Bandits and Sheriffs

Leo awoke early that morning to check the train, as he tried to enter the compartment that Nico had told him about he was stopped by a guard who told him that he didn’t have the authority to enter.
That must mean that they still kept the staff in there. He thinks to himself and studies the train car, mentally comparing it to the schematic. It looked exactly how he expected, except for a nuance here and there: a railing put vertically instead of horizontally, an extra compartment which was most likely for light settings. He couldn’t tell because they wouldn’t let him see the inside, but he returns to the canyon where the gang is awaiting his instruction.
“It’s all set,” Leo says “doesn’t look like they changed anything.”
"You sure, Lion?" Rachel grins as him as he enters, "Did they let you inside? Because I'd be super impressed if you managed that!" She taps her foot against the wooden crate she's sitting on, jittery with nerves as the time approaches.
Nico stands, leaning against a wall, "Was anything else changed? I'd rather know now than later." he purses his lips and looks up at the sky, wondering how Hazel is holding up since he saw her this morning.
Leo blushes slightly at his new nickname. "No they didn't let me in, but the security is tight that's gotta mean somethin' don't it?" he says and looks to Nico. "Nothing extraordinary changed...so, y'all ready to jump onto a powerful, movin' train?" he smiles nervously and adjusts his tool belt.
"Only if you're ready to disable it." Nico deadpans, at the same moment Rachel exclaims, "Yes!" Their expressions were polar opposites as well and Percy can't help but stifle a laugh the bubbles up out of the butterflies in his stomach.
The small group of bandits laugh nervously as well, never having prepared for such a high risk heist. "Why aren't we using the pegasus again?" Silena asks
"It's the spirit train, it emits a strange kind of magic..." Leo says although he's unsure, magic is not his forte. "But I've seen it all sorts of creatures are repelled by it, all except humans....I don't know why... but it would just be easier to not hafta worry about pegasi spookin' and throwing off our timin'" he says as he checks the clock.
Nico's boot scuffs the ground guiltily, knowing the comment isn't directed at him, but knowing that if they were on pegusai he'd be the one thrown off.
"How much time do we have left, then?" Rachel pipes up and gets up so she can dance side to side.
"Approximately Seven minutes 'til the engine makes its way." Leo says and points, "the top should be about up to where the snake lookin' rock is, not too bad of a jump" He thinks out loud but even as he says the words he doesn't believe them. Sure mathematically it was possible but that doesn't mean he could actually do it.
The seven minutes seem to take forever, but the train's distinct sound finally echoes through the canyon.
"Everybody ready" Percy calls and Leo is a bit glad he did because had Leo done it himself, it might have come out as an inaudible squeak.
The engine of the Spirit Train comes into sight, glowing faintly with an otherworldly glow. Within seconds it passes underneath them, and Percy is the first to jump off the canyon and land with a skid onto the train. He collects himself as the other's follow his example, even Leo after some hesitation is encouraged by Rachel, who lands more gracefully than he ever could have hoped to.
Percy fights off the wind a bit to get to where Leo is. “Third to last compartment,” he says over the gusts and points toward the end of the train. Leo nods and follows Percy and Nico, who help him along the way. As the other bandits break off and check other cars to see where the guards are. They check the windows and flash a thumbs up at the three to proceed; Rachel watches their backs, pistols at the ready. They cross the guard cars carefully finally arriving at the third to last, which just to make it difficult, has not windows making it impossible to scope out.
They carefully lower Leo down onto the platform at the back of the car, and he immediately begins working on the intricate lock. Percy and Nico stand behind him with their guns at the ready, Rachel stations herself on the top of the car, waiting until the lock is broken to jump down and join the search.
“Got it” Leo says and opens the door. Percy holds Leo back, and enters first with his gun out in front. The compartment is empty except for a few, tall crates that are placed in the corner of the car. Percy signals them to come in.
Nico sees the empty compartment, and his heart sinks momentarily. He was hoping that something so important would be conspicuously out in the open, but then again, he reasons , such an expectation is unrealistic considering his past experiences with finding important things. They are always…hidden.
Before the others can even think it, Nico pulls out the pry bar from Leo’s belt and darts over to the crates, opening them with frantic haste. He’s waited long enough for this, and doens't want to wait another second. The first crate is filled with hay as is the second and third. The bandits scuffle around in the hay, finding nothing.
Nico cries out in frustration.
“Hey, it's gotta be in here don’t it that’s what-” Percy starts to try and calm him down but Nico angrily kicks at a crate toppling the empty ones over. Percy grabs Leo and Rachel and pulls them out of the way. Turning to chastise Nico for his actions until he sees what's behind the toppled crates. “Nico,” he says.
Nico looks through the opening, and gaps. There, chained to the wall, is a tall, skinny….man. His hair is light brown and shoulder length. On his bare chest are remnants of smudged spiritual runes. He looks up at them and groans weakly through his gag. His bright green eyes look over to Nico, and he almost seems to smile, before he struggles to hold out his shaking hands, weighed down by the most intricate cuffs that Nico has ever seen.
The lighting in the compartment glints of bright green, and Nico instantly recognizes him from before. He's the reason his arm isn't throbbing in pain or worse, infected. "Why is there a person in here?" Nico asks, distracted, "He isn't a staff!"
Rachel strides over with interest, taking out the gag and examining the cuffs. "Chained to the underworld and back." she whistles, "I don't think these can be unlocked without a key."
Percy places a hand on Nico's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "Nico. Maybe it's in another box," he suggests.
Alabaster shifts his weight and topples over. "Staff?" He groans weakly
"Hey, Leo." Nico gestures for him to approach the spiritual and take a look at the cuffs. Nico takes a few deep breathes, resisting the urge to punch something. Percy's hand on his shoulder is grounding. "Yes. the staff. the one that heals the mist sickness." he grinds out. "That staff."
Rachel kneels down to hover useless around Alabaster's head, and ends up unstrapping her canteen and holding it out to the prisoner with the cap opened, hoping it will help.
Alabaster takes a drink from the canteen and clears his throat. "I am...the staff"
"What...?"l Nico's voice sounds strained.
"That is...me, my title" he coughs and sits up his voice more clear, " I am the staff."
Rachel watches Leo examine the cuffs, "It's not right." she says, "The whole point of the spirit train is that nobody is supposed to sacrifice a human life."
Leo nods at her in agreement and taps at the metal, moving Alabaster's hands around so he can examine the cuffs in detail, and gives a low whistle at their complexity. "Staff or not, you've gotta be pretty important to have this level of security put on you."
Nico huffs. "He cant' be a staff," he snaps, "Staffs aren't people." he gives in a punches a crate to convey in frustration.
Alabaster flinches at the noise. "I found a cure for the mist sickness..." He looks up to Nico, "Sticks don't do that."
Nico looks back, glaring, daring for Alabaster to lie to him. "Let's get him out." Nico growls. "Even if he's lying, ruining Sheriff Octavian's plans will make me a lot happier. What can you do, Leo?"
Leo studies the lock and the cuffs. "what in the-" he starts "well I ain't never seen...well their pressurized and have some sort of magic like the spirit train itself."
"It's so I cannot use the mist," Alabaster explains.
"Well, you are the magician..." Leo considers, "So... hmmmm I could tinker with this lock, or if it's water pressured like I think it is, we could have Riverson sheer them off underwater....if he uses the water inside and water outside he could ease the mechanism to unlock under duress without" he clears his throat "...cuttin' off our mans hands" he says with a small nervous laugh.
Alabasters eyes widen in a mixture of fear and surprise.
"As for them chains" Leo says" they're just chains we can shoot him out, get him outta this car at least"
A second after Leo says it, Nico's gun is out, and smoking, on chain broken. "Stand back he tells Rachel and Leo, "so I can shoot the other one."
Rachel grabs Leo and drags him out of the way as he shoots off the other chain. Alabaster is surprisingly unfazed and stays absolutely still. He shakes off the chains and stands up straight showing just how tall he is, he leans toward Nico and says, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me just yet." Nico frowns, looking up. "My reasons for rescuing you are purely selfish."
Alabaster responding "that does not surprise me in the least, Maton."
Percy makes a noise of protest, after all, working for Hazel isn't selfish, but he's interrupted by Rachel shushing them all. the pounding of feet on metal can be heard, and none of them are surprised that security has finally caught up to them.
"We need to move." Percy looks at the entrance to the car and then to the one on the opposite wall. "Now." Percy curses under his breath, "Those'r prolly our people no?"
The slot opens on the roof and Chase and Grace come in.
"Of course it's them" Percy mumbles resentfully but resigned. "What happened to ours?"
Annabeth scans the group "Leo?..,and"
Jason raises and eyebrow, "Who's this?" He says referring to Alabaster.
"Gee I wonder." Nico deadpans, wondering if they're the only ones or if there are more. "I didn't think the government could get any more corrupt." Nico pulls out a gun and points it at them.
"What?" Annabeth says as she trains her gun on Nico who always seems to have it out for her.
There's another thumping in the roof of the train and then piper and two other spirituals enter
"Were our guys even on this train?" Percy asks rhetorically and exasperated.
Rachel stands in front of Leo and smiles at Percy. "If they were, they're not now." she chimes, "anyone got a backup plan?"
"Don't die." Nico says in response. "Got that, Riverson?" Percy shoots Nico a look and Nico stares back, his look meaningful.
"Listen, Sheriffs," he says trying to sound resigned and reasonable "...we didn't take nothing...so maybe we; meaning me, Shadow, Red, Leo, what's left of our crew and the Spirituals" he looks back at Alabaster, "should just get out of your hair, no harm done right?" he winks at Annabeth
Annabeth blushes and then shakes her head. "You want us to believe you didn't take anything?" she says referencing the broken boxes, "Now come on and show us what you took."
"You took!" Piper says "our staff!" she looks over to Alabaster who looks back at her with a soft smile.
"Why do you keep going on about a staff?" Jason says to her.
"You took!" she retorts stubbornly.
"Yes you've said that but..." they continue to bicker, causing the others to start arguing as well.
Above them the train door slowly closes and locks but no one seems to notice.
"Hey guys?" Leo interjects, "Do you smell gun powder?"
"Our guns are out Leo, of course there's gonn' be that smell, could you focus?" Percy asks.
"It's just," Leo starts "I also sense-"
Just before Leo can finish his sentence the train car jerks from an small contained explosion within the small compartment Leo thought was being used for electric cirutes, and tosses them all to the side. The train whines and screeches as the cars collide. There is a loud metallic noise for when the car derails and creaks as it swings like a hinge over the mountainside, still being carried at about 80 miles per hour by the engine.
Alabaster whose hands are still bound grabs at the first thing in his vicinity which unfortunately ends up being Nico. The two of them stumble out of the back end of the car and off the cliff.
"Nico!" Percy calls and slides after him.
"Alabaster!" Piper says and follows Percy in a similarly idiotic manner, both too worried about the other to be worried about themselves.
"Wait!" Annabeth calls as she reaches to stop Percy but ends up losing her own grip and she and Percy fall off, Piper following close behind.
Jason who tries to stop Annabeth regains his head enough grab the one person not out of his reach: Piper ,before she falls out, and flies them back onto the tracks; landing with a tumble.
Rachel is slightly dazed and mostly panicked as she sees the trees are tall enough to grab at. Leo notices the same and whips out one of his clenching tools "do you trust me!?" he calls up to Rachel his voice hoarse with panic.
"What!?" she asks.
"Do you trust me?" he says again, louder this time.
"I...yes" she responds, eyes conveying her hesitant willingness to put her life in his hands.
"Then let go" he says as he dangles below her.
Rachel looks up at the doorway that has caught fire and quickly figures that if they stay in the car they are definitely going to burn to death. "Ok" she says more to herself than to Leo, hyping herself up. She takes a deep breath and lets go.

Notes

co-written with thomas-life on Tumblr.
Disclaimer: We do not own any of these characters they belong to Rick Riordan, Hayley Riordan, and Disney Hyperion