"Annabeth!" I heard Percy yell, as I stood, invisible, watching him. That idiot was going to get us both killed.
"Shhh!" I half yell as I firmly clamp my hand over his mouth. I pulled him behind a big bronze cauldron. "You're going to get us both killed!"
He reached for my head, pulling off my Yankees cap."Percy, what is your problem!"
"Telekhines, their coming," he says. "Look"
I peak over the cauldron and see them in the center of the platform, making what could be none other than Kronos' scythe.
"Percy, we have to get out-" I started, when a classroom door, off to the side, unnoticed by myself, opened. Out came a horde of Telekhines, young ones by the look of it.
"Put your cap back on, get out!" Percy yelled.
"What?" I exclaimed "No! I'm not leaving you!"
"I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider—maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."
"But you'll be killed!"
"I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."
I was about to argue with him when I caught the glare in his eyes. There was no denying it. Go, run. I need you out of here, he seemed to be saying. I better hope that he had a plan.
I turned and left, but not before quickly kissing him.
""Be careful, Seaweed Brain." I told him, putting my cap back on and leaving. I sneaked one last glance at him before I got out. His sea green eyes. His jet black hair. His mischievous grin that seemed to show he was up to no good. Then I left.
That was the last I ever saw of him
-Two weeks later-
"We will have to assume he is dead," Chiron said. "After so long a silence, it is unlikely our prayers will be answered. I have asked his best surviving friend to do the final honors."
I looked at his burial shroud, long green silk, embroidered with a trident. I could barely register anything, my mind was a blank. It stalled. No this couldn't be happening. But it was and I put the shroud up in flames.
"He was probably the bravest friend I've ever had. He…He…" I couldn't finish, I just couldn't. I started to cry my soul out. Then I passed out.
-Le line break-
"Annabeth...ANNABETH!" I woke up. Staring into my eyes was Chiron. "Well it appears the leader of our quest is alive and well."
"Well it would certainly be a shame if we lost her," I heard a familiar voice next to me say.
"You're not helping things, Mr. D!" Chiron responded.
"Pesky mortals,"Mr. D mumbled.
I took in my surroundings, I was in the big house, in the infirmary(A/N I'm not sure if that's where the infirmary is, but I think it is, and really, it doesn't make a difference to the plot) I was in a bed, on the side was a table with a few squares of ambrosia and a bit of nectar.
"Annabeth, this may be hard for you, but you need to continue on with your quest," said Chiron
I sighed, and sobbed. Percy, he truly was lost. How in Hades could I have let that happen? I didn't want to, but I pushed it aside.
"I...I will," I told Chiron. Inside my heart was burning. So much pain, suffering and guilt. My soul wanted to scream out, make the world feel my anguish. But I remained silenced, silenced by my home. The camp needed saving, there was nothing more I could do for him.
-Le line break-
(A/N I am going to be skipping parts of the plot of BoTL because I want the story to move along at a much quicker pace and mostly focussing on Annabeth's character development after Percy's death.)
I ran alongside Rachel through the Labyrinth, following her.
"C'mon, it's this way, I can tell."
"How?" I asked.
"I can just sense it," she replied.
It had only been a few hours since I had woken up. I had already found Rachel and gotten her into the Labyrinth. Why you may ask? Because a mortal with clear sight can see through the Labyrinth, know our paths, know where to go. If Percy was in my place he would've probably still be in bed...Percy.
I tried not to let the thoughts of him get to me, but it was too hard. Zipping through the Labyrinth, the reminiscence of being here with him was too much; it overwhelmed me. I could barely walk, run, do anything. Despite the pain burning inside of me, despite the guilt I felt, despite the fact that he was gone and not coming back, I pushed through. My name is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and I will not be afraid.(A/N this is a reference to Throne of Glass, hehehe)
"Annabeth, this way!" Rachel grabbed my arm and pulled me down a corridor to the left. I turned and half-heartedly followed her. We we're barely halfway down the hallway when I sensed something was wrong. I could see that Rachel had suddenly tensed up and stopped, as if she was aware of something I didn't know of.
"Rachel? What's wrong," I asked, slow, but with a feeling of uncertainty.
No answer.
She turned to me with a look of worry, something of only her own understanding, of her sight, had troubled her. I cautiously unsheathed my knife, my breath clinging onto me as I got it. Something was there...
An empousa, quick as lightning, grabbed ahold of Rachel, her hands turning into claws. She positioned a talon against Rachel's throat.
"Taking your little mortal pet for a walk?" The empousa hissed. "They won't get past Kelli, they're such fragile things. So easy to break!"
Rachel's eyes were filled with fear, there was nothing I could do without getting Rachel killed. Behind Rachel a Laistrygonian giant with blood red eyes and no so friendly looking teeth, aka fangs, appeared.
The giant licked his lips when he saw us. "Can I eat them?"
"No," Kelli said. "Your master will want these. They will provide a great deal of entertainment." She smiled at me. "Now march, half-bloods. Or you both die here, starting with the mortal girl."
It was a nightmare, and me, a daughter of Athena, didn't have a plan. We were being directed further down the hallway by Kelli and a few of her dracaena friends who apparently also liked the smell of half-bloods and the thought of our imminent death or torture or whatever they were going to do to us.
Towards the end of the hallway there were two tall bronze doors, each about 10 feet tall, embellished with a pair of crossed swords. The were grand, that I'll say, but not in the way Olympus was grand, more in the way of Hades' throne: dark, mysterious and inviting death.
"Oh, yessssss," said the snake woman on my left. "You'll be very popular with our hossssst."
"Who's your host?" I asked, more to draw her out and distract...
"Oh you'll see-"
WHAM
I spun around clutching my knife where yellow dust showered around. Call me rash, but I didn't like where this was going. Then again it probably wasn't the smartest choice to take on an army of dracaena by myself and a useless mortal, but I did.
I turned upon Kelli and lunged in her direction, but to my unfortunate dismay, she bursted into flames, something completely unexpected. There was no time to think. I twirled and stabbed at another dracaena. Disintegrated. I was about to start another attack behind me, but the giant suddenly came up and swung his arm at me. There was no time to react; all I saw were stars, then darkness.
I fluttered my eyelids open. I was in arena, lined with skulls everywhere, not all human. There were some hanging from chains above. Some in piles around the edge of the arena. Some lining the railings where a crowd of giants, dracaenae, demigods, telekhines and other terrible monsters I won't even describe.
But strangest, worst of all, there was a green banner, with the trident of Poseidon embellished in the center, in the center of the spectator stands. What was that doing here?
I let my thoughts get away from it though. I couldn't remember it, him. It was too painful.
A dracaenae prodded me in the back with a spear, ushering me forward."Now fight, fight for our entertainment, and maybe, we'll let you live," she said, holding Rachel at a knifepoint.
I gave a quick nod. Athena always has a plan I told myself and walked forward into the middle of the arena.