When the arai appeared, Annabeth felt like she had just stepped into a horror movie. Their blank eyes and frozen expressions, and the way one voice spoke for all of them, seriously freaked her out. It only got worse when it became clear that killing one unleashed a curse from a defeated enemy. When Percy got himself hit with Geryon's curse, Annabeth stared, horror-struck, at the blood staining his t-shirt on both sides. It slowed quickly, fortunately, and he stayed on his feet, but his expression was pained.

Of course, the alternative was doing nothing when they attacked, but with their long, sharp talons, that wasn't much of an option.

So when one charged at Annabeth, talons raised, she reacted instinctively, bringing her rock down on its head.

The demon exploded into dust.

And the world went black.

A cry of alarm broke through her lips as she dropped her rock. Her hands flew to her face. She hoped maybe a piece of the demon's dress was just covering it. But no. Her vision had been stolen. She turned her head wildly side to side, but there was nothing. "I can't see!"

Polyphemus cursed you when you tricked him with your invisibility in the Sea of Monsters, the arai hissed, their voices slithering through her ears and trailing dread down her spine. You called yourself Nobody. He could not see you. Now you will not see your attackers.

Annabeth remembered. Clearly it didn't matter that the Cyclops had been trying to kill and cook her and her friends. He'd cursed her, and by killing the demon she'd unleashed it.

"I've got you," Percy's voice said, right next to her, and his arm slid around her waist. Her panic subsided just slightly, but they were still in major trouble. And what if her vision was gone forever? No, don't think like that. There's always a way to fix things.

"SWEEP!" Bob's voice boomed out. Annabeth couldn't see what was happening, obviously, but she heard the arai shrieking in agitation and the small puffs of air as they burst into dust.

She leaned closer into Percy. His breathing was rapid, but his hand was firm on her waist. After a few moments, he said, "Bob, you okay? No curses?"

"No curses for Bob!" the Titan said brightly. How was that possible, Annabeth wondered.

The arai provided an answer. The Titan is already cursed. Why should we torture him further? You, Percy Jackson, have already destroyed his memory.

Annabeth's heart stopped. Oh shit. "Bob, don't listen to them. They're evil."

For a few moments, there was silence. And then she heard Bob's voice ask, "My memory…it was you?"

Before Percy could answer, the arai jumped in. Curse him, Titan! Add to our numbers!

Percy's voice was pleading when he said, "Bob, it's a long story. I didn't want you to be my enemy. I tried to make you a friend."

As the arai spoke again, taunting Bob and Percy, Annabeth's mind raced. If Bob changed his mind about helping them, they were screwed. She slid her arm back until she could move Percy's arm from her waist, instead gripping his hand. "Which way? If we have to run?"

Percy squeezed her hand in acknowledgement, but he spoke to Bob. "Bob, listen, the arai want you to get angry. They spawn from bitter thoughts. Don't give them what they want. We are your friends." His voice faltered on the last line, though, and Annabeth's chest constricted more tightly. Bob had announced himself as their friend, but was it true? Percy had barely spent any time with him after the Titan tried to impale him. After all, Bob lived in the Underworld. What made the Titan their friend, other than the fact that he'd announced himself that way and tried to help them? And yes, maybe Percy had taken Bob's memory away, but it was in a fight to save his, Thalia, and Nico's lives. Iapetus had started the fight; Bob had just come away with the raw end of the deal. Before she could follow this train of thought any further or come up with something helpful to say, the arai chimed in again.

You see his face? The boy cannot even convince himself. Did he visit you, after he stole your memory?

Bob's voice trembled as he said, "No. The other one did."

"The other one?" Percy asked.

"Nico." Bob said, and Annabeth was floored. The son of Hades didn't strike her as the type who would befriend an amnesiac immortal. But, of course, it was a lot easier for Nico to come and go from the Underworld than it was for Percy. That probably helped. Not that it mattered right now, she reminded herself, as Bob's hurt voice continued. "Nico visited. Told me about Percy. Said Percy was good. Said he was a friend. That is why Bob helped."

Okay, yeah, she was stunned. She'd always thought Nico could barely stand Percy. The fact that he'd told Bob about him…told him he was good and a friend…there was no time to process it. Percy started to speak, but his voice caught. And then there was the noisy scrape of talons on stone and the rustle of wings as the arai charged.

Percy yanked on her arm, pulling her around as he yelled, "Left!" He took off running, and she did her best to keep up and match his pace.

Not being able to see was terrifying. She had to put her complete trust in Percy and hope he would direct her around any obstacles. But the ground was treacherous, and she fought to keep her balance and stay on her feet. There wasn't time to trip. Not when she could hear the arai shrieking behind them.

Thwack! CRASH!

"What was that?" Annabeth asked, ashamed about the fear lacing her voice, but unable to help it. She was nearing her limit of what she could handle at this particular moment in time.

"I cut down a tree," Percy panted. "Squashed a few of them."

"Good idea."

"Thanks. Left!"

They veered around something, then started zigzagging through what Annabeth assumed was the armpit hair forest. She heard the thwack, CRASH combo a few more times as Percy apparently cut down several trees. She wondered how much it was helping though. Not enough, judging by the sounds of pursuit behind them.

Her nerves were jangling. She kept blinking hard, hoping her vision would return, but still nothing. She hated being weaponless, she hated being blind, she hated feeling helpless. It didn't matter that she knew Percy would do everything in his power to protect her. She didn't want him to have to. She wanted to fight beside him, not cower behind him. Fury wrestled with fear, making her want to either scream or cry. Instead, she just put her head down and kept running, holding her boyfriend's hand in a death grip.

However, when he suddenly half-tackled her, her shot nerves almost couldn't take it. "What? What is it?"

"Cliff." He sounded completely winded, almost wheezy. "Big cliff."

Of course there's a cliff. "Which way then?"

Percy didn't answer. She assumed he was looking around, trying to decide on a direction. Before he had a chance to tell her his decision, the creepy voice of the arai echoed from behind them. Did you have a nice walk?

Annabeth gripped Percy's hand tighter. The smell of their sweat mingled with the metallic taste of fear in her mouth. They could always jump off the cliff. That would probably be an absolutely terrible idea. But it might be better than being ripped apart by curse-wielding demons.

She didn't get the chance to choose, though. Sharp talons wrapped around her arm, and Annabeth's frayed nerves snapped. She let loose a guttural cry and allowed her muscle memory to take over. She grabbed the monster, judo-flipped it, then dropped onto its body with a furious elbow-strike.

The demon dissolved. But dread descended over her like a thick, choking cloud. Because Percy was gone, too.

Annabeth's heart stuttered. She strained her ears, but she couldn't hear any sign of him. As they ran, she'd been tuned to the sound of his breathing. Now, she heard nothing. The only sounds were the rustle of the arai's wings and their cackles. If the voice was saying something, she was missing it. "Percy?"

Nothing. No response.

No. This was too much. He would never leave her.

But he had. She could feel the absence in her bones.

She tried again, her voice breaking on his name. "Percy! Why did you leave me?" She hated the wimpiness of the question, but she couldn't help it. He must have had a good reason, right? He would come back, wouldn't he? But deep down, she knew she was lying to herself. He had abandoned her.

This is what always happens to you.

She didn't know if it was the voice of the arai or just a nasty voice in her own head. Annabeth blinked back tears. It was true…her mother abandoned her, her father let her go, Luke chose Kronos…no one stayed. No one fought to be with her. She'd thought Percy was different, but apparently not.

What happened to You're not getting away from me…never again?

No. He wouldn't leave her. She spread her arms out, searching for him. He'd been so close before. "Percy?"

How could he have left her? Maybe he had tried to lead the arai away? But no, because they were still here. She could hear their soft cackles and the rustle of their wings. They were staying just out of arms' reach, though. Which was too bad. It might be worth bringing a few more curses down on herself just to have the satisfaction of smashing them to dust. But the most pressing problem was Percy. Why would he leave her?

Had she done something? True, at the moment she was a liability with her blindness, but she didn't think that mattered to him. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought. He'd been gone for months, then with the Romans. Maybe he'd changed more than she knew.

"Percy?" she tried again, her voice trembling. "Where are you?"

She heard the venomous glee in the arai's laughter and spun furiously on them. But they stayed just out of her reach. Maybe she was going crazy. Maybe none of this was happening. Maybe Tartarus had cracked her mind. None of those thoughts did anything to heal the deep ache in her chest.

Percy had abandoned her.

Annabeth stumbled forward, calling his name again, even though she knew it was pointless. He'd left her. After everything they'd survived together, he'd finally had enough. "Percy? Percy!"

Nothing.

A sob rose in Annabeth's throat, but she choked it back. If she started crying now, she'd never stop. She stumbled forward a few more steps, trying to stay away from where she thought the edge of the cliff was. Percy had told her about the cliff. He'd caught her in his arms and pulled her away. And then…he'd left. Why? That was the part she couldn't make sense of. "Percy? Percy, please, answer me!"

Still nothing.

Gods, it was just like last winter, when she'd gone to his cabin and his bed was empty. "Percy! Where did you go? Percy?"

She kept on calling his name, even as the feeling of hopelessness bloomed in her chest. Because as soon as she stopped searching, she would have to face the truth: he'd left her. Really and truly. Percy had abandoned her.

Despair gripped her. When she called his name again, it came out like a sob.

And then, suddenly, something picked her up off her feet. Annabeth shrieked. She didn't know who it was or where they were going, but she struggled, kicking and scratching, trying to break free. It was no good, though. Whoever or whatever had ahold of her was way stronger than she was.

Then, just as suddenly as she'd been picked up, she was set down. A soft hand touched her forehead, and Annabeth flinched. But after a moment, the darkness in her eyes faded. She could see light and colors again. Her vision had returned. At the same time her vision was returning, the feelings of abandonment and despair were fading. Annabeth could feel how overwhelming and all-consuming they had been once they started to drain away. Her thoughts calmed and started to flow more logically. "Where—what—?"

Bob the Titan was kneeling in front of her. He must have healed her eyes, the way he'd healed her arm earlier. She gave him a tiny grateful smile, which he didn't return. His brow was furrowed, like he wasn't sure what to make of her. That wasn't great, but before she could deal with that, she needed to find…Percy.

Her eyes landed on him, sprawled just to her right. Her heart leapt, at first, because he was there, he hadn't abandoned her after all. But then, in an instant, she took in his appearance. Curls of steam rose from his skin, which was covered in bright red rashes, almost like burns. There was blood on his shirt, like he'd been stabbed in the stomach. His nose was bleeding, and a trickle of blood ran from his left ear. His breathing was ragged. His eyes, when he fixed them on hers, were bloodshot. The right one was twitching. He looked like the victim of a pretty nasty car accident.

Something inside Annabeth cracked. "What's wrong with him?" She scrambled to his side, pulling his upper body into her lap, trying to help him sit up. "What happened?" She wasn't even sure who she was asking, Bob or Percy or the vanished arai or Tartarus or the universe itself. But seeing Percy like this, more battered and beaten down than she'd ever seen, was too much. Right now, it was just too much. She held him against her and pressed a kiss into his messy hair. And then she broke down in sobs.

Percy didn't respond. His breathing was growing shallower. His fingers twitched almost involuntarily, like he was reaching for something. Annabeth could feel her heart breaking.

She shifted so she could take his face in her hands. Please, no. She wanted to beg him to stay, to fight, but she could see his eyes fading, and the words stuck in her throat, glued by a terrible, aching fear. She kissed him, like she'd done in the Cocytus. Please stay with me. Please come back. Don't give up. As gently as she could, she tried to wipe some of the dust and sweat from his eyes with her thumbs. Percy was shaking slightly, like he was going into shock. Annabeth's brain spun, trying to think of something to do, but coming up blank.

Behind her, Bob rumbled, "Lots of curses. Percy has done bad things to monsters."

Because he had to. But that argument wasn't important right now. "Can you fix him? Like you did with my blindness? Fix Percy!" It took every effort to keep her voice from breaking on his name. She pulled him tighter against her, smoothing his hair back from his face, brushing her hand down his cheek. Just stay with me. Don't give up yet. Please.

Bob didn't move. He just frowned, his eyes on Percy.

Percy's breathing grew more labored. Annabeth wasn't sure what was going through the Titan's mind, but she had to try again. "Bob—"

"Iapetus." The name rang through the stillness, carrying all its weight behind it. "Before Bob. It was Iapetus."

Annabeth's entire body went still. Oh gods. How much did he remember? More importantly, where would his loyalties lie now? But she had a clear goal: save Percy. Bob—Iapetus—was the only one who could help. Focus. Forcing her voice to be steady, she said, "I like Bob better. Which do you like?"

The Titan's eyes fixed on her face, and she saw the pain and confusion etched in them. "I do not know anymore."

Annabeth couldn't breathe. If Bob wouldn't help…but he knelt down beside her and studied Percy, his expression tired and sad. She wondered if she should say something, but then she thought it might be better not to break his train of thought.

Finally, Bob murmured, as if thinking out loud. "I promised. Nico asked me to help. I do not think Iapetus or Bob likes breaking promises." Annabeth almost cried with relief when the Titan gently pressed his fingers against Percy's forehead. "Owie. Very big owie."

Slowly, Percy stopped shaking. The steam no longer curled off his arms, and the rashes started to fade. The blood stopped spreading. His tense muscles relaxed. Annabeth fought down a sob. Her heart sank, though, when Bob muttered, "Bob cannot cure this. Too much poison. Too many curses piled up."

Annabeth gripped Percy tighter, like he was going to slip away. "What can we do, Bob? Is there water anywhere? Water might heal him." She knew it was a stretch in Tartarus, but it was worth a shot. However, Bob quickly confirmed that wasn't an option. Annabeth's frustration started to mount again. "No. No, there has to be a way. Something to heal him." We're supposed to have a future together.

The thought struck her like a lightning bolt, energy crackling over her skin. Annabeth felt the truth resonate all the way to her core. They were going to have a future together. She wasn't nearly ready to give up on that chance yet. Determination gave her new energy to find a solution, a way out of this mess.

Bob laid his hand on Percy's chest, and the rashes faded further. When he removed it, though, they flared back up. Bob shook his head. "Tartarus kills demigods. It heals monsters, but you do not belong. Tartarus will not heal Percy. The pit hates your kind."

"I don't care," Annabeth snapped, the new determination taking root deep in her chest. "Even here, there has to be someplace he can rest, some kind of cure he can take." There's always something. There's always a way to survive. "Maybe back at the altar of Hermes, or—"

A thunderous voice broke through the stillness left behind by the destroyed arai. "I SMELL HIM! BEWARE, SON OF POSEIDON! I COME FOR YOU!"

Who the hell is that? Annabeth thought. Her face must have shown the same thing, because Bob explained, "Polybotes. He hates Poseidon and his children. He is very close now."

Wonderful, Annabeth thought bitterly. If that was the case, they needed to move. She wasn't going to just sit here and let that giant pluck Percy up like an hors d'oeuvre. She slung his arm over her shoulders and hauled him to his feet. Her limbs were shaking, but she stayed up, despite supporting his full weight. "Bob, I'm going on, with or without you." She met the Titan's bright, silver eyes. "Will you help?"

The kitten mewled and arched its back. Annabeth envied its ease. Bob's eyes flickered from Percy to Annabeth and back again. She held her breath. If he refused…then she'd have to find another way. Somehow.

But Bob jerked his chin in a tiny nod. "There is one place. There is a giant who might know what to do."

Shock made Annabeth lose her balance. She fought to stay upright, readjusting Percy's weight as best she could. "A giant." Was he for real? "Uh, Bob, giants are bad."

But Bob shook his head. "One is good."

Annabeth doubted that, but she didn't see how they had much choice. Especially when Bob added, "Trust me, and I will take you…unless Polybotes and the others catch us first."

"Well, when you put it like that," Annabeth said under her breath. But their options were limited. And if it meant saving Percy, she would absolutely take the risk. So she kissed his cheek and handed him off to Bob, who slung him over his shoulder. She tried not to feel guilty or imagine that Percy gave her a look like, Why? This was the way forward. She had to believe that. As much as it went against everything she'd learned up to this point, she had to trust a Titan. She had to believe a giant could help save the boy she loved.

As they set off and the tiny kitten once again turned briefly skeletal, Annabeth had to suppress a hysterical giggle. Yes, the weirdness of this place was almost definitely going to make her brain explode.

A/N: I hope Annabeth doesn't sound OOC in the arai passage, but I felt like I needed to write the curse as if it convinces her that Percy abandoned her. In my understanding/interpretation, the curse is the feeling of abandonment, so it lays it on pretty thick as part of being terrible. It would have to in order to counteract what Annabeth has to know to be true, that after all this time and everything they've done, Percy wouldn't voluntarily abandon her. These scenes were pretty dark, but a lot of fun to write from her point of view. Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up next week.