Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson in any way!
The Altar
There was only one feeling in the world that Annabeth could not bear and it was helplessness. After Luke and Thalia found her roaming the streets a long time ago she swore to herself to never feel like this again. Of course that having a boyfriend with a lot of guts and a brain full of kelp didn't help. Always trusting his battle instincts before developing a strategy. Too much of the element of surprise for Annabeth's taste.
She whistled and antagonized the creature because she already had a plan developed. According to legend, the only gorgon with the ability to turn people into stone was Medusa because she was cursed. But Greek monsters weren't supposed to exist, much less live in the USA. So, just in case, Annabeth decided that not even a peek was safe with the monster.
Annabeth was hearing Euryale getting closer and with a swift movement she removed her cap, turning visible. She started heading to Ares' altar, which was packed with all sorts of weapons. She finally reached the altar and immediately heard a blast. She turns and rocks fall all over the place. She loses her balance and falls chin first to the floor.
"Annabeth!" She hears Percy calling from the distance. She lifts her head and sees Euryale's reflection on a shield on the floor. The monster had crashed against one of the stone pillars, shattering it, all pieces now falling all over the place. Luckily Annabeth had designed the building to be earthquake safe. She had taken the precaution because her boyfriend was the son of Poseidon, Lord of the Seas and Earthquakes. There was the possibility that Percy would bring the floor apart in one of his tantrums. So, just in case, there were columns supporting all the ceiling.
GRRRRAAARRRR
Annabeth's cap was nowhere to be seen. Her plan had failed. Now she was improvising. There was probably kelp growing out of her ears.
"I hate this!" she grunted reaching the shield with one hand and a sword with the other. She ran to the wall holding the shield backwards. The stupid thing weighted a ton and slowed her pace. She could see Euryale in it, running after her. She made rapid calculations. Height, distance and speed. When the monster was close enough, she reached the wall and with all her strength she kicked it. The kick gave her the impulse to do a back flip and with the sword she cut Euryale's head off.
When Percy got to where Annabeth was he was only able to hear a loud screech.
"Annabeth!" He called again in despair. He ran even faster and finally saw Annabeth kneeling by a mountain of green, bubbling goo. He reached for her, she was panting.
"Annabeth are you all right?" He asked putting Riptide away.
"Yes." Annabeth answered with a tired smile.
"Why didn't you let me deal with the monster? I was handling it just fine." Percy said helping Annabeth up.
"Well, I wanted the battle practice, Perce." She answered, her smile widening. She knew Percy wouldn't believe her. She also knew that he was smart enough to not pursue the topic. It was complicated. She sometimes had the urge to run and safe him, getting him away from harm. She saw her cap among the rubble and reached for it.
"We should go. This place creeps me out." Retorted Percy, carefully avoiding Euryale's goo.
"It just Ares' altar." Annabeth gaze was fixed in the mess of stones. She now had to reconstruct that column again. This would hold her projects back a few weeks, messing up her schedule.
"Yeah, I figured. With all the weapons and stuff. Handy." Percy shrugged. They both laughed and walked to camp holding hands all the way. They didn't notice how the goo slowly vanished to the depths of Tartarus where Euryale was reforming, faster than usual.
Thank you all for your patiance, for your reviews, for adding my story to your favorites and alerts. I enjoyed this journey with Percy, Annabeth and all of you. Check out Rick Riordan's website to read the first chapter of the new book: The Sun of Neptune. Guess who Percy has to fight?
Please review!