Hi guys, it's chapter 2 ;) Hope you like it, but basically these first chapters are a build-up for the last one, where the real plot happens (in my opinion).
Thanks to:
ThatRandomMooshroom for the Review; I get how you feel about the feels :)
FoggyNights.p2, HeroesofOlympusJustin and LaSauterelle for the Follows :D
Seriously though, I really appreciate the Review & Follows :)
Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I'm not a middle-aged famous male author… (lol the most cliché of disclaimer lines!) Anyways, I don't own PJO or HoO, everything belongs to Rick Riordan.
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Annabeth's POV
Annabeth stalked off through the building in search of Nico. At this rate, with him trying to keep on the down-low throughout his search and with the building being thirteen stories high, it could take her all day to find him.
"Nico?" she called tentatively as she poked her head inside yet another room. There had been no sign of him thus far, and she was already on the sixth floor. When no one answered her, she moved on to the next room.
Annabeth continued to check rooms quickly and stealthily in pursuit of Nico, but it was only when she arrived at the eleventh floor did she find a trace of him. Lying on the ground was a minuscule Hades Mythomagic figurine which portrayed the god clothed in all black, and wearing the Helm of Darkness. Annabeth picked up the figurine and slipped it into the pocket of her jean shorts. Nico had recently started carrying around some of his Mythomagic collectibles again—but mainly just the Hades figurine—after he'd escaped from Tartarus. The young boy, who had been addicted to the game less than a couple years earlier, claimed he now carried around the figurine because it reminded him of his sister Bianca, who'd died shortly after the two of them had discovered they were demigods. Bianca had spotted a Mythomagic figurine in the Junkyard of the Gods, and had tried to collect it for Nico—but she hadn't known you couldn't take from the Junkyard, a trap had been activated, and Bianca was killed. Nico was devastated and had blamed it all on Percy, who'd sworn to protect her. He'd resented Percy for the longest time, but now, they were cool with each other and all was forgiven.
Annabeth was pretty sure Nico was going to want to help her resurrect Percy.
She continued searching the eleventh floor, calling Nico's name ten times a minute in hopes he was nearby. Finally, she climbed the stairs to the twelfth floor, and just as she was about to call out Nico's name once again she spotted him slipping into a room with a gold plaque reading Dr. James Bennison.
"Nico!" called out Annabeth, relieved. But then she remembered why she was up here looking for Nico and bit her lip to keep herself from crying.
Nico popped his head into the hallway. "Annabeth? What are you doing up here?"
She ran over to him and they walked into Dr. Bennison's office together. Nico walked to the back of the room and sat behind Dr. Bennison's huge mahogany desk in a large, plush-looking leather chair. Annabeth sat stiffly in the small office chair positioned across from him. To a spectator's point of view, it would look as if Annabeth had come to Nico for aid—which was, in fact, pretty close to the truth.
"So," prompted Nico. "Did you find something to do with the giants' army on the lower floors? Is that why you came up here—to alert me or something?" he said a bit impatiently.
Annabeth shook her head and looked down. "Nico, I… Percy…" She could feel her eyes watering, but she pressed her nails into her palms and tried to hold back the tears. When she removed her nails, there were five tiny crescent-shaped marks lining each of her palms. "Nico, Percy was killed."
Nico stared at her for a moment, and then burst into a fit of laughter. He took gasping breaths and wiped a tear from his eye. But when he looked at Annabeth, she was still completely serious, and now looking on the verge of breaking down.
Annabeth gave him a look of utter disbelief. "I can't believe you're laughing right now."
Nico blinked a couple times and frowned. "You can't be serious. He's Percy freaking Jackson. He can't just die. You can cut the act now." He looked behind Annabeth and yelled, "Percy! Come out! I know it's a prank!" No one answered. A single tear escaped from Annabeth's eye. It slid down her cheek and dropped onto her jean shorts. Nico's frown deepened. "Perce?" he called. Still no answer. Annabeth shook her head. "Nico, he's gone. That's why I'm here. I need your help."
"You mean… No. Percy… He's really… Gone?" Nico's voice cracked on his last word.
"Um. Yeah. He's… Well, no. Sort of. Nico, I know there's a way to get him back. I have this idea…"
Annabeth explained her plan to Nico—to shadow-travel to the Underworld, find Percy in Elysium, consult Hades and then bring him back up to the real world. She didn't see how this plan could go wrong—who wouldn't want to save Percy? He'd saved the gods' butts millions of times by now. Only monsters wanted him dead. She knew she could save him. But there was always a possibility that a plan wouldn't work out or go according to the script. And, well, if for some reason she couldn't save Percy in the end…? Then Plan B was to stay in Elysium with him.
Nico nodded along as Annabeth explained. "Shadow-travel you? I can do that. And believe me, I want to save Percy just as much as you do." Nico took a deep breath and exhaled. "We have to go quickly, though, and inconspicuously. Plus we have to get Percy before anyone else notices he's dead. And speaking of anyone else noticing—we're not going to tell my dad."
Annabeth stared at him. "What?"
Nico stared right back. "I said, we're not going to tell my dad. Hades will alert Thanatos, and that guy doesn't let anyone cheat death. I hate to break it to you, Annabeth, but he's not going to make an exception for Percy just because he saved the world like so many other demigods before him. Death is death. So if you want Percy back, we're going to have to sneak in there without telling anyone and then break him out."
Annabeth nodded, her thought train running a hundred miles per hour. "Okay. Okay, yeah. Let's go break him out. When's the best time to do this?"
Nico stood up and walked around to the front of the desk, where he stood facing Annabeth. The demigod looked solemn and grim, as if he were preparing for war. "Right now."
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So that was that! Oh, and sorry if the chapters so far haven't been especially long. The next two will be a longer (although I don't know how much longer... I was originally going to do one more chapter, but it was getting really long so I turned it into two).
Also, if you have suggestions about anything at all, feel free to Review or PM me with them :) I already have a couple things planned and I basically wrote the ending already, so if anyone suggests something I already wrote into the story I'll let them know what happens ahead of time :D
Next update will be in 2 days!
