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Without hesitation she grabs Percy by the collar of his orange camp-half blood t-shirt, pulls him in and kisses him. His lips are warm, a little dry and rough but warm against hers. It was a rather last minute, spur of the moment, very unexpected move from her. She didn’t even see it coming herself, the heat was probably getting to her head.
“Be careful Seaweed Brain.” Annabeth says before putting her hat on and watching him for a second while invisible.
She can’t tell if the flush of maroon to his cheeks was because of the kiss or from the heat, whatever the reason she couldn’t wait around and stare at him all day. All she could do was hope he had an actual plan, turn around and get out of here herself.
Her body was moving before her brain fully caught up with what was happening and it wasn’t until she was at the entrance to Mount St Helens, a couple steps away from reentering the Labyrinth when it hit her what she had just done.
Gods she really hoped her mum wasn’t watching that.
“Idiot.” Annabeth mutters to herself taking her hat off. She looks back over her shoulder but can’t see Percy anywhere. She waits for a minute hoping to see him come running out of the forge and to her.
She could feel the weight of the mechanical spider in her pocket and the phantom of Percy’s lips on hers which now felt colder, that could easily be because she’s away from the heat of the lava or because the pressure and warmth from his lips on hers is now gone.
Another minute or two pass before she decides she needs to move, get on with the quest, make her way back to Hephaestus and find Daedalus. Percy will catch up with her, he’ll find his way out of there and back into the Labyrinth, back to her. He’s smarter than people give him credit for.
Annabeth takes the spider out of her pocket and let’s it go on the ground, her skin crawls and goosebumps form on her arms at the sensation of it’s tiny legs tickling her palm as it runs across her skin and onto the stone floor of the Labyrinth. She begins to follow the spider down this first passageway, a straight corridor that looks like it goes on forever with no turns in sight.
How stupid she looks chasing after this spider and running from Percy leaving him alone back there in the forge with all those monsters. The kiss keeps replaying on a loop in her mind. She kissed him, she kissed him on the lips and then ran.
“Gods what have I done? What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if he hates me forever and we can’t be friends anymore?” Annabeth asks all her inner thoughts aloud for the Labyrinth walls to hear as if they could even answer her. This stupid place can’t even lead her to Daedalus.
This was not her thinking six steps ahead. How could she let her feelings get in the way of her quest. She could have ruined everything, the quest, their friendship. For once there was nothing logical behind her decision back there, just pure emotion taking over. How could she let herself be so reckless and stupid?
Percy is a forbidden child and he could very well be the one the prophecy is about which means he might die in a year and she would lose him. A thought and fear she’s more than familiar with by now but one she’s tried her best to ignore just as she’s tried her best to ignore her own feelings and crush towards him.
So why choose that moment to kiss him?
Theres no way of telling how far down this path she’s traveled her surroundings stay the same the entire way down and it’s one endless corridor of stone walls. The ground under her feet shakes violently almost knocking her off her feet. She leans into the wall and looks over her shoulder half expecting to see something charging towards her and half expecting to see the Labyrinth change.
Nothing seems to be happening, the path stays the same and stays empty.
She’s about to continue, shrugging it off when a wave of extreme heat hit’s her back and it dawns on her what exactly caused the floor to shake like that.
“No.” She gasps turning and running back down the path to Mount St Helens. “No. PERCY!” Annabeth calls out his name.
Please have made it out, please have made it out. She silently prays to any God who happens to be watching or listening.
The closer she gets to the entrance of Mount St Helens the more intense the heat gets to the point that it’s seeping into her lungs and making it hard to breathe with the added exertion of sprinting.
She is so sure she’s about to run into a pool of lava but she doesn’t get the chance to find out because instead of running into boiling hot lava or the entrance to the volcano being right up ahead she runs straight into a stone wall that shouldn’t exist.
“What?” She breathes the heat still clawing at her throat and lungs. “No. No, don’t do this to me now.”
She stares at the wall in front of her, her hands searching for a door or passageway, something, anything that gets her back to Mount St Helens. Back to Percy.
“Is there another way?” She asks the spider which is just a few feet behind her, having followed her back up the Labyrinth.
It doesn’t answer her because of course it doesn’t and honestly thank the Gods it can’t speak. She doesn’t think she could handle a talking spider right now, mechanic or not.
“Okay, okay.” She whispers taking a step back from the wall reassessing the situation. “It’s still possible he got out. Maybe the explosion happened after he left, who’s to say he caused it?” Annabeth asks herself before shaking her head and pacing back and forth in front of the wall.
Who is she kidding, there’s a ninety percent chance Percy caused that explosion.
The spiders tiny legs start skittering across the stone ground as it starts to head back down the path. Annabeth glances back at the wall one last time just incase it’s changed but a stone wall continues to stand in her way.
Damn it. She curses under her breath before following the spider.
Her pace quickens with the spiders. She fixes the clip in her hair pinning her braids back from her face and wished she had another one for the other side as well as a bobble to attempt to tie back her short braids. The ends of them are sticking to her neck from the heat.
Annabeth spends majority of the way back to the workshop silently crying. By the time the spider brings her back to Hephaestus she’s sweaty, covered in dirt and ash and she’s utterly exhausted. She has no way of telling what day it is or how long it’s been since they left here for Mount St Helens.
Hephaestus sits at his workbench hammering away at something when she steps into the workshop behind the spider. He doesn’t notice her and she doesn’t announce herself at first as she watches the spider jump up onto the workbench and nestle in watching its maker work.
“I see you’ve made it back.” Hephaestus says not looking up at her. “That did not take you all that long.”
Annabeth clears her throat. “How long exactly has it been?” Time isn’t normal down here and especially because they left the Labyrinth and reentered it could’ve been hours or even a week.
“Two days.” He tells her, eyes still down on his work. “So what did you find out?”
“Telkhines.” She says with a shaky breath as she thinks back to the monsters and the forges and the explosion and Percy… “They’re using the forge to make weapons for Kronos’ army.” She explains further.
The God stops what he’s doing and sighs. “Ah, I suppose that makes sense, likely place for those pesky things to be.” He finally looks over at her and frowns, “Where are your friends?”
“I- two of them went to find Pan and Percy…” She trails off because honestly she doesn’t know, she only hopes he’s still alive and in the Labyrinth somewhere.
“He was left behind?” Hephaestus questions though it almost sounds more like a statement.
“Well not exactly.” Annabeth defends.
Hephaestus turns his attention to the window and his frown deepens. “I don’t suppose that friend of yours is the cause of that?”
Annabeth steps forward and looks out the window following Hephaestus gaze. Mount St Helens sits surrounded by a cloud of smoke pouring out the top of it and turning the sky grey. Ash falls all around the volcano for miles and red hot lava trickles down the sides.
So Percy caused not only an explosion but somehow managed to make the volcano to erupt. If he was still inside there and if he blew himself up she was going to find a way to Tartarus and bring him back just so she could kill him herself for scaring her and for doing something even more reckless than her kissing him.
“Can you see him?” She asks the God. “Is he in the Labyrinth?”
Hephaestus shakes his head slowly. “I cannot tell. He is hidden even from me right now.”
Her heart sinks into her stomach and she feels dizzy and sick and like she needed to sit down.
“Now dear don’t panic.” He says clearly catching the look on her face. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s-“
“Dead?” She interrupts. “But he could be.”
“There could be a number of reasons as to why I can no longer see him.”
“Like what?” Annabeth asks, she needs a bit of hope. Anything to convince her that he was still alive. Hephaestus however neglected to answer and instead sits silently at his workbench watching as the home to his forge continue to erupt.
She stood and watched as well trying not to picture Percy somewhere under all of that alone, dying or dead, surrounded by those monsters. She had just left him, if she had just stayed maybe then…
“What of my other friends?” She asks, voice weak and on the verge of tears again that she’s trying to fight back.
Hephaestus raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
“Grover and Tyson?” Annabeth elaborates.
“Oh yes, the Cyclops and Satyr. Both still inside the Labyrinth.”
For the first time since Mount St Helens she breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were okay and somewhere around here. Perhaps she could find her way to them and from there they could try and find Percy.
“Can the spider take me to them?”
“I’m afraid not dear, the path to them has changed since they split off from you and I do not know of their destination or where they are going.”
“They’re going for Pan. That’s their destination.” She says.
“I do not know where the Lost God chooses to hide in these walls.” Hephaestus tells her with no remorse.
“Seriously?” She scoffs. “That thing took us all around this Labyrinth and you’re telling me that it can’t even show me the way to my friends?”
Hephaestus straightened his back and she could tell from his posture that he wasn’t impressed with the way she was talking to him but she didn’t care one bit.
“My advice to you Annabeth is to go home.” He tells her.
“I’m sorry?” She asks. “No! That was not the deal. I told you what was going on in your forge, now you’re supposed to tell me about Daedalus and how to find him. You’ve yet to uphold your end of the deal.”
“Percy knows the way through the Labyrinth.”
She had to bite her tongue and compose herself for a moment before she screamed in his face and got herself killed.
“Percy is dead.” She says carefully.
Hephaestus doesn’t say anything to that, doesn’t confirm or deny that he is either and certainly doesn’t explain further how it is Percy supposedly knows how to get through the Labyrinth to Daedalus.
“Go back to camp Annabeth.” He finally says leaving no room for further discussion or argument.
She wanted to argue though. She wanted to scream some more about how unfair this all this. Beg him to show her the way to Grover and Tyson and tell her anything about Percy. Instead of doing any of those things she looked from the window to the God in front of her and sighed muttering to herself as she left,
“You Gods are no help.”
She started down the corridor not knowing where she was going or what exactly she was doing. All she could see was red. She was annoyed at Hephaestus for being so vague and unhelpful and she was equally annoyed at Percy for getting himself killed and even more so furious at herself for kissing him and then leaving him.
The way back to camp was unknown to her, they had traversed so much of the Labyrinth that the place has changed on her multiple times since leaving camp and they left no real trail for how to get back out via camp.
Annabeth walked for a bit with no real thought as to what turns she was taking when she stopped at a passage where the Labyrinth split off into three different paths when she fell to the ground and broke down sobbing. Tears streamed down her face and her chest hurt as all her emotions came crashing over her at once.
Percy was gone and she had no idea where Grover and Tyson were. She was probably going to get herself lost in here.
The thing that pained her the most was that she had no idea how to finish her quest. The quest she had wanted for so so long since she first arrived at camp was now hers and she was failing. This isn’t how she thought it would be, not that any of the previous quests she’s accompanied her friends on have been easy but this… this was just unfair and cruel.
Maybe she should just allow herself to get lost in the Labyrinth at least that way she wouldn’t be going back to camp alone and a failure. She wouldn’t be going back to a place where Percy wasn’t, back to where camp was readying itself for war.
No, she couldn’t leave her home to face that without her. She has to help them.
She has to finish her quest.
Annabeth stands up, drying her eyes and brushing herself off when she hears the familiar sound of tiny metal legs scamper across the stone ground. She looks down the middle corridor and see’s the spider racing towards. She takes several steps back shying away from it still as it barely stops to acknowledge her before turning and heading down the corridor on her left.
She took a quick glance down the middle corridor but didn’t question it and quickly caught up with the spider following it down the path and through more of the Labyrinth.
After what felt like a good hour or two of weaving their way through these walls it finally brings her back to the passage at camp and doesn’t wait around, leaving her there standing alone under the rocks. A tiny slither of sunlight finds its way into the Labyrinth and she smiles at the feeling of it on her skin.
Warmth. The good kind not the lava kind.
As she climbs and reaches the top of the opening in the rocks Connor Stoll jumps around and starts shouting at her and waving his weapon around in her face.
“Its me! It’s Annabeth. Connor put that sword down before you hurt yourself.”
“Oh.” He visibly relaxes and does lower his sword. He grabs her arm and helps her out of the rocks. “Annabeth you’re back! Wow you look like hell.”
“Thank you.” She deadpans brushing herself off a little. “Where’s Chiron?”
“Uh, big house. Where’s Percy, Grover and Tyson?” He asks looking down into the rocks like he’s expecting to see them down there climbing up.
Annabeth pauses she doesn’t want to tell anyone about Percy yet, not until she’s talked to Chiron. “We got split up.” A partial lie, near enough the truth but hopefully it’s convincing enough for Connor to not ask any further questions. “I just need to speak to Chiron about… stuff before I go back in to get them.”
“Alright.” Connor nods. “Maybe a shower while you’re at it?”
She glares at him until he backs up a few steps and raises both arms in surrender. “Watch this entrance and I’m the first person you tell if anyone comes up out of there. Got it?”
Not waiting for a response she climbs down from the rocks, swatting away his helping hand and makes her way through the trees to the big house. Thankfully all the other campers are too busy with training or activities to notice her sneaking around the edges trying not to get spotted.
When she arrives at the big house Chiron is inside watching the news on a small T.V he only brings out for orientation and keeping up to date on mortal news. She stays silent standing at the door and listening in on whats being said. The news reporter is standing with Mount St Helens in the far distance behind him.
“As of this moment at least a thousand have started to evacuate the area moving out of their homes for safety as ash continues to rain down on the surrounding communities.” A mans voice announces. “Currently there are zero reported deaths and only minor injuries due to the chaos of everyone in a rush to leave…”
“Chiron.” Annabeth says having heard enough and stepping into the room.
“Annabeth.” He says turning to face her and failing to hide his shock and concern.
“I- I think Percy is dead.” She nods towards the T.V screen.
She wanted to be wrong, she wanted so badly to be proven wrong. This is the only time she’s wanted someone to shout in her face “HA! YOU ANNABETH CHASE WERE WRONG!” while dancing around and making a big deal out of the situation. And she would happily accept being wrong about Percy’s death.
Except that it has been just over a week since she got out of the Labyrinth and Percy had yet to follow her out. There’s been no word from him, no sign of him, nothing. She spent most of her days patrolling the entrance of the Labyrinth in hopes he would climb out just as she had.
With the news of the Titan Typhon stirring from Mount St Helens and silence from both Percy and Luke and Kronos’ army she needed to go back into the Labyrinth to find Daedalus.
Chiron announced this morning that it was finally time to burn Percy’s shroud and hold a service for him. Annabeth left breakfast early and without eating anything and made her way down here to the lake to think things over with her quest and also prepare what she was going to say at Percy’s shroud burning since she was asked to speak.
This morning she had switched out her usual grey owl hair clip for a blue clip on the left and a green one on the right pinning a few of her braids back to create a half up half down effect. She watched her reflection in the surface of the lake, the way the sun was hitting the water reminded her of Percy’s eyes and how they would sparkle anytime he looked at her.
Annabeth thought back to their kiss just last week, at least she had got to do that before everything happened. She no longer felt quite as stupid for it or regretful, part of her is actually thankful that she made such a rash and uncalculated decision like that because at least she’ll always have that moment of them together under Mount St Helens along with many more memories.
Even if she really never sees him again he would still remain one of her best friends and she will always be grateful for his friendship and how much he trusted her, the way he would always be on her side and come to her defence and help her, grateful as well for all the times he has literally saved her life as well.
She really does consider him her best friend above all else.
Annabeth let herself have a few more minutes to just cry everything out before she had to go back to the others and say goodbye to Percy before moving on and continuing her quest.
The walk back to the amphitheatre felt longer than usual. When she finally got there everyone else was starting to arrive as well and taking their seats and watching her closely as Chiron started the fire and spoke first.
As she was turning to face everyone after burning the shroud she could’ve sworn for a second she saw something across camp and on the lake but quickly shrugged it off to the light playing tricks on her.
“Percy was probably the bravest, kindest friend I had ever-“ Annabeth paused squinting past the flames and smoke from the fire, the fibres of the shroud that floated into the air with the wind were clearly getting in her eyes. “Sorry,” she clears her throat, rubbing at her eye and casting her eyes to the back of the amphitheatre where…
Where Perseus Jackson was currently standing watching his own funeral.
“He’s right there.” She deadpans feeling heat rush to her cheeks and her heart stop momentarily as she drinks in the sight of him. Alive and not dead.
Everyone turns to look at him, a few of them even congratulating him and rushing to embrace him. She can not believe him, showing up to his own funeral after two weeks of silence?
Annabeth fought her way over to him, pushing past everyone else who has now gathered around him and she throws her arms around his neck pulling him into a tight hug which he reciprocates hugging her back. She could feel him relax against her.
“Where have you been?” She asks pulling back from the hug and ignoring everyones eyes on them.
“I- I got lost.” He explains.
She raises a questioning eyebrow at him. “Lost? Percy it’s been two weeks.”
Percy took a step back his face twisting at the news. “What? Seriously?” He looks from her to Chiron then back at her.
“Indeed yes.” Chiron confirms. “We have all been worried Percy. We presumed you were dead after not hearing from you for so long.”
“Right, sorry about that.” Percy says, his eyes staying glued on hers.
“Alright the rest of you back to your normal activities.” Chiron announces now that there’s no funeral to be held anymore as their dead camp member has miraculously risen.
“Seriously Percy where have you been?” Annabeth asks again, she still can’t quite comprehend that he’s standing in front of her right now. Maybe all those offerings she give to Poseidon over the course of the past two weeks at dinner paid off.
“Uh… we need to talk.” He said, his eyes were still hard on hers up until now.
“Yeah.” Annabeth agrees thinking he’s talking about their kiss especially when he glances up at Chiron presuming he’s about to ask Chiron to give them a minute or suggest they go elsewhere.
Instead he says. “About the quest.”
Her confidence falters. “Right, of course.” She says clearing her throat and trying not to let the disappointment show on her face.
They walk with Chiron to the big house in silence, she keeps looking over at him and he never once catches her eyes or looks over at her. His eyes are cast down on his shoes as they walk. She wants to talk to him, they’re still friends aren’t they? Surely the kiss hasn’t messed things up too much to the point where he can’t even look at her or talk to her.
So maybe the timing of the kiss wasn’t convenient or perfect but nothing these days was anymore. Nothing was promised with this war, they can’t exactly count on having a future after all of this and she has never let herself picture a life with Percy, as a friend or more, after the war what with the great prophecy still hanging over him.
Was it so wrong of her to live and make reckless choices and rash decisions. She would much rather that than regret not doing something.
Like when she was considering joining the hunters and danced with Percy at Westover Hall thinking it would be the only time she would get to do something like that with him. Spending a small amount of the evening pretending they were just two normal teenagers at a school dance.
Annabeth looks over at him again. He doesn’t even look like he had gotten lost in the Labyrinth. His clothes were clean and there were no traces of dirt or anything on his shoes or his face. He looked nothing like she did when she came out of there.
He wasn’t telling her something and that just made everything hurt more.
If he really didn’t want to talk to her again after this or be her friend then so be it.
As long as they just get through her quest and find a way to save camp then they’ll go their separate ways at the end of the summer and she won’t have to see him again until next year.
Good job Annabeth, the little voice in her head says, you’ve officially ruined the friendship.