The House of Hades (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Annabeth

          Annabeth was almost asleep when she heard the voice.

            Her hands were pressed firmly on Percy’s leg, the blood long stopped, but her hands too weak to pull away from his calf. Her head lolled back, her mouth opened slightly for she was relaxed. The pain in her ankle had dulled so she barely felt it. Her eyelids were droopy, begging for sleep.

            She decided a quick nap couldn’t hurt… Percy would wake soon…

            I see the two heroes of Olympus have fallen into trouble once again, a voice as rough as rocks said silkily. The voice did not belong to a whole, more of a presence, struggling to gain consciousness.

            Immediately Annabeth could feel fear everywhere. Her breathing came in short, ragged pants. Her hands trembled on Percy’s leg, her heart trying to burst through her chest. She knew the voice, she knew the soul.

            “Kronos,” she whispered dryly. She should have known. When she first stumbled up on this level she had felt this, she just thought he had been unable to communicate with her in his state.

            Annabeth Chase, heroine of Olympus, Kronos chuckled harshly. You should have known that demigods don’t have good endings. You had too much faith in a good future.

            “Stop it,” Annabeth begged, removing her hands from Percy’s wound. Her palms were bloodstained, the red liquid dried, clumpy on her hands. She ran her palms down the front of her jeans; some of the blood clinging to the denim, yet most of the dried blood remained on her hands.

            My mother will indeed claim the earth, Kronos continued. When she does so, my essence, along with all Titans and giants, will hunt the remaining demigods.

            “You will not kill them!” Annabeth cried, forgetting to keep her voice quiet for Percy. “Jason will stop you!”

            They’ll be easy to eliminate, Kronos growled gleefully. My mother has already discovered his fatal flaw.

            “What’s Jason’s fatal flaw?” a voice next to Annabeth demanded coldly. Annabeth’s eyes flickered to Percy, he was sitting up. His eyes were alert and angry, he knew it was Kronos. “And don’t play any games, Kronos.” He spit out the name.

            Perseus Jackson, Kronos said, anger evident in his voice. You finally decided to wake up, hmm? Like your fatal flaw, and Thalia Grace’s, Jason’s was easy to identify.

            Percy met Annabeth’s eye. Behind his anger, there was fear. If Gaea already knew Jason’s fatal flaw, there was only a matter of time before she used it against him. Or there was the option that she was already playing him, using his fatal flaw to take advantage of him.

            Jason Grace’s fatal flaw is feeling weakness when his loved ones sacrifice themselves to protect him, Kronos continued. Whenever a friend or loved one risks their life for him, he feels guilt and weakness. It’s not an uncommon flaw, but this is his fatal flaw.

            Annabeth wondered why Kronos was telling them all this. Was he saying this to make them feel on edge?

            “And you’re helping us why?” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. “You just told us all about Jason’s fatal flaw. We can always warn him about it.”