The House of Hades

Chapter 21- Annabeth

Caterpillars!

Annabeth XXI

Annabeth turned around.

Psychi scared her, but Annabeth knew she needed to defeat her if she wanted to escape.

Psychi pointed to the bandage on Annabeth's stomuch. "Hurt?"

Annabth ignored it and jumped of her back leg with a battle cry, and brought her knife down on Psychi's head. Psychi caught the dagger in her claws, and threw Annabeth to the side, hard.

The backpack straps snapped and fell off, but Annabeth had no time to react. Psychi was coming at her fast, with her claws unsheathed.

Annabeth rolled over and dodged it, but it caused her pain. The wound on Annabeth's stomuch began to hurt again, causing her to scream in pain. It was much worse than what she experienced before, like the wound reopened and then she was wounded there again.

"Your actually better then most of the people I've fought." Psychi commented.

"Ya well, there's more where that came from." Annabeth replied, struggling to her feet.

"Bring it."

Annabeth ran forward and slashed at Psychi's arm, but she ducked, grabbed Annabeth's leg and picked her up.

"Now let's throw you back in your prison." Psychi said.

"Not if I can help it." Annabeth swung around and chopped of Psychi's hand, and she dropped onto the floor, painfully. She cried out in pain.

Psychi shrieked as her hand fell on to the floor. "I WILL return you to your prison! No matter what it takes!"

"Good luck with that!" Annabeth picked herself up again.

Psychi charged, slashing at Annabeth's ankle. The ankle that had been broken. Annabeth jumped, barely dodging, and slashed Psychi's back.

Psychi staggered back, dropping to her knees. Annabeth turned, ready to walk off in victory.

"Don't think this will be so easy." Psychi said, getting up. Annabeth turned around just to picked up by Psychi again. This time, she was gripped tightly and her claws digged into her shoulder. Annabeth wiggled around but couldn't get out.

Psychi picked up Annabeth's packed bags and walks to the storage room. She tossed the bags and slammed the door and went back to the prison Annabeth had been kept in. She threw Annabeth in and Annabeth whimpered in pain.

"I'm going to punish you for what you did!" Psychi said, happy now that she had the upper hand.

Annabeth was sucked into another vision.

Annabeth was barely hanging onto the edge of a cliff. She could see that down below there were a lot of spiders, and a lot was an understatement.

But, on top of the cliff, was Archane. Annabeth had no choice, but to keep hanging there, or else she would face what she feared most.

Or what she feared second most. Because hanging from Archane's mouth was a dead Percy Jackson.

Tears streamed down Annabeth's face, it felt so real. Percy was gone, forever.

"You're next!" Archane called to Annabeth.

"NO!" Annabeth screamed. Percy was thrown off the cliff and when he landed on the ground, and the spiders covered him. There was a lump on the ground, and it disappeared. Either Percy had been carried away or.....or he had been...eaten.

Archane picked up Annabeth and she screamed out in pain.

"Annabeth!" A familliar voice yelled.

It couldn't be. Percy.

"Annabeth! Wake up!" Percy cried.

Wake up?

Annabeth blinked. She was shivering like crazy.

"Percy?" Annabeth called out.

"Your alive!" Percy said back.

Annabeth sat up, her head spinning.

"You okay?" Percy asked.

"Do I look okay?" Annabeth asked back, her voice cracking. She was still shaking.

"No..."

"Let's just get out of here Seaweed Brain." Annabeth sighed.

"You bet." Percy picked her up and ran out of the cell.

"What about Gaea?" Annabeth asked.

"Don't worry about her." Percy replied.

"That just makes me worry more."

Annabeth couldn't see Percy's reaction but she was sure he had rolled his eyes. He backed up against the wall. He peeked around the wall, but the coast was clear.

"Looking for me?"

Percy whirled around and they saw Gaea.

"Gaea!" Annabeth said, as steadily as she could.

"Going somewhere? You know you're going to be punished for this." Gaea said.

Annabeth whimpered, remembering the punishment. Percy gritted his teeth.

"How about we fight, and if I win, you let us go." Percy suggested.

"No." Gaea replied plainly.

"You scared? I saw the fear in your eyes when I challenged you earlier." Percy taunted.

"Fear? I think you were seeing things Percy Jackson." Gaea laughed.

Percy didn't reply.

"You can't provoke me."

"I noticed." Percy said.

"Now for the punishment." Gaea said. She snapped her fingers and the two demigods appeared in a long hallway.

"Where are we?" Percy asked.

"I have no idea." Annabeth replied.

Percy started walking towards the right and Annabeth didn't protest because she was too tired. Annabeth started to doze off, her eyes closing.

"Annabeth! Sorry to disturb you, but you should really see this." A gentle voice said.

Annabeth opened her eyes and saw Percy holding a piece of paper.

"What does it say?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

Percy handed it to Annabeth and she read it silently. It said:

             Annabeth,

             You are in the second level of Tartarus, the maze. The first level is where Gaea caught you. that is where all the monsters are kept when they are sent to Tartarus. The second level, the maze, is a gigantic maze full of traps and monsters, like the Labyrinth, but smaller and more deadly. You will find these notes spread out through the maze, maybe with some advice or materials to help you and the son of Poseidon.

OMG, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

WHO IS HELPING ANNABETH?

Those are questions probably going on in your mind.

They will be answered soon enough.

BAI!