Sorry about that cliffhanger. Or not. :) Everything belongs to Rick Riordan.
Artemis didn't like sugarcoating things. She always straight to the point. Probably because she had to deal with annoying suitors for three millenniums.
"Annabeth," she stated. "Something has come up in Camp Half-Blood."
Annabeth let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. So it wasn't because of her moment with Percy. Then the panic came again. A goddess wouldn't come for a simple matter. Trouble had occurred in Camp Half-Blood. Her old home. She was still as protective of her old home as she had been one hundred years ago.
"What happened?" Annabeth asked fearfully. Artemis pursed her lips. "The Golden Fleece has been stolen."
Annabeth jumped at least a foot in the air. "What. Wait…..but. HOW!" She yelled the final word. Too late did she realize that she had yelled in front of a goddess. Annabeth was too busy hyperventilating. She had always carefully stored her memories before becoming a Hunter in a tight vault, under lock and key and hoping she would never think of them again. Unfortunately, ever since she had returned to Camp Half-Blood, cracks were starting to form in her vault, and one by one, memories started slipping out, causing her to have the dangerous flashbacks, or just plain out crying.
This was the final straw. Annabeth imagined, or was it real? Her memory vault exploded, into thousands of pieces, and what was left, was memories. They flooded her head internally, and meanwhile, Annabeth's knees buckled, and she crumpled to the ground.
There were some yelling. It was all muted though. She felt the Hunters move toward her, in slow motion. Maybe Kronos was messing with time again. No. Annabeth thought druggedly. He is dead. As close as you can to be dead.
Annabeth felt her hair fan out against her. Everything was still in slow motion, and screams were heard in the distance. Hold on. Annabeth thought confusedly. This feels familiar. All of a sudden, there was a whoosh and Annabeth was transported somewhere. To be exact, her memories.
She was still on the ground. The similarities ended there. Annabeth's body was sore all over, and she felt pain somewhere below her torso. The slow motion was still continued, and as she swept her eyes around the site she landed in, Annabeth realized where she was. The final battle against the Gaea. In Greece.
Everything went wrong in that battle. The gods were supposed to come. But they didn't.
A familiar warm hand grabbed hers and pulled her up. Percy. He was ragged, his clothes torn, and little cuts all over. Riptide was in his hand. Despite the damage, he smiled in relief, seeing her. Annabeth's heart broke. It was her Seaweed Brain. The owner of the sea green eyes she loved.
"Annabeth," he said urgently. He gently pulled her up. Annabeth wanted to hug him, kiss him, do anything! It had been so long.
As she tried to carry out the actions, her body didn't budge. She realized in horror that because she was in a memory, she couldn't do anything except to watch the dreadful scenes unfold.
Percy's voice broke her thoughts. "Gaea disappeared over that hill. She was about to launch up into the sky but something pulled her d-"
A low rumble was heard. Suddenly, the earth goddess slowly ascended into the air, mounds of dirt slowly turning around her. Gaea smiled a nasty grin.
"YOU MIGHT AS WELL SURRENDER." She laughed. A dozen trees fell down, east of them.
"Uh oh," Percy muttered. That was a mistake. Gaea spotted them. With a blink of an eye, she was right in front of them. Everything ceased. All monsters who pledged allegiance to Gaea froze, their mistress was about to enter a crucial part of the battle.
All of the Seven were scattered. Piper who was the closest, inched carefully toward them. Hazel decapitated an octopus-looking monster and was looking at Percy and Annabeth fearfully. Jason and Leo were up in the sky, doing who knew what and Frank was currently an elephant crushing a horde of frozen cyclops.
Gaea cocked her head arrogantly.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here." She lashed out, and some of the dirt around her formed a dark brown ribbon-like thing that escaped out of her hand like a snake. It then proceeded to wrap it tendrils around Annabeth's neck.
She choked. Gaea curled her hands into a fist, and the dirt ribbon tightened its hold on Annabeth's neck. She began slowly ascending. In the corner of her eye, she saw Percy getting a dark look on his face. She remembered the last time he looked like this. In Tartarus. When he had tortured Akhlys.
"No….." She struggled to say the words. Annabeth felt her lips turn blue. That's when Percy made his move.
He did a full on football tackle on the rising Annabeth. She fell to the ground, but the dirt ribbon did not release it grip on Annabeth's neck. As she flailed for air, Percy brought down Riptide. The dirt ribbon vanished into a single, black wisp and Annabeth gasped. As she began filling her lungs with the air tainted with the carnage of battle but sweet to her, Gaea rounded up on Percy. She did not seem fazed by what had just happened.
By this time, Piper reached her.
"They are all coming," she murmured to her frantically as she inspected her.
Annabeth was not paying attention. She was more focused on Percy, who Gaea was currently torturing. This time, Gaea was strangling him, and with her own hands. Annabeth got up, reached for her ivory sword, and ran up to them. Piper trailed behind her.
"STOP!" Annabeth shrieked, slashing her sword. The blade left a trail of ichor down her torso but Gaea didn't seem to notice.
With the last strands of her strength, she knocked Percy out of her grasp and pushed him toward the side. The goddess looked bewildered for a second, then smiled wickedly.
"Oh what love you two possess. One after another, trying to save the other." She twirled her fingers idly. The dirt that still continued to spin around her slowed down. "If only my husband was like that. Then maybe this would not have happened." She gestured around the area.
Gaea looked like a maniac. Once upon a time, or maybe many millenniums ago, she might have been beautiful. Soft curly brown locks, framed by eyes that were a warm chocolaty brown color, the color of dirt that nurtured. Cream skin, straight nose, and full pink lips. The aura of a perfect, loving mother. Now, it was the exact opposite. She still virtually looked the same. It just was that everything was darker. And her eyes, were pure black, the depths of Hades or even deeper, Tartarus. It was ironic.
Annabeth felt some sort of urge. It went against her instincts, but she didn't care. She hated Gaea so much.
Annabeth sneered. "Well I bet Ouranos was a perfect husband. Last time I heard, didn't he throw your children into Tartarus? Oh yes. Then didn't Tartarus become your husband? I hear no saw that he wasn't quite a looker."
Gaea turned white with fury. She started yelling. "YOU DARE?!" The clouds of dirt and dust spun fast again.
"Yes. Yes I dare," Annabeth said fiercely.
The clouds of dirt and dust began spinning out of control, reflecting Gaea's mood. It wrapped itself around Annabeth, so that she and Gaea were in there own little bubble.
The end. Annabeth thought to herself. She knew that she wouldn't survive Gaea's wrath. She was a primordial goddess after all. Annabeth was glad though. Percy and her friends wouldn't be harmed.
Little clods of dirt smacked on Annabeth's face. Gaea's face was about a foot away from hers.
"This is what you get, demigod. Death," she crooned. Then she disappeared, leaving Annabeth alone in the little dirt tornado.
It began spinning faster and faster. Annabeth grew dizzier and dizzier. Soon the pressure would be so great, she would suffocate and die.
Suddenly, something barreled into her. Annabeth was knocked out of the tornado and little dust particles shot out to let her out. She fell on the green landscape.
About five feet away, the tornado continued to spin, as its prisoner had never left. Then Annabeth realized. Someone was in there. In the corner of her eye, just for a second, the dirt shifted in the outside of the tornado and Annabeth glimpsed someone.
Percy. His dark hair spinning out of control. He had his arms wide open. As in welcoming death.
"NO!" Annabeth screamed. She struggled to get up, the ran up to the tornado.
It was too late. The winds of the tornado started to slow down, and it was easier to see the person within.
By the time Annabeth reached him, it had completely died down. The dirt and dust had disappeared, leaving no trace, except for the victim.
Annabeth fell to her knees. Percy was flat on his back. She hesitantly touched his cheek. He was already cold.
"No, no, no, no, no." She started muttering. In a desperate attempt, she criss-crossed her fingers, put it on his chest, and started pumping. Hard. "One, Two, Three, Four-"
Piper reached her. She gaped. "Five, Six, Seven, Eight-" Percy did not move.
"Nine, Ten." Nothing happened. Feeling panicky, she restarted. There was no rise and fall of his chest.
Jason flew out of nowhere. He roughly pushed Annabeth out of the side and started the CPR process again. Even harder. Percy's lower body was shaking from the impact. Jason gave up and furtively started blowing air through his mouth into Percy's.
Jason finally had to come up for air. He then pumped again. Sweat fell in rivulets down his neck.
Annabeth mutely reached for Jason's arm. "Stop," she said quietly. Jason stopped mid-breath.
Annabeth knew Percy longer than any of them. She knew him heart by heart. And she knew, that he had gone to Hades.
Jason stood up. Piper went around and touched Annabeth's shoulder lightly. Annabeth slowly cradled Percy around her arms. She pressed her lips softly to his. Part of her still refused to believe that she was dead. And that he would kiss her back. That was not to be. His lips were icy cold.
She leaned her forehead on his. As she did, she saw Percy's life flash by her. His childhood memories full of mischief, his years of being a demigod filled with adventure and danger. And Annabeth. She was in almost all of his happiest times.
Annabeth was going to stay with his body, maybe even forever, but then realized that she had to a job to do. Gaea. She was going to kill her.
She rose. "Where is she?" she said in a low, cold voice. Neither Jason nor Piper replied.
Frank finally turned back into a human and ran toward them. Hazel followed suit. Leo was nowhere in sight.
Frank stopped when he saw the body. His eyes bulged. Hazel ran into him. Frank tried to shield Hazel from Percy's body, but she nimbly ducked out of the way.
"No," she whispered. Hazel covered her mouth, in shock.
Frank spoke up. "Maybe he's unconscious. Took a blow to the head. Right?" He surveyed the faces of everyone. His panic level started rising. "Right?"
No one spoke. Hazel uncovered her mouth. "No. I felt his soul. He has gone on."
Seeing as no one would answer her question, Annabeth pushed Frank and Hazel out of the way and started marching down the hill. She felt a dark frost creep up to her. Covering her in a thin film. Arming her with courage to kill a goddess.
As if she read her mind, Gaea appeared. "Did you like the little present I left you?" She said sweetly.
"It was supposed to be me. Why did you kill him?!" Annabeth snarled.
"My dear, Perseus Jackson was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Surely you know the laws of time." Gaea said arrogantly. "And besides," she leaned in. "Wasn't it an extraordinary act of love? You should be happy you lived and he died."
Annabeth curled her hands into fists. "You don't know anything about love YOU BITCH!" She unsheathed her sword and stabbed Gaea.
As soon as her blade reached Gaea, she seemed to warp. Gaea maniacally laughed one last time, then she disappeared.
With a gasp, Annabeth awoke. She was being held down by Thalia and Anna, while another Hunter was trying as gently as she could shovel nectar down her throat. Artemis was nearby, with an unreadable expression.
Annabeth remembered the aftermath of that battle. Gaea had disappeared like a coward. Only to prey upon them again at Camp Half-Blood. The Romans and the Greeks had finally united, and drove off the monsters, and Gaea was eternally banished into the earth, like her former husband, Ouranos.
The she remembered her state after that last battle. Percy's death had literally killed her. She refused to eat and sleep. It was a horrible stage of her life.
The nectar helped her, and she gained enough energy to sit up.
"Are you alright?" Thalia asked worriedly. Annabeth felt bad. The moment she had joined the Hunters, the only thing she did was to make Thalia stress and worry about her.
"Annabeth," Artemis said serenely.
"My lady, forgive me. That behavior was absolutely unacceptable," Annabeth hastily said.
"No, it was perfectly understandable." Artemis pursed her lips. "You have gone through more than any of us."
Annabeth ducked her head. Then she raised her head again, remembering why her patron had first come here for.
"Lady Artemis, you mentioned that the Golden Fleece was sto-"
"Ah, yes." For the first time in her long life, Annabeth noticed that Artemis's face actually looked worried. "Camp Half-Blood has decided to send a quest to retrieve the Fleece." Pointing to her lieutenant, Thalia, she said, "Thalia no longer guards Camp Half-Blood's borders, so they must get the Fleece back. Peleus the dragon is doing its best the guard the borders, but it is fruitless."
Annabeth rubbed her forehead. She hated to hear that her beloved old home was in trouble. "But what does this have to do with me?"
Artemis answered, "You were one of the original people to get the Fleece the first time. Thus, you have been called to lead the quest."
Annabeth was stunned. The Fleece was such a long time ago.
"Will you accept the quest Annabeth?" her patron asked her.
"Of course," she said without thinking. She would rather die than let Camp Half-Blood fall under danger. And there was the small possible chance that she would see a certain him.
I promised to update when I released Initium Novum. :) But I'm really sorry that I didn't update for a long time. Blame school. I will continue to regularly update this story, so don't think I've given up. Continue reviewing!