The House of Hades

Chapter 21: Annabeth

Just a fair warning, this chapter is a bit emotional. At least, it was for me.

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Chapter 21: Annabeth

As Annabeth tumbled through the darkness, her hair whipping around her face, she made a silent oath; to throttle Lycia if it turned out this was all a trick, and she and Percy were falling to their deaths. She couldn't explain why she hated Lycia so much, after all, she'd done nothing but save their lives over and over again, and Percy certainly trusted her, but Annabeth just couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a trick. And then there was the fact that Lydia was one of the most annoying people she had ever met.

Annabeth tightened her grip on Percy's hand, as menacing voices seemed to whisper through the darkness. Her mind wandered back to when Lycia had been leading them on a roundabout searching for a 'hotspot of Tartarus'. The things she had seen, looming out of the darkness...she gave an involuntary shudder, remembering how even Percy has seemed to transform before her eyes, and squeezed her way shut, trying her best to block out the most painful memory of them all.

Annabeth continued to trudge forward, the oppressive darkness pressing down on her. She gazed at Percy, seeing the determination in his sea green eyes, wishing he would wrap his arms around her...when his eyes suddenly turned gold. She blinked, wondering if she had gone crazy (which wouldn't be that hard to believe at this point) when Percy spoke. But it wasn't his voice that he spoke in. He spoke in the hollow, ancient voice that Annabeth had always dreaded; the voice of Kronos.

"Kronos," she said fearfully, " we -we killed you,"

"Annabeth Chase," he acknowledged, "titans cannot die. My spirit still lingers in Tartarus, thitsting for revenge...but not on the gods. On Jackson, and you," Annabeth drew her knife, and Kronos laughed, his voice echoing through the caverns.

"Go on then," he said, "stab me. Jackson no longer bears the curse of Achilles, but if you care so little for him you would stab him just to get rid of me...if I remember, you had more reservations about killing your friend Luke,"

Annabeth gasped as if cold water had been thrown onto her. It wasn't true. She did care about Percy. A thousand times more than she had ever cared for Luke.

And then Percy started to transform. His his hair turned a sandy color, he shot up a couple inches... and suddenly Luke was standing in front of her. His eyes their normal blue.

"Luke," Annabeth gasped, "Is-is it really you?"

"Yes Annabeth, " Luke whispered sadly, "It's really me,"

"But you acheived Elysium!" cried Annabeth.

"No, Because I had been a traitor for so many years, I was sentenced to eternal damnation in Tartartus, " Luke said, the pain in his expression evident, "Because of you. You could have persuaded me earlier, could have brought me back. But I guess you were so taken up in your infatuation with Jackson...you must have been glad to see me go,"

 "Luke, no! I tried, but you never listened!"

Luke shook his head, "No, you didn't try.. The only time you really tried, it worked, and I managed to defeat Kronos. I might have done that years before if you hadn't let me become evil," he hung his head, pain and disappointment etched in every line of his face, then looked up again, but this time, with an angry gleam in his eyes, "But no. It was Jackson. He poisoned your mind, convinced you I was beyond help. He is the truly evil one,"