Percy Jackson Series. Annabeth Chase X Male Reader Story

The Longest Ten Seconds Of My Afterlife

(Y/N)'s POV

The pull of the underworld is no joke, it's not something even a spirit would normally feel, but since my deal with Hades, he wanted nothing more then to claim my soul, just out of principle really.

Five chains had all wrapped around me, one on each limb, and one going into my chest like it was a chain around my heart, though there was no entry wound to be seen, but that made sense, since I was a spirit now, a lot of stuff could pass through me, like my body for example.

It felt as if I was being pulled in all directions, like some sort of puppet, but with chains not strings, each tightening like someone was cranking them tighter and tighter. At first threatening to pull my limbs off.

And then, as I realized that I was floating in mid air while a body fell from beneath me, the chains also seemed to realize, changing their strategy and all converging to drag me down into the earth, into Hades realm.

I felt something burn in my chest as I was pulled down, like heartburn on steroids, and I heard my own voice echo back at me, "You're not going to lose me, I swear it on the Styx." I said "I'm not going anywhere."

It was a very recent memory, only yesterday. My promise to Annabeth to calm her down. "If anything were to happen, you'd best believe I'd have the doors of Elysium torn down in ten seconds flat."

The burn in my chest intensified, a feeling came over me I recognized, for some reason I felt giddy, excitable, like I had boundless energy, and then, quickly as it had come, it faded away, maybe it was just a reminder of what I had sworn on.

Now, I didn't need to tear any walls down, but I knew what I had done, imposing a rule on myself, like a spell. I had ten seconds or the Styx was going to consume me, and if that happened, not even I could get out of the Underworld.

I couldn't break this promise, or the chains would drag me down into the river, never to resurface. I wasn't protected now, what had protected me in the first place? I had no earthly idea. But now The Styx had me in her clutches, and something told me she wasn't too keen on letting me go. So I began. "One."

Percy's POV

I watched the last sparks from Beckendorf's fire curl into the afternoon sky. Then I headed toward the sword-fighting arena. I needed a break, and I wanted to see an old friend.

Mrs. O'Leary saw me before I saw her, which was a pretty good trick considering she's the size of a garbage truck. I walked into the arena, and a wall of darkness slammed into me. "WOOF!"

The next thing I knew I was flat on the ground with a huge paw on my chest and an oversize Brillopad tongue licking my face. "Ow!" I said. "Hey, girl. Good to see you too. Ow!" It took a few minutes for Mrs. O'Leary to calm down and get off me.

By then I was pretty much drenched in dog drool. She wanted to play fetch, so I picked up a bronze shield and tossed it across the arena. Beckendorf used to take care of her whenever I was gone. He had smelted Mrs. O'Leary's favorite bronze chewing bone.

He'd forged her collar with the little smiley face and a crossbones name tag. Next to me and (Y/N), Beckendorf had been her best friend. Thinking about that made me sad all over again, but I threw the shield a few more times because Mrs. O'Leary insisted.

Soon she started barking—a sound slightly louder than an artillery gun—like she needed to go for a walk. So I opened the gates of the arena, and she bounded straight toward the woods. I jogged after her, not too concerned that she was getting ahead.

Nothing in the woods could threaten Mrs. O'Leary. Even the dragons and giant scorpions ran away when she came close. When I finally tracked her down, she wasn't using the facilities. She was in a familiar clearing where the Council of Cloven Elders had once put Grover on trial.