Percy and Annabeth were lying on the picnic blanket well Sally and Paul set up lunch. They laughed, talked, and kissed under the beautiful sunny sky. They momentarily forgot all about the nightmares that had haunted them every waking moment only weeks earlier.
They sat up and ate when all the food was set out. They enjoyed the day and the fresh air, dropping all thoughts of the musty dark caverns deep within the Underworld.
They watched the other families and couples come and go dismissing the horrid memories of countless monster attacks without end.
They obliterated the weeks they were in Tartarus from their minds and lived in the moment. Until that moment ended.
The hellhounds appeared from nowhere, shadow travel no doubt. They didn't attack but that didn't matter. A single straw had just broken the fragile backs of two camels.
The walls that their friends had worked so hard to break down, built themselves up again, twice as strong this time. Percy and Annabeth sat unmoving stuck in the memories of Tartarus. The terror washed over them, flooding their minds, drowning their souls.
With in seconds they were clutching each other for dear life. Trapped in a dark cavern that wasn't there. Seeing invisible monsters that were torturing the loved one who sat right beside them.
Tears streamed from their eyes. They were shaking all over.
Paul and Sally sat watching the fits feeling helpless. Sally tried to comfort Percy but his head was no longer on earth. It had fallen through a hole in the ground. It was falling deeper and deeper until it hit the floor of the dark cavern.
Sally put her hand on her son's shoulder. He looked up in shock. His eyes screaming fear and rage at the unseen monsters. It quickly melted away and turned to murder. She pulled her hand back in fright of her only son.
Percy's reflexes kicked in. Not the ones to protect his loved ones. The ones he picked up in Tartarus. Attack and run. Keep Annabeth safe.
His foot shot out instinctively, causing Sally to double over. He kicked Paul's feet out from under him. Percy stood pulling a sobbing Annabeth with him. Together, they ran off into the shrubbery of Central Park.