Disclaimer: PJO belongs to Rick Riordan – he wrote the amazing series, not me!
Camp half-Blood were preparing for war. They knew the Romans were going to attack, they knew something must've gone wrong – but they didn't know any more than that.
The hunters of Artemis had arrived only a few hours previously, after all the camp needed all the help they could get. Ever since the Argo II had left there had been more attacks on camp, new demigods showing up and even more bloodshed than normal.
It was a hard time.
Clarisse was making her way through camp, towards the armoury, in search of some much needed weapons when her foot caught on something sticking out the ground and she fell flat on her face.
She cursed under her breath in ancient Greek, she was not in a good mood and this just added to her fiery temper. Her hands searched the ground in search of what caused her to fall and her hands found a box, carved with ancient Greek designs.
She frowned slightly, wondering if this was some sort of trap but decided against it. It was most likely a lost item or one of the Stolls god awful pranks.
She pulled the lid back and found a stack of notes tied together and a fancy letter taped to the front of it.
Dear Camp Half-Blood,
As us gods are out of commission for the moment we (Hermes and I) have decided that you wonderful demigods deserve to know at least a sliver of what is going on with the seven that are on the quest.
The notes that you found with the letter document what happened at the end of part of this quest and if I have judged it properly, these events will have just happened.
Enjoy, read with the whole camp,
Yours sincerely,
The best gods that have ever existed,
Apollo and Hermes.
Clarisse growled at the antics of the gods but felt curiosity spark within her. The whole camp was in dire need of news; they needed to know if they had found Percy and how they were getting on with the fight that was now in their hands.
Clarisse tucked the box under her arm and ran to the big house in search of Chiron.
When she found him sat next to the fire, she quickly explained to him her finding and a mere twenty minutes later the whole camp were sat round the camp fire, anticipating what would be read out.
"Did they find Percy", "Is Percy alright", "please let them be okay" was a few things that were muttered out in hushed whispers.
"Well my dear, seeming how you found the package why don't you read it out" Chiron suggested, and Clarisse realised with a jolt he was talking to her.
"Me?" She asked disbelievingly, surely there must be someone else.
"Yes my dear, you" He said and Clarisse stood up, holding the bunch of notes in her hands. Chris gave her an encouraging smile which made her feel more confident.
She began to read.
The army of spiders had disappeared.
The Athena cabin shuddered while a young demigod shouted out,
"What army of spiders?" she asked, Clarisse grinded her teeth together in frustration.
"Maybe if we got through the first sentence we'd find out" She snapped and the young demigod wisely closed her mouth
Either they had fled back into the darkness, or they'd fallen into the chasm.
"Chasm?" Thalia questioned nervously, "Surely she doesn't mean Tartarus"
Clarisse didn't bother snapping at Thalia because she knew she would be worried about her friends. The rest of the camp shivered at the name, worried about what they were going to find out.
As daylight flooded the cavern, Arachne's tapestries along the walls crumbled to dust, which Annabeth could hardly bear to watch – especially the tapestry of her and Percy.
"Annabeth met Arachne, holy Zeus" Malcolm shouted out in amazement, yet there was a hint of fear in his voice.
"And she lived to tell the tale" Thalia muttered, also in complete amazement.
But none of that mattered when she heard Percy's voice from above.
"Woo hoo, go Percy" The crowd shouted and Clarisse felt a smile tug at her lips. She couldn't deny it – Percy really was a hero.
"Annabeth!", "Here" she sobbed.
All the terror seemed to leave her body in one massive yelp. As the Argo II descended, she saw Percy leaning over the rail. His smile was better than any tapestry she's ever seen.
Practically everyone was smiling happily at this news. Annabeth and Percy really did love eachother.
The room kept shaking, but Annabeth managed to stand. The floor at her feet seemed stable for the moment. Her backpack was missing, along with Daedalus's laptop. Her bronze knife, which she'd had since she was seven,
"It doesn't matter, at least she's alive" Thalia said joyfully
was also gone – probably fallen into the pit. But Annabeth didn't care. She was alive.
"Exactly" Was what was heard.
She edged closer to the hole made by the Fiat 500. Jagged rock walls plunged into the darkness as far as Annabeth could see. A few small ledges jutted out here and there, but Annabeth saw nothing on them – just strands of spider silk dipping over the sides like Christmas tinsel.
"Spider silk?" Malcolm questioned "That must be important for some reason otherwise the book wouldn't have mentioned it" He said, which got everyone thinking.
Annabeth wondered if Arachne had told her the truth about the chasm. Had the spider fallen all the way to Tartarus? She tried to feel satisfied with that idea, but it made her sad.
"Why would it make her sad, the Arachne deserved everything that she goy" The Stolls said.
"Because Annabeth is too compassionate" Thalia replied and Clarisse had to agree, Wise girl was too caring for her own good.
Arachne had made some beautiful things. She's already suffered for eons. Now her last of her tapestries had crumbled. After all that, falling into Tartarus seemed like too harsh an end.
"Harsh? All monsters deserve to go to Tartarus" Clarisse and everyone nodded in agreement.
Annabeth was dimly aware of the Argo II hovering to a stop forty feet from the floor. It lowered a rope ladder, but Annabeth stood in a daze, staring into the darkness. Then suddenly Percy was next to her, lacing his fingers in hers.
The Aphrodite cabin all squealed happily and Clarisse felt a little sick… too mushy for her.
He turned her gently away from the pit and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and broke down in tears.
"It's okay" he said "We're together"
"I may be a hunter of Aphrodite but he said the right thing there" Thalia commented an Katie frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked
"Well, after everything that they've been through together, I'm sure that just having each other is enough for now" Thalia explained and the rest of the camp "Ahhh'd" in realisation.
He didn't say you're okay or we're alive. After all they'd been through over the last year, he knew the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for saying that.
The Aphrodite cabin – especially Drew – stared at Thalia in shock.
"What?" she snapped "Just because I'm a hunter it doesn't mean I'm clueless about love" and the camp wisely kept their mouths shut.
Their friends gathered around them. Nico Di Angelo was there,
"Nico's there? Why is Nico there?" Chris asked "He wasn't one of the seven.
"I honestly don't know," Chiron replied "Read and maybe we'll find out" and Clarisse nodded in agreement. They will never get done reading this with all the interruptions.
but Annabeths thoughts were so fuzzy this didn't seem surprising to her. It only seemed right that he would be with them.
"Aw, Annie is being all sentimental" the Stolls cooed in a baby voice but shut up at the glares from their camp mates.
"Your leg" piper knelt next to her and examined the bubble wrap cast "Oh Annabeth what happened?"
"Is she hurt?" the Athena cabin questioned nervously, looking worried for their sister.
"Looks like" Chiron replied gravely and Clarisse hurried up and read on, desperate to find out more.
She started to explain. Talking was difficult, but, as she went along, words came more easily. Percy didn't let go of her hand, which also made her feel more confident. When she finished, her friend's faces were slack with amazement.
"Hold on – does that mean that some of the romans actually helped us Greeks and aren't planning to kill us?" A young Hecate cabin member asked in shock.
"Only the romans that were a part of the seven, the others are still out to kill us" Travis replied cheerily.
"Gods of Olympus" Jason said "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle"
"Well…some of it with a broken ankle"
"Annabeth is the best" Clovis slurred out sleepily before he nodded off again. Clarisse agreed.
Percy grinned "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, nut Holy Hera – Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"
"She did what?" was the general phrases heard by everyone.
"Amazing" Thalia muttered in shock and Clarisse grudgingly agreed, Annabeth was nothing but determined.
Everyone gazed at the statue.
"What do we do with it?" Frank asked "She's huge"
"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help stop the giants."
"So that's the next part of their quest, Greece?" Katie questioned
"Yeah, it's a long way and having to face the giants… I don't envy them one bit" Clarisse piped up. If it was okay for everyone else to interrupt then why not her?
People looked at her in amazement.
"A child of a war god doesn't want to fight? A miracle has happened" Connor barked out and he and Travis shared a laugh and a fist bump.
Clarisse growled and rolled her eyes before starting to read… sometimes people don't understand us Are's kids, she thought before practically spitting out the next sentence.
"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel quoted "won with pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it"
There was cheering from the crowd.
With a lot of pain, Annabeth thought.
Then there was cringing. Poor Annabeth was the general thoughts from everyone.
Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was taking measurements.
"Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out at the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something"
"Hehehe… wide load" Travis and Connor laughed put which received chuckles from the group
Annabeth shuddered. She imagined the Athena Parthenos jutting from their trireme with a sign across her pedestal that read: WIDE LOAD.
"Oh Zeus, we think like the Athena lot" Travis and Connor exclaimed, pretending to faint.
Then she thought about the other lines of the prophecy: The twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.
"Hmmm, I wonder what that means?" Grover questioned and almost instantly everyone turned towards the Apollo cabin.
"What?" The questioned nervously.
"Your dad is Apollo; do you know what that prophecy means?" Katie asked.
"Not really, it could be a number of reasons but it could be Nico, you know his last name is 'Angelo' which means…" But will was cut off my Malcolm.
"It means angel" He said which left everyone thinking about the lines of the prophecy.
"What about you guys" she asked "What happened with giants"
Percy told her about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus and the fight with the twins in the colosseum. Nico didn't say much. The poor guy looked like he'd been wandering through a wasteland for six weeks.
Clarisse felt bad for the kid, being a child of Hades was hard enough and she realised now that some people treated him badly.
"Poor child" Chiron commented and everyone lowered their heads slightly, either in shame or in prayer Clarisse didn't know.
Percy explained what Nico had found out about the doors of death and how they had to be closed on both sides. Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Percy's news made the cavern seem dark again.
"So the mortal side is in Epirus" she said "At least that's somewhere we can reach"
"At least that's something right?" Lacy from then Aphrodite cabin asked half heartily.
"Yeah but what about the other side, where will that be?" Grover questioned and Clarisse gulped as she read the next line.
Nico grimaced "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus"
"And there's the down side" Thalia said and everyone growled in frustration. Nothing was ever easy was it?
The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. That's when Annabeth knew with certainty. The chasm did go straight to the underworld.
Everyone shivered, even Clarisse. They never wanted to go there… not ever.
Percy must've felt it, too. He guided her a little further from the edge. Her arms and legs trailed spider silk like a bridal train. She wished she had a dagger to cut that chunk off. She almost asked Percy to do the honours with Riptide, but, before she could, he said,
"Bacchus mentioned something about my voyage being harder than I expected. Not sure why –"
"Percy should get a break, surely the fates owe him that" Grover said emotionally, tears swimming in his eyes.
The whole camp nodded and Chiron looked a little sad. Percy did deserve a break.
The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.
"That's not good" Travis said and Clarisse rolled her eyes in amazement. Duh.
"Of course it's not good" Katie replied in a duh voice and Travis' cheeks went red.
Nausea swelled up in Annabeths chest. If the statue fell into the chasm, all her hard work would be for nothing. Their quest would fail.
"Secure it!" Annabeth cried.
Her friends understood immediately.
"Zhang!" Leo cried "Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone"
Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared towards the ship.
"He can turn into an animal" Chris shouted in amazement, everyone's jaws were slack with amazement
"That would be the best power EVER" Travis and Connor exclaimed.
Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to Percy, "Back for you guys in a sec". He summoned the wind and shot into the air.
"You can't just leave them there" Juniper exclaimed. Since when did she arrive?
Everyone nodded and a few had angry looks on their faces.
"This floor won't last!" Hazel warned "The rest of us should get to the ladder"
Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider's silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings and began to snap. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint.
"Come on Nico, you can do it" The whole camp encouraged under their breaths.
Percy gripped Annabeths hand tighter "It'll be fine," he muttered.
"I hope so" Chiron muttered and he lowered his head slightly as if to pray.
Looking up, she saw grappling lines shoot from the Argo II and wrap around the Athena statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose.
The Athena cabin looked a little sick at the image of their mum being hanged.
Travis and Connor just laughed but soon shut up by the Athena kids glares.
Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.
Nico had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up Annabeths bad leg. She gasped and stumbled.
"Holy Zeus, what's happened?" Grover cried out desperately and everyone leaned forward in their seats, desperate to find out more.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
She tried to stagger towards the ladder. Why was she moving backwards instead? Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.
"Oh my gods the silk, the spider's silk, it's still attached to her leg" Thalia exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands. Everyone gasped, praying for Annabeth to be alright.
Come on Wise girl, Clarisse thought, you can't let a stupid spider get one over on you.
"Her ankle" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"
Annabeths mind was woolly from the pain. Cut her ankle?
"Cut the silk. CUT THE SILK" was the general cries heard from Camp half-blood.
Apparently Percy didn't realise what Hazel meant either. Then something yanked Annabeth backwards and dragged her towards the pit. Percy lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.
Most people had tears swimming in their eyes. Not Percy too, they have to be alright, they just have to be.
"Please no" Thalia muttered in sheer terror.
"Help them!" Hazel yelled.
Annabeth glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying to disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. Their other friends were still focused on the statue, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern.
"Please someone hear" Katie prayed desperately who had tears streaming down her face.
This can't be happening, Clarisse thought, they have to be alright, it was like a rule.
Annabeth sobbed as she hit the edge of the pit. Her legs went over the side.
"No, no, no, no, no" Everyone muttered, even Travis and Connor looked sombre.
"Percy will save her, he has too" Thalia said confidently, "He won't let her die"
Too late, she realised what was happening: she was tangled in the spiders silk.
Clarisse felt annoyed at her. She was a child of Athena for Zeus' sake; surely she would've thought everything through. But most of all she was worried.
She should have cut it away immediately. She had thought it was just loose line, but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, she hadn't noticed that one of the strands was wrapped around her foot – and the other end went straight into the pit.
Everyone was in shock and stayed silent, desperate to know what was going to happen.
It was attached to something heavy down in the darkness, something that was pulling her in.
"No" Percy muttered, light dawning in his eyes. "My sword…"
Clarisse blinked away tears… they really did love each other, surely Percy will save her, right?
But he couldn't reach Riptide without letting go of Annabeths arm, and Annabeths strength was gone. She slipped over the edge. Percy fell with her.
The whole camp gasped as one and Thalia and Grover cried out in horror.
Clarisse couldn't believe it… no.
"This can't be happening" Lacy muttered.
Her body slammed into something. She must've blacked out briefly from the pain. When she could see again, she realized that she's fallen partway into the pit and was dangling over the void.
"Please no, please save them" Thalia prayed, and even Clover was wide awake now, everyone staring at the sheets in Thalia's hands in horror.
Percy had managed to grab a ledge about fifteen feet below the top of the chasm.
"Pull them up" Juniper recommended tearfully, holding onto Grover for support.
He was holding on with one hand, gripping Annabeths wrist with the other, but the pull on her leg was much too strong.
"Please someone, anyone, cut that damn silk" Thalia exclaimed angrily.
The whole camp looked like they'd been punched in the gut; the colour had drained from their face.
No escape, said a voice in the darkness below. I go to Tartarus, and you will come, too.
"Arachne" The Athena cabin growled, "This is all her fault"
"When I get my hands on her…" Thalia said.
Clarisse saw a young demigod, maybe 13, leaning on the shoulder of an older demigod from the Hecate cabin and Clarisse realised with a jolt that this story was affecting everyone. Whether they knew Percy and Annabeth Percy they still admired and loved them – no matter what.
Annabeth wasn't sure if she actually heard Arachne's voice or if it was in her mind.
Everyone growled, meaning it was obvious it wasn't in her head.
The pit shook. Percy was the only thing keeping her from falling. He was barely holding onto a ledge the size of a bookshelf.
"Trust a daughter of Athena to make a reference to books" Thalia muttered shakily and there was a few dry chuckles from the crowd… same old wise girl.
Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help.
"Don't give up Annabeth" The campers pleaded urgently but Clarisse knew that deep down it was hopeless… it was frigging Tartarus for Zeus' sake.
Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos they'd never make it in time.
Most campers let out a sob at that, now realising that Percy and Annabeths hope were dwindling.
"Someone please help" Thalia muttered brokenly and Clarisse's heart clenched.
Annabeths leg felt like it was pulling free of her body. Pain washed everything in red. The force of the Underworld tugged at her like gravity. She didn't have the strength to fight. She knew she was too far down to be saved.
"Percy, let me go," She croaked "you can't pull me up."
"Percy won't" Grover croaked out and a few people looked at him in confusion.
"Come on, this is Percy were talking about. He won't let Annabeth fall by herself, he's a SELFLESS GUY" he exclaimed and people nodded tearfully, knowing it was true.
His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was hopeless.
"Nothing's ever hopeless" Chiron said wisely, hoping to give everyone hope.
"Never" he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"
"They're going to find the doors of death" Drew exclaimed in shock.
"If anyone can do it, they can" Travis and Connor said encouragingly.
Nico's eyes widened "But-"
"Lead them there!" Percy shouted "Promise me!"
"An oath to keep with a final breath" Malcolm quoted which made everyone's hearts flutter nervously.
"You think…"
"I think, this could be the oath and I also think that something bad is going to happen" He said gravely which caused ice to settle in everyone's stomachs.
"I-I will."
Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.
"Sacrifices?" Katie squeaked out in horror, no one replied as they were in shock.
Percy tightened his grip on Annabeths wrist. His face was gaunt, scarped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs, but when he locked eyes with her she thought he had never looked more handsome.
Grover and Thalia gave a watery smile. True love.
"We're staying together," He promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again"
Only then did she understand what would happen. A one-way trip. A very hard fall.
"To Tartarus" Clarisse muttered gravely before reading again in a shaky voice
"As long as we're together, "She said.
She heard Nico and Hazel still screaming for help. She saw sunlight far, far above – maybe the last sunlight she would ever see.
"Please don't think that sis" The Athena cabin pleaded and everyone nodded their heads… they couldn't bare thinking about Percy and Annabeth in that situation.
Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness.
Clarisse dropped the sheets from her hands in shock and every tear stained face turned towards her…
So, was it okay? Good? Bad? Reviews are appreciated. Next chapter will be everyone's reaction!