucking kid, you asshat. Fucking GREG. You're an insult to your name, and I don't even like your name.
Oooooh, spooky noises. I love the atmosphere they built for this realm.
"Who we work for is not your concern, kid." Well, according to YOU as of about 20 minutes ago in show time, it's not YOUR concern either, dipshit.
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THERE'S SAND IN YOUR BATTERY COMPARTMENT, YOU FUCKING MORON. WHO PUT SAND IN YOUR BATTERY COMPARTMENT, HUH? YOU FUCKING IDIOT.
Shut up, shut up. I know it was Peter Pan. LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT.
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"It's a good thing you guys don't ask any questions." Hahahaha, bested by an 11-year-old and sand.
...and there he goes, shoving the damn kid again. You're just a colossal jerk, aren't you, Greg?
At least Tamara has the sense to look mildly concerned right here.
"Oh, I know, my hot-headed queen."
I JUST DIED. Forward my mail to my gravesite.
I totally forgot that line ever happened. I love rewatching this show.
"I hope not, or we've wasted our lives." AAAAAAANGST
"Your lives... well... THEY'VE SUCKED" hahaha, Why don’t you tell them what you really think, Emma XD
"We found you." Awww... "And lost Henry! And Neal!" Well, to be fair, it's not like you can expect them to give two shits about Neal. They met him, like, last week. And he's kinda a dick. And his Dad's, like, evil incarnate. But okay.
"Oh, that's a great use of our time: A wardrobe change." One of the best lines ever, really.
I mean, did Rumple really need to do the dramatic cane-spinning exit, though? It makes for good TV, so it's cool and all, but imagine it in real life. Like, just a boat full of people staring at where he once stood, thinking, "JFC That was unnecessarily dramatic."
OH, YEAH, LET'S LIGHT A FUCKING FIRE, GREG. THAT'S A GREAT FUCKING IDEA, GREG. Fucking loser.
Yes, I do plan on doing this until he dies. You have your hobbies; I have mine.
"You making S'Mores?"
HAAAAAAHHAHAHAHA OMG LOOK AT HIS FACE:
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Fucking goon. Haha. I named that screencap "assface" when I saved it, because I feel it's fitting for both the character AND the face he's making.
"What if the empty communicator wasn't an accident?"
You mean the one someone OBVIOUSLY filled with sand instead of batteries ON PURPOSE??? Noooooooooooo.
"Don't let the kid get in your head." He's not even TRYING, Greg. He's just hungry and wants some fucking S'Mores. I want some S'Mores, too. We all want fucking S'Mores. S'Mores are delicious, FuckingGreg.
OH LOOK, IT'S FELIX.
AND ALL THE REST OF THE LOST BOYS ONES BOYS. I think we’re calling them “Boys” now. Must have gotten the rights.
Kill him, Felix. Somebody. Anybody. I'll even settle for the annoying Lost Boy with the face that annoys me, although I don't think he's in this season, but he's welcome to join it IF HE KILLS GREG.
"Then you're not getting the boy." Oh, Greg. It is entirely too late for you to do anything remotely likable now. Like, I literally want to throw Henry at them now just to spite you.
YEEEEESSSSSSSSSS RIP THAT MOTHERFUCKER'S SOUL OUT OF HIS BODY. TAKE HIS SPINE, TOO. THE ENTIRE SKELETAL SYSTEM. MAYBE A DISEMBOWELING'S CALLED FOR HERE?
Or, you know, you can just leave his husk there by the fire to rot away. That's good, too. I'm not picky.
GREG IS DEAD, EVERYBODY.
Tamara and Henry are running! Oh no! Will they make it? Will they-
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This is a great scene, everybody. Thank you so much. This is the best thing to ever happen to me and the season only started 10 minutes ago.
Hahaha, they even show us a close-up of Tamara lying motionless on the ground, and then Greg. Like they KNOW we've all been waiting for their demise and they wanted to give us screenshots for our scrapbooks.
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Anyway, thanks Felix! That was pretty cool. Much obliged.
Hey, look. An enterprising young chap has helped Henry up. There's no way he could be a bad guy.
I have to say, of all the "twists" in Once, this was one of the worst ones in terms of how OBVIOUS it was.
To some extent, it's the casting department's fault, because Robbie Kay is just TOO fucking perfect for Peter Pan. Like, he just EXUDES Peter Pan and he's not fooling anybody.
Heeheehee CS flirting <3
"What do you want?" All due respect, but it's HIS fucking ship? Like, he doesn't really need a reason to be below deck on his own ship?
"I didn't realize you were sentimental." "I'm not."
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I love it when he spits the cork out, but how many corks does this man go through?!
Oh, look. Speak of the devil - It's Neal.
"Tell Emma I'm alive. And I love her."
Well, that's a GREAT message to pass on through your kiiiiiid. Won't get his hopes up or anything.
ANYWAY.
"Long enough to know I miss him, too." T_T
UH OH. TROUBLE'S AFOOT!!!
Oh, Dave and Snow are at the helm. That explains it. LEARN HOW TO DRIVE, SNOWING. Gosh.
Pun intended. I'm so sorry.
Regina: "What the hell are you two doing?!" Ahahahahaha :D
"Prepare for attack!" "Be more specific!" I love all these interactions. This is like the WORST family vacation EVER and I love every second of it.
"What's out there? A shark? A whale?" "A kraken?"
YOU FUCKING WISH.
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Actually, no, Dave probably doesn't wish... but Kraken-san does! :D
Emma's response is classic. "Mermaids?!" Like what the fuck else does she have to put up with in this crazy sham of a life NOOOOW?
Dave's kinda hot manning that cannon, I gotta say. He's showing off some guns firing off that gun, if you know what I mean.
But really, what did they plan to DO with one mermaid, anyway? Especially after Regina chased them all off with her fireballs?
Oh, look. Henry and Totally-Not-Peter-Pan are on the run!
I'm super fooled by him talking himself up in third person, though XD
"If Pan wants you... he WILL get you."
"Pan will rip their shadows into oblivion."
"Pan loves nachos with spicy cheese."
"Pan is the awesomest guy on this island."
Aw, man. This scene is a snoozefest :/
Literally. They're all just watching Aurora sleep XD
Wait. HOW is Neal feeling better? He got shot, like, 10 minutes ago in show time and he's had no REAL medical care, aside from whatever they bandaged him with, since none of these folks here have magic.
HOW IS HE FEELING BETTER?!
I gotta be honest, though. Rumple is hot as SHIT in this season. I ain't gonna pretend otherwise. This leather clad badass thing WORKS for him.
Oh, look. Tamara's still alive.
"C-Can you forgive me?"
I'm gonna guess that is a HARD ASS NO, bitch.
Haha, love the way he flicks the dust off his fingers.
"GET THAT THING OFF MY SHIP!"
I love how panicked he is by the mermaid XD It gives my entire life meaning :D
I wish we had more information in canon about Hook's time in Neverland. We can tell this is FAR from his first skirmish with mermaids, but how/when/why/what happened? I NEED TO KNOW! Especially if it involved wounds or peril or other things relevant to my interests...
Touching Mulan and Neal chat.
More running in the woods with Not!Pan.
"Well, I'm all out of fish food." Love you, Regina <3
"Fillet the bitch." Seriously, love you so much bae <3
Snow's face, tho XD
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This is 110% why I watch this show. SHENANIGANS.
...and a pirate. Don't forget the pirate.
"I've outrun many a storm!" We know you have, babe. We know. You keep telling us...
SHAMPOO COMMERCIAL TIME!!!
PERIL ON THE HIGH SEAS!!!
CERTAIN BLETH DEATH!!!
SUPER DRAMATIC MUSIC!!!
...as we cut to a peaceful, though somewhat dilapidated, castle in the Enchanted Forest. Birds are singing, dawn is breaking, the world is alight with hope and possibili-
JUST KIDDING. GET BACK TO THE FUCKING DRAMA STORM, SHOW.
I hate it when they do this.
Hey, Sean. Nice intro.
"You don't want to see ID?" Neal... ISTFG.
Disappearing arrow, heehee. SHENANIGANS.
I love how interested Robin is in what's inside the vault XD Always a thief, eh?
"This isn't a storm. It's bloody damnation!" Love that line <3
"Let the slags go!" Haha "Don't call my wife a slag!" Haha!
BOY FIGHT!! BOY FIGHT!!!
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They're all wet, too! Slow down, cameraman! I wanna see ALL of this!!!
Oooh, almost gutted with his own hook. Haaaaarsh.
Emma, no one's listening to you. Emma, no one's... They're not... They're not even looking or paying any attention at all... They won't even- Oh. Okay. Somehow everyone saw you jump, despite literally being in a fight for their respective lives. Neat.
...aaaaaaand cue the convenient rigging falling loose and hitting her in the head.
SHENANIGAAAAAAAAANS
Oh, look! They're flying!!!
This would be super touching if it wasn't, you know, exactly what Pan wants XD
Haha, Emma looks so ethereal floating there, unconscious, in the waters of Neverland, facing certain death.
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Awww! A big group effort rescue!!! Good job, team!
"Told you." Right, but no one was listening...? So how do they even know what she's talking about? Well, I guess maybe they WERE listening...?
Shenanigans? idek anymore...
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SHENANIGANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Awww... Bobby's acting is so great right here. This is awesome. Very moving. The part after the shenanigans, I mean. Although they’re great, too.
Felix, you're kinda a dick, though. That’s kinda a compliment, tho?
I love it when magic flops :D Dramatic music aaaaaand... nothing.
"Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me."
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You like her even more when she's yelling at you, son. IT IS KNOWN.
His offended face when Charming says, "With him?" XD DAVE, WHY WOULD YOU SAY THIS ABOUT ME. DAVE, I THOUGHT WE WERE PALS. DAVE. DAAAAVE.
Hahaha, his adorable shrug to Regina. SHENANIGANS <3
"You couldn't be more right, Henry."
I'm so glad they didn't try to drag out the reveal of Pan to another episode, because he seriously wasn't fooling aaaaaanybody.
Except for Henry. Oops?
It's so great how ominous they're being at the end of this episode, advancing on Henry like that...
Although Pan's "let's play!" is a lot less frightening when you know he literally means "let's dance around a fire and create a rhythmic ruckus" but hey. It still works for the ending of this episode, which is now... OVER!!
PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!! PEW PEW PEW!!!
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