This is from Percy's POV. This is set between the Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian. Annabeth has been missing for three days, and Grover and Tyson have been killed. He finds Athena's garden through a stairway that he found through the Lincoln's Memorial eye.

It was misty and cold. Owls sounded around me, along with distant arguing.

Through the mist I saw images of maps and quills mapping out battle strategies, I saw a rapid growth of an owl from child to elder, and I saw great battles.

Athena's garden freaked me out.

I always imagined it to be made of marble, with huge oaks and olive trees all around.

Not this rocky, uninviting place.

But I needed to find Luke, and more importantly, Annabeth. Maybe Athena and me weren't on great terms, but she would know where Annabeth was.

I didn't care about the prophecy that the oracle had delivered this morning when I turned sixteen. Annabeth had been missing for three days, and I was going to find her.

I ran around a corner and found myself facing a huge marble chateau.

My dyslexia made it hard for me to identify what the huge letters above the marble doorway said, but before my eyes, the words shifted around, and it read: THE MISTRESS ATHENA'S HOUSEHOLD.

I raced forward and barged through the doorway without bothering to knock.

I froze.

On a huge throne, Athena sat talking to somebody on her armrest.

That person was Luke.

And next to him, quite relaxed, was Annabeth.

They all looked over at me, and Annabeth gasped in surprise.

Luke sneered at me and put his arm around Annabeth.

Pure hate and anger seethed through me, and I uncapped Riptide.

But apparently, Luke had a similar idea. He soared down on Hermes' winged shoes and landed in front of me.

He took out a red Parker pen and uncapped it.

A huge sword burst into his hand.

I gulped.

It was worse then Backbiter, the half-celestial bronze, half-iron sword he had had previously owned.

It was unnaturally bright red, and it was huge. About a metre long, but Luke held it with ease.

"Deadelus packed a surprise in Ardianne's string. But Kronos fixed it up into my beautiful sword, Nirker, named after the very surprise from the string" he grinned at me.

I gulped down fear.

"What about Backbiter?" I asked.

His grin broadened.

"Oh, well I was going to offer Backbiter to my wonderful ally, Athena, but my darling Annabeth pleaded for it, so Athena decided she should have it" he chuckled.

I stared at Annabeth, and I noticed the sword strapped to her hip.

Then it hit me.

"Darling?" I asked her.

She looked guilty, but she nodded slowly.

"Perseus Jackson, my daughter doesn't favour you anymore," Athena said. "She's with my lovely associate Luke."

I clenched my teeth.

"I thought you didn't take sides," I growled.

I lifted Riptide threateningly.

"Percy-" Annabeth started.

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" I shouted.

I knew I had to be careful, because my rage could make me lose control.

Then the pain hit me.

Annabeth had been warning me, not trying to talk me out of it.

Luke had slammed the sword into my shoulder. But he'd done it with the flat side of the sword: he was toying with me.

Still, it hurt.

I spun round and slashed back.

He stabbed, but I parried it away and ducked behind him. I stabbed at his arm and a cut appeared through his clothes.

He howled but spun round and kicked me.

I fell back and found myself up against the wall; a door was a few steps away from me.

If I could just…

I started to attack Luke, while carefully sidestepping towards the door.

"Mother" Annabeth said hesitantly.

"Hush child, I thought this was what you wanted" Athena replied.

I was right at the door, where everything went wrong.

Luke slashed and distracted me, and suddenly pushed me through the door onto a rocky land face. I saw Annabeth scream and jump after us.

Luke had his sword pointing at my chest, and I didn't think it was for fun.

Then a stunned look passed over his face, and he fell backwards.

Annabeth had Backbiter's hilt where Luke's head had been.

She was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks.

She reached out her hand to help me up, but I pushed it away. I stood up by myself and glared at her.

She looked shocked.

"Darling?" I spat.

Luke had disappeared, and I had time to observe that we were on a black plain of rock, with a small alcove not far off, and the land dropped off on every side.

"Percy, I'm sorry," she sobbed. "He tricked me, promised me. I told you I had my pride as a fatal flaw."

"Don't you know what I've done for you, Annabeth?" I screamed. "I'VE CROSSED OCEANS TO GET TO YOU, I'VE GONE TO FIND YOU TO STOP EVERYBODY ELSE FREAKING OUT, AND YOU GO WITH HIM?"

The anger of her betrayal was uncontrollable.

She was now uncontrollably sobbing and shaking.

"P-please, P-Percy!" she sobbed.

She grabbed me and kissed me.

It was the most beautiful thing ever, but I pushed her away. However, she wouldn't let go.

She kissed me again.

"Please Percy!" she cried.

She kissed me again, and this time I didn't push away.

When she saw I wasn't fighting she backed off for a minute.

"Percy, I'm sorry!" she pleaded. "But I don't want Luke. I want you. Percy, I-I-I love you!"

That's when I reared forward and kissed her and I heard her let out a broken sob.

She broke away from me.

"Percy, we-we can get away fr-from this l-life," she whimpered. "Your father owns hundreds of acres of protected l-and in I-Italy. W-we can g-go l-live there. We can live a farmer's life. R-right by the s-sea."

I paused. I had heard that my farther had beautiful land in Italy, the sea just a few minutes away at best. The lush grass and the best produce grew there.

But then I thought about Grover and Tyson…

"Annabeth. Grover is dead. Tyson is dead. How can I just leave?" I asked her.

She looked stricken. She opened her mouth then closed it again.

"Percy. They're not dead. They're in Tatarus. But I can help you get them back."

I spun round and gasped.

Nico di Angelo stood in a chariot of ash curling with flames. Three of the biggest Hellhounds I'd ever seen were attached to huge chains strapped to the side of the chariot.

Nico himself was dressed in black smoky armour, and his black sword billowed with flames.

He held out his hand.

"You can run away afterwards," he said simply. "But hurry, they're falling deeper."

I looked back at Annabeth.

"I'll come back," I promised.

And I leapt into the chariot, and vaporised into smoke, leaving Annabeth behind, staring after me.