Percy and Annabeth tumbled miles down into Tartarus. Percy was able to move himself in the air, and pulled himself closer to Annabeth. Not too close, since they were falling too fast, but closer. Suddenly, they hit the bottom. It wasn't cold hard stone, nor dim and dark, but something like a rubber-covered the floor, and it was well-lit. It hurt, but less than Percy expected. He caught his sword, RIptide, and transformed it back into a pen. He noticed that Annabeth's laptop Daedalus gave her was intact, as well. The shimmering blue Delta symbol still shone. At least we have that and each other, Percy thought grimly.
Annabeth collapsed as soon as she hit the ground, but Percy caught her. He helped set her down on the ground and inspected the wound.
"No, no, go collect anything that fell!" she exclaimed. Percy complied grudgingly. He recovered Annabeth's dagger, her laptop, and her backpack. He brought the supplies over to his pained girlfriend. Annabeth seemed somewhat relieved to see her dagger and laptop. "Okay, now you can see my ankle," she said. Percy took the makeshift splint off and winced.
"That bad, huh?" Annabeth winced. Percy kept his face straight and remembered what he had learned at the two camps. He fixed the splint on her ankle, which was bruised black, brown and blue, and stood up.
"Well, that's the best I can do for now. If we come across branches, I'll make you crutches. But until we are getting ready to go, stay on the ground," Percy said, brushing the black hair out of his eyes.
"If I have to stay down, at least sit next to me. Please?" Annabeth looked at him pleadingly. Percy had to comply. So he sat down next to her and told her everything that had happened since Tiberinus had taken her to the beginning of her journey. She listened quietly, and looked into his eyes when he was done. "I thought what I did was hard. But you were going to willingly give yourself up, drained yourself, then went and battled two giants," she said quietly.
"Yeah, but you outsmarted Arachne, and got through wherever you were with a broken ankle. I couldn't have done that," he replied. Before she can say anything else, they hear a hissing from behind them.
"Long time, no see, Perseus Jackson! I believe you killed me last time? That means it's my turn to kill you!" a wicked and disturbingly familiar voice sounded.
"Percy, don't turn around. Don't look at her. You'll be stone. It's Medusa," Annabeth whispered urgently. He nodded minutely, and uncapped his sword. He saw her reflection in it and cringed. Annabeth then reached to her laptop, and put on the webcam so she could see behind her. Medusa was right behind her.