Percy Jackson--The Blazing Trident

Chapter 5.5: Annabeth's Path of Fear

Hey. Annabeth here.

I'm writing about my path thingy as I go. Usually in a current journal you'd write in present tense, but past is way easier. It's what I'm used to. Especially when you're trying to not die.

Yeah, yeah, I know. What about Percy? I don't wanna know about Annabeth! Okay, I get it. But you better read my story either way, or I'm going to judo flip you.

After I touched that weird blood and faded off, I blacked out. When I came to, I was on this aimless path. It trailed off forever, past dirty rivers and daunting woods.

Creepy.

Dusting myself off, I stood up and scanned the area. Nothing. I'll just walk ahead then, I decided. Every time I tried to step off the path, I'd feel this searing pain. Like I had to keep forward.

I felt something scuttle under my foot. My eyes bugged for the second time. There it was. Hairy, spindly, disgusting little....ugh. I just can not stand those things.

Steel yourself, Annabeth, I thought. Just a sp-sp....

Another one caught the corner of my eye.

"Spideeer!!" I screamed and ran back again. I spotted a wooden stick and grabbed it, shakily waving it around as if I'd swing it at nothing that came close.

I batted away some, but I felt something crawl under my fingers. Glancing down, I found that the wooden stick was completely buzzing with spiders. Dropping it, I took a few more trembling steps forward.

Soon I came across a puzzle. It was laid as nine purple tiles, with a strange symbol on each one, an L-like carving on eight of them, with the last one in the middle of the nine tiles engraved with a black oval. That is freaking easy, I mumbled in my mind. I was too afraid to open my mouth, lest a certain pest came in. I shuddered at the idea.

Just arrange them like this, and there you go! I proudly finished assembling. It forms the body with the oval and the eight legs, a simple but obvious...

Spider. Crap.

Then the weirdest thing happened.

The spider I formed sank into the ground and black mist seeped out of the shape until a gigantic spider came out. Except, it had a human face. And also, the human face didn't actually have facial features--just a mouth.

Creepy.

"Hello, Annabeth darling." It hissed softly. "Can you pass?"

The words echoed in my mind. The more I looked at the grotesque creature, the more gruesome it was. It smiled, revealing rows of rotting fangs. And then, it lunged.

I was paralyzed with terror, but regained my senses quickly. Before I could scream again, I flipped into the air and drew my dagger. The spider's leg grazed my shoulder, but it exploded with pain. I sliced off a few of the hairy things, and in turn the spider howled.

I cut a long scar into the human faced spider, and blood poured from the wound. But that was it. I was panting, heavily and sharply. There was something in that scratch it gave me. Something poisonous.

The spider have a raspy cackle. "Indeed, sweet! My claws fill with venom, acid that corrupts your insides until you perish from the agony!"

I coughed. Yellow spots danced in my eyes. Clots of blood splattered the floor

"I...I can still fight!" I insisted. "I'm not done yet!"

I dragged myself to a tree, running at full force and using the momentum to spring myself off the tree, sailing over the spider until I was right next to it. Slash after slash, it was just a matter of time: for the spider to die from the scarlet flooding gashes I gave it, or for me to collapse from the sickly poison that was slowly eating me away. My exhaustion from the attacks further sped up my death.

Finally, my arms went numb. I went in for a final attack, but I couldn't. Instead, I was stuck midair. That's when I noticed. My eyes had been so weak, I cursed myself for being so stupid. Looking closer, sticky white strands entangled me and the fighting area...

I'd fought myself right into a web.

The spider grinned. "Did you forget about the traps as well?" It was true. The entire place was woven delicately into one large trap. And now I was stuck.

I would never return. I'd never see Percy again. Tears welled up at that thought.

The sider tsked. "Now, none of those thoughts. Those are for the next one, the hardest one."

The what?

The spider leered at me. "Oh. But you won't pass this one will you?" It crackled a laughing sound. "Weakling."

My mind spun. In this situation, it was kind of dumb to think this, but anger erupted. Weakling? Um, what? I'd been called prideful, smart, take it easy, scary...but weakling?

Uh uh. Not Annabeth Chase.

I mustered up the last willpower I had, and with the few ounces of strength I could summon up, I broke through the threads winded around my arms and the knife came crashing into the spider. A deluge of blood flooded out, and I was out of power. The spider screeched, and I knew it was done this time.

Strangely though, it was still grinning. With a little pity, even.

"And I'd thought to take sympathy and try my best to kill you here." It sighed a little disappointingly, and was crushed into a dark mass of pooling dark liquid, before vanishing away.

That's when I crawled a little further, seeking some rest. Of course not. The last part of training was still in store, I soon found out.

My heart clenched. Spiders. So many spiders, such a horrible spider that last one was.

Yet, the next ordeal couldn't even compare to spiders.

Two figures appeared. One was too horrifying. The only thing I'll say is the flames that curled around, burning everything. The second one was Percy.

It was starting.

The flares of fire are flickering around this journal. They might shatter into my hands if I keep writing.

This paper is burning up....what a waste.

Percy is coming toward me. No, it's not Percy. It's a replica, an illusion, a fake to get under my skin. Sadly, it's working.

Huh? Percy-figure, what's wrong? Oh gods...wait..no! Stop it! My face is stained with blood, sweat, and eons of crying. 

Stop it! Agh....no! No! I don't want to see this!

Percy? Are you alright? What's wrong with the camp?

My eyes flit as I try to make sense of the horror around me..

Ah, the last of the paper has burned up.