Percy Jackson - The House of Hades

Chapter 1 - Percy

As long as we're together…

They were still together, but for how long, Percy didn't know.

Percy's free hand grappled at the air, while his other hand clung to Annabeth's sweaty, pale hand, as the world around him got darker and darker, and the light above them, marking his friend's silhouettes got smaller until it was only a tiny pin point, and then it was gone.

A feeling of freefall was not a new to him. But the feeling of freefalling into Tartarus, the endless cesspool of evil, was entirely new. Percy wasn't one of those daredevils that went sky diving into the Underworld on his downtime. He'd much rather spend his time, well, anywhere else.

Gravity managed to pulled Percy down farther than Annabeth, so that he was underneath her. While he was gasping and coughing and yelping, she was abnormally quiet. Percy couldn't see her face anymore, which frightened him.

No, no, no… this wasn't the happy ending Percy wanted.

Percy's mouth formed words, some not very appropriate, some unintelligible. His head was swimming with nausea, and the feeling that his limbs were being ripped apart was only a dull throb. Did he still have limbs? He'd hit so many things that he wouldn't be surprised if his legs were gone.

Of piece of debris hit him in the arm, the one that was holding onto Annabeth. His grip slackened.

NO! He yelled at himself. You will not lose her again.

Before Percy could let go, he yanked her against his own body. He wrapped his arms around her back and over her shoulders in a tight embrace that wouldn't let up. He put his hand on the back of her skull and pushed it closer to his chest to protect her from the flying wreckage and their impending impact.

Their impending impact… when were they ever going to reach the bottom?

It seemed as if they'd been falling for an eternity when the light started to shine. Not the kind of light that the sun produces, but a sinister glow that only showed the shadows of faces.

Percy could see Annabeth's blood and dust coated blonde hair. Her face was covered in dirt and scratches, and her eyes were closed.

The clog of terror seemed to vanish from his throat with this sudden minimal burst of light eradicating from the walls, and Percy found himself able to talk better.

He bent his head down and out his lips against Annabeth's ear. "Please say something," he whispered, but he wasn't even sure that she could hear him. He couldn't hear himself with all of the commotion going on.

"Please, Annabeth," he pleaded. "Please be alive."

And her head twitched up and down, not involuntarily. She had nodded, which meant she was conscious. Just knowing that made Percy feel loads better.

Percy would do anything for Annabeth. They were stuck like glue. After the abduction by Her Majesty of Annoyance, the goddess Hera (or Juno, depending on who you were) Percy and Annabeth had been separated from each other for sixth months.

Which, to Percy, had been sixth months WAY too long.

Only a few days ago had they been reunited on one of the best days of Percy's life. But that best day of his life hadn't lasted too long, because almost right after the incident, his friend Leo had been possessed by an eidolon. The eidolon had caused Leo to shoot at the Romans, which had started World War III for the Greeks and Romans.

Confusing? Welcome to the life of a demigod.

For the past few days, they had journeyed across the United States, over the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean, all the way to Rome, on a Greek trireme called the Argo II.

Of course, once they had reached Rome, they'd been split up. Percy had gone with Jason and Piper to a place Piper had seen on her dagger (long story), then to get save their friend Nico by getting rid of a giant named Ephialtes and his brother, the ballerina named Otis (longer story).

Meanwhile, Leo, Frank, and Hazel had gone to try and pinpoint Nico's location without knowing that the others were going to end up finding him. Long story short, Frank and Hazel had been knocked out by a bunch of monsters who planned on using them to help Gaea rise, and Leo had saved them by cracking open a fortune cookie that gave him a code to go all commando on them with weapons made by Archimedes.

And in the midst of that, Annabeth had been kidnapped by Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and then tortured, shocked, horrified, and maimed by Arachne, the mother of spiders. But it'd been Annabeth's quest to follow the Mark of Athena and find the Athena Parthenos, which she did, all with a broken ankle.

Percy could've never been a prouder boyfriend.

So, finally, Percy had found Annabeth with the ground falling apart all around them, into the bottomless pit of evil. Of course, with just his luck, there had still been spider silk wrapped around Annabeth's broken ankle.

Too late had he realized what this had meant. The spider silk yanked Annabeth, who'd had with no strength left, and she had gone over the edge. Percy had grabbed her arm, also being pulled over. He'd latched onto a ledge.

As he continued to fall, the final scenes replayed in his mind.

Nico, trying his best to save them, but they'd been too far down.

Percy making Nico promise to meet them at the Doors of Death.

And, sadly, Annabeth, just telling him to let her go, her voice so full of despair that it had broken Percy's heart.

"Never," he'd told her. He would never let go of her. If she went down, he was going down with her. "We're staying together," he'd promised.

"As long as we're together," she'd told him, and he'd let go of the ledge.

And Percy didn't regret his decision.

So as their bodies flopped uselessly through the air, Percy knew that there was no way any of his powers would come in handy. A salty spring or a cursing horse wouldn't help them much where they were going.

Percy felt a continuous tug on him, and it wasn't gravity. Tartarus was sucking them down. Percy was glad that his friends were okay, and he hoped to Poseidon that they hadn't tried to follow them down there.

If Nico had been able to find the Doors of Death, than hopefully Percy and Annabeth would be able to too.

A chuck of asphalt hit Percy's head. Hard.

Black and green spots appeared in his vision and a bunch of air leaked from his lungs. He was vaguely aware of his slipping grip on Annabeth, and then her arms wrapping themselves around his neck. Her head pressed itself in the crook of his neck.

Percy tried to ignore the pain, which was pretty hard. This was one of those moments that he wished that he still had the curse of Achilles.

When the pain faded a small bit, Percy blinked rapidly, trying to get the spots out of his eyes. He faintly heard someone muttering, "Percy, Percy…" Annabeth.

Something huge knocked into them both, and Percy had the feeling that it'd been a car. It knocked the sharply the right (or was it the left?) and threw them against the wall of sharp stone.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion, Percy could see the black stone getting closer, and Percy turned his body so it shielded Annabeth, and took the full force of the hit.

A voice cackled sleepily. You will not be able to escape this time, Percy Jackson. Maybe you should have let Annabeth go. But that doesn't matter no. You're both doomed, and your friends will perish before they ever reach the House of Hades.

Percy had blood in his mouth. Over the roar of wind in his ears, he screamed at the voice of Gaea. "We WILL close the Doors of Death. You have no idea what you're facing!"

Oh, really, little Son of Poseidon. Even the Gods of Olympus haven't been able to find me rising for the last 2,000 years. I am much stronger than you'll ever be.

And just to prove that, another flying chuck of road hit Percy hard, and sent them spiraling down faster.

With one last desperate thought, Save her, Percy blacked out.