Percy looked up at the last ray of sunshine that he would see for a long time; it might be the last bit of sun he would ever see. He could see Nico staring down at himself and Annabeth, sadness clouding his eyes, as they fell to the depths of Tartarus. He still wasn't sure what he felt for the kid, one betrayal after another, but to see the sadness in his dark eyes, it made Percy feel as if someone had punched him in the gut.
He felt slight pressure on both of his hands, and looked down to see Annabeth gripping them tighter. Her eyes were shut, and her knuckles were white. Percy leaned closer, kissing her on the forehead and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer – keeping her safe. She burrowed her head into his chest, and proceeded to wrap her hands around his waist, holding him tight. He rested his head on top of her blond curls, and stared off into the abyss.
They kept falling, falling for what felt like eternity. Percy's sea-green eyes adjusted to the darkness as the last light from the sun disappeared. He studied his surroundings; however there wasn't much to see. He couldn't see if there were walls around him, he couldn't see the bottom or if there even was a bottom. Would they hit fiery lava, and burn to crisps like shish-kebabs? No, he scolded himself. He couldn't think like that right now. He had to keep Annabeth safe. He had to stay with her.
Annabeth pulled her head away from his chest, and looked up at him. He looked down at her. Percy could just make out her stormy grey eyes full of fear, worry and pain.
"Percy?" she whispered. He nodded his head, his eyes full of apprehension. "Why haven't we hit anything, yet?" She sounded worried. Would they just keep free-falling for the rest of eternity? No. Nico had seen things, horrible things. They'd have to hit something, eventually. It scared him to think about what was waiting down there for them. He might never make it out alive. Percy thought of all the people he might never see, and sighed. It didn't matter. The most important person in the world was with him at that moment.
"I'm not sure, Annabeth. I'm really not, sure." He shook his head, staring at her. "But none of that matters. As long as you're with me, we'll be safe. We've fought tougher things. I think we can survive Tartarus." He tried to sound upbeat and positive, but none of that worked. Instead, he gave a shaky laugh.
"Hey, Wise Girl?" He heard Annabeth sigh. Maybe because she wanted him to shut up, because they'd talked enough, but Percy liked to think it was because she liked hearing her old nickname.
"Yeah, Seaweed Brain?" she responded. He took a deep breath. It was now or never. They were falling to their dooms anyways, so why not get it over with?
"I love you, too," he said, referring to the day before when she had said those three words to him in Charleston. When he had heard that, he had filled up with giddiness and glee. He probably would have done a little Irish jig if it wouldn't have look extremely stupid. Many people would think that being sixteen was too young to know if you truly loved someone. But, if you had spent almost every waking minute with said person, and had almost died with them on numerous occasions, you would tell them that you loved them, before anything could happen to either of you. Percy wasn't sure if when she had said those three words, if she had really meant them, or if it was the type of 'I love you' you tell your friends when they give you a chocolate bar. Judging on the way that Annabeth burrowed into him and held him tighter, he would have guessed it wasn't that type of 'I love you.'
Before he could think anything more of it, he landed hard against solid ground. He cried out in pain as he felt a jolt wash over his whole body. His feet hurt, but he fell over onto his back right after he hit the ground. He grunted and rolled over onto his stomach. He wanted to lie there forever, just curl up into a ball and sleep. He closed his eyes shut, and from his left he heard a sob. He hadn't seen or heard Annabeth cry many times, but when he did, it made his heart shatter.
Oh gods, he thought, her ankle.
Annabeth had hit the ground and rolled a few feet away from where Percy was. He rushed over to her, and gathered her into his arms, holding her against his chest. She was sobbing, clutching her ankle. Percy gave her a kiss on the cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears. He dug through his left pocket only finding riptide.
Please, he thought, please let me have some ambrosia. No luck in his left pocket. He dug through his right pocket and found a small Ziploc bag of Ambrosia. He handed a piece to Annabeth, and she gingerly placed it in her mouth. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, and she stopped crying. However, Percy could still see she was in pain. Through gritted teeth, she muttered: "Stupid bubble wrap. It's supposed to protect damaged goods!"
Percy couldn't help but laugh. Even in Tartarus, his girlfriend still had a sense of humor. She turned around and looked about ready to punch him, but instead she kissed him, exactly like she had on Mount St. Helens.
"I wish you weren't here with me, but I'm so happy you are." And she kissed him again. Percy could feel the dryness of her lips, but he could also taste the ambrosia which at the moment tasted like a fudge sundae he and Annabeth had shared when they first started dating. He pulled away, and looked her in the eyes.
"We should probably go see what awaits us in the fiery depths of Hell," he said. He stood up first, and dusted the dirt off of his clothes. Hey, even though you're confronting your worst fears and whatever else lays waiting for you, you still have to look good. He leaned over and wrapped his arms under Annabeth's knees and a hand around her back, he hoisted her up. She began to protest, but he silenced her with a look. It was rare that he could silence the great Annabeth Chase, but she was in no position to walk.
He began to walk, and they walked on for what seemed like hours, until finally they saw a glow ahead; a faint orange-yellow glow. He heard hissing and screaming and Percy could only imagine what horrors awaited them. He looked down at Annabeth and she looked up at him, giving him a weak smile. She pulled herself a little closer to him, and he straightened his back, setting a determined look on his face.
Whatever was waiting for them, they would face it together.
So, this is a spoiler for The Mark of Athena. If you have read the book, I think many of you were not surprised because you we just got Rick Riordan'D again, but more surprised at what kind of Rickhanger it was. At least, I was. Anyways, I hoped you liked the story. There won't be any more chapters, as I wish to see what Rick Riordan has in store for us, and not come up with my own perception of The House of Hades. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed it and please review!