Arachne's Lair, Rome, Italy
Percy had never been so happy to indulge Coach Hedge's destructive tendencies. Coach Hedge's shot was a thing of beauty—right through the parking lot and down into a huge cavern Percy doubted the local Romans knew anything about. Dust and smoke made it hard to see anything down there, but that didn't stop him from shouting, "Annabeth!"
He couldn't describe the wave of relief he felt when he heard her call back, "Here!"
The Argo II continued descending and Percy leaned against the railing. Once they were close enough and the dust had cleared, Percy spotted her sitting down in the cavern. She was pale, bloody, and covered in cobwebs, but Percy thought she had never looked more beautiful. He smiled at her, anxious to get down there.
The ship stopped about forty feet from the floor and dropped the rope ladder. No one got in Percy's way as he was the first one down. He found Annabeth standing by a huge hole leading deeper down than the light could reach, staring blankly into it. It felt . . . cold, and evil. Wrong. But also—familiar.
Percy laced his fingers through Annabeth's. He gently turned her away from the pit and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and broke down in tears, which made something ache inside Percy's chest.
"It's okay," he said. "We're together."
We're together, he kept telling himself, drinking in her presence. He studied the cavern now that he knew Annabeth was safe. The giant statue of her mother was intimidating. It definitely gave off a powerful aura. Percy didn't know what it could do, but he knew it was important.
Their friends gathered around them. Annabeth barely noticed Nico.
"Your leg." Piper knelt next to Annabeth and examined her Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"
Annabeth began to explain about the shrine to Mithras, crossing the chasm using cat's cradle, and tricking Arachne. Every time she paused or seemed about to break down, Percy squeezed her hand and gave her a smile. He didn't let go of her hand the whole time. With each word, his awe, respect, and love for her grew. When she finished, everyone's faces were slack with amazement.
"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."
"Well . . . some of it with a broken ankle."
Percy grinned. That's my girl. "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"
Everyone gazed at the statue.
"What do we do with her?" Frank asked. "She's huge."
"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."
"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel quoted. "Won with pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."
Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was taking measurements. "Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."
Annabeth shuddered, then said, "What about you guys? What happened with the giants?"
Percy gave her the rundown: rescuing Nico, Bacchus' appearance, fighting the twins in the Colosseum. He explained what Nico found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides.
"So the mortal side is in Epirus," she said. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."
Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."
The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. Suddenly, Percy realized why the pit felt familiar—it led directly to Tartarus. He remembered the feeling from when Grover almost got dragged in on their very first quest to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt. A cold feeling spread through his stomach.
Percy guided Annabeth a little farther from the edge, and then brought up the other thing that had been troubling him. "Bacchus mentioned something about my voyage being harder than I expected. Not sure why—"
The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos titled to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables, but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling.
"Secure it!" Annabeth cried, almost frantic.
Their friends understood immediately.
"Zhang!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone."
Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared toward the ship.
Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to Percy. "Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.
"This floor won't last!" Hazel warned. "The rest of us should get to the ladder."
Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider's silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings and began to snap. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint.
Percy gripped Annabeth's hand tighter. "It'll be fine," he muttered. He wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself. The icy feeling in his chest grew stronger.
Grappling lines shot from the Argo II and wrapped around the statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose. Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.
Nico had just reached the ladder when Annabeth gasped and stumbled.
"What is it?" Percy asked.
Annabet made to move forward, but instead slid backward. Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face, her hand ripped from Percy's.
"Her ankle!" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"
Cut what? Percy wondered.
Something yanked Annabeth backward and dragged her toward the pit. Percy didn't think—he lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.
Percy heard Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel crying out for help. It was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern as their friends focused on the statue. Percy scrabbled for a handhold and found nothing.
Annabeth sobbed when she hit the edge of the pit and her legs went over the side, and finally Percy realized: she was tangled in the spider silk. A strand led right down into the pit, attached to something heavy that was trying to bring Annabeth down with it.
"No," Percy muttered. "My sword . . ." He couldn't reach it without letting go of Annabeth's hand, which was not an option.
Annabeth slipped over the edge. Percy fell with her and reached out blindly.
Percy's free hand hit something—a ledge, barely the size of a bookshelf. He latched onto it with all his strength, halting their fall. Annabeth slammed into the wall of the pit below him, hard, but he had bigger things to worry about. He was still holding her wrist, but the pull on her leg was too strong for him to do anything but prolong the inevitable.
No escape, said a voice in the darkness below. I go to Tartarus, and you will come too.
Arachne, Percy thought. He realized what was about to happen. He vowed to make sure that when he saw her, Arachne would pay for tormenting Annabeth.
The pit shook. Percy's grip on the ledge was failing. His other arm holding Annabeth was shaking from the effort. It felt like it was pulling free from his body.
Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help. Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos, they'd never make it in time.
"Percy, let me go," Annabeth croaked. "You can't pull me up."
Percy knew that. But he couldn't abandon her.
"Never," he said. He looked up at Nico, fifteen feet above. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"
Nico's eyes widened. "But—"
"Lead them there!" Percy shouted. "Promise me!"
"I—I will."
Percy could see the fear in Nico's eyes. Hearing him talk about it earlier, Percy understood why. But someone needed to go down there, and the Fates had decided who it would be long before they ever had a chance.
Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness. Sacrifices. Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess.
Percy tightened his grip on Annabeth's wrist and locked eyes with her. "We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."
Your voyage may be a little harder than you expect. Well, that was the understatement of the century. Thanks, Mr. B. Percy should have known it would be bigger than his curse. But for now, he was grateful he had it. Gods knew he would need it where they were going.
Understanding dawned in Annabeth's eyes. "As long as we're together," she said.
Percy heard Nico and Hazel still screaming for help. He saw the sunlight far, far above—maybe the last sunlight he would ever see.
Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge, and together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness.