Chapter Text
Apollo was dizzy.
One second, he was playing his lyre and chatting with Artemis.
The next, he was trapped in a blank white room with the entire olympian council, and The Fates staring down at them like they were animals in a zoo.
The three beings had allowed them to check out their surroundings, which included one singular door leading to a dining room and a bathroom. That was it.
Once they were satisfied (as satisfied as they could be, anyway), the Fates snapped their fingers in unison, and a screen appeared in front of the gods.
"Watch."
The Fates responded, when Hermes had asked what they were to do.
"And remember."
Clotho specifically looked at Apollo when they spoke, and his fake gut twisted slightly.
Ironically, he felt like he should know those words.
After a minute or two of the gods sitting down and getting comfortable, the screen turned on.
Apollo sat on the very right, leaning back on his butt, one knee propped up, his hand resting on said knee.
Hermes sat next to him, his legs crossed like a child.
Next to the messenger sat Dio, who had his legs pressed to his chest, his head lazily propped up on his knees.
Next to Dio was Hephaestus, who had his good leg propped up, his other laying flat on the ground, and his cane next to it.
Next to Hephaestus was Ares, who had almost the exact same pose as Apollo, but his other hand was bracing his weight behind him.
Next to Ares was Hades, who sat with his knees underneath him, hands crossed over his chest.
Beside Hades was Poseidon, who had his legs crossed like Hermes.
Zeus sat next to Poseidon, and funnily enough, had the same pose as Hades.
Hera sat next to her husband, sitting on her knees as well, but her hands were laying in her lap.
Demeter was next to her sister, with both of her legs propped up, her arms laying on her knees.
Athena sat in the same pose as Hera, next to Demeter.
Aphrodite was the only one with both legs straight on the floor, her hands behind her, propping her up.
Artemis—Apollo was sad that she was so far down the line—sat with her legs crossed, her hands laying in her lap.
And finally, Persephone closed the line, sitting on the very left, her knees underneath her.
Hestia wasn't here, which saddened Apollo, she was most definitely the favorite aunt with everyone.
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, but when nothing played for a good long while, Hermes spoke up.
"Wonder what it's going to be about?"
He asked, eye bags dawning his usually handsome features. Apollo frowned, knowing he looked no better.
Gaia was on the prowl, and it wasn't long before she woke. Battling with their roman forms wasn't doing them much good either. Apollo didn't have that pain, since he and Phoebus—What he called his roman form, his kids suggested the name—were basically the same person; but he was still extremely stressed for his sister, and his children.
"If I can throw my two cents in, probably Penny and his little group."
Dionysus mumbled, Apollo winced at the exhaustion sagging his brother's face. He so wanted to find Dio a wine bottle and crack it open for him, but his father still wouldn't allow it.
Athena nodded in agreement, and Apollo noticed her chewing on her nails. Must have been a habit she picked up from her kids.
Heavy breathing sounded, and it took the sun god a second to realize it came from the TV.
At first, it was just black, but soon, a blurry tapestry appeared.
The design on it was. . .Percy and Annabeth.
Athena hissed, causing Ares to snap his head towards her. She looked both fearful and angry.
The image cleared, and the very kids shown on the tapestry stood there, hands gripping tightly together, like they would lose each other if they let go.
Apollo grimaced at the state the two children were in, glancing over at their parents, only to see them death staring the screen.
Figured.
He thought.
Athena mumbled something about her parthenos under her breath, which gave Apollo the answer as to what the chaos the group of children were doing.
"It seems your daughter has successfully found the Athena parthenos. I'm sure you're proud."
Zeus began, a faint smile on his lips. Like always, it wasn't genuine.
Athena didn't look proud at all, her face paling a little.
Hades, in the meanwhile, had straightened up at the sight of the shaking hole behind the two, still as a statue. Persephone shared his brief glance of horror.
"Is that. . .?"
She muttered.
Everyone looked over at her in confusion.
"Tartarus."
Hades finished the sentence for her, nodding bitterly.
The air itself froze, and all the Kronides in the room tensed considerably.
Chaos, they haven't even started the actual plot yet, and already the room was stuffy enough to heat up Boreus.
-Nico had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up Annabeth's leg. She gasped, and stumbled.
"What is it?"
Percy asked.-
Athena gripped her legs, the movement of her jaw showing that she stopped chewing on her nails, and started chewing the inside of her cheek.
-She tried to stagger towards the ladder. Why was she moving backward instead?-
It must have clicked for the sea god, as he shot his head to Athena, who looked at him helplessly.
Holy Helios,
Apollo thought, eyes dancing between the two.
I've never seen them act like this.
-Her legs swept out from under her, and she landed on her face.
"Her ankle!"
Hazel shouted.
"Cut it! Cut it!"-
Demeter peered closer, her eyes widening.
"There is spider silk, wrapped around her ankle."
"Her broken ankle."
Apollo chimed in, glaring at the screen like that would heal it.
Athena was paling even more now, and Apollo felt a pang of sympathy for her.
It soon clicked.
"They're going to fall into Tartarus."
He breathed. The air chilled.
Everyone looked tense now, no one had a semblance of hope on their face.
"Oh no-"
He heard Athena whisper, pressing a hand over her mouth.
-Annabeth's mind was woozy from the pain. Cut her ankle?
Apparently Percy didn't know what Hazel meant either. Then something yanked Annabeth backwards and dragged her to the pit.
Percy lunged, grabbing her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.-
Athena hissed in a breath through her teeth. Poseidon seemed ready to drown the entirety of New York.
-"Help them!"
Hazel yelled. Annabeth glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying untangle her calvary sword from the rope ladder.
Their other friends were still focused on the statue, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern.-
It felt like everyone was holding their breath, Hades wincing at the sight of his son uselessly wobbling to help his friends.
Even Zeus wasn't saying anything, simply staring at the screen in general confusion.
-Annabeth sobbed as she hit the edge of the pit, her legs went over the side.
Too late she realized what was happening. She was tangled in the spider silk. She should have cut it away immediately.
She thought it was loose line, but with the entire floor covered in cobwebs, she hadn't noticed that one of the strands was wrapped around her foot.
And the other end went straight to the pit.-
Nobody could speak. Apollo himself felt nauseous. Protector of youth, and here he was, watching two teenagers slowly fall into the deepest pits of the underworld.
-It was attached to something heavy in the darkness, something that was pulling her in.-
"Arachne."
Athena whispered, her eyes as wide as saucers. Aphrodite grimaced beside her, giving her an awkward pat on the shoulder.
-"No!"
Percy muttered, light dawning his eyes.
"My- my sword!"
But he couldn't reach riptide without letting go of Annabeth's arm, and Annabeth's strength was gone.
She slipped over the edge, Percy fell with her.-
Poseidon was shaking with rage, Zeus looked uncomfortable sitting next to him.
Artemis was wide eyed, as rigid as stone, her eyes locking onto Apollo's. She cared for kids just as much as he did, and she had even given Percy the pass of approval despite being a male.
It was final. They were going to die. Those two teenagers, the architect of Olympus, and the savior of the gods, were going to die in Tartarus.
Nobody survived it.
They wouldn't last a second.
-Her body slammed into something. She must have blacked out briefly from the pain, and when she could see again, she realized that she had fallen partway into the pit, and was dangling over the void.
Percy had managed to grab a ledge about fifteen feet below the top of the casim. he was holding on with one hand, with Annabeth's wrist on the other, but the pull on her legs was much too strong.
"No escape!"
Said a voice in the darkness below.
"I go to Tartarus, and you come to!"-
Athena physically flinched, and Apollo instantly knew who that voice belonged to. Arachne.
-Annabeth wasn't sure if she actually heard Arachne's voice, or if it was just in her mind.
The pit shook, Percy was the only thing keeping her from falling. He was barely holding onto a ledge the size of a bookshelf.
Nico leaned over the edge of the chasm, thrusting out his hand, but he was much too far away to help.
Hazel was yelling for the others, but even if they heard her over all the chaos, they'd never make it in time.-
Dionysus was staring at the screen with genuine shock, and not for the first time, Apollo wished he could get the man a drink.
Apollo knew his little brother didn't actually dislike the kids, he did as a mask, as a facade. Seeing the two main trouble makers that wormed their way into his heart fall into Tartarus, that was going to leave a nasty impression.
-Annabeth's leg felt like it was pulling free from her body, the pain washed everything in red. The force of the underworld tugged at her like dark gravity, she didn't have the strength to fight.
She knew she was too far down to be saved.
"Percy! Let me go!"
She croaked.-
Athena jerked back, her eyes shining with disbelief.
"He wouldn't."
She muttered.
"He wouldn't."
Aphrodite confirmed. Athena looked at her, about to argue, but the sadness on the goddess' face was enough to clamp her mouth shut.
He wouldn't.
-"You can't pull me up!"
His face was white with effort. She could see in his eyes that he knew it was helpless.
"Never!"
He said.
He looked up at Nico fifteen feet above.
"The other side, Nico! We'll see you there, understand?"-
Someone gasped, it might have been Apollo.
Poseidon had completely frozen. Even Ares was shook to his core, and he hated Percy.
Aphrodite sniffled, a few tears welling at the corner of her eyes.
Hades had paled more than he already was, glancing between his brother's son and his own over a dozen times.
-Nico's eyes widened.
"But-"
"Lead them there!"
Percy shouted.
"Promise me!"
"I- I will."
Below them, the voice laughed in the darkness.-
"Quiet, you insolent beast!"
Athena shouted, causing half of the gods to jump, heads flying in her direction.
Ares seemed slightly proud.
-"Sacrifices! Beautiful sacrifices to wake the goddess!"
Percy tightened his grip on Annabeth's wrist. His face was scraped and bloody, his hair dusted with cobwebs.
But when he locked eyes with her, she thought he had never looked more handsome.-
Dionysus sighed, a tint of fondness in his exasperation. He knew those two would never abandon each other.
Aphrodite was actually crying now, silently sobbing into a rag Demeter had given her. Artemis was awkwardly patting her on the back.
-"We're staying together!"
He promised.
"You're not getting away from me! Never again!"
Only then did she understand what would happen. A one way trip, a very hard fall.
"As long as we're together."
She said. She heard Nico and Hazel still screaming for help. She saw sunlight far, far above, maybe the last sunlight she would ever see. Then Percy let go of his tiny ledge.
And together, holding hands, he and Annabeth fell into the endless darkness.-
The screen cut off, and went to black.
Silence filled the room, aside from a few tiny sniffles and sobs from various gods.
Apollo didn't realize that he himself had a few tears rolling down his cheek, and quickly wiped them away.
"Is that-?"
Hermes coughed, having unconsciously gripped onto Apollo's arm halfway through.
"Is that it? Is that the end?"
No one answered, but they weren't teleported home yet either.
"I guess that means no."
The sun god mumbled.
"Doesn't that mean they're still alive?"
Persephone asked, clinging to the only thing that could possibly signify that the two kids they've come to love—or tolerate—aren't dead.
Athena shook her head, wiping a few unshed tears away from her eyes.
"Yeah- yes, perhaps they are. Perhaps they made it."
"I doubt it."
Hades muttered in return, earning a few scowls.
He raised his hands, a serious expression on his face.
"I'm not trying to be be the burden of bad news, but it's Tartarus. They won't survive."
Another silence fell over the room, no one wanted to speak.
Apollo jumped at the TV suddenly turning back on, eyes snapping to the screen instantly.
"Good afternoon, gods of Olympus. Information will now be provided."
The Fates voices came through, still in creepy unison.
"Ah yes, such a peachy afternoon indeed."
Dionysus rumbled bitterly, a sharp smile tugged on his face.
That earned a snort from Ares.
"You will be reacting to Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson's adventure through Tartarus, and whether they survive or not. Questions can be asked, and we will answer them if they are to our liking. Do you agree?"
Apollo nodded, vaguely seeing a few of his siblings do so as well. He desperately wanted to know if those two were okay.
"Good. Now, let us continue."
-"Nine days. . ."-