P.J and the Prison of the Gods ( Book #1 : ✓ )

Mission Accomplished

I used my shield to block his next strike while I sliced another guards spear in half. Spinning a hundred and eighty degrees, I shield bashed the one with the broken spear and used my sword to finish off the one with the busted knife-chucks. Knife Gauntlet came after me, but I knocked him out with a simple roundhouse kick.

All around me, bodies lay bleeding, unconscious, or dead. The one with the double bladed sword looked at me and gulped.

His sword fired a single lightning bolt, which I dodged. He fired again, this time hitting my shield and numbing my arm. I dropped my sword and used my now free hand to throw my shield.

The shield hit him in the temple and he went down. I just stood there, panting and sweating. I could barely believe it. I'd just beat twelve armory guards, and it only took about forty-five seconds. I turned my shield back into a watch, and Riptide back into a pen.

I went through the armory, placing the charges right where they needed to be. Near coordination consoles for the automated arrow launchers, by security checkpoint terminals, on armored doors, support beams, and all kinds of other strategic targets. I made it back to the trapdoor without getting spotted, but as I was climbing down I heard someone clapping...

In a flash, Riptide and my shield sprung to life. I spun around to see...Luke?

"Not bad Annabeth," Luke congratulated. "Not bad at all."

I held my sword steady. "Luke. I'm assuming you know why I'm here?"

"Yep," he stated. "What I don't know is why you–"

"Joined the right side?" I interrupted.

"And whose side is that Annabeth?" Luke asked.

I could've said the side of the gods. I could've said the side of Olympus. I even could've said the side of my friends or the side of my mother. But instead, I said: 

"Percy's."

Luke's face showed the tiniest hints of a smile for half a second. He drew his own sword.

"I would join you Annabeth, but we still need someone on the inside," he said, not lowering his sword. 

"We're going to have to pretend we're on different sides again, aren't we?" I asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Afraid so," Luke said. "On the bright side, we've got plenty of practice. Oh and Annabeth, I'm breaking up with you."

"Why exactly?" I asked. I wasn't sad though, considering I was going to break up with him soon enough, but I still wanted to know his reason.

"I hate visions, but you and me don't belong together. You, of course know this as much as I do," he said plainly.

"Yeah, I do," I said. And I meant it. I didn't really like Luke like that anymore. To boot, I knew who I did like like that.

"Good talk," Luke said, then swung his sword in a move that would've taken my head off if I'd been a quarter of a second slower. Our blades clashes about six times before I jumped backward into the trap door and hit the detonator on the charges. Explosions shook the foundations and sent wood, metal and plaster flying everywhere. I ran through the tunnel, hoping I wouldn't crash into a wall.

Funny, the walk to the armory felt like hours, but the run back was three minutes tops. I reached into my bag for a drachma and squirt bottle. As soon as I hit the exit and sunlight, I tried what Athena had suggested.

Once I got the rainbow going, I panted the prayer and tossed my drachma into the rainbow. Sadly nothing happened. Shoot, that meant Iris messaging was still down. I was about to turn away when suddenly the mist shifted into an image of Athena back at Typhon's Prison. In the background, I saw Clarisse tending to Iris.

"Annabeth, I take it things went according to plan?" Athena greeted.

"More or less," I admitted. "So, are you just gonna teleport me back or–"

"Sorry Annabeth, but you're going to have to use one of our coral tunnels to get back," Athena explained.

"Oh," I said. "And the nearest one is where?"

Athena thought for a moment, and then responded. "Manhole just outside Times Square. You can't miss it."

"And why is that?" I asked, but the connection broke.

I sighed.

"Looks like I'm headed to Times Square," I muttered to myself.

Now that was a nice, Annabeth centered chapter that in no way explained if Percy was alright, wasn't it? *dodges bullet* Yikes! You guys are worse than the military, you know that? Is Percy okay? Did he really hear and answer Annabeth's prayer? And with IM-ing restored, what will be Percy's next mission? I'd tell you...but, eh.