Annabeth Chase and the Titan's Curse

Chapter 10 - I hold the sky

I was seriously getting sick of waking up in strange places.

This time I was at the bottom of a hill, unbound and alone. It was dark and foggy, so much so that I couldn't even see the sky although I knew that I was outside. My clothes were wet from lying on the ground and I felt chilly. Wherever I was, it didn't feel like a place a demigod should be.

For want of anything better to do, I started to climb the hill. I had a horrible feeling that this was what some malevolent force wanted me to do, but what could I do? I wasn't exactly the type of girl to sit down and wait to be rescued. Besides, maybe I could find a way to stop them from doing whatever they were doing.

As I struggled my way uphill, I felt like some force was against me, making it harder to walk. It was like a cord had been tied around my waist, dragging me backwards. I was practically on my hands and knees, already exhausted even though I hadn't made it far.

The higher I got, the stranger the landscape became. Greek columns started to appear out of the fog, shattered like a giant had had a party there. They were made of black marble and even the base of what would have been an Ancient Greek building was cracked and ruined.

If I wasn't so exhausted, I might have stopped to wonder about that, but I couldn't think. The only thing that kept me going was getting to the top of that damned hill.

So many times I wanted to stop and give up, but something kept me going. I didn't even know what it was that gave me the strength. Maybe anger at the unfairness of my life. Maybe someone I wanted to see again. I had no idea though.

"Thorn!" I yelled at one point. "Where are you? Why did you bring me here?"

I wasn't surprised at the lack of an answer.

I scrambled over a section of a broken wall, cutting my leg on a sharp bit. It was only shallow though, so I didn't bother to stop and look at it. Besides, I fancied that I could see the top of the hill.

A few more steps and I saw that I wasn't dreaming. The crest was directly above me. Another burst of strength got me up and over it and I found myself on a flat area, the ground rocky and hard. It was darker up there, the foggy swirling in a mysterious way.

I was about to sit down and rest when I saw Luke. I gasped in shock.

He was on the ground not far from me, his clothes in tatters and his face scratched and sweat coated. He looked horrible, gaunt and bruised. But what was causing him so much pain made me realise where I was.

Thorn had told me that I was going home. That much was true. I was in California, on top of Mount Tamalpais, which had been transformed into Mount Othrys, home of the Titan Atlas. He was Kronos' general in the first Titan War and when they were defeated, he was sentenced by the gods to hold up the sky for all eternity. But now, no matter where I looked, Atlas was no where to be seen. It was Luke who held the sky.

I could see how much pain he was in. This job had been created for Atlas as only a Titan or a god had the strength to hold up the entire sky. No mortal or demigod could do it. The sky was a huge funnel like a tornado above him, digging into his back. Only his body kept it from touching the ground and destroying the world. Yet Luke wasn't going to last much longer. Even now I could see him about to collapse.

"Annabeth!" he cried, pain and exhaustion slurring his words. "Help me! Please!"

Despite everything that had happened, despite my head yelling at me to turn around and walk away, I ran forward, coming to a knee beside him. I could barely see him through the tears in my eyes. The demigod that had once been the best in our camp, the one I loved, had been brought to this. It was horrible.

I went to touch his face, but drew back. Some part of me still resisted even though the rest cried for him.

"What happened?" I asked.

"They left me here," Luke groaned. "Please. It's killing me."

I should have left him then, walked away. The war would have been over and our greatest enemy dead. But still something held me there. At that moment, I hated my heart for being so weak.

"Why should I trust you?" I asked.

"You shouldn't," Luke whispered, looking up at me pleadingly. "I've been terrible to you. But, if you don't help me, I'll die."

My body felt like it was being torn in two. My head screamed for me to leave him, it was in camp's best interest that he died. My heart yelled back that I couldn't, that some part of me still loved him. I don't know what I would have done if the sky hadn't suddenly pressed down.

Luke slipped and fell, the sky immediately pushing down to bear on him. Instinct took over and I jumped forward, arms reaching up as I took on the weight of the sky. It was the worst thing I've ever done. My bones felt like they caught on fire and my muscles turned to liquid. I managed to position myself so that it rested on my back and I was on one knee, but even that didn't ease the pain. I was being squashed.

Luke rolled free, gasping with pain. He lay there, body shuddering while I struggled beside him, my entire body wracked with agony.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"Help me hold it," I managed to get out, my lungs feeling like they were closing up.

He stood up, body shaking but stronger now. He rolled his neck and stretched. He still looked terrible, but I couldn't really tell as exhaustion clouded my eyes.

"I knew I could count on you," he said, turning his back on me as I should have done to him.

"HELP ME!" I yelled, the weight making me fall further towards the ground.

"Oh don't worry. Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die." Then he left me alone to hold the sky by myself.