Hellooo. Originally, I worked very hard on this chapter. I listened to songs to get inspired, I was very happy.

But apparently happiness and I don't go together because just as I was about to send my epic new chapter to my editor it got deleted.

So you can understand my grief. I was defeated but determined to publish a chapter today so I wrote it again, as well as I could remember, But obviously it isn't exactly the same because that one was written over weeks. I just hope this one is good enough. I'm looking forward to whatever reviews you guys have, even if it is criticism.

Secondly, I need you to understand that the Annabeth POV is happening parallel to the previous chapter I wrote. I hope I've got through to you guys.

ANNABETH:

The tunnel wasn't as dark as she had expected it to be. As her eyes adjusted she saw Piper and Jason standing in front of her.

"Where are we?", Jason asked Annabeth expectantly.

She hated it when they looked up to her and she had no definite answer for them.

"In a tunnel, it would seem", she answered. When in doubt always state the obvious. It made things clearer.

"But this tunnel goes downwards", Piper noted, "And we're supposed to go upwards"

"Then we will have to go downwards", Jason replied.

Annabeth was about to say something when the wind started to blow.

They all stiffened. Wind blowing in a closed tunnel wasn't a good sign.

"You felt that didn't you?", she asked Jason.

"Yes", he replied tightly.

The wind got stronger. "Quick, hold hands", Piper squeaked as she grabbed Annabeth's and Jason's arm. They huddled together trying not to blow away with the wind.

Resisting the wind did them no good. Soon they were thrown up against the ceiling.

"We need to let go", Annabeth screamed over the roaring wind. Jason and Piper gave her a look that seemed to doubt her sanity but Annabeth kept her face straight and eventually Jason nodded.

As soon as they stopped resisting, they were blown away towards the length of the tunnel. The winds around them seemed violent and made Annabeth very uncomfortable. Then it struck her what was about to happen.

"JASON?", she screamed over the howling wind but she doubted Jason even heard her. Even if he did and replied, she never heard him.

They were blown into a large cavern where all kinds of winds met. Light blue, dark blue, grey, white and even red. The wind blowing around them was light blue and it took them upwards now, faster than ever.

It was scary how something as fragile and mortal as Piper was holding them together through this unnatural wind.

As they went upwards, Annabeth observed their surroundings. Even though everything was a blur, it was a colourful blur which made Annabeth realize that there were parts of Mt. Olympus that were still as they were when the gods ruled from here. Maybe some nymphs even lived here. All this made Annabeth long to explore the inside of Mt. Olympus.

Soon the winds threw them into a temple from an ornate decorative hole in the white marble floor. Annabeth was the first one on her feet, looking around the temple, in awe of whoever that had designed it.

The temple was made fully of marble. There were twelve pillars in a ring with the ornate decorative hole in the centre of the room, ringed with gold and drawings from adventures unknown to Annabeth.

Opposite her was a ten foot statue of Zeus carved out from the wall. Zeus had long hair and wore only a loin cloth. His muscular chest was bare and he held up the masterbolt over his head with both hands, his face contorted with fury.

The masterbolt was the darkest thing in the room and it made it no less scary that its colour changed. It was dark blue and sometimes dark grey, lined with silver.

"What exactly is it that we're supposed to be doing here?", Piper asked, her voice lowered to a whisper.

Annabeth looked over to Jason to find his face stiffly regal. He stood up taller, he looked more confident and stronger. For a moment she wondered if he was possessed. "Pray", he said roughly.

Before Annabeth could stop herself, her eyes closed shut and she found herself praying to Zeus frankly.

Earlier, it had been easier to pray to Zeus. Her mother had respect for him and he was the second wisest in the council. Or so her mother said.

But then he'd screwed everything up over the last few months. Also, his wife was unbearable.

Look. I need you to understand that there is no other way anymore. You can't just lull Gaea back to sleep at this point. All this is real and currently happening. So you've got to save yourselves and everything that you have created. You have a war on your hands and you'd do better if you just admitted it and joined us.

"I've given you time"

The voice resonated through the room. Annabeth's eyes flew open to find Jason and Piper huddled together on the floor on their knees.

"And I can give you no more"

No. The voice wasn't echoing inside the temple. It was inside her skull.

Then her eyes closed.

Annabeth was astonished when Zeus appeared in front of her. He was wearing his usual blue suit but his form kept flickering back to a long haired Zeus in white. He smiled at her.

"My son is depending on you", he said.

"No", she said coolly, "Your son is depending on you."

"I've extended my protection as wide as I can, I've stretched my resources thin", he told her honestly.

"No", she told him, "You haven't. You aren't even really here to save your son and the world you rule."

"You won't let me down Annabeth", he continued, "I know"

"You've let everyone down, though", she said quietly.

He smiled again, "Your mother is proud of you"

Her eyes flew open as the room began to tremble. Cracks were appearing on the walls and the floor.

"Annabeth!", Piper exclaimed and ran towards her.

A hand burst out of the stomach of the statue of Zeus and before Piper reached Annabeth, grabbed her.

"Piper!", Jason shouted as he flew towards her but another arm appeared and swatted him away. He fell to the floor lifelessly.

A large head appeared as the statue crumbled away. The first thing that Annabeth noticed was the eyes which were like polished marble. They sent a chill down Annabeth's spine but she kept her face impassive. The head was covered with green hair, with various weapons knotted into it.

"What do we have here?", the giant asked grinning. The showcase of broken yellow teeth did nothing to improve his features.

"Hello, Porphyrion", Annabeth said, "I've heard a lot about you"

The uncertain look that flickered on Porphyrion's face for a fraction of a second was enough to give Annabeth hope that there still was a chance of survival.

PERCY:

Riptide clattered to the floor. He could here Annabeth sobbing.

He picked up Riptide again and turned towards Thalia.

She had drawn her spear and shield out and she looked ready to kill people. He gave her a pleading look and she nodded after a moment.

He felt the air tingle but paid it no mind. Thalia shoved him upwards and he grabbed onto the bars of Annabeth's cage.

"Percy?", he heard her whisper, "Percy, here! Please get me out"

He pulled himself up and smashed riptide on the bars. It didn't even leave a scratch. Frustration and desperation flooded him and he smashed riptide again and again and again and again.

One of the bars broke off and Percy was relieved to see that it would be enough for Annabeth to crawl out.

"Good show", Polybotes said laughing, "Now I know exactly who to kill first"

Before Percy could say or do something, Polybotes flicked his hand and Percy flew in the opposite direction and landed into Nico's cage.

All this while, he had tried his best not to look towards Nico, afraid of what he's find, afraid of what he'd feel. But now he was there. Inside the cage, with him, as what would happen right then suck in.

Polybotes replaced Annabeth's cage with a bronze plate with a cloche on top. Percy realized he had seen that before but he couldn't remember where.

Tears streamed down his face. "No, Annabeth, please. Let her go please", he said, sounding like a wounded animal.

Foul Green water started filling the tankish cage and Percy's body shuddered as a sob broke through him. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. His brain wasn't working.

He was supposed to be ADHD, he was supposed to function best during battle. But here he was, stuck in a cage as Porphyrion drowned his only constant, except his mother.

He threw himself at the bars of the cage to no avail. Riptide had fallen when he had entered the cage and he couldn't wait for it to reappear.

The water was filling up faster than ever and Annabeth was trying to avoid the water as well as she could. Percy hardly realize dhe was shouting her name again and again, helplessly.

He saw Annabeth writhe as the water entered her lungs and eventually she moved no more and floated at the top of the cage.

It was just like a bell jar. Like the bell stops ringing when the air is sucked out, Annabeth stopped struggling when her life drained away.

The sound Percy let out was soul shattering. He let all the air out of his lungs, as if he didn't need it anymore.

He blamed himself. It was all his fault. He'd done this and lost his best friend, his right arm.

Strong arms grabbed him and pulled him to the floor of the cage. His body shuddered with another sob.

He couldn't think, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't function.

"Percy", he heard Nico plead. "Percy, look at me"

He couldn't bear to look at him. After the choice he had made, to make sure they both didn't have to feel the pain that they were destined to feel. Instead, he had landed them both in the very situation he had tried to avoid.

When he was asked to choose between Annabeth and Nico, he hadn't wanted to. He had been more scared than he had ever been, all his life. He had chosen Annabeth because it was what he was supposed to do, what was expected of him. In choosing her, he had made sure he would never have to come to terms with his feelings, never admit what he was so afraid of. He could suppress his feelings, just like he wanted. Nobody ever had to know what he felt. It would be like the last week never happened. It was horribly selfish of him. It was unlike everything that Percy stood for.

"Percy!", he heard Nico say again as he turned him.

"Look at me", he ordered, grabbing Percy's face and turning it so he had no other option that to look into his deep brown eyes.

Percy had expected to see anger, contempt or reproach. Instead he saw determination, hope and kindness. It hit him hard in his chest.

"We have to get out of here", Nico told him.

"I-", Percy choked. "I can't do it"

Nico wiped his tears off with deft fingers and held his face in his hands. "I know you can."

"Riptide?", Percy managed to ask.

"It can't be done from the inside", Nico replied sadly, "Use your power. You're strong enough"

Percy shook his head as his breath stuck in his throat.

"Perseus Jackson, breathe", Nico said sternly. "And now try"

Percy closed his eyes and tried. He felt a tug in his navel and a tingling sensation slowly started to spread through his body.

Then an image of Annabeth's limp body flashed in front of his eyes and he broke down again.

"I can't, Nico", he started but Nico cut him off.

"Shut up", he said. "Don't tell me you can't. We don't have time for this. Take my hand"

Percy took both his hands in his own and closed his eyes. This time the tingling tug was in his chest and continued to spread through his abdomen and to his legs. It spread to his arms through the point of contact from Nico's hands.

Suddenly, they were falling. Percy pulled Nico closer and held him tightly as they landed in the water that had accumulated on the floor. He would now do what he should've done from the beginning. Protect Nico. Annabeth would've understood.

Nico got to his feet first and pulled Percy up. He was still in awe of how in control Nico was. What would Annabeth have said?

Polybotes was looking at them with a strange look on his disgusting face.

"Hey shitface!", Thalia called from somewhere a little far from them. "Your friend found out that electricity and water don't go well together. The hard way"

It took Percy a moment to understand what she meant.

Then he felt guilty and ashamed. While he had been busy breaking down, Thalia had destroyed Thoosa all by herself, despite the timeless liquid she and Polybotes had created.

"I'm sorry Percy, but I couldn't stop the liquid from seeping in", Thalia said urgently, "It's already started"

"It's okay, are you okay?", he asked her and she nodded as she jogged up to them.

The three of them faced Polybotes and drew out their weapons.

"I hope you know that I'm going to kill you", Percy told Polybotes impassively.

"Not without me", said a voice from behind them.

The voice belonged to a middle aged man with black curly hair, wearing Bermuda shorts and a loose beach shirt. His green eyes sparkled and he had an easy smile on his face.

Percy was glad to see him but at the same time he was split between running to him and hugging him and spitting at him.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you", Poseidon said to the giant, "Again"