Chapter Text
ANNABETH
Percy was gripping Annabeth's hand. Hard.
"It'll be fine" he muttered.
Looking up, she saw grappling lines shoot from the Argo II and wrap around the statue. One lassoed Athenas neck like a noose. Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.
Nico had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up Annabeth's bad leg. She gasped and stumbled.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
She tried to stagger towards the ladder. Why was she moving backwards instead? Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.
"Her ankle!" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"
Annabeth's mind was woolly from the pain. Cut her Ankle? Apparently Percy didn't realize what Hazel meant either.
Then something yanked Annabeth backward and dragged her towards the pit. Percy lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.
"Help them!" Hazel yelled. Annabeth glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying to disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. Their other friends were still focused on the stature, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern.
Annabeth sobbed as she hit the edge of the pit. Her legs went over the side. Too Late, she realized what was happening: she was tangled in the spider silk. She should have cut it away immediately. She had thought it was just loose line, but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, she hadn't noticed that one of the strands was wrapped around her foot-- and the other end went straight into the pit. It was attached to something heavy down in the darkness, something that was pulling her in.
"No" Percy muttered, light dawning in his eyes. "My sword..."
But he couldn't reach Riptide without letting go of Annabeth's arm. Something was sparkling in his gaze, she didn't like it. Immediately his other hand started grappling for anything to grab, to hold. She saw as his nails scratched across the rock surface of the ground. They were both panicing, sliding almost in slow-motion off the side. Tears were running down her face, as Annabeth continued to sob. Percys face, however, was set in grim determination.
Annabeth's body jolted violently, stoping the rapid fall off the edge. She dangled there, holding Percys hand, her only saviour from the endless dark below her. Looking up Annabeth almost cried in relief. Percys face was coated in sweat, his face contorted in pain. His other hand was holding a small rock right at the edge of the drop.
Percy was shaking. So hard. It was jostling her, causing her to cry out in alarm.
Her ankle was screaming at her. Oh gods it hurt. With her free hand Annabeth scrambled to detach the webbing from her ankle.
No escape, said a voice in the darkness below. I go to Tartarus, and you will come too.
"Annabeth..." Percy's voice was strangled. "I need you to climb" .
Immediately she understood. Quickly, she tried to pull her other hand to Percy's hand. Grappling onto this forearm she slowly pulled herself up, her arms straining from the effort.
Percy grunted in pain when she finally placed her good leg onto his shoulder, she whispered a quick sorry and tried to pull up her throbbing ankle.
Percys hand was slipping slightly on the rock, they needed to hurry up, and fast.
With weight on her bad foot, Annabeth's breathing turned ragged from the pain. Now crouching on Percy's slanted shoulder she quickly placed her elbows on the edge, swinging her good leg up and into safety. Rolling onto her back at the top of the ledge, Annabeth stared at the crumbling cavern around her.
A cry of pain sounded below her.
Percy.
Oh no. Gods no.
Scrambling back to the edge, Annabeth saw that Percy's hand was gone from the rock.
No. No. N-- a yelp sounded again below her. Footsteps sounded behind her as Nico finally scrambled next to her, they both gazed down into the pit below.
15 feet below, was Percy, hanging from a small ledge. His arm looked strange. Mangled. A sound came from Annabeth, a broken sob. They couldn't reach him. No. No. she thought, we cant give up. we were so close. Think. She was Athena's daughter, she just needed to think.
Percy's face was pallid.
"Nico! The other side! i'll see you there. Understand?" Dread crept up Annabeth's spine. She could only stare in horror.
She felt Nico stiffen beside her.
"But--"
"Lead them there!" Percy shouted. "Promise me!"
"I--I will"
Below, The voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifice to wake the goddess.
Percy was shaking, his face was gaunt, scraped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs. But as she locked eyes with the boy below her. Her family. Her everything, she could only sob in despair. She heard Nico and Hazel screaming for help behind her, but she kept her eyes on Percy. A small pained smile crept up his face, a far cry from his usual grin. She wanted to punch him, to hug him, to kiss him, and kill him.
"I love you" she heard Percy say as he let go of his tiny ledge. Her scream echoed around her as he disappeared into the endless darkness.