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Annabeth XXXVI

"Annabeth XXXVI," Artemis read.

Trying to maintain her composure, Annabeth took a deep breath before letting it out.

I'm almost there... It was meant to be comforting but the thought made her feel more anxious than anything. She was almost there, but she was going to be at a clear disadvantage when facing Arachne. 

THE TUNNEL RAN STRAIGHT AND SMOOTH, but after her fall, Annabeth decided to take no chances. She used the wall for support and tapped the floor in front of her with her crutch to make sure there were no traps.

"Good idea," Will approved.

"I can't afford to make any more mistakes," Annabeth grimaced, still thinking about her ankle. If the weaver decided to attack her head-on.

She gulped, suppressing a shiver.

...The sound of running water faded behind her. In its place came a dry chorus of whispers like a million tiny voices.

They seemed to be coming from inside the walls, and they were getting louder.

Everyone tensed.

"More ghosts?" Katie said cautiously.

"Seriously? How many cults are down here?" Travis complained.

"Don't make assumptions. We can't say for certain that they are ghosts," Athena reminded the demigods. "They could be something else."

The teens frowned.

"If they aren't ghosts, what else can they be?" Percy said worriedly.

"I don't know, but I'm not sticking around to find out." Annabeth replied warily.

Annabeth tried to speed up, but she couldn't go much faster without losing her balance or jarring her broken ankle.

Annabeth glared at her feet. Stupid ankle.

She hobbled onward, convinced that something was following her. The small voices were massing together, getting closer.

Annabeth wished she would just turn her head and see what they were, or at least hear what they were saying.

She touched the wall, and her hand came back covered in cobwebs.

Annabeth let out an undignified yelp. She sat up so quickly, she surprised the demigods around her.

When she noticed the glances in her direction (some sympathetic), Annabeth's ears went pink with embarrassment. She ducked her head and avoided eye contact with the others.

Get a hold of yourself, it's just a cobweb. she thought bitterly, forcing herself to relax. How was she supposed to fight the weaver if she couldn't even touch a spiderweb?

Percy squeezed her hand comfortingly.

She'd expected spiders. She knew what was ahead: The weaver. Her Ladyship. The voice in the dark.

Annabeth felt her heart racing. She took a deep breath and shakily let it out. Now that her future-self brought it up, it was weird that she had gotten this far without seeing a single spider. You'd think that with who she was facing, they would be swarming the tunnels, ready to attack her the moment she turned her back.

Maybe she was counting on the cultists to stop me. she thought.

But the webs made her realize how close she was.

Her hand trembled as she wiped it on the stones. What had she been thinking? She couldn't do this quest alone.

"Don't say that. The fact that you've come this far proves you can do this," Percy told her seriously.