The Rise of Gaea

Annabeth 26

***** hey..... I'm back..... forgive me?*****

     Annabeth stood helplessly in the doorway as Percy's eyes closed.

     Chiron made his way back over to the door. "Let's let him rest." He guided her out.

     Annabeth looked back over her shoulder, watching Percy anxiously until the door closed. "Can't I stay with him? What if he wakes up?" She ran to catch up with the centaur.

     "He won't wake up for a while. And you know the rules." Chiron opened the door to the Big House and ushered her in.

     Immediately, she was squeezed into an extremely tight hug.

     "Luke!" she cried.

     "Hey, Beth." Luke ruffled her hair. "Miss me?"

     Looking up at him, Annabeth struggled not to cry. Luke had practically raised her; he and Thalia had taken care of her from age 7 to 12. Losing him had been like losing her father.

     Luke pulled out a chair for her, and Annabeth sat at the table, joining him, Thalia, Piper, Jason, Reyna, Nico, Hazel, Frank, Leo and Calypso. 

     The gods were nowhere to be seen. Typical.

     "How's Percy?" Luke asked in concern.

     "Chiron put him to sleep." Annabeth answered, not entirely agreeing with the centaur's decision.

     Jason leaned forward on his elbows. "What exactly happened in Tartarus?"

     Luke swallowed. "Well, we were journeying together, kicking butt, when we met the Arai. Percy got with a curse that made him only be able to see the worst in everything. He couldn't see me, but we kept going."

     Thalia squeezed Annabeth's hand. "That's why he couldn't see you or hear you."

     "We went through the Mansion of Night." Luke continued. "And Percy hallucinated that Annabeth was there. I don't exactly know the details of that exchange, but it really... hurt him. We got out, found the Doors, and then found you guys."

     There were some definite holes in Luke's story, but Annabeth figured he was trying to give Percy privacy, and allow him to fill in the details when he was ready.

     Piper frowned, looking at Luke quizzically. "For someone who went through Tartarus, you don't seem that affected." She observed.

     Hazel closed her eyes, and then there appeared a sort of white fog surrounding Luke. The Mist.

     "Someone wrapped you in Mist." Hazel waved a hand and it dispersed. "That would help you not to lose your mind."

     Luke looked as though he were just figuring something out. "Percy... that's the only explanation..." He shook his head, caught between anger and gratitude. "I can't believe him."

     There was silence for a minute, before Calypso said gently, "So, do we have a plan to defeat Gaea?"

     "I notice the gods aren't here to help." Nico scoffed under his breath.

     "I think we should wait until Percy can join us." Jason ventured. "We'll need him."

     Annabeth agreed. Percy's charmsinging could really help.

     Leo pulled a hammer from his toolbelt and banged it on the table. "Meeting adjourned."

_______________________________

     Annabeth rolled over in bed, wide awake. Her sibling's slow, deep breathing surrounded her, but she was not able to bring herself to sleep. It felt wrong that Percy was back and yet not with her.

     A rumble shuddered through the ground like an earthquake, and then there was the sound of pipes bursting.

     Above everything rang out the terrible, guttural screech of "ANNABETH!!"

     Annabeth was out of bed in a flash, whipping out of her cabin amid geysers of water. She yanked open the door of the Poseidon cabin, and stopped dead.

     Percy was thrashing wildly within a literal hurricane.

     Torrents of water flew around the room, and the wind screamed as it chased in a circle.

     Annabeth fought her way through, staggering as the gales nearly knocked her over. She was drenched to the skin within seconds.

     "Percy!" She grabbed his shoulder and shook him, trying to wake him up, but her efforts went unnoticed. Why had Chiron had to drug him?

     Percy almost slipped onto the floor, but Annabeth managed to catch him and brace him back onto the bed.

     Percy screamed horribly, arching his back as if he were in anguish. His hands scrabbled to his chest, clutching the wound there.

     "NOT HER!!" he begged. "PLEASE!!"

     "I'm here, Percy!" Annabeth desperately tried to reassure him, but she was drowned out by another agonized shriek.

     Tears rolled down her face as she settled herself in for a long night.