Blood of Olympus: The Epilogues

Chapter Six: Annabeth

Annabeth's dagger shook in her trembling fist. She pressed herself against the nearest tree, watching as Percy led Leo to his doom.

Why would he want to come back to this place? To kill Leo and blame it on the ants?  Annabeth followed them inside. She marched up behind Percy and pressed her dagger blade to the back of his neck.

Percy jumped, unsheathing Anaklusmos and almost killing Annabeth in the process. Annabeth swung her dagger to clash Percy's blade. Leo stumbled back, fishing a huge, lethal hammer out of his tool belt.

"Why are you trying to kill Leo Valdez, Perseus Jackson?" Annabeth growled, her knuckles turning white as they clung to the hilt of her dagger.

Percy sighed and capped his sword. "You freaked the heck out of me, Owl Head."

Annabeth pressed the flat of her blade against his chest. "Answer my question, Percy."

Leo readied his hammer and summoned fire. Both Annabeth and Percy turned to him.

"Don't do that!" Annabeth hissed, "You'll attract attention to the ants!"

"The--?" Leo was cut short as twelve giant ants surrounded the three of them.

Annabeth lowered her dagger and Percy got out Anaklusmos again. She scanned her surroundings, her mind clear and completely focused. It was a spacious room. The exit was blocked off by two ants. Annabeth growled in frustration. Leo's fire got bigger, and he blasted the nearest three ants, making them erupt into a shower of golden dust.

Percy took on the three that were advancing on Annabeth, swinging his sword and slicing one head clean off.

Annabeth, being the strategist that she was, took on the two by the exit. She smacked one in the eye with her dagger, and it stumbled back. The other one spit green goo on the ground. The goo started to smoke, and Annabeth coughed. Her vision blurred. Then she leaped onto its back, riding it like a horse. The ant hissed and tried to throw her off, but Annabeth threw her dagger into its neck, and it shrieked, dissolving. Annabeth jumped to the ground, landing in a crouched position. The other ant recovered and went for her face. As soon as it opened its mouth, ready to pounce, Annabeth ducked and rolled to the side, retrieving her dagger. She heard Leo yell a battle cry that sounded suspiciously like, "BIG ANTS ARE BAD ANTS!" but was too muffled for Annabeth to tell.

Random facts about the ants spouted off in Annabeth's mind. It takes half an hour for that thing to kill me after it paralyzes me with the acid and wraps me in a cocoon-like shell.

Annabeth swung her dagger blindly, then jumped up, and seeing the ant, jumped over a fresh pile of green acid and hit  him in mouth. The ant exploded.

Annabeth sheathed her golden dust-covered dagger and ran to find Percy. Her boyfriend sliced off the last of his ants just as Leo disintegrated one last ant.

Percy sighed heavily. "Tough stuff," he decided. "So. Exit, or ant stuff?"

"Ant stuff," Leo decided at the same time Annabeth suggested, "exit."

Percy shrugged.

"You're trying to kill Leo," Annabeth told Percy.

"No, I'm not. I'm going to go see what kinda stuff we can get from the ants before they viciously attack us."

Leo nodded in agreement. "That's two to three. Majority rules. Annabeth, you can go or come. But Team Leo sure could use some heavy metals."

Annabeth groaned but followed her boyfriend deeper into the myrmekes' cave.

Later, after Annabeth returned to Camp Half-Blood with Christmas, birthday, Valentine's, Easter, and graduation presents for every camper for the rest of their lives, she would wonder if it was worth it. But after her sixth dating anniversary with Percy turned out to be full of gold and jewelry and awesome weapons, she would decide it was.