Hi friends! It's been so long since I last posted a story or updated any of my old ones. Well, I'm back and ready to destroy yet another fandom with my overactive imagination. Well, I say 'another' when I only ever write about the one.

I was inspired to write this after listening to "Eden" and "The Eden Project" and I felt that it was a great plot to play with. Please tell me if you want this story to continue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing from the PJO or HoO franchise.

Isolation was uncomfortable.

The young blonde woman was escorted through automatic door after sealed automatic door towards her assigned bedchambers. Her brilliant mind ran miles per minute, observing her surroundings with every bit of apprehension she deserved. It was the least she could do after she was kidnapped from her home by two large men dressed in suits.

She had long given up inquiring about her whereabouts. The moment she had recovered from her initial shock of being taken against her will, she had spewed question upon question to her captors. It did not take long for them to give her a reasonable dose of whatever chemical it was for her to remain quiet for the rest of the trip. She had woken in a pristine facility located in the middle of absolutely nowhere, her head reeling as she absorbed everything.

As is protocol, she was given vague details explaining why she had been kidnapped. She was special and Eden, the company responsible for the incident, was in need of her abilities. She did not understand a word they said, however. She was a college student, barely getting through with her two jobs trying to pay off for her law degree. Sure, she had a knack for winning arguments and she may have won a Pulitzer for her term paper on poverty but that did not make her any different from the other geniuses her age.

Finally, she was directed to a small room consisting of a single bed, a desk, a chair, and an uncomfortably small bathroom. Her escorts, who refused to share their true names, had briefed her regarding meals and meetings and she mournfully placed herself on the bed. Her father must have been worried sick. Why did she have to be taken just when she settled on visiting her parents for the weekend?

There were fifty other people, just like her, in the facility right at that very moment. She was but a small piece in a large puzzle. The very few details she received entering the front doors did nothing to sate her curiosity or calm the angry fire burning in the pit of her stomach. She was frustrated and rightly so. How dare they take her away from her peaceful, perfectly normal life!

Instead of channeling her anger in movement, she buried herself in her thoughts. She would be picked up by the very same guards in an hour, as the clock on the far wall suggested. There, she would be taken to the conference room where she will be properly briefed regarding her stay with her captors. She knew that if she were to struggle, she would only be receiving a dose of chemicals injected into her system, thus she needed to remain calm. She needed to leave the facility as logically as she sees fit, without bringing harm to herself or to others.

With her eidetic memory, it was easy for her to map out the corridors she had seen and passed through as she was led to her room. It wasn't enough to devise a foolproof escape plan but it was sufficient to ignite her hope. She needed to use her free time wisely if she were to leave this hell-hole soon.

Just as scheduled, at exactly one in the afternoon, her prison cell door swung open. Her escorts need not drag her off the bed as she had come willingly with them. If she were to find out more of her situation, she needed to be cooperative. They appreciated the wordless hike towards the conference room. She was led to a seat beside a girl with fiery red hair.

She observed the grief-stricken, equally impatient faces of approximately twenty more people around her age. The woman beside her frowned deeply at the sight of her escorts though her features softened when her gaze traveled to the blonde she was forced to be acquainted with. Due to their seat in front, it was quite difficult to turn and see the others.

"Hi, I'm Rachel. Rachel Dare." Her seatmate greeted with a small, slightly strained smile. She had her hand extended and, not wanting to be rude, she had taken it.

"Annabeth Chase." She returned pleasantly. She knew of the Dare family for their multi-million dollar company in the real estate business. Why the heiress was trapped in this place with her, she will never know.

They waited for a long while in silence, glancing every once in a while to the growing number of people as they walked to their seats. Apprehensive whispers filled the room as questions were thrown in the air. There were so many of them. The air turned heavy shortly after and the nervous activity caused the temperature to rise to a nearly uncomfortable level. For such a technologically advanced facility, they couldn't even afford proper air conditioning.

"Oh god." Annabeth heard Rachel gasp from her right, emerald eyes widening as she stared at, what she assumed, were newcomers. "What are they doing here?"

Curious as to what got her acquaintance to feel that way, she turned her head as well.

She was met with quite an interesting sight. The former hushed whispers and eventual angry shouts were gone as four people walked down the aisle. They were familiar to the young lawyer. Due to her profession, she was meant to know the faces of humans in power, thus it was not difficult for her to pinpoint where she had seen them before.

The man closest to her was blonde, just as she was, his electric blue eyes flashing at the slightest movement. He looked around his surroundings with a guarded expression, his shoulders tense. If she was not mistaken, that was Jason Grace, heir to a multi-billion dollar company called Olympian Industries. She had not gone in-depth with her research on him, as she never found a reason to, but his handsome, nearly regal features were definitely one that Annabeth was not to forget after having it plastered on every magazine and tabloid newspaper she could get her hands on.

Beside Jason Grace was his older sister, a woman name Thalia. She, unlike her brother, wanted nothing to do with the family business. She was a more familiar face, just because she was a member of a pop-punk band that one of Annabeth's younger brothers was obsessed with. She held no resemblance to her brother save for the same striking blue eyes and regal beauty.

To the left of Thalia was a dark-haired male. He seemed to be the youngest of the group, his endless pitch black eyes scanning the faces of everyone in the room. He must have been trying to determine who he could trust and who he should stay away from. It was a natural defense mechanism, Annabeth decided. She could not, for the life of her, determine where she had seen him. However, if they were meant to live within close proximity with one another, she will find out eventually.

The last man stood before his peers. She immediately knew who he was. Every woman with the slightest interest in mega-corporations can distinguish those ocean green eyes with ease. Percy Jackson, only son of Poseidon Jackson. His impeccable business sense and charisma made his father's company the richest the world has ever seen. Despite his devastatingly handsome features, he saw no sense in dabbling in meaningless relationships.

Annabeth had never been one to fawn over good looks. She was an intellectual, thus she was always attracted to a man's intelligence than their outward appearance. However, he was quite the exemption. He was required to be a god amongst men if he were to maintain his social standing. He was declared as the world's most eligible bachelor because of his near perfection.

Their eyes met.

He tilted his head slightly at the sight of her. Unlike the other kidnapped children, he seemed to be the calmest. He did not show that he was intimidated, nor did he reflect an ounce of fear. His disposition was that of a leader and she admired that about him. His lips curved upwards into a smile. She found herself returning it.

Their escorts led them to their seats. The dark-haired man she was unfamiliar with was led to sit beside Rachel. He was silent, not quite comfortable having to be separated from his peers. Rachel turned to him. "Nico Di Angelo." She called softly. The man turned to face her, raising an eyebrow.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare." He acknowledged. His voice was soft yet smooth, even though he looked as if he does not speak as often. "It's been a while. Last I saw you were the summer ball a year ago."

Annabeth was welcome to listen to their conversation, thus she did not let the opportunity pass to get to know this man named Nico. "Funny seeing you here. Didn't think that we'd get kidnapped together." She mused humorlessly, taking an agitated glance at her surroundings. "You have any idea who these bastards are?"

Nico shrugged. "Percy has an idea. It's not easy kidnapping the most powerful teenagers in the world. I see a lot of familiar faces here."

The red-haired woman nodded her head once, releasing a sigh. "Have you had any contact with your dad?"

"Not since we got here." He fished his smartphone from his pocket, "There's no signal. No wifi. Nothing. How long have you been here?"

"It must have been a week by now," Rachel muttered bitterly, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "I don't think dad even noticed that I've been gone."

Nico remained silent. Annabeth never realized that some of these teens must have been held captive for much longer than she had. Now that she looked at them once more, she noticed the fearful look in their sleepless eyes, their faces gaunt from exhaustion. This must have been the first time since they were taken that they had experienced social interaction.

Upon the arrival of three other victims, the lights in the auditorium dimmed. Unsettling silence filled the room. The projector showed a distorted image of the world outside: New York City in shambles, Los Angeles swept away by the ocean, a giant crack separating Tokyo in half. She frowned, not allowing the disturbing images to affect her in the slightest. Though, she could not say the same for the others.

The spotlight landed on a tall, middle-aged brunette woman with sharp, angular features and cold blue eyes. She wore a pinstripe suit, her hair in a tight bun. She smiled slightly at the sight of them, their eyes trained on her. "Good evening, young ones." Her voice echoed throughout the conference room. "Welcome to the Eden Project."

In big bold letters, the last statement she had just stated flashed through the screen. Annabeth sat straighter on her seat, a sinking feeling of dread overwhelming her rational thought.

"My name is Dr. Evelyn Rose, the reason as to why you all are here." She beamed at the thought of kidnapping multiple people. There was something seriously wrong with her head. "As you may all know, from your briefing upon entering our wonderful facility, the people at Eden need you. You have been carefully selected from the two billion young people in the world today. For what, you may ask. It is because of this."

She gestured to the images on the screen, the gruesome displays of apocalypse and mass murder. From behind her, she heard a girl sob. "Tragic, isn't it?" Evelyn continued, feigning a frown. "The world as you know it will end tomorrow."

Collective gasps were heard throughout the enclosed space, followed by panicked whispers and the small sounds of movement. The speaker raised a hand to soothe the crowd. "The Eden Project aims to collect fifty of the most influential, most powerful, and the most talented teenagers aged 16 until 24 to rebuild the world. You shall be kept in a contained facility as the apocalypse is occurring and, once the outside environment has been stabilized, you shall be sent to continue human civilization."

A hand rose near the far back. Evelyn turned to the young girl. "Yes, child. Do you have a question?"

"How are you so sure that the world will end? You've gathered the children of the richest people on the planet. You're probably only doing this for ransom." The girl accused viciously. The cheers of agreement that followed were deafening. Evelyn frowned.

She moved across the platform. "An excellent question indeed, as expected from our dearest Ms. Watson. To answer, you must be well aware of the nuclear war that will take place at dawn, are you not?"

Silence.

Evelyn nodded, satisfied. "My team has access to the servers of the Department of Defense of every country in the world. Russia has a missile aimed at the heart of every state in the US." She flashed an image of what seemed to be a map of the United States covered with well-placed red dots. "World War III was predicted to happen long ago and will begin tomorrow. Once every major city in the country is destroyed, killing millions of civilians in a split second, every country will turn against one another."

It was about time for humans to end up destroying each other. The woman in front of her had every intention to lie to them, tell them of the apocalypse to lower their defenses and have their primal instincts unleash. In the midst of chaos, all one human cares about is their own survival. Once they were desperate to be saved from the war outside, they will remain with her, in this very facility that kept them prisoner.

"There are twenty-five women and twenty-five men. We have created profiles containing all of your information, including your personalities, all your past relationships, and your DNA, and have taken it upon ourselves to provide you your, well, 'mate'. This is to ensure that the children that you produce will be able to withstand the future environment."

"So when you said that we will rebuild the world, you meant repopulate?" Nico Di Angelo asked incredulously.

Evelyn smiled softly, "Yes, of course, Mr. Di Angelo." She replied, "The human race must survive."

A blush rose to Annabeth's cheeks, the mere thought of it sending waves of embarrassment through her. She had boyfriends before, yes, but none lasted enough for her to consider them significant. She was meant to choose who she will be spending the rest of her life with. She did not need scientific data to determine who will father her children if she ever chose to have any. Apparently, she was given no other option.

"What if we refuse?" The smooth velvet voice of Percy Jackson silenced the auditorium. "What if we choose to not take part in your experiment?"

Evelyn's eyes twinkled in amusement, "Unfortunately, Mr. Jackson, that is not an option." She gestured around her, "You see, this facility is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles from the nearest mainland. If you were to choose to leave, you will die. You all have been carefully selected. It will be best for you to cooperate."

No one dared say anything against her. This woman was intelligent. She knew what she was doing. She would not have committed a crime of this caliber had she not thought through every possibility. Evelyn Rose was insane. None of them contradicted her, however. They were filled with an overwhelming sense of despair.

"You will be given your mates during dinner. Till then, please, feel free to familiarize yourself with our facilities. We will give further instructions after you have properly eaten."

Annabeth wandered the moment she had followed the crowd out of the door, never allowing the gravity of the situation to destroy the hope for her escape. By dinner, she will be given her mate, a man that will keep her company for the rest of forever. She hated the idea. How could others decide who she will be with? The longer she stayed in this suffocating facility, the more she loathed Evelyn Rose.

Her absentminded wandering led her before two large doors. She was walking for quite some time, thus she would not be surprised if she found herself lost beyond recognition despite her impressive sense of direction. She sighed, opening the doors before her.

The scent of chlorine invaded her senses. She scrunched her nose at the abusive scent, not quite used to being in such close proximity to a pool in the past ten or so years. Annabeth Chase was not fond of large bodies of water. Sure, her deathly fear of spiders may or may not be rational but she was sure that millions people hate the water just as much as she does.

Wanting to get as far away from the nauseating smell, she made a move back to the door. The distinct sound of someone resurfacing from the pool took her attention. She had not noticed that someone had been there the whole time. Unable to quell her curiosity, she moved towards the pool.

She was met with the sight of Percy Jackson, yet again. Annabeth was surprised that, by complete and utter coincidence, she had encountered the man once more. It was a large facility with many other things to do. How come she went to the single place that he was in?

It barely even registered to her how he actually looked like. He noticed her shortly after she arrived, which must have been the reason why he had chosen to resurface. His back was towards her, his legs dangling off the edge of the pool as he toweled off his dripping jet black hair. She felt her face heat up when she realized that he was half-naked.

She was transfixed by the sight of him, this beautiful man with striking eyes looking absolutely free in his element. The distinct curves and dips of his muscles tensed and relaxed as he moved. She must have looked like an idiot standing dumbfounded like that. She scolded herself for losing composure.

She took a deep breath. "I'm guessing you're the infamous Percy Jackson?" Annabeth stated, glad to hear her voice steady once more. As far as he was concerned, she was completely unaffected by his irresistible charm.

"It's quite unfair, isn't it, that you know who I am and I haven't the slightest what your name is." He grinned sheepishly at her, standing for him seat. He towered over her by a good head and she took a small step back to regain her personal space. He noticed her gesture, a flash of disappointment in his ocean green eyes, but he pretended not to seem affected by it.

Annabeth coughed once. "I'm Annabeth Chase." She extended her hand, waiting for him to take it. Her gaze remained fixed on her face, knowing that if she were to let her eyes wander, she would lose whatever was left of her dignity.

"Annabeth." He repeated, satisfied with the way her name sounded on his lips. Her knees went weak. "What a beautiful name."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Jackson." She teased despite the blush on her cheeks. He released a hearty chuckle, his eyes bright with mirth.

"And everywhere, Ms. Chase." He replied, "Now tell me, Annabeth. What exciting life do you live that you end up in this hellhole with the rest of us?" Percy seemed bitter, striding gracefully over to the nearest bench. This was the first time she had seen him openly express his feelings over the situation.

She shrugged, assuming her position beside him. "Unlike you Upper East Side royalty, I'm normal. Aspiring lawyer, work two jobs."

Percy saw straight through her. "Why were you studying law when you hated it?"

Annabeth did not know what gave her away. It must have been the look in her eye or the way she had suddenly dropped her guard around him. Percy Jackson, of all people, can read her like an open book. This was a first for her. "I… I don't hate it." The quiver in her voice was caused by her nervousness. "I'm sorry, I just met you." She gave him a weak smile and he nodded.

"Yeah, I get it. You're not comfortable." He did not push her any further. For that, she was grateful.

"I'm not royalty, by the way." He mumbled under his breath, his gaze far away. The towel was now draped over his shoulders.

She was taken aback. "Pardon?" she must have misunderstood.

He turned to look at her, his gaze sad. "Life in the limelight isn't exactly the easiest." He clarified. "I know, it sounds pretentious. I have everything I could possibly want but…. " He shook his head, laughing slightly. "God, what's gotten into me lately?"

Annabeth frowned. She wanted him to continue, to have him trust her enough to share his deepest regrets and worries with her. She threw caution to the wind. Who gave a damn if she had just met this wounded man in front of her? Someone like him should never feel such pain. She wanted to help him.

"You feel like you haven't done enough." She finished for him, twiddling her thumbs. Her gaze was on her shoes but she could feel his eyes on her. "You feel like nothing you could ever possibly do can make everyone around you happy. The expectations of everyone weigh you down. You're trapped by your responsibilities, by what media portrays you to be. You can't go beyond who the world knows you as."

He opened his mouth to interject but found no words. She must have been correct because he merely blinked in amazement the moment she gathered enough courage to look at his face. "How… How did you…?" If anyone were to tell her that at some point in her life, she would make the heir of Atlantis Corp. speechless, she would have laughed at their faces.

"That's how I feel. I… I ran away from what everyone else wants me to be. Architecture was everything to me. It was the love of my life. My mom was arrested on false accusations when I was seven. Everyone looked at me, expecting me to take up law. I didn't, until my own father pleaded with me. I gave up my dream, my only chance at happiness, to become a damn lawyer and I can't even go and help my mother." She wiped at the angry tears rolling down her cheeks, refusing to have a stranger see her in such a state.

Percy released a breath. "What a shitty situation we're in." He commented nonchalantly, the humor in his tone returning. He ran a hand through his still damp hair. "You know what, when we get out of here, I'll help you out." He gave her a goofy smile, his eyes hiding a world of pain and torment and loss.

"When." She repeated, "I think you meant if."

He shook his head. "I meant when because I'm sure as hell not allowing that bitch to take away my and every other person's life away that easy. So what if the world's ending tomorrow. I don't want to spend it in this prison."

Her heart skipped a beat at the statement. He was such an endearing man. She may have correctly guessed his past but she will never be able to understand all the different facets of his personality. She knew that the forbidden emotion that bloomed in her chest was dangerous. There was such a high possibility that he will be marked as someone else's mate. She should stop this comfortable encounter as early as today before she permanently hurt.

"Um…" Annabeth coughed once, noting how close they had suddenly gotten. Her face felt hot and she was sure it had nothing to do with the current state of undress her companion was in. "I think I'll go ahead." She smiled half-heartedly at the man. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

He raised a hand. "You did nothing like that." He replied smoothly, "I'm glad to have spoken with you, Annabeth. It's a good break from all this craziness."

She nodded once, her heart beating out of her chest. "Yeah, I feel the same way. I'll see you around?"

Percy stood, stretching his hands over his head. She averted her gaze, not wanting to be the kind of girl to openly stare at a man's exposed torso. "Of course. Sit with us during dinner." It wasn't much as a question as it was an order. He looked expectantly at her, his ocean colored eyes reading her expression.

"I… yeah. Yeah, I think that would be nice."

He extended his hand, expecting her to take it. It must have been a kind gesture, a farewell of sorts. She accepted the offer, standing up. He brought her knuckles to his lips, his eyes twinkling as he looked at her. "I'll see you later, Annabeth."

"See you later, Percy."

As she exited the room, she heard the distinct sound of a splash and her heart thrumming in her ears.

Well there you have it! I hope you like it. If enough people are interested in reading this, I'll continue it. Thank you as always for the support.