Heroes of Olympus Series. Annabeth Chase X Male Reader Story

Narrowly Avoiding Bedazzling Ourselves

(Y/N)'s POV

Scylla's cave collapsed as they passed through it, guided by the light from the lake of fire. They didn't have time to exchange any words, they both picked themselves up and fled as the mountain from which the cave was formed crumbled.

If they were anywhere else the stone should have held up, the rock that composed the mountain should have supported the weight, but everything in Tartarus was designed to kill you, as they were quickly coming to realise.

As they sprinted away from the rockslide that was caused by the collapse, it kicked up the glass beneath their feet, scratching their shins and ankles, it was like something was biting at them, trying to stop their escape.

The acrid smell of blood and bone was dispersed by the clouds of dust and rock that filled the air like an invasive species, leaving a thick haze of grime caking their entire bodies. They coughed and spluttered, holding their shirts, or what remained of them, over their mouths.

A stinging sensation found its way into their eyes and hands, their elbows and knees, anywhere there was an open wound burned with discomfort, but that just made them race forward faster, the promise of healing driving them.

Something was trying to slow them down just enough so that they wouldn't escape, just enough so that the falling rocks would crush them, or pin them in place, making them easy prey for some monster. They knew it was a malicious attempt to kill them.

Someone wasn't happy they dared survived their encounter with the remains of the former sea monster. The same feeling that had been tormenting (Y/N) for days was present, like a pair of eyes glaring at their backs, a presence weighing on their shoulders.

He knew Annabeth felt it too when they both shuddered in tandem and shared a glance after they finally stopped running. Breath heaving in their lungs, they both turned to see the ruin that was once a mountain, now a simple collection of jumbled rock.

(Y/N) would have been happy to walk in silence as they drew their weapons to fend off any attacks, in fact, he welcomed the silence for a while, it gave him time to think and clear his head a little.

As the rocks of the cave finally settled and came to rest behind him, he tried to keep them there, not thinking about what he had just done, putting it in the past, but that was easier said than done.

Annabeth could tell something was wrong, if the sidewards glances were any indication. "Are you okay?" She asked, trying to be gentle, both because of the injury, and because he was probably far too frustrated to hide the pain in his expression right now. He said "No."

He didn't mean to, it just slipped out, Annabeth cast him a sympathetic look, one he could have done without right now, but appreciated, nonetheless. It was good to know that she recognised when he wasn't okay, and that she cared enough to bring it up.

"That felt wrong." He explained, she took his hand, "I know, but it was just something we had to do, who knows what would have happened if she had caught us." He nodded, thankful of her use of 'we.'

What was that phrase? A burden shared is a burden halved? Still, he knew this was on him. "It was mine," he said trying his best to explain the feeling to Annabeth in a way she would understand.

"Just a good thing I had done, something I took pride in. Out of all the monsters I've hunted, of all the monsters I killed, that was probably the one..." He choked a little as they walked. He scanned the sky as best he could through the clouds of dust. "The one I was happy about."

A part of him was hoping that something would attack him just to get his mind off the pit that was forming in his stomach, the one that had been there since he squeezed the monster to death.