The Beginning of the End (J. Grace)

XXVIII: Good things don't last long

A car bounced off the statue under the car park.

The metal box didn't even touch the marble, and that was when I knew this statue of – seemingly – Athena held remarkable power. She seemed to glare up at me with her 'Are you kidding me?' look. Very degrading. Very embarrassing.

The car hurtled towards a small figure on the ground whom I could only assume to be my best friend Annabeth. My breath caught in my lungs as I watched, powerless, but she dived out of the way, to everyone's great relief.

It seemed to crash into a giant spider's web, sending wed and car tumbling through the cavern floor, never to be seen again. That was... weird, to say the least. What was also weird was that the web screamed. What do you know? Positively strange.

More and more and more debris fell down, smashing onto the ground and creating craters in the craters. And Wise Girl was down there.

"Annabeth!" Seaweed Brain leaned over the rail and called out to her, panic flooding his face as we earnestly seared for that tangle of blonde hair below the ship.

"Here!" Her voice was a heartbreaking sob of relief and terror. Pure, unfiltered terror. Gods, when I find out who's hurt her down there, I'm going to–

She was standing. She was looking over at Guineapig's beaming face. She was alive.

She's alive!

The Argo II hovered to a stop about forty feet above the floor while Annabeth edged closer to the chasm made by that pesky car, staring down as though in a daze.

A rope ladder was lowered and Percy was down it in an instant, rushing to her side and lacing his fingers through hers. I was down there, too, before long, on Bethy Baby's other side, wrapping an arm about her shoulders. The three of us stood there a little while: silent, comforting and understanding. There were no words to be shared, which was honestly blissful.

The three of us, who have gone through so much together, finally having a moment to appreciate that we're still alive.

Slowly, I unwound myself from her and took a couple of steps back to allow the couple some space. Pery gently turned her away from the ominous pit and took her into his arms where she buried her face in his chest and broke down into tears.

Annabeth never cries. She's a perfectionist at hiding her emotions behind blank expressions while I hide mine behind dramatic flares.

"It's okay." Seaweed Brain murmured while I took a survey of her state. She was covered in cobwebs, but the more worrying matter was her leg in a makeshift bubble-wrap cast. "We're together."

All of the others gathered around, Lightning Boy now at my side with our two kids. Dove, Iron Man and Teddy Bear (Hedge had decided to stay on board, it seemed) all formed a rough semi-circle.

"Your leg..." I focused on that, trying to convince myself that was her only wound. It didn't work. I pulled her into a tight hug, then stepped back, holding her shoulders and examining her face. Guineapig didn't let go of her hand. "Gods, Wise Girl, what happened?"

She explained, though it sounded painful and daunting. I took another couple of steps back so that the others could see her, too, while she recollected what had happened to her. The spiders, Arachne, the Mark of Athena, the Parthenos, everything.

I clutched Lightning Boy's hand as she spoke, envisioning her fear throughout it all. Remembering that I wasn't there to protect her as I had vowed on the Styx I always would, back when... in...

It doesn't matter.

She's alive. That's what matters.

"Gods of Olympus." Jason was the first to break the awe-stricken silence which had settled over us all when Annabeth's story came to a close. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."