House of Hades

XI-- Annabeth

Disclaimer: Don't own PJO, HOO or anything Percy Jackson related. Nor am I affiliated with Rick Riordan.

Read, comment, vote!

XI-- Annabeth

The first thing Annabeth noticed when she was fully awake was that everything was shaking.

She was shaking. Percy was shaking. The cave was shaking.

As soon as her wise grey eyes locked with Percy's fear-filled sea-green ones, she immediately knew that something was wrong.

Percy quickly grabbed Annabeth's arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Hurry, Wise Girl!" he yelled over the loud rumbling and the crashing of falling rocks. "Earthquake!"

Annabeth patted her pocket to make sure that her map was still there.

"Come on!" Percy urged, tugging on Annabeth's arm.

She and Percy ran through the rain of falling rocks, struggling to reach the cave's entrance.

Gods, Annabeth thought. It wasn't this far away!

"Agh!" she shrieked as she dodged another stalactite heading straight for her head.

Percy looked back upon hearing her scream and worriedly enquired, "Annabeth! Are you alright?"

Annabeth winced as a rock grazed her left arm. "Yeah. Keep moving!"

Percy pulled Annabeth again and they finally made it out of the cave.

The ground continued shaking, and they heard the booming voice of an angry person echo throughout Tartarus, Gods of Olympus! Those insolent demigods have escaped! Bring them to me alive, and you shall be rewarded. I want both the spawn of Poseidon and the brat of Athena!

"Guess Gaea found out we're gone," Percy muttered, stating the obvious.

Annabeth gave him a look that said, You think?

Sounds of monsters roaring reached their ears.

"We need to keep moving. Monsters will be hunting us down to the corners of Tartarus," Annabeth stated.

When Percy was somewhat assured that Annabeth wasn't critically injured, they walked on.

As they walked, Annabeth told Percy about the map, and how Tartarus was divided into seven levels.

"Which level are we in?" Percy asked, as he skirted around a pool of bubbling green acid.

"Fourth," Annabeth replied.

"And the Doors of Death?"

"First."

Percy groaned. "Of course."

"So where do we go now?" Percy asked, now playing with Riptide.

He tossed it into the air and caught it.

"You know, you shouldn't be doing that," Annabeth said, her eyes following the movements of the pen.

When Percy didn't listen, she spoke up again. "You're going to end up losing that."

Nothing. No response. It's as if Percy was completely ignoring her.

That's when she lost her cool.

She watched as Percy's pen flew into the air again, and timing its every movement, Annabeth knocked it away from Percy before he could catch it.

Percy looked at her, annoyed. "What was that for?"

Annabeth growled. She was hungry, tired and scared, and Percy had the nerve to annoy her?