Falling Alone (book 1 of the "A new adventure" series)

§Prologue§

Prologue

Percy's POV

We just rescued Little Neeks from that awful jar.

We...as in the seven plus Nico minus Annabeth were on the Argo II, sailing to safe Annabeth from the giant spider, Arachne.

We stopped at the car park.

"Coach, would you do the honors?"

Is Leo on sugar high? Letting Hedge smash through the car park? If he is, I don't know how to stop him.

Coach Hedge grinned like a mad man. Or more like a mad goat.

"Of course!"

He pressed a button and the ship lurched forwards.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM.

The Argo II smashed through the car park and we saw an unexpected scene.

Arachne was tangled in her own web, and thousands of small spiders were crawling towards my love of my life, who was backed to a corner.

Annabeth looked up and cars rained down. Her mouth was wide open and her eyes were as big as a saucepan. Her face was so hilarious that I would have laughed if the situation wasn't so dangerous. I haven't seen Annabeth that clueless and dumbstruck before.

Haha. Annabeth daughter of Athena dumbstruck.

Desperate to save Annabeth, I leaped down from the Argo, Riptide pointing towards Arachne. I landed on the ground, rolled, and threw my sword. It hit true to her chest, stabbing her to dust.

The spiders, their leader gone, retreated back. The others were amazed that I can aim. Welp, I have some explaining to do, like that I can shoot.

You'll probably think "What? You can shoot?"

Yeah I can. How did the arrow land on Chiron's tail? I did it on purpose. Revenge on stalking me.

But then, they think I'm so bad at archery, they banned me from the Archery range!

So unfair.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Annabeth alive and no body parts were missing, except that her leg was twisted and broken. Nothing that a bit of nectar and ambrosia cannot heal.

"Annabeth!" I yelled. She limped towards me. I ran over there, avoiding the hole and hugged her, and she crashed into me. I smiled and embraced her.

I failed to notice the hole behind me, and I was pushed down the hole because of the impact when Annabeth crashed into me.

Annabeth staggered back. I shot out my hand and grabbed the hedge, the hole sucking me in. I knew that I couldn't pull myself up, the opening of Tartarus was designed to suck people in.

"Lead them to the Doors of Death on the mortal side, Nico!" I called out to Nico, who was nearby. He nodded and I let go.

The darkness swallowed me and I began to fall.

I heard laughter ringing in my ears.

"Poor hero." Gaea said, taunting me. "The Hero of Olympus, falling to his death, without friends. You only lived because Annabeth took the knife for you. You only lived because Luke Castellan saved you. You only lived because thousands of innocent people lay their lives in front of you. You are nothing without friends, Perseus Jackson."

"You know how I hate being called Perseus." I grumbled back, but secretly I was considering her words.

The presence of Gaea disappeared.

"I will be strong." I told myself. "I will survive. I'm not going to let a mound of dirt bring me down, friends or not. I will prove that little sh!t wrong."

I just can imagine Gaea's taunting voice telling me,  "Easier said than done."

I hate that woman!

After gods know how long... no even gods don't know how long, I saw a bit of light.

I asked myself, "How in Hades am I going to slow the fall? Well I am technically in Hades. I'm in the underworld."

Fortunately, the answer appeared in front of me. A river was underneath me. I remembered the five rivers in Tartarus. They tortured you and most gave you pain.

The Acheron is the river of pain.

The Lethe is the river of forgetfulness.

The Phlegethon is the river of healing and fire.

The Cocytus is the river of wailing.

The Styx... well I guess you know.

I dropped down and familiar pain coursed through my veins.

I fell into the river.

✯ ꧁☯︎︎꧂ ✯

Nico's POV

WHYYY????

Why are the fates so cruel!

I just got out of the silly jar and saw my crush, and then he just had to fall into Tartarus, that was basically Hell!!!

I know first hand how Tartarus was, and I didn't even have the full view, since Gaea's minions caught me. It was horrifying. I landed among a group of hellhounds, and they are not Mrs. O Learys. It was just a monster buffet, a take-all-you-want-or-die buffet, waves after waves of monsters.

An endless monster party.

I voted Bad for this restaurant.

And now we had to deal with a devastated Annabeth.

"It was all my fault. He couldn't survive. He didn't even have Riptide." She cried.

My half-sister asked me, "Is he alive?"

"Yes." I answered. "For now."

I didn't hear any buzzing in my ears.

But the thing that convinced me the most is the feeling that he's alive.

How? You ask.

I just know.

✯ ꧁☯︎︎꧂ ✯

???'s POV

"Did it work?" she asked me.

"Yes." I answered. "They didn't suspect a thing."

"Good. Do your best to help them, I want to have some fun."

"Yes my Lady."

✯ ꧁☯︎︎꧂ ✯

Author's note