Percy In Tartarus

16: The Athena Parthenos

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Word Count: 5,883 words

POV: Percy

Chapter 16: The Athena Parthenos

The chamber rumbled and another stela crashed to the floor and shattered. "The House of Hades is unstable," Hecate warned. "Leave now. We shall meet again."

The goddess dissolved and the Mist evaporated, letting out a soft hiss in the cavern.

"She's friendly," Percy said, sarcastic.

The other demigods turned to him as if still in shock that he was there.

"Dude –" Jason jerked forward, movements unsure, before finally following through and giving Percy a bear hug. He tucked his face into the crook of Percy's neck, eyes suspiciously red. Behind him, Leo yelled excitedly.

"Back from Tartarus!" Leo whooped.

Piper came from the side, Annabeth not far behind her on Percy's other side, and they smushed Percy between themselves and Jason in a giant group-hug. Percy stiffened at their touch. It felt wrong. It made Percy's skin crawl. It made him want to rip out of their hold, scream, yell, or throw something. He didn't like it. Percy hadn't had any human contact in almost three months, and he hadn't hugged anyone since he left Damasen in his bog. Everything now just made him feel overwhelmed.

As his friends held onto him and cried, he felt his own eyes get wet. He wasn't sure if it was from the ugly mass of emotions in his chest or the unpleasantness of too many people touching him.

Across the cavern, Frank and Hazel were together. From the way Hazel was moving, and how she winced every time she took too large a breath, her ribs were probably bruised or broken. It wasn't long before Hazel weakly called for her brother and Nico joined her and Frank.

When Percy was done being mauled by his friends, and they finally broke apart to check on each others' injuries, he turned to Annabeth.

He expected a reunion like when he found her after her solo quest. He looked into her eyes and anticipated the normal swell of affection in his chest, or the little thrill of adrenaline it gave his heart. But he was sorely disappointed. He didn't feel any relief at all. He didn't feel any affection or happiness or excitement. He looked at Annabeth's face and all he could feel was a hollow bitterness in his chest and anxiety growing in his stomach.

Annabeth smiled like the heavens were shining.

Percy didn't know what to say.

"... Annabeth," he settled on, hesitant.

Her grey eyes were gleaming as she pulled Percy into a second kiss. It felt awkward and made him instinctually recoil, but Percy stopped himself and purposefully leaned into it, hoping to feel the same butterflies that he used to. They never came.

Percy pulled away sooner than Annabeth wanted, obvious by the frown marring her features, but Percy looked away to avoid any awkwardness.

Annabeth looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, the ceiling shuddered. Loud cracking sounds echoed through the air like gunshots. Cracks appeared in the remaining tiles as dust spilled down like sand.

"We need to get out of here!" Jason yelled. "Frank?"

"I don't have any favours left from the dead," Frank said, looking up at the ceiling with fear.

"Wait, what?" Hazel said.

She wasn't the only one who looked confused. Piper gave a weak smile. "Your boyfriend called in a favour as a child of Mars. He summoned the spirits of dead warriors to lead us here – but we don't really have time to get into that right now."