Chapter 10! Canna get a high five y'all?
1) Disclaimer is in chapters 1-9 in case you hadn't noticed... I don't own PJatO
2) Thanks to all of the wonderfully amazing people out there who have left reviews and read my stories!
3) Trying to be more brief with my Author Notes in case you hadn't noticed... read!
Chapter 10:
"Percy this way!" I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down the opposite hall causing him to stumble slightly. We were running like crazy trying to get away from the hordes of clay monsters that were hot on our trail. I took the lead and guided Percy down hallway after hallway, my powers working in overdrive. "Watch out!" I pushed him out of the way of what would've been the spike of rock that killed him. He gave me a grateful glance and we took off again. Honestly, I wasn't paying very much attention as we barreled through tunnel after tunnel letting my senses and Deductive Reasoning lead the way. Percy muttered curses under his breath as rocks were hurled at us from behind. Columns of rock occasionally fell from the roof or caved in beneath our feet giving me a visual of what would've been our deaths. Watching me and Percy die gruesome deaths every five minutes was enough to drive me insane; I had a severe headache that threatened to split my brain open. My Daughter, your gift is both a blessing and a curse. You are the wisest of my children, only you have the ability to wield this power. A strikingly familiar voice echoed throughout my head causing me to stop dead in my tracks.
"Annabeth, c'mon we can't stop!" Percy grabbed my hand and began to pull me down the hallway. My head pounded; I wanted to give in and die. "Annabeth I'll carry you if I have to," the look in Percy's eyes hurt me to look at; it made me feel selfish and weak.
"Percy, you don't understand we can't outrun them or fight our way out of this. We need a plan." I thought for a minute, "The ceiling!" I quickly scanned the ceiling for a weak point while Percy looked dumbstruck and the monsters poured into the hall. My eyes finally rested upon a crack in the well designed ceiling, I closed my eyes. "Percy, my hand," I held my hand out to Percy and he eagerly took it; I peeked my eyes open for a second to give him a sly grin to which he responded with a blush. Then I closed my eyes and focused all of my energy on the crack and used my mind to slowly enlarge the crack and hopefully bring the ceiling crumbling down. It had occurred to me that the floor also might be smashed so I had Percy prepared if it did. I heard the roar of the monsters mixed in with a satisfying crack! My grip tightened on Percy and I could feel him stiffen at my squeeze. I opened my eyes just in time to see the ceiling begin to cave in on itself; boulders fell from the roof and smashed everything in front of us. I turned and gave Percy a let's-get-the-heck-out-of-here look, he nodded his head frantically and we began our mad dash through the collapsing, endless network of tunnels.
We weaved through half destroyed hallways and crumbling corridors until we finally found a large dome shaped room just like the throne room. The columns that lined the walls looked strained and the top of the dome where the columns met in an intricate pattern was littered with small cracks and indentions. "This place isn't going to last long," I examined the room and noticed there was only two ways out; well one since we had just previously destroyed the second.
"It's a one way street, Annabeth," Percy shrugged and made his way over to the exit when I realized we were still holding hands… not that I minded. My ear twitched and I glimpsed an image of a familiar bony figure digging his way through the wreckage.
"Percy," I hissed and pulled him down with me behind a stone outcrop in the floor. He raised his eyebrow but I waved him off and he nodded understandingly. Just as I had hid us the figure burst through the pile of rocks which used to be the entrance to the room.
"… Should've killed those two when I had the chance…" He swore under his breath and dusted himself off as he made his way to what I hoped was the exit. I gestured in the direction of the exit with my head and Percy nodded following my lead. I stood and silently followed the skeleton man occasionally taking cover behind mounds of dirt and debris. The skeleton swore grumpily as he stomped up an inclined hallway. Potty-mouth. Percy rolled his eyes and snickered silently. Then it was my turn to raise my eyebrow at him, he turned to me realizing that he had just heard what I was thinking.
Did I just-?
Yes.
Do you know-?
No.
Honestly, this day couldn't get any more messed up.
Actually, I think it's going to get a lot more complicated. I showed Percy what I was talking about. His eyes went wide when he saw... Oh crap. Percy looked at me as my knees went weak and the world as I knew it vanished into a black void; I heard a distant voice at the back of my mind calling my name frantically begging me to wake up, but I couldn't. And seven became six, an eerie voice that sounded as ancient as the Earth itself seemed to mock me as I fell endlessly into a pit of almost nothing.
How was it? Did it taste like cookies? Leave a review by clicking on that rascally little button down there and let me know! Also did anyone catch the Battle of the Labyrinth reference?