Umm… hi heh heh… I know it's been a LONG time since you all heard from me, but I've been pretty busy lately. I guess being busy and having to write a story don't exactly mesh, right? Well, I'm coming back and even stronger than before. I have a little sneak peek for those of you who actually care to read my AN's here at the top, and at the bottom, so I'm going to award you. PM me, or Review the word- Waffles, and I'll send you a little sneak peak of the new, upcoming story, Taken. And I'm not about to give it out to just anyone- only those who listen through my rants.

~GoGreen52

Chapter 31- Sacrifice

-Jason POV-

I've never really liked underground places.

They always either: smell bad, are covered with water and sewage, or are very scary looking. Well, in my case we just had to be walking in one with all of the above.

Leo was standing next to me, watching as a group of workers that were on call pry open a well that had apparently been closed for a hundred years. You could smell the aroma coming from the well as soon as you heard the 'pop' of the air-tight well. And trust me- it did not smell good.

I turned to look at Leo, whose face was scrunched up in one of pure disgust. And who would I be to blame him? I wanted to do the exact same thing. But I got to keep up my 'serious' complexion.

"Man, do we seriously have to go down into that?" Leo asked, pointing at the well, which supposedly wasn't a well at all. It was actually an entrance to a group of tunnels, hundreds of years old.

I nodded. "We have to. If you want to catch Luke and save Percy and Annabeth, you would too. Now we should suit up."

Leo looked a little nervous as he nodded. But I knew he would be fine. We walked to a van that was holding our protective gear that we would need to wear in order to go down there.

We put on our bullet proof vests, concealed guns, and gloves and pants that were supposedly going to block out the ammonia and harmful bacteria that was probably going to be covering the walls.

A group of professionals came up to Leo and I and attached small microphones, video cameras, and something that looked like microchips to us.

"What are these for?" Leo, as ignorant as ever, asked.

I was about to open my mouth, but a soft voice responded, "The microphones are used for to keep you two in sync, as well as us back here at central command. The video feed is used for us to see what is happening, to be our eyes. While these," she held out the microchips, "are used for us to be able to pinpoint exactly where you are."

Leo and I nodded, our eyes wide. We never heard this chick talk more than a sentence before.

Her cheeks reddened, and at that moment I think she realized who she was talking too. Leo and I were above her in rank, and she could get written up for talking to us like that. But when I looked at Leo, I saw his eyes gleaming.

Well, looks like somebody's got a crush.

She looked at us sheepishly. "I-I'm so sorry… I don't know what happened… I guess I was just really frustrated."

Leo gave her a small smile, while I just watched in amusement. "Look, it's fine. We get it, don't we, Jason?"

The two looked at me, and I saw a look in Leo's eyes that told me, "SAY YES! SAY YES!"

I smiled at her, and nodded. But first I had to wait a while, and make Leo a little pissed off.

Hey, what can I say? It's fun.

And everyone thought I was the serious one.

The girl smiled, and began to walk away, because she was done with her job. But Leo just had to stop her. I shook my head in disbelief. We have to find Annabeth and Percy… Girls- they can wait later.

"Wait! I never got your name!" Leo called, waving an arm to catch her attention.

She turned around, a small smile on her face. "Stella. Stella Brook."

Leo smiled, and she turned and walked away.

"Leo, we gotta hurry. I have a feeling that they're going to need us." I looked at Leo, my jaw clenched. I had a bad feeling in my gut, and that usually comes around when something bad happens.

Leo nodded, and we grabbed our pistols, attached the light them, and gave orders to our men.

We propelled ourselves into the well, ready to take on what was before us.

-Percy POV-

To say I'm scared in a complete understatement.

I'm not just scared- I terrified, horrified, and ticked off.

I held Annabeth in my arms, trying to remember how it felt. How good the feeling was, because I knew that in a few seconds, she would be ripped away. Yet again.

But I knew I was going to do everything and anything to get her back to where she was safe- in my arms.

I felt Annabeth tremble, and I held her even closer. It was to the point where I could feel her heartbeat and smell the scent of her hair, which was my favorite- Apples.

I heard the sound of the footsteps get closer, and the more closer, the more I held onto Annabeth.

I didn't want to let her go.

"Percy," she whispered, grabbing hold of my hand that was on her arm, and squeezed it.

I squeezed back, and took a deep breath.

All of the sudden, the footsteps stopped.

I heard a clunk and smelled something that smelled like cleaning detergent, but even more concentrated. I felt Annabeth become heavier, and started to feel my eyes droop. I knew what was happening.

But before I could say anything, I fell into darkness.

-Annabeth POV-

I woke up, and tried to concentrate on something. I was really sore, being all crumpled up in that small cell.

I looked around, seeing I was in something that looked like a throne room. All around me were thrones, and they looked to be made for power. The one that was directly in front of me was obviously made for the highest in power, being the largest, and the most grand.

I was chained to what seemed to be a rock slab, and they were chains of gold. Huh… must've been important.

Next to me was a hearth, but a rather large one if you ask me. The diameter of the thing was probably about ten feet, and I got a feeling of where I was.

I was going to be sacrificed.

"Looks like someone's awake."

I moved my head to see Luke. He was smirking, walking cockily over to where I was. My jaw clenched, as I pulled on my chains.

"What do you want, Luke?" I asked, trying to be brave, but it came out more like a small mouse facing an elephant.

"Oh, you know what I want," he said, circling around me. "Those chains were used for ancient sacrifices. There were men far larger than you laying on that table. So, if you don't understand what I'm saying- it's useless to try to get free."

I felt the blood rush from my face, as I paled. I knew that I was going to die… but I still had to keep my hopes up. What if Jason and Leo come to the rescue?

That's when I realized someone was missing. "Where's Percy?" I asked, tears forming in my eyes as I thought of what Luke could've done to him. "What did you do to him?"

Luke just smiled maliciously. "Looks like you'll never know."

I closed my eyes, trying to think of what could've happened. I knew Luke wouldn't kill Percy without making me suffer. Or without making it clear to me that he was dead. He wanted me to beg for death, and if Percy was dead, he'd make it known.

I had hope that he was alive, and I was going to stick with it.

I stayed silent, and let him talk to me. The more he talks, the more time I have left. And time is good. Very good.

"I thought it would be harder to find you. Lover boy was even easier. So much for having 'protection', huh? I Thought so. Well, you'll never know how much I've wanted to have you here. To watch as you were killed. Ever since you witnessed that murder- you don't know how bad I wanted it.

"I thought it would be easy to find you. And for the first few years, it wasn't. I found myself a job, but I still kept searching. And as soon as I saw you… heard your name- I knew it was you. You were the one that I was waiting for."

I looked into his eyes, seeing for myself how psychotic this man is. He really wanted me dead. That would make sense then- if he didn't kill Percy. I cracked a smile, at the thought of Percy being alive, but I soon regretted it.

Luke's face went from smug to angry. I watched as his face turned red, and he looked as if he were about to explode. "WHY ARE YOU SMILING?"

I closed my eyes, scared of how loud he was. This could be it…

Luke speed walked up to me, and struck my face in a punch with so much power… I was seeing black circles dance around my head.

I didn't feel the pain until he pulled away, gripping at his hair. Tears streamed from my eyes, and I tried not to replay the sickening crack that came from my nose.

"You listen to me, do you understand?" he asked, turning back towards me. His voice was calm, and his eyes held a blank look. It looked as if he were possessed.

I nodded, and closed my eyes from the pain that came from that small movement.

I felt the blood pour from my nose, and wash over my face. I started to taste the blood that had started to pool on my lips.

I must look like a mess.

Luke bantered on, about how he wanted to kill me, and how he wanted this moment to last forever. It was like he was talking about love. Man, this guy is crazy.

I kept on trying to keep myself from thinking about the pain that was radiating from my nose. It had started to go numb, but I could still feel it at the same time.

I knew it was pointless to try to not think about it. It hurt way too much.

Unfortunately, I started to whimper. Luke went silent, and he turned back towards me. "I thought I told you to stay quiet? Now you'll get it."

He walked towards me, and took a bronze knife from a stand underneath the rock slab that I was chained to.

I started rattling my chains, moving away from where he was.

"No use, Annie. Just relax and let it happen. It was always going to happen, either way."

Luke held the knife, and put the tip of it on my cheek.

"I'm going to let you bleed out. I'm going to watch you die. Slowly."

He took the knife, and put it on my throat. I closed my eyes, tears pouring from them. I didn't want to die. I really didn't. I wanted to be with Percy. I wanted to see my friends again. One more time, at least. I missed them, and I wasn't ready to die.

At least Percy would live.

Percy.

I felt Luke drag the knife across my throat, and felt a hot wetness take the place of the cool blade.

And that's when I knew I was going to die.

Everything faded to black.

-Percy POV-

I woke up from someone tapping my face lightly. I may have mumbled some things that weren't making sense, but I still opened my eyes. I found myself face to face with a guy who had blonde hair, and blue eyes. He had a serious look on his face, which made him look far more intimidating that he would've otherwise.

"Are you Percy Jackson?" the blonde guy asked.

I nodded. I tried to take the sleep away from my head and when it hurt I asked, "Wait… where am I?"

When I looked around, I saw that I was still in the cell that Annabeth was with me in before. Speaking of Annabeth, where is she?

Wait…

Luke... He must've taken her.

"Percy, where is Annabeth?" The blonde guy asked, and my eyebrows furrowed. How could he know Annabeth? Then I saw the badge on his shoulder. Yep. He was a cop.

My voice came out in gasps. I guess I was shocked or something. "Annabeth was taken by Luke. I don't know where-"

The blondie nodded, and helped me up. When I tried standing on my own, my legs felt like jelly. I stumbled, and Blondie helped me stay straight.

"Leo," Blondie said. "Get Percy outta here. I have Beth."

A guy that was obviously Hispanic walked up to me. "Let's go." I nodded, and slumped against him. And soon I was in a sea of darkness.

-Jason POV-

I let Percy and Leo get out of here. I just had that feeling that it was going to be ugly. Percy… he didn't need to see the woman he loved in a state that I thought she was going to end up being. Who knows… maybe we're too late.

I shuddered at the thought of seeing my good friend lifeless, and I shook it off. Now is the time for me to get her.

I raced through the tunnels, my back-up following me, and every turn- the ones that I knew she wouldn't be in- more and more slipped into them.

By the time I was down to a wooden door, the end of the tunnels, I only had two men behind me. And I started out with twenty.

I signaled for them to wait, and knocked the door down.

What I saw scared me half to death.

Luke was standing over a bloody Annabeth, who looked unconscious, with a bloody knife. When I looked even more I saw that her throat was slit, and that's what set me off.

"You're too late," Luke announced. "She's dead."

I started taking deep breaths, trying to consume my anger. The same anger that had been melting together in a little boiling pot, just waiting to boil over. And now it boiled over.

I felt my face become red with fury, as I dropped my pistol and walked up to him with a menacing look on my face. Luke's eyes widened, and tried to use his knife on me, but I disarmed him, at the same time breaking his arm. I whispered in his ear, "No one messes with my friends."

I let him lose, and as he turned to face me, I punched him in the face, knocking him out.

As soon as I released him, letting him fall to the floor, I turned to look at Annabeth. She was really bloody in all the wrong places. I quickly checked her pulse, and waited.

And waited.

I moved my finger to another spot, scared to see if I really was too late. A tear ran down my cheek as I searched for a pulse that wasn't there.

I was really too late.

She's dead.

I slipped my hand from her higher wrist, to her lower one, in an attempt to hold her hand.

But then I felt it-

A faint pulse was coursing through her body, and I knew she wasn't dead.

Thank God…

I picked her up, bridal style, finally realizing that two other men were with me. "Take care of him," I said, nodding my head towards Luke. They quickly nodded, and ran to secure Luke.

But I, on the other hand, started sprinting.

When I reached the exit, I tugged on the rope, holding Annabeth close to me.

Hold on, Annabeth, I thought. You're safe now.

-Percy POV-

I was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Nico, Grover, Thalia, and Juniper were here, and were busy worrying with me about Annabeth.

I couldn't stand to think about what he could have done to her. I just hope that Blondie could get her out.

Thalia was sitting next to me, and had her head on my shoulder. Nico was pacing, and Juniper was crying in Grover's shirt. Grover was busy holding Juniper, and trying to keep her mind off things, but at the same time he was looking worried as well.

I had tears running down my face, and I was silent. I needed to be in my own place.

All of the sudden, I heard a large group of people start yelling, and I saw a familiar blonde head of hair. Blondie was back. He was carrying someone, who was covered in red…

Annabeth… Annabeth was covered in blood.

A group of paramedics from a different ambulance were all ready with a stretcher. As they were strapping her on, I ran over to them.

"Oh my God," I choked, looking at a very pale Annabeth, and all of the blood that was oozing out of her. I realized that Blondie was holding me back from getting even more close to her, and the whole fact that I was sobbing.

"Annabeth," I whispered, watching as they took her away in the ambulance. I looked back at Blondie, who also looked like he was crying. I notice the amount of blood on his shirt- the parts were there's no gear.

"My name's Jason. Come on, we've gotta get to the hospital," he told me, and walked towards a black SUV with tinted windows. I was shaking, scared to death. But I somehow had the guts to speak up.

"W-We need to bring my friends, too. They'd want to be there… f-for Annabeth."

Jason nodded, and helped me as soon I stumbled to my friends.

"Guys, we have to go," I said, looking at all of their blank faces. They nodded, looking grim. I noticed Thalia look at Jason intently, and I saw something click in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something- but she didn't.

Nico took my place, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, to help me walk straight. I hurt my leg pretty bad when I was in the cell, but it all went numb when I saw Annabeth.

As we got in the SUV to head to the hospital, I saw Leo sitting in the front driver's seat, and all I thought was-

Why couldn't it have been me?

DUNNNN DUNN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Remember- Waffles!

~GoGreen52