Annabeth looked down at the scene with satisfaction. The plan didn't work perfectly, but they still triumphed. Otic and the men seemed somewhat disappointed that they didn't get to fight again. "Good job, Artemis." Annabeth beamed. "The archers are once again victorious."
"You give us a target, we'll shoot it." She smirked back.
The soldiers suddenly stood at attention, drawing Annabeth's notice. She saw Percy riding calmly toward them atop the black stallion. "How did it go?" He asked.
Otic stepped forward. "They sent men out ahead to look for traps, forcing us to set it off early."
"Same." Percy replied.
"The archers took out many men, once the greek fires were lit."
"Good to hear. Get some rest for now. I'll set up a rotation and post it. It will be some time before the southern fire burns down."
"Yes, sir." Otic saluted smartly. And then dismissed his troop save a few to stand watch.
Percy then joined Annabeth and Artemis atop the wall. He wordlessly looked over to see the wall of fire that had been created and the thousands of soldiers they had killed. His face was somber, and lines of worry we're beginning to etch themselves. "We'll need archers posted all along the wall from the east gate to the southern gate and same with the western gate to the southern gate. Can you do that? " Percy questioned.
"It will stretch us, but I think we can handle it."
"Make sure to set up some rotations, so they can get some rest."
"Will do. Thalia and I will set things up." Artemis left.
Percy and Annabeth were left alone in an uncomfortable silence. They stared at each other for a few tense moments, before Percy looked away and muttered, "Get some rest."
He followed Artemis down the wall, leaving Annabeth to her own thoughts, which weren't thoughts as much as waves of emotion. She didn't want him to go, but at the same time didn't want to be around him, as he drew her concentration. She watched him head to the southern gate, no doubt to be with that red headed tart. He shouldn't be hanging around girls that can navigate the underground. She was a bad influence on him. How? She didn't know, but she was sure of it. The thought of him with Rachael enraged her beyond reason. And what small reason she had, kept trying to remind her that he was a soldier and she a princess, no need to be . . . . No, she was not jealous.
Annabeth shoved all of her emotions down. She did that a lot lately. She left the wall in the care of the watchmen, and left for the palace. Percy had things under control. Her mother's room was light and airy, and looked as if nothing had changed. Like there was no army trying to take over Olympus. Annabeth looked at the large tub in the corner, and actually thought about calling for a bath. Then shook her head disbelievingly at her own selfishness. The bath was not a common fixture in all palaces. Most had a bathing room. But Zeus demanded only the best. She removed her armor, and lay in her mother's bed wondering what battles her mother faced. She drifted to sleep.
"My lady," Annabeth woke with a start. It was pitch black outside. The only light coming from the servants candle. She had been woken by a servant.
"What is it?" Annabeth was groggy, but she could feel the adrenaline waking her body.
"Lieutenant Jackson has called for an emergency meeting in the war room."
"I'll be right there." Annabeth began dressing in her armor. She dressed quickly and practically ran to the war room.
Percy was pacing the room. "This ruins all of our plans." He stopped his pacing to look at the map of Olympus. Then suddenly swiped the whole map off the table.
"Percy, what is it?" Annabeth asked, alarmed at his behavior.
When he looked at her, his eyes were wild. He was panicking.
"What is going on?" Thalia demanded when she walked in.
Percy didn't answer at first. His eyes traveled back and forth between Annabeth, Thalia, and Artemis.
"I've got him." A voice said behind Annabeth. When she turned she saw Otic with a couple of other soldiers dragging Captain Saleas with him. Percy looked less than pleased at the sight of him, but pulled out a chair for Saleas to sit in.
Otic wasn't much friendlier when he pushed Saleas roughly into the chair.
Saleas looked outraged and slightly panicked. "What is the meaning of this?!"
Annabeth felt a presence behind her and immediately turned. She saw some Olympian soldiers watching the scene silently.
Percy slowly walked up to him, taking a deep breath, clearly trying to get his emotions under control. "We just need to ask you a few questions." Saleas looked warily at Percy. "When you found the Greek fire in the underground, you sealed the underground up, right?" Annabeth tensed at the mention of the labyrinth of the underground. Why hadn't she thought about it before?
"Of course we did." Saleas said indignantly.
"That's good to hear, but exactly how did you seal it up?" Percy's gaze bore into Saleas.
"We boarded it up. A notice was placed on them that it would be punishable by death if they were used. A decree by Zeus himself. No one would dare defy Zeus." His voice trailed of lamely.
Percy hung his head dejectedly. "This is how you sealed all the outside entrances?" He said in a small voice.
"We, we, didn't search for the rest of the underground. We boarded up just the area we explored." Saleas was sweating now and looking very alarmed.
"Percy are you saying that they're in the underground?" Annabeth asked in a whisper. Her heart was beating wildly, willing itself to survive.
"As we speak." Percy confirmed grimly.
Everyone was silent for a moment, before pandemonium broke. "How are we supposed to shoot what we can't see?" Artemis questioned.
"So we not only have to fight the enemy beyond the wall, but the enemy within the walls. We might as well as be fighting ourselves." Thalia said as she gripped her bow.
"They could pop up anywhere at any time, or multiple places within the city at the same time. We're dead." Annabeth's gaze never left Percy's.
"I have an idea." A voice said out of nowhere. Everyone turned to see one of the Olympian soldiers step forward.
"Not a word out of you or you'll be demoted again." Saleas growled at him.
"When we were in the underground, . . ."
"I said, ' not a word!'" Saleas roared. "You are nothing but a traitor. This is no legend." he nodded at Percy. "He only wants to take Olympus for himself."
"That's enough!" Annabeth roared back. "We have been fighting for you time and again. We saved you, and you are just upset that you didn't think of it first. Get him out of here." She said disgustedly. Two soldiers came and clasped him around each arm and began to lead him out. "Make sure he can't sabatoge us."
"Name?" Percy addressed the Olympian soldier.
"Marcus." The soldier stood tall as he said this.
"Please, if you have any idea that could help us. . ." There was almost a desperation in Percy's eyes.
"When we were in the underground, looking for the Greek fire, we came upon a section of wall that was damp, and we could hear a rushing sound." Marcus began.
"An underground river." Percy concluded.
"Yes, that's what we thought too."
"Olympus's fountain's source is said to come from an underground river, so that doesn't surprise me." Artemis said.
"What are you getting at?" Thalia asked, always impatient.
"What if we broke through that wall and flooded the underground?" The soldier proposed.
Everyone was silent for a moment, before Thalia instantly rejected the thought, "And loose our water supply? Are you mad? Everyone knows that if you are going to hole yourself up in a city, you have to have water."
"Olympus was founded on that fountain, we can't survive without it." Artemis declared.
Percy was silent as he listened to all this ranting. Annabeth could see him entertaining the idea. Annabeth, herself thought about all of the aspects of flooding the labyrinth, preventing any use of it during the war. But Artemis was right, they had to have water to survive. It was a life source. "Tubs." Annabeth said suddenly.
"What?" Artemis looked at her strangely.
"The palace has hundreds, maybe more, of tubs. Zeus put them in each suit. They could hold several gallons of water. What if we filled all the tubs, water barrels, anything we could find with water. Then when we flood the labyrinth, we still have the water."
"That's brilliant." Percy actually smiled at her, causing her heart to swell.
"You can't just destroy the heart of Olympus." Artemis argued.
"It can be repaired." Annabeth said. Artemis gave her a disbelieving look. "I read about it somewhere, where you just have to dig a hole over the spot and . . ." Annabeth finished with a motion of dropping a rock. Annabeth wasn't sure that that was the exact science behind it, but they couldn't afford to have enemy soldiers popping up around Olympus either.
"That's settled." Percy looked a little bit better, but still stressed. "Get the experts on blowing stuff up." Percy struggled with the description. "You know, the twins and old man Teebs."
"I'll raise the house, and get everyone to start carrying water." Annabeth supplied.
"Otic, get a squadron up. Time to go back down into the underground." Percy then turned to the Olympus soldier. "You're with me."
Annabeth wanted to stay with Percy, but knew she was needed elsewhere. Artemis and Thalia followed behind Annabeth as she left the room to go to housekeeping.
"Are you taking his side because you like him, or are you really sure this is the best solution?" Thalia challenged.
Annabeth sputtered at the accusation. "I didn't hear you coming up with any ideas, other than we all dying defending a fountain." She snapped back.
"They were practically finishing each other's thoughts." Artemis observed.
Annabeth had had enough. She whirled around to stare at each of them in the eye. "Just because we agree on the same thing and have the same ideas, does not mean that I would make such an important decision based on whether I like the guy. You mistake me for a daughter of Aphrodite. In case you haven't noticed, we are fighting for our lives here. Do not doubt my intentions." She whirled back around and continued walking toward housekeeping. "Now if you don't mind, we only have so much time to fill every tub in the palace before they either flood the underground, or we get attacked."