Wham!

Annabeth never wanted to hear that sound again. Even as she lay semi-conscious on the cold stone, the sound echoed through her mind. Accompanying it was the crack of her ankle, and the snap of ribs. She couldn't tell if the sound was her's or Percy's.

Judging by the pain that burned across her entire body, she was still alive. A deep ache pounded relentlessly through her head, casting a syrupy fog across her eyes when she fought to open them.

Annabeth couldn't tell how much time passed. Her head swam, replaying the cracks and snaps and that one huge wham!, ringing out with finality in her ears over and over.

Exhausted past the point of delirium, Annabeth set her head down on the ground and let herself drift in the silence. At the moment, she didn't really care if she lived or died. Arachne could spring from the dark at any second, and Annabeth would probably give her a bear hug.

She squeezed shut her eyes, forgetting they were already closed. A serene smile spread across her face as numbness sunk into her pained limbs. Her sigh reverberated through the silence.

Silence! Annabeth fought to open her eyes. Since when did the noises in her head retreat? She wrenched her lids apart.

Nothing. The black was impenetrable.

Annabeth groaned, feeling the full impact of her injuries. She could feel a scream building in the back of her throat, but she forced herself to keep her head.

She stilled her lungs, listening quietly. Please, gods of Olympus, let Percy be okay. Hera, I swear if he's not alive-. She cut her threat short. Yes! Annabeth could hear a slow, rattling breath, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she spotted a large lump several feet away.

A failed attempt to leap to her feet sent more pain bursting through Annabeth's limbs. Her entire leg throbbed. Instead of walking, she had to lower herself to the ground. Placing her good knee on the ground and planting her hands in front of her, Annabeth dragged her hurt leg behind her as she half-Army-crawled across the ground.

Her sight was still adjusting, so she squealed when her hand ran into something wet. Holding her palm in front of her face, Annabeth squinted closely. With a gasp, she saw that her hand was covered in slick darkness. Please let it be mud. Or Kool-Aid.

Hesitantly, Annabeth scooted closer to Percy. Her hands flittered above him; she didn't want to hurt him. Finally, she settled on prodding his badly scraped face with her pinky. "Percy! Wake up!"

"Ungh," Percy responded, his eyelids fluttering.

Annabeth lowered her face until it was just above his. Directly into his ear, she shouted, "Seaweed Brain! Get up!"

Slowly, Percy rolled over onto his side, clutching his chest with a low moan. His eyelids opened slowly, a for a moment his clouded sea green eyes held no recognition.

"Annabeth?" He choked out, staring up at her with confusion. Sudden doubt crept into her mid. What if the fall had caused him to lose his memory again? All she could do was press her lips together and nod.

"Holy Zeus, you're okay." Percy sat up swiftly, pulling Annabeth into a tight hug. She could feel his tears slip onto the back of her neck, dragging with them a sliver of dread. She willed her own eyes to stay dry.

Percy stroked Annabeth's hair. "We'll find a way out, I promise," he murmured, seeming to be reassuring himself more than her.

Annabeth nodded. "I know. Are you hurt?" She pushed him back a little, trying to examine him in the dark. Thankfully, the Kool-Aid substance didn't seem to be coming from him.

Percy put a hand to his chest. "Broken ribs, I think. Might've sprained my wrist. Other than that, I'm fine."

A spark of hope shot through Annabeth. They should have died on impact. Were the gods watching over them, even in such an evil place?

Similar hope kindled on Percy's face, but it didn't last long. Annabeth shifted, trying to stand. "We need to see if we can find any supplies."

Percy nodded. "When we fell, something hit us. A book-bag. Do you think..." He didn't finish, not wanting to jinx it. Could their friends have thrown something in after them as the crater closed?

Percy couldn't yet move; Annabeth crawled around on her hands and knees in search of anything to help. At one point, her head banged right into something hard, and she yelped. A metallic clang echoed around her.

"Are you okay?" Percy called, worry tainting his voice.

Annabeth quickly crawled back to him. "I didn't find the bag. But I found something else."

She excitedly showed him her knife (didn't she remember breaking it?) and the Daedalus laptop, both unscathed.

Percy eyes were glazed, but no longer with confusion. "You found them on the hood of a what?"

If he hasn't been in such bad shape, Annabeth might have smacked him. "A Ferrari five-ninety-nine," she said, suppressing an eye roll.

Percy smiled. "Not quite a Maserati Spyder, but still a nice car. Does it run?"

Annabeth laughed, the noise sounding out of place in such a darkness. "Only you could dream of driving a Ferrari at a time like this." Annabeth put her arm around him, and together they hauled themselves up.

His face tight with pain, Percy managed a thin smile. "This is exactly how I pictured it. Italian sports car, giggling blonde, wind in my hair," Percy kept his smile, but his eyes became serious. "Perfect weather for a joyride through Tartarus."


Thanks for reading! This is only going to be a few chapters long, all about Percy and Annabeth's escapade in Tartarus. I want to try and make this like how the book may be. PLEASE, give me some feedback, including some of your favorite HoH theories.

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