Through Annabeth's Mind: Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief (Annabeth's POV)

17) I say hello to a pink poodle

Hey readers! We're so sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter of the story! Hope you like it:) Comment on what you guys like about it or if you have any ideas for the next chapters! Thanks!! 

We were pretty miserable that night.

We camped in the woods, a bit far from the main road. It was clear that people had used this place to throw a party. Coke cans, plastic cups, shattered glass bottles and other junk littered the floor. Grover looked around us in horror. He was a sort of "environmentalist" since satyrs are considered descendants of Pan, god of nature.

We took turns keeping watch. Percy volunteered to take the first shift. I wanted to protest, but my body was too exhausted. On a normal day, I would have stayed awake all night thinking about the events that happened; I could have predicted how our quest would continue, what we should do to have the best chance of survival, what route we should take, etc. But this wasn't a normal day and my brain was already shutting down.

I heard murmurs of Percy and Grover talking, I caught things like "searcher's license" and "cooking spray", but I couldn't stay awake long enough to make sense of it. As expected, with my luck, my mind didn't even get to rest while I slept. In a matter of minutes, I had already entered the realm of dreams.

I was standing at the top of a building. I looked down and there was muddy water. As I tried to locate where I was, everything around me shifted out of focus, and the floor under my feet disappeared. Everything went dark, and I was falling. Falling, for what felt like minutes, hours, days, an eternity.

And then I hit the ground. The impact blew the air out of my lungs, but miraculously, I wasn't dead. I scrambled to my feet, coughing. I looked up and froze.

Cobwebs were everywhere, covering the ceiling, walls, and floor. There was a click click click somewhere near me, but I couldn't see much. I walked a few steps and the floor creaked beneath me. A sickly-sweet smell hit me, and I was close to fainting. Suddenly, a raspy, wicked laugh rose and filled the whole room. I'm waiting for you, darling, it said. I'll be here, watching you... and waiting. Goose bumps spread from my arms to my whole body, and as I blindly tried to find a way out, a chill went down my spine. I looked at my hand. There was a horrible, creepy, ugly little creature resting there. And suddenly a whole group of them started walking, crawling up my legs. I tried screaming, shaking them off me, but they didn't fall away. I started seeing black in the corners of my eyes, and once more, I was falling.

I hit the ground, but this time I was ready, and fell on my feet. I looked around. There was some light coming from an unknown source, and in the dark I saw Percy standing at the edge of a huge crack in the floor. It was a cliff, and there was some sort of energy pulling him in, I felt it too. And then a voice so ancient and full of evil started speaking.

They have misled you, boy, it said. Barter with me. I will give you what you want.

A shimmering image hovered over the void: a beautiful woman, frozen in a flash of gold, her face distorted with pain. Percy's face was full of horror, and by the way he looked at her, I assumed she was his mother. Cold laughter echoed from the chasm.

The invisible hands pushed us both towards the edge of the cliff, and I knew, somehow, that I needed to hold Percy, because if I left him, he would fall.

Help me rise, boy. The voice cackled. Help me rise, girl. It whispered.

I opened my eyes.

I was panting and my body was covered in a cold sweat. I looked around, panicked. Then I remembered the night before, and I realized where I was. I took one, long breath, and stood up. The sun was just rising. Percy was sleeping like a small kid, his head resting on his hand. He looked years younger without those blazing eyes in view. The tensioned face he wore most days was now gone, replaced by a serene-looking expression, as if the fate of the world didn't depend on us.