Thirteen Days

Chapter 6

This was the second head counsellor meeting of the day, and this one was a lot more serious. It, of course, had to be held in the infirmary so that everyone could be there. Everybody had been told of Percy's...condition, and was there to discuss the prophecy. Mostly people tried to ignore the fact that their favourite hero was in a hospital bed and barely able to sit up, but every now and again someone would glance at him or throw him a cautious look.

"Right," Chiron started, "As you all know, we're here to talk about the latest prophecy and-"

"Look, Chiron, there's no point." Percy interjected.

"Percy, how can you say that?" Annabeth asked, "This is your only chance. You can't...I won't let you..." she was on the verge of breaking down again but shook herself out of it. "No. Percy we are going on this quest. It said we need four so that's two more people."

"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, only causing him to wince afterwards. "We are not going on this quest. No one is." She was about to object but he cut her off. "I can't even sit up! You think I can fight? Protect you? Protect myself?"

"Percy we can-"

"Besides, even if I could, I'm not letting you go back there." There was an echo of questions rippling through the room. Bur Chiron cut through it.

"Percy? What do you mean?" He asked.

"Annabeth told you guys the prophecy right?" He looked around, people were nodding but still confused to why it was so bad. He sighed. "It said "Through the depths of hell he'll find his way". What are you guys not getting?" Most were still confused, but a few had understood.

"I don't get it?" Some guy from the Hecate cabin asked, "What's so bad about the underworld? I've heard stories, didn't you go when you were like twelve? And you're cool with Nico's dad now, what's the big deal?" There was a few who sighed in exasperation by his cluelessness, but most were in the same place. They didn't understand.

Annabeth had realized, and started crying. Nico, Piper, Jason, Leo and Chiron and clocked on too. But the others were still none the wiser.

Percy shook his head. "Depths of hell," he repeated, "Guys it means Tartarus." A few looked away in shame, Piper went to comfort Annabeth and Chiron looked crestfallen. "See?" Percy asked, "There's no point Chiron. Even if I could fight, I would have to go back there, and I wouldn't dream of asking anybody else to follow me down."

"Seriously Percy?" Annabeth asked, wiping her eyes, "You think you have to ask?" He stared at her in confusion.

He couldn't believe she was volunteering to go back there for him. "Annabeth, half the time when we wake up screaming, one of us dreamed that we woke up back in Tartarus. You think I'm ever gonna let you go through that again?"

She shook her head. "You think just because the roles are reversed I won't jump in with you? Percy, I begged you to let me fall and save yourself. But, even though we both thought we would die there, even though there was the slimmest chance of making it out alive, even though I begged, you wouldn't let me fall by myself. And now it's my turn." She said simply. "My turn to risk it if there's a chance of saving you."

They were both crying (I mean, Jason was too, but that's just because he's a soppy romantic at heart).

"Um," Nico broke the silence. He had been shaking when they spoke about Tartarus, everyone always seemed to forget he had been there too, he had been there alone. He shook it off. "If this is any help at all, once you're in the underworld, Percy, you'll be able to fight. Since you're, you know, dying, the closer you get to the underworld the stronger you'll be. If you guys do decide to go, you will stand a chance."