PJO #4 : The Battle of the Labyrinth - MISSING SCENES

Percy, Please Be Okay (Mid-Chapter 11)

He was fine. He had to be. This was Percy Jackson, the kid who found trouble every single year and always came out the other side. He couldn't get killed by a bunch of wild Telkhines. He just couldn't. Because, if it did... Well, it'd be her fault, wouldn't it? This was her quest, after all.

Annabeth ran a hand through her hair as she felt her worries grow by the second. Percy was in there, and she could help him. But she also couldn't. He would never forgive himself if she went back in there and got hurt. The whole reason he stayed behind was to ensure she got to safety so, if she got hurt, then what would be the point anymore?

"This is my fault" she muttered to herself, feeling guilt weigh heavy in her stomach like a boulder. He would never forgive her, surely. She'd put his life at such risk by bringing him along. Then she had the audacity to kiss him before leaving him alone at the mercy of a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters? Oh, and that wasn't even touching the fact that she had no clue where Grover and Tyson were.

"Calm down, Annabeth" she told herself, recognizing that she was beginning to spiral. However, that was a lot easier said than done, and she wasn't even sure if she was in a safe enough place to not risk being killed if she broke down right there. She looked around frantically and was slightly relieved to find that there were no monsters where she was. No, just a small room that separated the forge and the tunnels.

She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. Ideally, she would not be having a nervous breakdown. Ideally, she could keep going and Percy would come to find her soon after. Ideally, none of this bad shit would be happening. Alas, her ideals didn't really matter at that point. Her brain was trying to process this newfound stress in any way it could, and it left her as little more than a shaking ball on the floor.

"Breathe, Annabeth" she told herself shakily, trying to ignore the tears that were beginning to creep out from her eyes. "You need to breathe" she repeated, punching herself lightly in the chest as if to emphasize her point. "It- It's Percy. He'll be fine. Y- You need to calm down"

Realizing that trying to talk herself down wasn't working, she opted instead to try and ground herself with her surroundings. It was a trick that Chiron had taught her when she was younger and got too scared. She didn't remember the exact order at that moment, but she also supposed it didn't matter too much.

"F- Five things you see, Annabeth. Come on" she told herself, looking around the small room. "H- Hands. My hands" she began, looking down at her grimy and scarred hands. "Forge door. Tunnel d- door. The ground. W- Walls"

She continued like that through the rest of her senses and eventually felt the sharp panic begin to exit her body, leaving her more tired than anything. "It's not my fault" she told herself quietly, curling into a ball. "He chose to stay, it's not my fault..."

"Please be okay, Percy"