Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Annabeth, but I made Chione. Stealers shall be tied to high chairs and fed dogfood!
Annabeth closed her eyes. Her senses were telling her everything was just silent, cold, stone. This cave was innaccessible from anyone but those with god blood and monsters.
But something was there.
She began to feel light headed, so she breathed in, absolutely silent. Letting the air fall into her throat. It tasted foul and dead.
A full minute passed, she counted the seconds.
She began to slowly let out the breath, silently, letting the air fall out of her throat. She opened her eyes again.
In the blackness of her closed eyelids, she waited.
Stillness. Silence.
In her mind, she heard Chione from next to her. Her mind sounded hesitant.
Annabeth...
No Chi, not yet.
Annabeth, I sense them.
As do I. No Chi.
They both lay still against the rock. Annabeth could sense Chiones annoyance and impatiance. A drop of water fell from a stalactite above.
Chi, in ten, you know what to do.
Chione did nothing. Like Annabeth, she was staying totally silent. But Annabeth knew she heard.
Annabeth held her eyes open. She needed to see this.
There was a small rustle of Chione fingering her handgun in her black leather holster. Annabeth's muscles tightened. Her hands coiled into fists and her veins pumped harder.
Again, silence.
Both Annabeth and Chione sprang up, hurling small pebbles away from their feet. In unison, the two girls jumped to the other side of the very rock they had been hiding behind.
Another half-blood grinned evily at them. His teeth looked white and healthy, but his eyes were blood shot and maniacal. They glinted in the moonlight. Ick.
"Hello ladies," he hissed. "Care to join me for tea?"
Annabeth made a face and sent a quick round house kick to his head. There was a sharp crack, and the surprised youth's head twisted, neck broken, and fell hard against the cold stone. The stench of warm blood filled the air.
Instantly, cries of battle came from deeper into the tunnel. Half-bloods and others came running with weapons. Chione and Annabeth shot glances, then sprang into the action.
A girl only about nine sprang at Annabeth, causing her to dodge to the side. Annabeth sent a quick uppercut to her chin. The girl flew in the air, then crashed on the ground. Scrambling up, bloodlust in her eyes, she ran at Annabeth. Annabeth easily dodged the angy punch, grabbed the girls outstretched arm, and attempted to send the girl flying once more.
But the girl held strong, barely budging, and Annabeth was thrown off. Skidding on the rocks, Annabeth's eyes widened slightly.
"The Nemean Lion's human daugher..."
The girl's golden mane of hair shown. She nodded, so Annabeth kneed her in the stomach and heard ribs break.
The girl coughed up blood and fell to the ground. Annabeth hit a few pressure points in the neck and the girl was paralyzed.
"Ha!" Annabeth laughed. "See Greek weapons do that!"
She turned around in search of Chione, throwing off attackers in her wake.
There she was, wrestling with a fiery red-head. Annabeth came up behind and did a quick chop the the neck. The attacker collapsed to the floor. Annabeth pulled Chione behind a rock to hide.
Chione looked up at Annabeth, annoyed at not getting to finish her fight. Annabeth explained.
"Chi, we need to get out of here, save our energy, you know."
Chione sighed, but pulled her handgun out of her holster.
"On three!" Annabeth shouted above the noise of their searching enemies.
"One..." Chione pointed her gun at the ceiling.
"Two..." Annabeth took carefull aim, one stalactite in particular looked vulnerable, slightly cracked.
"THREE!"
There was a huge crash as their bullets hit the cave ceiling, and rocks began plummeting down further in. Shouts and screams came from around them. If they had looked back, they would have seen a huge shadow rise up, only to be hit down again by a falling boulder. His voice rang menacingly through the cave.
"We shall conquer the Gods! You will be the first to die!"
But Annabeth and Chione were already gone. They had escaped the cave before their bullets had even hit the rocks.
"MIAH!" They both yelled, and Annabeth shot up like a rocket on Hermes' winged sandels, Chione being pulled along behind.
The sound of the cave crumbling behind them faded into oblivion as they flew into the sky. The screams of the monsters followers died away.
Annabeth smiled, and looked down at Chione. The wind made her squint.
They landed on the soft forest floor, and slapped high fives.
"Camp Half-Blood would never have let us do that."
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