Daughter of the Sea || HoO

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

Making it rain cars was not how Tori saw the plan going. Coach Hedge had finally gotten to make use of the ship's ballistae, and used it to blast a hole straight through the ground. The daughter of Poseidon watched as chunks of asphalt as big as garage doors, along with six or seven Italian cars tumbled down into the hole.

Both Tori and Percy leaned over the railing as the Argo II made its decent. The latter sibling yelling "Annabeth."

"Here!" she sobbed.

Tori had never seen her older brother look so relieved. She of course felt the same way- that was her best friend down there after all- but looking at her brother Tori got felt a different emotion radiating off him.

As soon as Percy heard Annabeth's voice, a goofy grin appeared on his face and his green eyes started to glaze over with tears of relief. Maybe it was Venus legacy in her, or perhaps the fact that it was so obvious, but Tori could tell that her brother was wholeheartedly in love with the grey eyed girl.

After what seemed like forever,  the Argo II came to a hovering stop about forty feet from the floor. It lowered a rope ladder, but Annabeth stood in a daze, staring into the darkness. Then suddenly Percy was next to her, lacing his fingers in hers as Tori threw her arms around the older blonde. 

After Tori let go of Annabeth, Percy turned her gently away from the pit and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. Annabeth buried her face in his chest and broke down in tears.

"It's okay," he said. "We're together.

Soon their friends gathered around them. 

"Your leg!" Tori exclaimed, her inner doctor kicking in. She knelt next to Annabeth and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annie, what happened?" 

Annabeth explained everything. How she came face to face with Arachne and tricked the spider woman into weaving her on trap. When she finished, everyones 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. "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. "Wonwith pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weavingit."

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." 

Tori imagined the Athena Parthenos jutting from their trireme with a sign across her pedestal that read: WIDE LOAD.

"What about you guys?" Annabeth asked. "What happened with the giants?"

Percy told her about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus, and the fight with the twins in the Colosseum. Nico didn't say much. The poor guy looked like he'd been wandering through a waste land for six weeks. Tori explained what Nico had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides. Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Tori's news made the cavern seem dark again.