Percy Jackson, the Son of Olympus: The Lightning Thief

| Chapter XIX || Missing |

*January 5 XXXX*

*Artemis' Point of View*

***

We had just made it through the winding maze of hallways in the castle. I kept my eyes forward, intent on leaving the Underworld. It felt weird to not have access to all of my godly powers.

After a long hour of walking, we made to the entrance of the Underworld, the River Styx. Hades had promised that he would send Charon across to pick us up, even though it's supposed to be a one-way trip across the Styx.

As he arrived, pulling his boat up to the shore, he studied us. "You are missing half your group. Where is Percy? That blonde haired girl is missing too," he asked.

I turned, not believing what he said, but as I spun around, I saw that he was right. Percy's other companion—Travis, I think it was—and I were the only ones here. I paled. Annabeth had been acting strangely on the way here. I wonder... Oh no. Percy is in grave danger. I mean, I know he's always in danger, but right now it's super bad danger.

I immediately started to sprint back to the castle, teleporting on the way there. I reappeared in one of the hallways, and with my hunting skills, followed Percy's strong demigod scent to see where he and Annabeth went. I can't believe that I hadn't noticed this before, but the Underworld was giving off interference which was messing with my powers. I silently trekked down the hallway until his scent came to a stop. It was all over everything in that one section, but then, the trail just ended. I paled even more.

They were gone.

Percy was gone...

***

*Unknown Time*

*Percy's Point of View*

***

I woke up in a dark cell. My hands were chained above my, letting me hang limply in the darkness. I felt very uncomfortable, and my muscles were cramping. Looking around blurrily, I blinked a few times to clear my vision.

When everything cleared and my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the details of the cell. The walls were damp and made of piled stone bricks. There was moss and lichen growing along the edges, so I assumed that we were at or near the bottom of a lake or something. Good. I can use this to my advantage.

Suddenly, the door to the cell burst open, letting in a bright light, temporarily blinding me. The light faded slightly, allowing me to see two figures entering my cell. I recognized the first one as the hooded figure that I had encountered on Olympus.

The second figure was Annabeth.

I growled. "Traitor," I said under my breath.

Artemis had been the one to figure out my fatal flaw, not Athena. She had once told me that it was Personal Loyalty, meaning that I would do anything for my friends, and when I'm betrayed, I tend to cut off all ties from that one person.

Annabeth flinched slightly, obviously not liking being called a traitor.

Well, that's what she is. She turned to the figure. "You said that if I helped you then Percy would be mine!" she said. There were tears gathering in her eyes. "And you would leave my friends alone if I did what you asked."

My eyes widened. He had threatened to hurt her friends if she refused to do what he asked? I suddenly felt a rush of sympathy for Annabeth. I tried to push it down, convincing myself that she had betrayed me, but my heart started to crack, and I gave in. I felt myself feel sorry for her, and I devoted myself to freeing her from his will.