11h agoSome of you have been asking for some Percabeth 'fluff' in this story! So, here it is. It won't be a ton, but I hope it pleases you Percabeth shippers like myself. Enjoy!
Written by: FootWebbed
My hand slips off of the crisp yellowing page. I realize what I have to do.
Desperation drives me to take a knife from a kitchen drawer. The silver glints in the artificial light of the room, and my clammy fingers grasp the handle, as if there's no tomorrow. Slowly and steadily, I guide the blade along my forearm, creating a cut that lets out a river of crimson blood. The first drop lands on the word 'mantra', and I find myself repeating the chicken scratch words on the page.
"Oh Dios tuyo, por favor permita Mis Amigos Tu Freedom From The Devil Eso los ha llevado de mis manos." I chant, my electric blue eyes following the lines of words. Finally, thick blood has completely covered every single word, and is now soaking through the pages. In a rush, I grab the leather bound book and toss it in the garbage can, no longer of use to me.
A stinging sensation pierces through the cut on my wrist, and I grimace in pain. Slowly, I rip open the medicine cabinet, locate a roll of gauze, and tightly wrap it around my hand. Afterwards, I twist off the cap of an Advil bottle and pop a couple of pills down my throat.
Better.
Annabeth's POV (BONUS)
My hand that is bound in fraying rope struggles to reach Percy's. I entangle my fingers with his.
Katie, Travis, Nico, Percy, and I are in a pitch black room. That's about all of the information I can give you, because the room is dark. The only thing that I can make out is the glistening sweat on Percy's forehead. I can hear Katie and Travis whispering frantically, but it's muffled.
"We'll get out of here. We survived Tarturus." I reassure, my fingers whitening as I squeeze Percy's hand.
"Together." He says, his sea green gaze romantic.
"Together. And with Katie, Travis, and Nico." I joke, slightly giggling.
"Well, at least we're not separated." I cringe at the thought. Percy looks down, the loose rope on his neck digging into his skin, creating a red mark.
"GUYS!" Suddenly, Nico's voice pierces through my ears. Footsteps echo through the room. Someone's free. "PUSH YOUR ROPES! THEY COME OFF!"
I follow Nico's orders, gently tugging on the braided rope. It does come right apart, tearing at the middle and causing straying strings to stick out.
"Wow!" Katie exclaims.
"Now, if I can just get my flashlight…," Travis murmurs. I can see him fumbling with his denim pocket.
"What, you keep a flashlight with you at all times?" I antic, my face smug with delight.
Travis holds up a pocket-sized flashlight, probably feeling accomplished. "Yep!" He clicks the power button, and a puny ray lights up a foot of the room. At least we know now that the floor is hardwood, and there is a door at the end of the room.
Katie's hand slips over the doorknob as she forces it open. A scene that I never thought I would see ever again appears. It's the foyer of our house! Dust covers every piece of furniture. Not a big surprise there; Thalia isn't one to clean.
"Thalia?" I call, cupping my trembling hands to my lips. The response is a scratchy cough coming from the living room, and its recipient, is, you guessed it, Thalia.
I jog through the hallway towards the sound, and so do my friends. The room opens up, and a body that is recognizable as Thalia's is writhing on the carpet in the fetal position. Her hands are clawed, and she coughs a puddle of blood onto the floor. I grimace. Katie and Travis rush to attend to Thalia. Travis is patting Thalia's back, reassuringly, and Katie considers the use of CPR.
I turn to Percy, and his azure eyes are full of sympathy. Tears fall from my face, and I dig my face into his shoulder, wrapping my hands around his neck. I want him to hug me, but no kissing. That's exactly what he does; Percy's muscular arms embrace my waist. I can't stand to see my friends suffer, and he can't either. As I hear each cough, I cringe.
"Spike?" Nico makes a kissy noise with his lips, calling his dog. Unusually, the lazy bulldog does not come bounding down the stairs. Nico climbs the stairs to investigate.
I glance up from Percy's shoulder, and I notice a girl standing beside the television, watching Katie and Travis help Thalia. Her nightgown is tattered with dirt and old stains, her feet are crinkly and barefoot, and her eyes are a deep brown and menacing.
I immediately recognize her from a picture that Percy showed me a few years back.
The girl is Bianca di Angelo.
