Hey guys!

Okay, I bet you all are wondering;

WHY IS SHE TAKNG SO LONG TO UPDATE?! I think I'm going to throw myself off a building!

Well, don't do that...But I want you to know why it took me so long to write this chapter: I literally revised this chapter and added onto it about thirteen times. I wanted it to be that good. It's kind of long, so I hope you think it's worth the wait! By the way, it's full of action (for the most part)!

Chapter 3

Annabeth

Annabeth could remember what had happened perfectly.

She had been celebrating defeating Arachne, when she had been pulled down into Tartarus by the web connected to her foot.

Percy had gone down with her and tried to hold on, but in the end he couldn't do it.

So, Percy let go, and they went tumbling down into Tartarus together.

Annabeth was barely able to hold on to Percy's hand as they fell. She couldn't see anything but darkness, and that was what worried her.

Did Tartarus ever really stop? What if we encounter monsters who hate us down here? The list of those who don't hate us would be much, much shorter. Annabeth thought pessimistically.

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted over the wind pounding in their ears.

Annabeth could hear her heartbeat in her ears. "Yeah?" she shouted back.

"I just wanted to make sure you were still conscious," Percy called.

"Okay," Annabeth replied loudly, and then they were silent again.

They had been falling for what seemed liked a year when the temperature suddenly dropped maybe forty degrees. Annabeth shivered and blew into the air.

Her breath came out in a white puff, and she sighed, sending another puff spiraling out of her mouth, and shivered.

"P-P-Percy," she shouted.

"Annab-beth?" Percy yelled. "Are you still holding onto my hand?"

"Of course," Annabeth yelled back.

"Good-d. I c-can't feel my h-h-h-hand anymo-ore," Percy shuttered over the wind.

Annabeth grabbed Percy's wrist with her free hand and climbed over to him like she was climbing a vertical rope.

She wrapped an arm around his chest and he wrapped both his arms around her body as they continued to fall through the cold, shivering and breathing out white puffs.

Annabeth opened her eyes and found herself tied horizontally to a horizontal metal pole, which was turning at a slow pace, and she realized she was surrounded by flames.

She freaked, and she screamed.

Then she felt the metal getting warmer under her back, and she screamed again.

Annabeth woke with a start. There was the familiar pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, and the rush of wind all around them as they continued their descent into Tartarus.

Annabeth realized it was heating up, and she wasn't cold anymore.

She looked up and saw that Percy was looking down at her.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi," she replied.

"Did you get any sleep?" Annabeth asked.

"No," Percy replied. "I was too cold, and I wanted to make sure nothing was going to attack us."

Annabeth nodded against his chest.

"Your turn to sleep," Annabeth said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Percy muttered, and soon after, Annabeth could hear him snoring.

They continued to fall for quite some time, when suddenly, Annabeth looked over Percy's shoulder and saw something she thought she'd never see: a small, circular light, growing ever so slightly as they continued to fall.

We're getting somewhere! Tartarus isn't bottomless! Annabeth thought excitedly, and she decided to watch it grow under them.

She thought about waking Percy for a minute, but then decided against it. He needed the rest, and the surprise could wait.

Annabeth had been watching the circle grow bigger, and it still wasn't very big, when she suddenly saw a big black shape swirling around them in the wind.

There was a small sound that sounded like closing pinchers, and suddenly, the black shape flung itself at them.

Annabeth shrieked and dodged.

A monster that wanted to kill them! Annabeth didn't quite now what to do. She didn't have her bronze knife; how could she defend herself?

The monster dove at them again, and Annabeth actually got a glimpse at the beast's face as she dodged.

It was more than just a monster. It was Arachne!

Arachne hissed as she flew passed, and Annabeth remembered that Percy had Riptide. It must have been in his pocket.

She reached in his front jeans pocket and pulled out the bronze pen.

She uncapped it, and the sword sprung to life. She waited for Arachne to lunge at them again before striking.

And, just as she suspected, Arachne dove at them again with an angry hiss of, "Die, you lying demigod!"

Annabeth froze. A gigantic spider was flying at her. A giant spider was flying at her.

She shrieked, closed her eyes, turned her head away, and swung the sword in front of her.

The blade hit something and sunk into it, and she could hear Arachne screeching.

Annabeth opened her eyes and saw Arachne's abdomen on the sword, and Arachne swung her legs around and they fell.

"Haha, not so tough now, aren't you?" Annabeth said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

And, suddenly, Riptide vanished from her hand, and Arachne flew back into the wall of Tartarus.

Annabeth looked down to see if she'd dropped it, but all she saw was the pool of light that she was so eager to get to.

Suddenly, there was something huge on her, and maybe four things wrapped around her, all hairy and gross.

Annabeth was wrenched away from Percy, just in time for her to throw up.

"You will pay, daughter of Athena," Arachne hissed.

Annabeth screamed and shivered, wailed and almost pleaded, but she stopped herself.

She wasn't that weak, even to her worst fear.

As they fell toward the light, Annabeth saw Percy, falling nearby. How peaceful he looked…it almost seemed like he was floating to Annabeth.

Then she remembered he was there to help her. All she had to do was wake him up.

"Arachne, once again, you really didn't think this through," Annabeth said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

"Oh, really?" Arachne hissed.

She snapped her pincers and tightened her legs around Annabeth.

"Because I think that I'll just squish you like a bug, right here in my arms, and feed on your limp, lifeless carcass as you float away to the underworld, which, by now, probably, is above us, and you'll never see that little Son of Poseidon over there ever again. I'll keep him alive, just for that purpose. Treat him like a dog on a leash. Probably wrap a collar around his neck, too. How does that sound, Annabeth?" she spat as well as spiders could spit. "Because that sounds pretty thought through to ME!"

Annabeth threw up again but held in her tears. She watched her vomit float up past them, and realized a way to wake up Percy.

She'd have to beg him to forgive her later.

"What…" Annabeth hesitated, then gulped for dramatic effect before finishing, "what did you say you were going to do to me again?"

"I said I was going to feed on your carcass after I squished you to death like a bug in my arms," Arachne said, slightly confused. "Didn't I make that clear?"

But Annabeth didn't have time to answer, as she leaned in Percy's direction, willed it to be strong enough, and threw up.

It smacked Percy in the face and his eyes flew open.

The first thing he did was scream in disgust and wipe his face.

Then he called for Annabeth.

"PERCY! HELP ME!" she screeched, and Arachne hissed and mumbled, "I'm never doing anything you ask me to ever again, Daughter of Athena, I promise you that."

And in less than a second, Percy had Riptide drawn and had hacked off one of Arachne's legs.

She screeched and Annabeth struggled for a break through point.

Fear will not rule me, Annabeth thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, gritted her teeth, and fought her hardest to break free.

She finally busted out, and she was sent tumbling through the air.

She tried to look at what was happening, but she was caught in an endless roll of summer-salts and was starting to feel nauseous.

But, for just a second, she could see Percy, dodging a swing but Arachne and one of her remaining legs.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw the light below them, looking bigger than before, and sharply inhaled.

Staring up at them from the light were the silhouettes of hundreds of thousands of monsters, waiting for them.

"Percy!" Annabeth shrieked. "The light!"

And then Annabeth's head hit the wall of Tartarus, and she was knocked unconscious.

NO, ANNABETH! WHYY?!

Oh yeah, because I said so. ;P!

Sorry, but I need to keep you hooked!

Thanks for Reading!