𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋

𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐇 𝐜𝐡𝟐𝟎|Queen Dirt Face shows up

Annabeth

Flames surrounded us. Engulfing us. Suffocating us. Me, more specifically. Leo was immune, and Percy resistant. So I tried with all my might to ignore the scorching heat and the water streaming from my eyes.

"Grab under his arms, I'll take his legs! Go, go!" I exclaimed. Percy nodded and we picked Leo up. I grabbed his backpack and prayed that he had at least gotten the stuff we needed in time.

Percy looked like he hadn't slept at all in a week. It was like his tsunami had sucked the life out of him. I could not express how much I wanted him to put the fire out with water, but there was no way I would ever risk it in his state.

Percy and I headed to the hole as swiftly as we could, eyes stinging from the smoke obscuring our vision.

We made it. We actually made it. We ran outside with our extra load, coughing and spluttering. We kept going until we were a little way away from the building. I didn't know where my backpack was, probably long gone by then. We carefully put Leo on the floor and I opened his bag. I found a few squares of ambrosia. Before I ate one, I gave a couple to Percy, who was sitting down, his eyes glassy and unfocussed.

"Percy! Snap out of it! Come on, don't pass out on me now!"

He blinked and looked at me before breaking out into a grin.
"Who? Me?"

I rolled my eyes before shoving the godly food down my sore throat. I began to feel my body repairing itself quickly.

I heard a sound behind me. As fast as lightning, I grabbed my drakon bone sword and aimed it at the target.
A horse reared back. A horse?

"Woah. Arion, I have never heard so many curses in one sentence. Even that was too much for me," Percy mumbled behind me.

Arion.

"OH MY GODS ARE YOU OKAY? WE SAW SMOKE AND THE BIGGEST TIDAL WAVE EVER! WHAT HAPPENED?"
Hazel screeched before hopping off her horse. I threw my sword to the side and sighed in relief. Hazel gave me a brief hug, clutching me like a little sister.

"I'll catch you up later, we have big priorities right now." I gestured to Leo. Hazel gasped and ran to Leo's side.

"We were separated, it was something of a disaster," I sighed. Percy still sat there, glassy eyed. Hazel frowned and shook him.

"Percy? Are you okay?" she asked. He blinked and became more focused again. He went to the backpack for more ambrosia.

"He's just tired." I responded in concern. The daughter of Pluto stood up and nodded.

"Some monsters somehow found the ship and attacked us. We saw the wave and smoke and thought someone should go, so grabbing Arion was the most convenient thing. Frank, Jason and Piper will probably still be fighting now, but we need to get Leo back."
"I agree-"
"Annabeth something's wrong," Percy warned.
I frowned and looked around. Nothing happened for a second, before the ground began to shake. Leo muttered something in his sleep, he was pale and frowning.

I looked at Percy and he shook his head wearily.

"I don't exactly look like I could cause an earthquake right now," he said frowning.

Hazel and I drew our weapons. With a pang, I remembered my dagger. I missed the familiar weight of it, but at the same time, the drakon bone sword was a symbol of what I survived.

Hazel ran forwards and grabbed Leo under the arms. Percy and I helped put him on the horse.

"Get him back to the ship, we'll start walking. We can't all get on the horse." Percy told Hazel. She scowled.
"Fine. But don't you dare think for one second I'm not coming straight back."
Hazel clambered upon her horse and I handed her Leo's bag. She gave us hesitant glances, unsure to leave us. I smiled at her and she nodded.

Hazel had always been the youngest one of the seven, but was not to be taken lightly. She was determined, though with her sweet side always there. Ever since Percy had been kidnapped, they'd treated eachother like siblings, as well as the fact they're cousins anyway. She had always looked up to me, which I kind of liked. I just had to keep reminding Leo and Percy about some of their language choices while she's around.

Arion sped away.

The second after she left, the ground stopped shaking and all that was heard was eerie silence.

Trying to avoid the blood stain on the ground that Leo left, Percy and I began to walk. After a while, he began to lean on me, which was kind of funny because he's taller.

"We definitely going the right way?" he asked.
"Yes, Seaweed Brain."
"Okay, just double checking. That's the illusion you tried to put us under when we were in the Labyrinth."
"Hey!" I said, giving him a death stare. He opened his mouth to say something when the ground shook so violently that we were both thrown back to the floor.

"Finally... He's given up. Now I can start my route to full power!"

Gaia.

The mud began to pull at me, trying to suck me in and keep me to the ground. I stood up quickly, shaking off the dirt that was trying to worm it's way up my legs. Percy did the same and stomped on a hand of dirt that grasped for his ankle.

"Plan?" Percy asked.

I scanned our surroundings. Pretty much all that was left was the burning building and ruins of the rest of the town. I spotted some concrete foundations - the only remainder of a building.

"There!" I pulled Percy towards it, practically dragging him. We reached the concrete and stood on it, where the mud couldn't get us anymore.

Percy grabbed more ambrosia out of my backpack.
"Percy! Do you want to explode!"
"I don't know, do you want me to explode?" he replied groggily, a crooked grin on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"Well I most certainly don't want that. That would ruin the most fun I've had in a millennia!"

I whipped around to see Gaia.

She was standing behind us, her dress rising from the ground. It was made of dirt and mud and gemstones with vines weaving their way up to her arms, which she had spread wide. She wore a glittering green crown, which matched her bright green eyes. Unlike Percy's, they were more of a lush apple green that brimmed like poison.

"S'up?" Percy waved, sounding like he had way too much ambrosia.

"What do these terms mean? Has he cursed me?" the Primordial said, turning to me, like we were friends. Awkward. She looked at my boyfriend like he'd just broken out into dance. I resisted the irrational urge to laugh.

"Um.."
"No matter. I shall send some of my followers to capture you while I attain my strength after my fight with Ouranos."
I readied my sword. Hey, at least she'd given us a warning
"I think someone will be especially happy to see both of you captured."

She turned into dirt which was carried with the breeze. The ground shook again.

"Come on Hazel.... where are you?" I muttered, looking around warily.

The ground split open and a dirt platform carried figures up through the cracks.

A boy stood at the front. He had monsters - largely consisting of earthborn - all around him.

He had a look of hatred imprinted on his face, which was skinny and pale. Stringy blonde strands of hair fell down around his head and he held an imperial gold sword. He looked ghostly, not just that he looked ghostly and frail normally, but literally like one of the spirits from the underworld. He also looked a bit possessed.

It was a boy I thought I'd never see again. A face of a Roman who was supposed to be dead.

A boy everyone hated. Hates.

A boy that nearly destroyed Camp Half-Blood.

A boy that died three months ago.

Octavian.