Annabeth's POV

The first thing that registered in my mind was the stench.

The smell was overwhelming. A mixture of rust, urine, feaces and rotting flesh assaulted my nose the very moment I started to regain consciousness and almost knocked me out again.

I let out a small groan, my head pounding- as though someone had smashed it with a hammer. My limbs felt like lead, and my stomach felt like it had gone through a rollercoaster without seatbelts. My eyelids felt like they were attached to hundred-pound weights and my lungs felt like it was being crushed by a block of concrete.

"She's awake," I winced as the gruff voice seemed to boom across the air, worsening my already excruciatingly painful headache.

"Took her long enough," Another voice- smoother and a little more high-pitched, like a female's- travelled across the air.

I managed to lift my eyelids to a squint, turning my head towards the direction of the voice. All I could see, however, were two blurry, black figures, their silhouettes outlined a light behind them. What confused me, however, were the blurry outlines of vertical poles that were between the two and me.

Almost as if they were-

Adrenaline suddenly rushed through my body. My eyes shot open and my body immediately sprung up, going into an automatic defense stance, facing the two figures that started to become sharper and clearer as my vision stabilized.

The sights of the two caused my trembling arms to go slack for a moment as shock overtook me.

The man- whom I assumed the gruff voice belonged to- was huge. His arms were ripped and riddled with scars, his legs likewise, and he stoo

d tall at a height of seven feet.

What stunned me was what he was dressed in - which I could only describe as ancient greek armor. From the rusty, bronze cuirass to the brass greaves, down to the worn-out sandals, the man looked like a fully-decked out ancient Greek soldier.

What was the most eye-catching was the weapon he had strapped to his back- a huge, four-foot tall wooden pole that had a sharp, evil-looking double-sided axe attached at the end.

On his right was a blonde woman- five feet tall, agile-looking with toned muscles all over- who looked like she was in her 20s, similarly decked out in ancient Greek armor. In fact, the only difference between the two of them was that the weapon she was carrying on her back was a short two-foot long spear instead.

As the shock left me and I started to take in my surroundings, my body froze. A wriggling worm of fear emerged in my stomach, and the more I discovered about my surroundings, the more fearful I felt.

I was in a cell. What had been the blurry lines between me and the two were metal bars which looked like they had not been maintained for years. The stench of urine and feaces that I had smelled earlier came from the –literally- pile of shit that was gathered at the corner of the cell just a few feet away from me.

What caused me to feel cold all over, however, were the weapons that were strapped to the back of the pair that stood at the other side of the bars.

To be precise, what was on the weapons.

The edges of the axe and spear looked like they had been through a number of battles- chipped in places that could not have been caused by anything other than the clashing of steel against steel. The surface was layered with rust and stained with what seemed to be reddish-black ink.

It took a while for me to realise what that substance was, but when I did, I had to fight hard to suppress the urge to puke my guts out.

Blood.

In that instant, the dots connected. The armor, the weapons, the cell, the weapons, the…blood.

I was in Tartarus.

The moment that thought hit me, every thought of fighting left my mind. Every thought left my mind. The adrenaline that had been pumping through my veins a second ago seemed to disappear as though it never existed, and the strength in my body fled from me.

All I could feel was chills down my spine and an uncomfortable cold underneath my skin

The two people outside the cell must have noticed my realization, because condescending laughter boomed across the increasingly claustrophobic cell that I was in.

I sunk down onto my knees, my body trembling uncontrollably as fear and despair exploded within me.

"Oh look at her, trembling like a scared little rabbit," The man guffawed.

"Pretty fast on the uptake, huh?" The woman's voice held mockery and pleasure as she sneered at me.

I closed my eyes and clenched my fist, trying to calm my mind, calm my body, calm my heart. I tried to ignore the stench, ignore the images in my head, ignore the turmoil within my heart, and focused on the one thing that I could trust. The one thing that I has always brought me hope ever since I encountered him.

Percy.

A small warmth ignited in me, and spread through my body.

It didn't take away all the cold. Nor did it take away the despair and the fear that coursed through my body.

But where there was despair, a little bit of hope sprouted. Where there was fear, a little courage seeped in.

My mind started to calm down, and my heart began to steady its terrifying rate. My breathing evened out, and my body trembled a little less.

And then, my mind wandered, and I asked myself: What would Percy do?

I gathered my strength, stood up shakily, and gave them a steely stare. A small sense of triumph erupted in me when I saw their insulting grins slide off their stupid faces.

"…Looks like you're not as much of a pussy as I thought," The woman growled provokingly. I grit my teeth, and refused to give them the satisfaction of a reaction. That seemed to anger her greatly, because the next thing she did was reach for the spear behind her back.

"Stop, Fox," The man grabbed her arm. Immediately, the woman whipped around and tried to punch him, but was stopped by his other hand.

"Get out of my business, Deadman," The woman- or now I knew as 'Fox'- hissed out as she glared daggers at the man.

My determination faltered for a moment as the aura of bloodlust seemed to storm into the entire atmosphere. It was as though I could almost smell the blood and seethe carnage.

Even the man- a.k.a 'Deadman'- seemed to be slightly taken aback, as though he was surprised that the woman took it so seriously.

"Remember who ordered her capture," The man stated, a dangerous glint appearing in his eye. Another overwhelming aura of bloodlust surged from him, though this time I was prepared and shook it off pretty easily.

They had a stare down for what seemed like the longest time. In the end, it was Fox who gave in. Huffing angrily, she wrenched her hand away from Deadman's grip and focused her attention back on me. Curiously, her eyes widened a fraction when they landed on me.

"What's this?" The woman named fox did not try to hide the surprise her voice. "The little rabbit is actually fine. Pretty good," Her face had a feral grin.

Deadman, however, seemed to become more sombre. His eyes studied me deeply, and I had to use all my willpower to keep my body from inadvertently shifting in discomfort.

"You've experienced bloodthirst before?" Deadman's words shocked me, and it clearly showed on her face, as Deadman seemed to stop studying her once her body stiffened.

"Indeed, you have experienced it before. And even stronger than the blood thirst we carry, apparently," Deadman stated, looking slightly impressed. Fox, on the other hand, looked plenty insulted.

"Her? She's just a protected schoolgirl, ignorant and weak. How could she have ever experienced this?" Fox growled, a glint of danger in her eyes as she stared at me.

Deadman kept quiet, a brooding expression on his face.

From their conversation, I managed to get out two things- one, they did not know about Luke or Percy.

Two, they did not know I knew how to fight.

They were probably just the dogs at the lower rungs of whatever hierarchy this damnable place had, and I probably wouldn't get very useful information from them.

"Either way, she's going to die soon," Fox stared at me with hungry eyes, licking her lips with a animalistic grin that sent shivers down my spine. I steeled myself the next second, however, and refused to show any weakness. It seemed to displease her greatly, as her grin immediately disappeared and she snarled angrily.

"You just wait, bitch. I'm going to be the one that slice that pretty little throat you have," With that, Fox gave me one last deathly glare before storming off. Deadman seemed to stare at me a little longer, and I could see a thoughtful look in his eyes, before he too turned and followed Fox's trail, not saying anything at all.

As soon as I was sure that they were both long gone, and that I was alone, my knees gave way, and I unceremoniously tumbled onto the floor. I lifted up my hand and looked at it, watching as it shook uncontrollably. I tried to still it, but I couldn't. All the strength that had filled me before drained out of me swiftly, and fatigue hit my mind.

It may have seemed as though I was doing well against the two warriors, but I had- in reality- been on the verge of giving in. It took all of my mental willpower to stand up to the pressure even with a weak body and the terrible circumstances I was currently in. The burst of adrenaline only managed to sustain me for a short period of time, and now that it was gone, fatigue hit me like a truck.

A lone tear slid down my cheek, and I closed my eyes as I tried to control my emotions. Other than fear, there was grief, there was sadness, and even a little bit of anger.

Amidst the sea of pessimism and negative thoughts and feelings that I was drowning in, I clung on to the only lifeline I could remember- the strongest and most durable lifeline.

As my vision blackened and I gave in to the fatigue and tiredness, the last thing I thought of was the smiling face of Percy.