Chosen Trilogy: Abyss
A PJATO Fanfiction
©-Rick Riordan
By: xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx
(A.K.A.)
XXxDaughterofAthenaxXx
AN: This chapter is dedicated to BlackHawk1997, who came up with the brilliant idea that I used for this chapter! Thanksies! ^_^ 100 reviews, and not even 15 chapters! AH! That's so fantabulous! Thanks SOO much! x]
Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own.
Chapter 12
Annabeth
"Stop worrying so damn much," Clarisse said, rolling her eyes. "It's fine."
I stared up a the old, abandoned… mansion, then said, "I… don't know. It just seems… familiar."
The daughter of Ares scoffed. "When have you been in this dinky little town?"
"Never," I said truthfully. "But, something about it is just…"
"Weird?" Nico offered. "Ominous?"
"More like familiar, yet not familiar," Luke corrected quietly.
"Exactly," I agreed.
"So are we going in or not?" Travis asked irritably. "Because, in case you've forgotten, my brother and girlfriend are out there, missing…"
"I know that!" I snapped. "I know."
"Just a reminder."
"They'll be fine," I said reassuringly. "It's not like they'd…"
My voice trailed off, and Chris added, "Kill them?"
Courtney scoffed. "Of course they'd kill them if they wanted to," she said bluntly. "They did it to Percy, why are the others any different?"
"She has a point," Tallie said softly. "A depressing, yet true point."
"They won't die." I promised, but even I couldn't believe myself. My friends had told me almost the same thing last year when Percy was missing, and here I was telling Travis the same damn lie.
"Let's just go inside," Clarisse said finally, staring at the mansion.
"Fine," I murmured. "It's not like I really have any choice…"
"Split up," I said warily, glancing around the dark, messy mansion. Cobwebs were scattered everywhere in the house, and it smelled… musty. "Just be careful."
"No," Travis said sarcastically. "We're going to go yell, 'HEY I'M A DEMIGOD! COME AND KILL ME!' like maniacs."
"Do that, and I'll make sure you see Nico's dad the hard way."
"Gods, you're on edge today," Travis muttered. "I swear, it's like your PMSing."
I shot him an annoyed glare, then said, "Just go." They all reluctantly ran off in separate directions, so I was left to go the only other way: up.
"Oh joy," I mumbled, walking warily up the creaky stairs. Every other move I made, there would be an annoying CREAK, that pretty much told anyone who wasn't my friend, Hey! There's someone here that can be a big target for killing and or kidnapping! Yay!.
"Annabeth? Is that you?" I froze in my steps. Was that… "Wise Girl?"
"Percy?" I whispered, looking around the room. "How are you—" I was cut off by the lights flickering on and off wildly, then finally, turning off altogether.
"Annabeth? Where are you?" Percy yelled, fear in his voice. "Annabeth!"
"Hang on, Percy," I said, straining to hear his voice. "Where are you?"
"Annabeth!" I straightened. Now it was… Rachel?
"Rachel?" I said, narrowing my eyes. "Where are you?"
"Annabeth, help!"
"Annabeth!" It was Percy again. "I need your help!"
"Annabeth, help me, not him!"
I turned around, looking back and forth wildly. "Where are both of you?" I yelled loudly.
"BIANCA!" I heard Nico scream. "Where… why?"
"You're a fool," I heard, I think, Bianca, say. "It's your fault that I'm dead."
"No," Nico whispered. "Bianca…"
"Clarisse," a high-pitched girl hissed. "I can't believe you. I'm dead because of you!"
"Silena?" Clarisse whispered.
"You should've found me earlier," I heard Percy whisper. "I went through Hadesthe last few days of my life," he hissed. "Why? Didn't you care enough to actually find me before I died? Or were you too worried about Luke?" I closed my eyes, trying to block out 'Percy'.
Why… why was he doing this to me? Why did Bianca say those things to Nico? And what about Silena to Clarisse?
"You cared about Luke too much to rescue me," Percy hissed. "You didn't give a damn that I was being tortured—that I was dying, for the gods' sake!"
"Stop," I whispered, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. It wasn't true. I'd done pretty much everything in my power to find Percy. I didn't even care about Luke then; he wasn't even alive!
"Wait," I said, realization dawning on me. Luke wasn't alive until after Percy died, and Percy knew that. But that would mean… "You're not Percy, nor are you Rachel or Bianca or Silena," I hissed, pulling out my knife. I now realized where we were; a Cyclops's lair, much like the one we went to in Virginia. "I'm not going to fall for your tricks again." I spat.
"Annabeth," Rachel said. "Of course it's me! And I need help!"
"Nico," I snapped, ignoring her. "Clarisse, snap out of it; it's not really them!"
"Bianca," Nico whispered, his voice choked up with tears.
"NICO!" I yelled. "Snap out of it."
"Please…" I sighed; obviously getting nowhere. Annabeth to the rescue… again, of course. I ran towards the direction of his voice, and after about 30 yards, I ran into something… or someone.
"Ow!"
"Luke?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"That's my name," he grumbled. "Ow, that hurt."
"I need help finding Nico," I hissed. "We're in a Cyclops's lair… like the one from when we were on the run."
"Oh damn."
"Yeah," I whispered. "I need help finding the others."
"Alrighty then," he muttered. "You don't think they fell for it, do you?"
"Even I fell for it," I admitted. "Of course they probably did."
"That's odd; I didn't even hear any voices talk to me." Luke said, confusion evident in his voice.
"Weird," I said. "But we can't dwell on that. We have to find the others and get the Hades out of here."
"Agreed," he said. "Okay, I'll go find Travis, Courtney, and Tallie."
"And I'll find Chris, Clarisse, and Nico." I finished. "You can go now."
"Right," he whispered, running off.
"Nico," I called, not too loudly. I really didn't need to fight a Cyclops alone, plus I wasn't sure if there was just one Cyclops living here. "Clarisse, Chris…"
"Bianca," Nico whispered again. My eyes widened, and I reached out to the closest thing to me: Nico.
"Nico di Angelo," I hissed. "Snap out of it!" I snapped, shaking him violently. "She's not actually here! It's just a Cyclops trying to trick you!"
"Nonsense!" Bianca yelled. "I'm your sister, Nico. You should believe me!"
"Nico, your real sister wouldn't say those things to you," I said quietly. "She loves you and doesn't blame you at all. You've made peace with her, remember?"
"Of course," he murmured softly. "It can't be her… I would've known…"
"C'mon," I said gently. "We need to find Clarisse and Chris."
Nico nodded slightly shakily, then followed me silently as we made our way through the mansion. Part of me could still see the little twelve year-old that lost his sister three years ago. I could still make out the fear in his black eyes, the same sadness that… wasn't there until Percy died.
"Silena?" Clarisse's voice rang through the dead silence. "Lena?"
"Clarisse!" I yelled, turning to Nico. "Nico, can you… see through the darkness or anything?"
"I can shadow-travel, raise dead armies, and speak to the dead, but no, I don't have night vision." he said, annoyance evident in his voice.
I swallowed. New plan. "Can you," I started warily. "Summon hellfire?"
"Can I what?"
"Summon hellfire," I repeated. "Is it possible for you to summon hellfire?"
"I-I don't know," Nico said. "I've never really tried…"
"Well try now!" I ordered. "We need to be able to see in here, and in case I'm mistaken, Thalia isn't here to provide at least a little light."
"Fine," He began muttering an ancient Greek chant, and soon, a little spark of fire appeared in the palm of his hand.
"Whoa." we both whispered.
"More," Nico whispered warily, and fire grew wildly in his palm.
"I think that's good enough," I muttered. "After you, Nico." He walked forward cautiously, glancing around in the dim light.
"Ethan?" Chris said, from somewhere behind us. "Is that you?"
"Damn," I cursed. "Clarisse is one way, and Chris is the other."
"The question is," Nico said, dead serious. "Which way is the Cyclops?"
"HELP!" Tallie shrieked.
"I take it by Tallie," I deadpanned.
"Hang on, Tallie!" Nico yelled back.
"Shut up!" I hissed. "You're going to give away our position."
"As if the fire didn't do that already."
"Touché." I mumbled. "We've got to find them."
"We're in this mansion, that's inhabited by carnivorous Cyclopes." Nico said. "We don't know if there's just one, or if they're more than one. Our friends are scattered around here, and the Cyclopes or Cyclops is tricking them into thinking their closest dead companion is talking to them."
"In other words, we're screwed." I said bluntly.
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Joy."
AN: Hm... Nico can control hellfire, eh? To storm or fire the world must fall? Hm... Lol. If you like my writing, check out my latest story "Love Me, Hate Me, But I Promise You Won't Break Me", please!
-Lex(:
