They had little to pack. Annabeth made sure she brought The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters—just in case she finished the first one. She put them on the bottom of her pack because she had to make sure they wouldn't get lost and would be secure.
On top, she put an extra set of clothes, toiletries, a pouch full of drachma, a canteen of nectar, a Ziploc baggie of ambrosia, and then her Yankees cap. Annabeth wanted to bring more, because she knew how much trouble they would probably get in, but she knew she couldn't. She knew because she read some of the tenth chapter.
"I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus"—what more could tell her about the trouble they were going to get in?
But she couldn't bring any other weapon besides her dagger. It made her nervous, but she took a deep breath as she stared at herself in the mirror. She adjusted her shirt over her dagger to hide it. Her chest was pulled tight and she stared at her reflection.
Annabeth had dark rings under her dull gray eyes. Her skin was pale and she looked like she hadn't eaten in a while.
She wouldn't sleep. She couldn't—those nightmares about that apartment kept waking her up with the cold feeling that she had lost everything. She didn't eat as much because she had been too busy reading during dinner. But during the day, she worked out as much and as hard as she could to get her mind off things. Doing activities like that proved to her that it helped her think more.
She thought about all the evidence with these books. The fact they were in Percy's point-of-view, that her handwriting looked like the one in the letter, which came to her specifically. The person in this future knew exactly where she lived.
Annabeth thought of these when she looked at herself in the mirror. She held all of her emotions in, but they were bursting at the seam. She was going to go in this alone—she was the only one who knew exactly what was going to happen and if something different happened that got them all killed, it was all her fault.
She leaned forward and a small sob came from her lips. She rested her elbows on the sink and her hands ran up her temples and into her hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail.
Annabeth breathed heavily and her stomach was beginning to hurt. It did that a lot of times before she slept about being at that desk in the apartment. She wasn't going to sleep, though; she had a quest to go on.
She looked back up into the mirror, staring into her own gray eyes.
"Why is this happening?" she asked in a whisper.
Annabeth screwed her eyes shut and then took in a deep breath—it was shaky.
"You can do this Annabeth," she told herself. "Just breathe and stick to the books." She realized how much she sounded like the letter.
She righted herself and she looked like herself again. Confident and holding it all in. The only difference was that this time, she really did look like something was wrong.
Annabeth shouldered her pack and finally realized that she was going on her first quest. Well, more like her second except she was going away from camp, not to it. She would make the best of this.
With one last blink at the mirror, she walked out of the bathroom.
Annabeth met up with Percy and Grover by Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree. When being near the tree, it put a cold feeling on the back of her neck like someone's electrifying eyes were watching her every move. She peered over her shoulder and looked right at the trunk of it and she shivered. But she turned back around.
Percy was staring at her. "You okay?" he asked.
"Fine," she answered nonchalantly. "Why?"
"You look pretty shaken up about something." He stared at her skeptically.
Before Annabeth could answer, Chiron introduced them to Argus, who Annabeth already knew. He was the man with many eyes.
Suddenly, Luke came up to them and Annabeth tried her best not to blush. Annabeth had read this part of the book already so she knew about the flying sneakers before he showed them to Percy and Grover.
She and Luke hugged after he said his goodbyes to the others. His embrace made her feel safe and comfortable, but it also made her feel a little guilty. She wasn't sure why. It just did, like liking him that way was wrong.
When he was gone, Percy turned to Annabeth.
"You're hyperventilating."
When Annabeth first read this, she got flustered and mad. Was it really that obvious that she had liked Luke?
"Am not."
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"
There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach and her eyes widened. Was I supposed to do that, she thought. She didn't know that she had to. But she stuck to her line in the book: "Oh…why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"
But she knew exactly why.
Annabeth stomped down the other side of the hill and Argus followed her as they both went to the white SUV waiting for them on the road. Grover crash-landed in it as well.
During the car ride, Annabeth got out her book again. Percy or Grover didn't even pay attention to it. Grover was too busy being nervous, which led to eating the seat cushions. And Percy stared out the window. She knew he wouldn't be any interested with the book.
But this part felt a little weird to her. As she read what he said, Percy literally said it.
"So far so good," he told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
Annabeth jumped in her seat. She had read that just as he said it. She tried not to look startled, and more irritated at him as she glanced at the book.
"It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."
"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?"
"I thought we covered that earlier." She said without meaning to; without looking at the book. So she stammered and then looked at the page. "I don't hate you."
Percy waited for a second, and he looked as if he were confused and didn't know what to say. She had messed things up earlier about mentioning the book to him. She regretted doing that now.
But then he scoffed. "Could've fooled me."
Annabeth let out a silent sigh of relief.
"Look…we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." She glanced back down at the book to see if she was correct.
"Why?"
He looked away from her and out the window again, distracted by all the sights. She had to bite back a laugh as it was ironic that she read to him her quote from the book that explained about their parents.
Finally he looked at the seat ahead of him when he was done. Then he glanced sideways at her. "They must really like olives."
"Oh, forget it."
"Now, if she'd invented pizza—that I could understand."
"I said, forget it!"
But Annabeth had to bite back another laugh because if this person was from the future, and that Percy was still this same way, then some things never change.
She flipped the page and buried back into the book and watched from behind it how Argus winked at Percy.
Her cheeks grew warm.
Annabeth was able to read the bus incident. She felt the terror go through her when she read that The Furies had gone after them. She was also surprised that they actually made it out alive.
Or, they did. Hopefully, they can do it again.
She tried to enjoy playing Hacky Sack with them and the apple, and she still held up the record of bouncing it off of her body the best. But still, she was nervous for the bus to come.
They sat in the back, like Annabeth had expected.
Annabeth only had her cap with her, and it was an understatement when she was "nervously slapping it against her thigh". She was on the edge of her seat.
Finally, they appeared. Just like the hell hound, they looked scarier than the book described.
But when she saw them, that pain shot through her stomach and she clamped her hand down on Percy's knee, and crouched together as the pain spread through her. "Percy."
"What is it?" he leaned forward with her. "Are you okay?"
She pointed ahead and Percy's eyes landed on The Furies—and his favorite teacher, Mrs. Dodds.
Percy scrunched back in his seat, pulling Annabeth down with him. But her stomach hurt almost as much as it did the first time. He cursed.
He peeked over the seat to watch them sit down right behind the driver.
"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said in a low whisper to her, although his voice quivered. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."
Annabeth made a small strangling sound from the pain. "I said if you were lucky. You're obviously not."
"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"
"It's okay," Annabeth said, taking in deep breaths and clutching her stomach, trying to ease the pain that she hated so much, but was so used to it. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem." She thought hard, but remembered she knew what to say. "We'll just slip out the windows."
"They don't open," Grover moaned.
"A back exit?" she whimpered as there was another stab of searing pain.
"No." Then Percy finally seemed to realize she was in pain. "Are you okay, Annabeth? You don't look so—"
"I'm fine!" she snapped, not wanting him to get off topic.
"Well, they won't attack us with witnesses around," he asked her, getting back onto the topic like she hoped for. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes. Their brains only process what they see—through the Mist!" She lurched forward at another pain. There was a ringing noise through her ears.
"You are not okay, Annabeth. What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong! Just a minor stomach ache!" She snapped at him again, but then reminded herself to keep her voice down because she saw one of the old ladies wander their eyes near their direction.
Percy started breathing heavily, along with her, but not because of the pain. Mrs. Dodds had been scary the first time; he didn't exactly want to face her again. His heart was pounding and he scrunched further down, helping Annabeth go down as well so they couldn't be seen.
"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" he asked in a low voice that went an octave higher due to fear.
"It's hard to say but we can't count on them to help. Maybe there's an emergency exit on the roof…?"
The bus went dark as they went through a tunnel.
Annabeth felt her heart crawl to her throat when Mrs. Dodds got up and announced she had to go use the bathroom, the other two following her.
All three of them froze and went down even more in their seats.
Annabeth suddenly remembered about what she had to do.
"I've got it," she said. "Percy, take my hat."
"What?"
She told the plan that had just sprouted from her mind because she remembered it in the book. He had protested, but she insisted.
He put it on with trembling hands, but just as he turned invisible, Annabeth grabbed his arm. It was gone, but she could still feel it. She could also feel his eyes on her.
"You can do this," she told him. Then she let go, and didn't have any contact with him at all.
Annabeth was sweating and her energy draining because of the pain. The Furies kept coming up the aisle and one turned and sniffed.
Annabeth knew Percy was right there.
She fidgeted in her seat and the pain was getting worse.
The old ladies turned into what they really were—a monster. And they came at Annabeth and Grover with their whips.
The Mortals screamed and cowered.
They surrounded Annabeth and Grover. "Where is it? Where?" And they even started to raise their whips right then. They slapped it down and it hit the seat that they were on.
This startled Annabeth. They weren't supposed to hit them already. Grover yelped.
"He's not here!" Annabeth screamed, but her voice was weak due to the pain in her stomach. "He's gone!"
Mrs. Dodds tilted her head at Annabeth. "You're weak—what's wrong, honey?!" She growled the emphasized words and slapped out her whip again.
Annabeth shakily brought out her dagger. Grover took out his tin can.
And then they were all thrown to the right as Percy had grabbed the wheel and jerked it to the left. Annabeth exclaimed and got thrown into the aisle, Grover landing next to her. After Percy did a few more of his "great ideas" and after everyone was thrown around all over the bus, it stopped and everyone filed out.
Annabeth tried her best to stab at them with her dagger, but their stupid whips were throwing her off guard. One snagged her arm, and it hurt worse than the stomach pain. She cried out and touched where it burned her—it stung. Tears began to swell in her eyes.
"If I worked this hard once, I'm not going to work harder this time!" She screamed and she stood, pushing aside the pain that was now all over her body, and used all of her training moves and attacked.
Percy took off his cap and got their attention. They started crawling towards him on top of the seats.
"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."
"I liked you better as a math teacher," he told her.
She growled and Annabeth remembered what she and Grover had to do. They eased up from behind the Furies. Annabeth was still shaking and the pain now felt like a hollow place in her stomach.
Percy brought out Riptide and the Furies hesitated.
"Submit now," Mrs. Dodds hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."
"Nice try,"
Before Annabeth could warn him, Mrs. Dodds immediately lashed out her whip. She was acting just like the hell hound had—reacting earlier than they were supposed to.
But Percy, being the demigod he was, reacted just like he was supposed to. He defeated the two Furies next to Mrs. Dodds because Annabeth tried to take her down. She somehow couldn't feel the stabbing pain in her stomach, and she was able to take down the Fury. Grover took her whip.
"Ow!" he yelled. "Hot! Hot!"
Annabeth was supposed to be able to get a hold on Mrs. Dodds, but the Fury was more vicious than the book said. Annabeth was thrown to the ground and Mrs. Dodds lunged at her. Annabeth kicked out her foot and it slammed against her face. She was distracted for a moment as Annabeth landed a few punches and then was able to wrestle her down all over again. Grover was able to tie her up as well.
"Zeus will destroy you!" She promised as she couldn't fly or do anything since she was all wrapped up in her own weapon. "Hades will have your soul!"
Percy cursed at her and Annabeth knew he was right in the book. He really did say, "Eat my pants!"
Thunder shook the bus.
"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!"
He and Grover sprinted off the bus. Annabeth was about to follow them, but then she remembered about the books. She leapt over Mrs. Dodds thrashing body and sprinted all the way to the back.
"Annabeth! What are you doing?!" Grover yelled.
"Go! I forgot something!" She cried and got her pack. The books were still in it. She ran back and somehow, Mrs. Dodds had made it to her feet and trapped Annabeth in the aisle.
"You will never make it!" she yelled and suddenly, her voice sounded like that woman that Annabeth had heard at capture the flag. "You will both die in Tartarus. The goddess will arise!"
"No! Never! I've done this once, I can do it again! Especially with the help I've got!"
Mrs. Dodds looked skeptical. "What do you mean?"
Annabeth pulled out The Lightning Thief. The fake book jacket had slipped off.
"What is that?" Annabeth could see the gears turning in the Fury's head. "You have the book. Where did you get that?!" She hissed and tried to lash out at Annabeth, but was still trapped in her whip.
"From a friend."
"That will not help you! She will still rise and you will still die! The son of the Big Three will die!"
"Not on my watch!" Annabeth said and she slashed her dagger at Mrs. Dodds and she turned into dust.
"Annabeth!" She heard Percy cry.
It made her blood turn cold.
He was the voice in her dream. Percy was in her dream.
He suddenly appeared up by the steps. And smoke began to come up through the bus. "Annabeth!" He yelled again and he covered his nose and mouth with his arm so he didn't breathe in the smoke.
Annabeth had read this part. She knew that it was going to blow up. So she sprinted towards him and his sea green eyes widened.
She jumped and just as she pushed him, the bus exploded from the lightning.
Annabeth had curled up right next to Percy's body. They landed on the concrete as she had pushed him out of the bus and they stumbled over the steps just as the bus exploded.
They were both shaking and they both heard ringing in their ears. She felt the pack that her arms were tightly wrapped around.
Grover cursed in Ancient Greek as he crouched next to them. "Are you guys okay?"
Percy began to sit up and Annabeth turned around to look at them. They looked down at her and they both had somewhat irritated looks on their faces.
"You went back in there just for a book?" Percy asked.
Annabeth looked down and found that The Lightning Thief was still in her arms, from when she pulled it out to show it to Mrs. Dodds.
She laughed weakly and shrugged. "It's interesting. I couldn't stand to lose it."
"I know you're a daughter of Athena, but gods, you're insane, Wise Girl."
Percy began to stand with Grover's help and they helped Annabeth up. A tourist wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt snapped a picture of them just as Percy turned around to face him. He was still holding Riptide and he hurriedly touched the cap to his sword.
"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's—" she was about to continue her line from the book, but then realized that she had killed Mrs. Dodds already.
Oops, she thought. I wonder how much damage that might cause.
All of the people that were from the bus stared at them and began calling the police about three kids setting the bus on fire.
Percy pushed his friends the opposite way and they plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.
I realized that if I were going to try to go through almost every chapter of every book, that would take more time than I thought this story would take. So, from now on, I'm going to try and make the chapters are going to be longer - but that also means they'll take longer.
I hope you liked this chapter; things are starting to get a little heated up! :3 That, and more Percabeth.
ANY AND EVERY QUOTE FROM THE BOOK IS NOT MINE. But, the things added onto it, are mine but the main point that came from the books are RICK'S, NOT MINE.
Please review so I know people are liking this story! :) Enjoy the weekend!