~ANNABETH~

"LET ME GO!"

Annabeth thrashed and screamed, kicking wildly at whatever surface was unfortunate to be in reach, her feral howls indistinguishable from the distant roars and growls that plagued the surface of Tartarus. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty, her orange Camp Half-Blood shirt ripped into shreds hanging off her body, and there were numerous pinpricks of blood all over her body from her fight for release. Grimy tear tracks stained her cheeks, more tears washing the blood and dirt away as she attempted to head butt Frank the elephant, who had his trunk coiled around her in an attempt to prevent her from hurling herself into certain death.

"Annabeth." There was a voice, choked with tears, murmuring into her ears, hands holding her legs down, hair brushing against her face from someone leaning over her, but Annabeth wasn't aware of any of that. Dimly, she registered someone tipping bitter liquid into her mouth, and though she tried to turn away, they held her mouth closed and she was forced to swallow, gasping and choking on the aftertaste. Phlegethon water. All she knew was PercyPercyPercy and oh gods, Percy was gone, he had sacrificed himself to save them, where was Percy? She wanted her Percy back ...

"Annabeth!"

Percy, where are you, don't leave me ...

"Annabeth, listen to me, stay with me -"

You promised.

"We have to move her, we can't stay here, we're too exposed -"

No no no we have to stay, we have to find Percy!

"Annabeth, Annabeth please, we'll come back later, we have to move ..."

No ...

She fought, lashing out at the hands that bound her, intent on her goal. It was futile, though; they pinned her arms and legs down, someone's hand covering her mouth, muffling her screams even as she licked and bit, desperate to find her way back to Percy. The last she'd seen him, he'd disappeared under the swirling liquid without even a ripple to let her know he'd even been there, and no matter how she scratched and scrambled, the bubble wouldn't give, just silently towed them to the shore of broken glass, its state much like the one Annabeth's heart was currently in.

She could make out the quiet cacophony of voices above her as her struggles weakened, her limbs falling into lethargy even as her mind was screaming at her to move, dimly aware of being lifted up and of hands stroking her hair away from the face, wet droplets splashing down onto her face. She looked up into Thalia's electric-blue eyes, clouded with grief, and let out a low moan.

"Percy ..."

Thalia didn't meet her eyes, staring bleakly out into the expanse that stretched out as far as the eye could see, indistinguishable lumps dotting the terrain here and there.

"I'm sorry, Annie."

No ... She thought back to intense sea-green eyes, his grip steadfast even as her arm cried out in pain, fervent words whispered to her as they slipped down, down, down ... As long as we're together.

What happened to that, Percy? she thought, her eyes sliding shut, the voices growing fainter until she couldn't hear them anymore.

Hushed voices filtered into her consciousness as her eyelids fluttered open slowly, individual words indistinguishable in the haze of unconsciousness. Tendrils of sleep tugged at her mind, soothing and serene, the urge to slip back into darkness overwhelming. She could almost smell the salty scent of the sea that seemed to perpetually follow Percy wherever he went, feel his warm body pressed against hers, the rise and fall of his chest ...

She sat bolt upright. No, something wasn't right ...

No! PERCY! The scream - hers, she realized - echoed in her ears.

All vestiges of sleep were now gone as she spun wildly, eyes frantically scanning all present, regarding her with shocked and pitying eyes, for a flash of sea green, a teasing smirk. But all she could see was the ominous darkness.

"Annabeth ..." Thalia was crouched in front of her, her sparking eyes betraying her concern. She reached out for her best friend, only to have her hand smacked away.

"No - I have to find him -" Annabeth attempted to scramble up and flee, but numerous bodies blocked her way. "Get out of my way!" She was already half-sobbing, not caring if she sounded hysterical.

"Annabeth - Annabeth, stop -"

She slashed wildly with her dagger, intent on one thing and one thing only. "Get out of my way!" Even to her own ears, she sounded feral, and a small voice in the back of her mind said stop, you're going to hurt them, but it was steadily growing fainter and she easily ignored it.

"Annabeth, listen to me, you're going to get yourself killed - Percy's gone, we can't lose you too!"

Unfortunately for Piper, Aphrodite's disownment had robbed any traces of charmspeak from her, and her pleas fell on deaf ears. Annabeth's head snapped up, grey eyes shooting daggers at her friend, and launched herself at Piper. "Percy's not gone!" she screamed, even though she had enough sense to keep her voice somewhat lowered. Even in a half-crazed state, she knew enough to not attract every monster within a mile radius. "He's still alive, I know it - he wouldn't leave me - I just have to find him, but you won't let me!" Her movements grew increasingly erratic, her eyes darting between the former demigods. "Let me go!"

Leo stepped forward, eyes blazing as she coiled back, ready to spring at Piper. He moved in front of Piper protectively, his girlfriend sending him a grateful look, not missing Jason, on her other side, attempting to do the exact same thing. With one gesture, a wall of fire steadily grew between Annabeth and the other demigods, preventing her escape. Hissing, she recoiled, dagger still out, pacing the length of the barricade, seemingly looking for weaknesses. There were none.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth," Thalia murmured, moving as close to the fire as she dared, her heart going out to the sobbing girl crumpled on the ground, all the fight having gone out of her. "Percy ... he did what he did so you could live. He wouldn't want to see you like this," she pleaded.

Annabeth didn't even look up. "If you really were sorry, you would let me go," she growled back. Her voice broke as shuddering sobs wracked her body. "I don't want to live without him," she whispered, more to herself than to the surrounding demigods, but Thalia still heard, and she turned away, her face a mask of grief.