Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan and I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
For the first half hour, she simply screamed, holding on to his callused hand so tightly that somewhere in the back of her mind, the part that wasn't focused on her immediate death, hoped she would not cut off his blood circulation. Her ankle throbbed, but she ignored it in her fear as the screaming continued, though the rushing of the wind as they fell blocked out the sound.
After the screaming came the numbness of her mind and body, and she became stiff as she plummeted straight down, her hand still clasped in his. Her free hand frantically searched the dark for the rest of his body, finally finding his chest and holding him tightly.
Laying her head on his shoulder, she sobbed as the numbness faded and realization hit her like a bullet. Tartarus. Memories flashed by as she remembered the first time she had glimpsed the dark pit- Grover flew feet-first toward the Pit, Annabeth and Percy desperately racing after him. After saving him, the voice spoke, not out loud but echoing through their minds, terrifying her twelve year old self.
Lost and confused as she felt, she was a daughter of Athena, and she needed a plan. She stopped crying, a little ashamed of her breakdown, and evaluated their situation. How could they reach the ground without smashing to bits? Was there even a ground to reach? Most importantly, how would they get out?
Every second seemed like an eternity now. She had utterly lost track of time; they could have been falling for hours.
Never before had she been so scared as when she first saw the bottom of Tartarus- which was saying something, since, as a demigod, she had traveled on all sorts of dangerous quests. Monsters swarmed at the bottom, glancing up at their new prey. As they neared closer and closer to the bottom- 200 feet, 100 feet, 50 feet- she felt gusts of wind push gently against her, carrying her and Percy to the ground, where the monsters awaited them. Percy drew his sword, still holding her hand, and they stumbled to the ground, into the sea of monsters awaiting them. Though they had fallen, as long as they were together, they could- no, they would- find a way out of this hell.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Or sobbed. Nah, I'm just kidding. ;) I resisted the urge to make the final line "They had fallen, and they could not get up." ;) Please leave a review, I can always use constructive criticism!