276Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
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Guest No 1: Leo is last, and thank you for the nice review!
Ultimate Slytherin 2001: Thank you, PM buddy!
Guest No 2: I'm not exactly sure when Frank is, but after Hazel, definitely. And Annabeth is next!
And I saved the best for last;
Sad: If you don't like it, don't read it, but if you still read it even if you don't like it, you secretly like it. Thank you for your wonderful flame. It was greatly appreciated. If you have to flame, can you at least flame in good grammar and spelling!? I mean, seriously! I couldn't understand half the flame. I understand that was a flame, by the 'Hate it its awful more reyna I didn't like it' but does anyone understand the 'and piper is terrible and jenna is best really disappointed'? Go to a Grammar and Spelling Class, then come back and flame when you have an A+.
Demigods
"Okay!" said Hazel with obviously fake cheeriness in her voice. "Who's next?"
Indeed, thought Annabeth. Who's next?
The screen went black again, with the silver words Annabeth scribbled on in cursive.
Annabeth felt dread rise up in her throat, and horrible anger against Hera in her mind. She rose up with her ivory knife, only one intent in her mind; to destroy the flat screen TV.
Frank was shocked when Annabeth flew at the TV, screaming curses in Greek and English, stabbing and punching it continually. Percy had to drag her off, when Hera's voice boomed through the room.
"Stop attacking the TV! I have put a charm on so that it is indestructible. Also, I will smite you if you leave!" Hera roared.
"Then stop hurting my friend!" demanded Leo. "You-you fury! You messed with my life now you're hurting Annabeth!"
"I don't care about the pig-headed daughter of Athena!" bellowed Hera. "You will watch!"
Annabeth sat back down, still muttering curses under her breath. She looked at the sky. "HERA YOU ARE DESTROYING US!"
Hera's godly voice spoke back, "I do not care! Now WATCH!"
Annabeth glared at the TV. Percy, noticing her look, took her knife away.
One Year Old
Annabeth was in a cradle, with a man who looked very much like her rocking her back and forth. The man sighed as he rocked her. "I really wish I didn't love you so much," he muttered. "Because you were really unexpected."
Annabeth opened her mouth and said, "Love you Daddy."
"You could talk at that age?" asked Percy, looking amazed.
"Daughter of Athena here," responded Annabeth with a ticked off voice. She seemed to be looking for her knife.
"I love you too, Annie," said Mr. Chase with a smile. "That's why I married your new mother." He looked up as a voice called out.
"Can I come in, Freddie?"
"Yes, love, come in!" said Mr. Chase.
"I know Mrs. Chase!" exclaimed Percy. "She's nice."
"How does she look?" asked Hazel curiously.
"She's Asian and...and..." Percy trailed off. "Well, you'll see."
A pretty Asian woman with red highlights in her black hair walked in. "She's so cute," she cooed. "Who did you say her mother was, again?"
"Abi-" Mr. Chase started.
"Athena," gurgled little Annabeth.
"You told her?" asked Frank with surprise.
"I was one, I didn't really have a mind," said Annabeth.
"But you could talk," objected Jason.
"So could I," shrugged Leo.
The demigods stared at him in surprise.
"What?" defended Leo. "I had a smart mom and an even smarter dad. Of course I could talk!"
"Athena, named after the goddess?" hummed Mrs. Chase, reaching down to touch little Annabeth.
"Actually," Mr. Chase started awkwardly. "Athena the actual goddess."
Mrs. Chase froze. "A-annabeth is half human and half god!?"
"Yes, my dear," coughed Mr. Chase.
Mrs. Chase looked up, screamed, then fainted.
"She deserves that!" said Annabeth with glee.
"Poor woman," said Piper in sympathy.
"Agreed," sighed Percy, rolling his eyes.
Two Years Old
Annabeth was grabbing Mrs. Chase's hair. Mrs. Chase was smiling with an exasperated expression on her face, but Annabeth looked content.
"We'll be at Francie's wedding in a couple hours," said Mrs. Chase with a smile. "You'll look so cute in your flower girl dress!"
"You were a flower girl?" asked Jason, not really believing that Annabeth would be a flower girl.
"And hated it," growled Annabeth, grabbing the couch pillow with her hands.
2 Hours Later
Annabeth had her pale golden hair pinned back in a small, tight bun. A white lily was tucked behind her ear, and the green ribbon that held her hair in the bun had a white lily on it. She was wearing a long white dress with a green ribbon around the waist, and green shoes.
"I look disgusting," muttered Annabeth, hate dripping from her voice.
"Personally," said Piper. "I think you look cute."
Reyna tilted her head. "Not seeing the cuteness..."
"She looks disgusting," said Nico, feeling disgusted at the look of the dress.
"I'm talking about her two year old self," said Piper. "The dress is awful."
Annabeth's silver eyes looked annoyed and angry as she grabbed the skirt of her dress.
"Hon," said Mr. Chase. "I don't think she likes the dress much."
"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Chase brightly. "She looks adorable."
"I look like something a horse pooped," said Annabeth.
"That's offensive to horses!" said Percy.
"I can say it, you can't," said Annabeth, reaching for her (missing) knife. "Hey, where's my knife!?"
Percy hid behind the couch. "Uh-oh!"
"PERCY!"
1 Hour Later
Annabeth was sprinkling flower petals across the ground, a disgruntled expression on her face. Mrs. Chase looked encouraging, urging Annabeth to keep going, when a maniacal roar stopped Annabeth in her tracks.
The guests looked uneasy, and the groom looked scared.
There was a ripple of black shadows, and a huge black dog jumped at Annabeth. Annabeth cried out.
"Now I remember this clearly!" exclaimed Annabeth. "I was attacked by my first monster."
"Were you hurt?" asked Percy, concerned.
"No," answered Annabeth. "My dad killed it."
"How?"
"You'll see."
"Annie!" Mr. Chase's voice sounded shrill and panicked.
"Bethy!" Mrs. Chase sounded scared and worried.
"She called you Bethy?" asked Piper, amazement written on her face.
"Uh-huh," said Annabeth. "Not my preferred nick-name."
"Good to know Annie," said Leo.
"Don't call me that!"
Annabeth screamed, throwing her flower basket into the hellhound's eyes.
"That wolf is attacking the little girl!" someone said in the crowd.
Mr. Chase took a hammer and smashed the hellhound's head with it. The hellhound vaporized.
"Go hammers!" cheered Leo.
"Shut up," scowled Nico with the tiniest hint of a smile.
"You know you love me!" joked Leo, jabbing his best friend with his elbow.
Reyna smiled. She thought back to when she, Leo, and Nico had become best friends. Nico had seen through Reyna's facade of coldness and ice, Reyna had seen through Leo's facade of humor and jokes, and Leo had seen through Nico's facade of strength and darkness. Really, they were all alike.
"Dad!" sobbed tiny Annabeth as Mr. Chase scooped her up and carried her to the car, Mrs. Chase following.
"Shh, it's okay, they can't get you when you're with me," soothed Mr. Chase.
"Is she okay?" asked Mrs. Chase, voice shaky.
"She'll be fine," said Mr. Chase. "Just...no more weddings."
"No more weddings," echoed Mrs. Chase. "Agreed."
"Mrs. Chase seems nice," said Frank. "I can't see why you don't like her."
"You'll see," said Annabeth darkly.
Leo wondered if what Mrs. Chase had done to her was as bad as what Ther...no, he couldn't think about that. Anything else, anything else.
Three Years Old
"Daaaad!" Annabeth was tugging Mr. Chase's jacket sleeve.
"What, sweetie?"
"Don't like dress!" Annabeth whined. She was wearing a truly horrifying poofy pink dress with a pink bow at the back. She was wearing a pink tiara and pink sandals.
"Don't be silly," said Mrs. Chase. "You look adorbs!"
"Seriously?" said Leo, snickering inwardly. "Teen talk?"
"I did not look 'adorbs'," snarled Annabeth. "I looked like someone who escaped from Fashion Jail!"
Annabeth sighed and sat back down on the grass.
The family was eating a picnic in Central Park of New York, on a red and white checkered picnic blanket. (They were on vacation.) Annabeth had grabbed a sandwich and was sitting under a tree, chewing slowly.
A black-haired boy with sea green eyes was laughing with his mother on the far side of the park. On the other side, an African American girl and an olive-skinned girl were rough-housing. Annabeth heard the men next to them say, "This was worth coming all the way from Chicago."
"You had me in your memories too?" asked Percy, amazed.
"And Ria River and Mistle Mist Moongazer as well, by the looks of it," said Piper, frowning. "Why would my sisters be in Central Park?"
"Probably on vacation," said Annabeth, glowering at the screen.
"Annie!" Mr. Chase called. "Come eat with us!"
Annabeth sighed and waddled back over to the Chase Family. "Don't wanna," she mumbled under her breath.
"Why didn't you want to go?" asked Hazel.
Annabeth opened her mouth, but Leo beat her to eat. "She didn't like Mrs. Chase."
Annabeth nodded.
"Oh," said Hazel.
Mrs. Chase looked a little scared as Annabeth came towards her.
"Are you sure?" she muttered to Mr. Chase. "I mean, the hellhound came because of her."
Mr. Chase looked at her for a long moment. "She's my daughter," he finally replied stonily.
"Go dad!" said Annabeth. "You tell her!"
"Now I get why you don't like her," said Frank, feeling dislike for the woman curl in his stomach.
"Go to Tartarus!" yelled Annabeth to the screen, then winced. "Never mind. That's too horrible even for you."
Four Years Old
Annabeth was sitting on Mr. Chase's lap.
"Why can't I sit on her?" she asked, lip curling down in a frown.
"Because she has a baby in her tummy and you might damage it," said Mr. Chase. "So don't sit on her."
"This was back when I actually liked her," remembered Annabeth.
"She was mean in that earlier memory," agreed Percy.
Annabeth sighed. She dusted off her mint green leggings with the white polka-dots and toddled over to Mrs. Chase, straightening her white blouse and opened the mint green flower with the white polka-dots on the blouse, and tightened her mint green headband.
"Hello, dear," greeted Mrs. Chase, rubbing her very round stomach. She was wearing black leggings with a long, flowy white shirt and a red jacket.
"Daddy says I can't sit on you," said Annabeth sadly. "And my birthday is in a week."
"Well," sighed Mrs. Chase. "You can sit on me as and early birthday present, just now."
"She was nice," said Annabeth, looking impressed.
"Maybe you should give her a chance," suggested Percy.
"Suuure," said Annabeth slowly. "I mean, we are living with our parents for the last two years of high school, and then getting an apartment together in New Rome...Leo, can I have a notebook and a pencil?"
"Sure," said Leo, giving Annabeth the things she wanted. She started writing stuff down immediately.
"Yay!" squealed little Annabeth and she sat on Mrs. Chase. Suddenly Mrs. Chase groaned in pain. "Are you okay?" asked Annabeth, looking concerned. "Did Annie hurt you?"
"No, Bethy," puffed Mrs. Chase, groaning. "I think I'm in labour...go get your faaaAAAAGH!"
By then, Mr. Chase had already been alerted. He saw Annabeth sitting on Mrs. Chase, and said, "I told you that you couldn't sit on her!"
"No, Freddie," groaned Mrs. Chase. "I let her. Bethy, please get oaAAAGH!"
Annabeth got the message and got off.
"I like her," commented Jason.
"She's not as nice as my mom," muttered Leo as the pang of loss hit him again.
"Of course not," said Percy absently.
Mr. Chase helped Mrs. Chase into the car, Annabeth following. She stepped into the car, and the three rushed to the hospital.
In the hospital, Annabeth and Mr. Chase waited as Mrs. Chase released blood-curdling screams.
The demigods winced.
"That'll be you, one day," Leo teased Piper.
"Shut up!" yelled Piper, cheeks a bright pink.
After the screams stopped, Mr. Chase went in, then came out, holding two bundles. Tears were making their way down his face. "Annie," he said, voice cracked with emotion. "Meet your new brothers."
"Awwww," Piper cooed, feeling pleasure burst up from the cuteness.
"Your Aphrodite side is showing," snorted Leo.
"Shut up," growled Piper, feeling the outline of a blush adorn her face.
Five Years Old
"Daddy?" Annabeth looked up at him, wide-eyed.
"Yes, sweetheart?" Mr. Chase looked down at her fondly.
"Who was my mother?"
"You didn't know Athena was your mother, after you told Mrs. Chase when you were one?" asked Nico, feeling curious, though he hid it with his normal scowl.
"I was one," replied Annabeth. "I'd forgotten by the time I was two, and my dad never talked about it."
"She was strong, and beautiful," said Mr. Chase, eyes gazing into the distance. "She had long, dark brown hair, and your startling gray eyes." He smiled and tapped Annabeth's nose. "Her name was Athen...Athalie. She was a natural warrior, and was wise beyond even me. She was crafty and very strategic and a wonderful weaver."
"Did she love me?" asked Annabeth, her silver eyes worried.
"She loved you very, very much," said Mr. Chase, smiling sadly.
"Then why did she leave?" asked Annabeth.
"Because she's a Greek goddess who is immortal," muttered Annabeth.
"Because she had to," said Mr. Chase. "But leaving you hurt her very much. But it was the safest thing to do."
Annabeth gazed up at him solemnly, then smiled. "Thank you for telling me about Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," said Mr. Chase, a smile on his face as he watched Annabeth run over to Mrs. Chase.
"You were cute when you were asking your dad these things," said Piper.
"That's a good memory," smiled Annabeth. "Dad tried to tell me all he could about Mom without revealing that she was a goddess."
"Your dad seems nice," remarked Nico, wondering if Hades could ever act that way.
"Sometimes," muttered Annabeth.
Six Years Old
Annabeth had her pale golden hair in a ponytail. She was proudly strutting around in a rainbow t-shirt and white pants. Her black flip-flops were somewhere on the grass.
"Annie!" Mrs. Chase called.
"Yeah?" Annabeth answered.
"Bobby wants to play. You think you can entertain him?" asked Mrs. Chase.
"Of course I can entertain Bobby!" exclaimed Annabeth.
"Don't you call him Bobby Beehive?" Percy was confused.
"This is the story why I call him Bobby Beehive," answered Annabeth, smirking.
"...oh," said Percy.
"Okay, Bethy," said Mrs. Chase. "I'll be back in half an hour. Don't get into any trouble!"
"I won't!" promised Annabeth.
"You did," smirked Leo.
"Of course I did!" said Annabeth.
Mrs. Chase left, and Annabeth went over to Bobby's stroller.
"Where do you wanna go?" she asked him.
"Trees," gurgled Bobby, and Annabeth pushed him towards the trees.
"Now what?"
"Beehive!" Bobby pointed up. Annabeth looked, and in one tree there was a beehive. Annabeth felt slightly panicked.
"No," she said. "I'm not getting you a beehive."
"Beehive!" Bobby started to cry. "Want beehive!"
Annabeth sighed and she started to climb up the tree.
"Did you get stung?" asked Frank.
"No," replied Annabeth.
"How?" asked Hazel, amazed.
Leo thought of all the ways she could have done it, and smirked.
Annabeth grabbed a branch and broke it off the tree. She then inched closer to the beehive, and poked it. With a CRACK the beehive fell to the ground. A low wail came from down on the ground, and Annabeth hurriedly shimmied down the tree and to Bobby's side.
"Oh Bobby," she sighed. Bobby had been stung twice on the cheek by the bees, and was crying. "You brought this upon yourself, Bobby Beehive."
"Now that was a cute memory," said Reyna as the others laughed (with the exception of Nico who just smirked).
Seven Years Old
Annabeth was in her bed. She looked incredibly scared.
Annabeth gasped. She realized what was about to happen.
The shadows swelled around her. Then they came. The spiders. They crawled out of her closet, and Annabeth screamed.
"Dad!" she screamed. "Dad! Dad!"
Mrs. Chase came instead of Mr. Chase. The spiders retreated as soon as she went into the room.
Annabeth bit her lip. Percy put his hand on her arm.
"The spiders!" Annabeth sobbed. "They're attacking me!"
"Bethy," said Mrs. Chase gently. "It's your imagination. Please stop, you're scaring your little brothers."
"They're not my brothers!" said Annabeth.
Mrs. Chase's eyes hardened. "Go to sleep now, Annabeth. No more screaming."
She left, and the spiders returned.
Annabeth woke up with bites and cobwebs covering her entire face. The bites faded, and she showed Mrs. Chase, who thought it was a trick.
"No more talk of spiders, Annabeth," she said. "You're a big girl now."
The next night it happened again.
Annabeth's breath caught in her throat.
Annabeth wasn't allowed to call her dad.
The third night, she slipped a pack over her shoulder and grabbed a hammer. She opened the window, and quick as a fox, slipped out. Annabeth had run away.
Annabeth bit her lip and tried not to cry.
The scene on the TV changed.
Annabeth was now hiding under a sheet of tin. Something was lifting up the tin. Annabeth flew at the person, who caught her hammer and sent it skidding across the pavement.
Thalia was holding up her shield, Aegis. The guy who was holding Annabeth had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He shouted, "Whoa!"
"No more monsters!" screamed Annabeth, kicking the guy. "Go away!"
"Luke," breathed Annabeth.
"It's okay." Percy put a comforting arm around her, and Leo and Hazel joined the hug.
"It's okay!" the blonde guy tried to hold her, but Annabeth was struggling hard. "Thalia! Put your shield away! You're scaring her!"
Thalia tapped the shield and it turned back into her charm bracelet. "Hey little girl," she said. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke."
"Monsters!" Annabeth wailed, looking terrified.
"No," the guy-Luke-promised. "But we know about monsters. We fight them too."
"This was Saturn?" asked Frank.
"Yes," snapped Annabeth, glaring at him. "And he was a good guy!"
"You're like me?" Annabeth asked suspiciously.
"Yeah," Luke promised. "We're..." he hesitated. "Well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family?"
Annabeth looked angry. "My family hates me. They don't want me. I ran away."
"What's your name, kiddo?" asked Thalia.
"Annabeth."
Luke smiled. "Nice name. I tell you what, Annabeth. You're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."
"You could?" asked Annabeth, eyes wide.
"Yeah," said Luke, and gave Annabeth a Celestial Bronze knife. "How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon? This is Celestial Bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer."
Annabeth took the dagger.
Annabeth sobbed as she remembered she had lost it in Tartarus.
The scene changed again-this time to Half-Blood Hill.
"Oh no," spat Annabeth. "She can't make us watch this, she CAN'T!" She grabbed her knife from Percy and started attacking the TV. Frank and Percy had to pull her away, and she broke down in sobs.
Thalia stood alone on Half-Blood Hill. She was calling on lightning to obey her.
With shock, Jason realized there was no pine tree.
Annabeth and Luke reached the border with Grover at their heels. Thalia was left behind.
A hellhound attacked her quickly, and Thalia fell. Blood pumped from a wound in her chest, and a tear traced down her cheek. "Goodbye..."
Annabeth wept.
Then lightning flashed from the skies, straight on to Thalia. Thalia's body rose, until it turned into a trunk, and branches spread out wide. Thalia had become Thalia's Pine.
Annabeth sobbed again, into Percy's shoulder.
Eight Years Old
"I-I miss her so much!" Annabeth was crying into Luke's shoulder.
"I do too, Annie, I do too," murmured Luke.
Annabeth cried even harder.
Nine Years Old
"Be safe," Annabeth called.
"I will," said Luke, going on his quest.
"Love you..." Annabeth whispered under her breath.
"He was never the same," Annabeth murmured.
Ten Years Old
Annabeth was bitterly attacking the training dummies in the arena.
"That-stupid-guy-should have-ugh!"
She threw her knife down and stomped into the Infirmary, where apparently Luke was lying. Luke smiled as she came closer. "Hey Ann-"
SLAP! Her hand left a bright red mark on Luke's cheek. He looked lost for words.
"Idiot!"
"I think that's my favorite memory," commented Percy.
"Shut up!" said Annabeth.
Eleven Years Old
"I hate prophecies!" Annabeth slammed her foot on the ground in front of Chiron. Chiron looked upset.
"I know, Annabeth. Prophecies are tedious-" Chiron was cut off by Annabeth stomping her foot and screaming at the sky.
"Poor you," said Leo and patted her arm sympathetically.
Annabeth made a noise that sounded like a cow being strangled.
Twelve Years Old
Grover was sitting cross-legged on a blanket with something fuzzy, dirty, and unnaturally pink on his lap.
A pink poodle.
The poodle yapped at Percy, while Annabeth looked on in irritation. "No, he's not," said Grover.
Percy looked stunned. "Are you...talking to that thing?"
The poodle growled.
"That thing," Grover warned. "Is our ticket west. Be nice to him." Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"He was your ticket west?" asked Reyna.
"Why did you even need to go west?" asked Nico, a slight edge to his voice.
"Yes, you'll find out why, and it was for a quest," answered Annabeth. Percy nodded.
"You can talk to animals?"
Grover ignored him. "Percy, Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy."
Percy stared at Annabeth, who pointed at the poodle, deadly serious.
"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," said Percy. "Forget it."
"Percy," said Annabeth. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."
The poodle growled.
Percy said hello to the poodle.
Leo was cracking up, and as laughter was infectious, everyone else was laughing, save for Reyna and Nico, who were smirking.
"You-you said hello to a pi-pink poodle!" Leo was laughing.
Thirteen Years Old
Annabeth was in a spa room, frowning. A cage of guinea pigs were on a table at her side, and a beautiful woman was laughing next to her. Annabeth's eyes went wide as she noticed the cage of guinea pigs, squealing and scratching the bars.
"Circe," growled Reyna darkly.
"I hate that woman," muttered Percy.
Circe left the room. Annabeth rushed over to the cage. "All right, which one is you, Percy?"
Leo choked. "You were a...guinea pig!?"
"Now you can't make goldfish jokes about me!" cried Frank, looking happy.
All the guinea pigs squealed. Annabeth looked desperate and scanned the room. She rushed over to a pair of jeans and ate some vitamins that were in a bottle.
Circe came back in, with two attendants.
"Well," she sighed. "How fast a minute passes. What is your answer, dear?"
"This," said Annabeth and drew her bronze knife.
"That was a fast memory," said Hazel.
"I'm glad," muttered Nico.
Fourteen Years Old
Luke and Annabeth were in a cave. Luke was carrying a bunch of black fog. Annabeth rushed in and took the burden away from him. She held the black fog, and tons of rock that was cracking and crumbling.
"Luke," murmured Annabeth.
Percy touched the streak of gray in his hair.
Luke rolled free, gasping. "Thanks."
"Help me hold it," groaned Annabeth.
Luke's face was covered in dirt and sweat. He rose up, threatening to fall over.
"I knew I could count on you." He walked away, leaving Annabeth to hold the blackness on her own.
"Poor you," murmured Leo, actually feeling sympathetic. He wondered if holding the inky black was like getting whipped.
"HELP ME!" pleaded Annabeth.
"Oh, don't worry," Luke said. "Your help is on the way. It's all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die."
The blackness began to crumble, pushing Annabeth against the ground.
"That hurt so much," muttered Annabeth and began shaking. Percy held her in a hug.
"It's okay," murmured Leo.
"How would you know?" snapped Annabeth. "I bet you've never experienced any type of pain before!"
Leo flinched and looked at his lap, downcast. Percy glared at Leo.
Leo shuffled over to the other end of the couch, feeling tears threaten to fall from his eyes.
Fifteen Years Old
Grover, Rachel, Tyson, Nico, Annabeth and Percy were in a large, sandy corridor. Grover was lying unconscious, with Tyson next to him, eye worried.
"Grover," said Percy. "Wake up."
"Uhhhhhhhh."
Annabeth knelt next to him and splashed water onto his face.
"Splurg!" His eyelids fluttered. "Percy? Annabeth? Where..."
"He seriously said 'Splurg!'?" asked Frank.
Percy nodded.
"It's okay," said Percy. "You passed out. The presence was too much for you."
"I-I remember. Pan."
"Pan?" asked Piper.
"The god Pan," replied Jason.
"Oh," said Hazel.
"Yeah," said Percy. "Something powerful is just beyond that doorway."
Percy made quick introductions.
"Anyway," said Percy. "Come on, Grover. Lean on me."
"Le-e-ean on me-e-e!" sang Piper and Jason.
Annabeth and Percy helped Grover up. It seemed cold.
"I think we're in Carlsbad Caverns," said Annabeth, teeth chattering. "Maybe an unexplored section."
"How do you know?"
"Carlsbad is in New Mexico," said Annabeth. "That would explain last winter."
"What happened last winter?" asked Frank.
"Grover first felt the presence of Pan," said Percy.
Sixteen Years Old
Annabeth, Percy, and a bunch of other war-ready demigods were crossing underneath a marble archway with statues of Zeus and Hera.
"This is the Titan War!" exclaimed Percy.
"No idea Sherlock," said Annabeth dryly.
Annabeth made a face at Hera. "Hate her."
"Has she been cursing you or something?" asked Percy.
"Just a little stuff so far," said Annabeth. "Her sacred animal is the cow, right?"
"Right."
"So she sends cows after me."
The demigods laughed, even Reyna and Nico.
"Now I have just a tiny bit of respect for Hera," joked Leo, but inside he was feeling like seventh wheel again.
The scene changed.
Annabeth, Piper and Hazel were walking through a green park. Piper grabbed Annabeth's arm.
"There." She pointed across the harbor. A shimmering white woman was floating on the water.
"The ghost," said Annabeth.
"That's not a ghost," said Hazel. "No spirit glows that brightly."
"I remember this!" exclaimed Piper.
"Not my best conversation," grimaced Hazel.
"I hate Aphrodite," growled Reyna.
"Agreed," hissed Annabeth.
Annabeth seemed to take Hazel's word for it.
Piper was in a trance, walking to the edge of the seawall, towards the apparition.
"Piper!" Annabeth called.
"We'd better follow her," said Hazel.
When Hazel and Annabeth caught up with Piper, the apparition wasn't far away.
Piper glared at it. "It is her," she grumbled.
The apparition came closer and stopped glowing. It was obviously not a ghost.
The woman was the most beautiful woman ever.
"Aphrodite," said Annabeth.
"Venus?' Hazel asked.
"Mom," groaned Piper.
"Piper really hates her mom," joked Percy.
"I understand that," muttered Nico.
"Girls!" the goddess opened her arms like she wanted a group hug.
They didn't oblige. Hazel backed up into a palmetto tree.
"I'm so glad you're here," said Aphrodite. "War is coming. Bloodshed is inevitable. So there's really only one thing to do."
"And that is...?" asked Annabeth.
"Why, have tea and chat, obviously. Come with me!"
"Your mom is messed up," Frank told Piper.
"Don't remind me," sighed Piper, rolling her eyes.
The scene changed again.
A massive god was in a pit of fire and terror and destruction. Percy and Annabeth stared at him in terror.
"Oh gods," breathed Hazel, eyes wide.
"Tartarus..." Jason trailed off.
Percy and Annabeth were hugging each other, eyes closed, and shivering.
Nico sank into Reyna, eyes squeezed closed, shaking.
The god was uglier than Hephaestus, which was saying a lot.
"Tartarus," Percy managed.
Annabeth whimpered.
The god laughed, a horrible sound.
This form is only a small manifestation of my power. But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly, little demigods. It is beneath me to deal with gnats such as yourself.
"Uh..." Percy looked even more terrified. Annabeth clung on to his arm, eyes wide with terror.
Just like she was doing now, minus the wide eyes. Her eyes were closed.
Reyna hugged Nico close to her, comforting him. Nico shuddered.
Tartarus spread his arms. The Doors of Death shuddered in their chains.
Be honored, little demigods. Even the Olympians were never worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself!
Annabeth and Percy shivered in each other's arms.
Hazel buried her head in Frank's shoulder, who had the look of utmost shock on his face.
Piper and Jason looked astonished and terrified.
Reyna was holding a shaking Nico in her arms, stroking his hair.
Leo was curled in a ball, remembering the fire that had killed his mother. Just seeing Tartarus on a screen was enough to get the bad memories rolling.
The screen went black.
The demigods were silent.
Annabeth burst into tears.
The screen glowed sharply, then went back to black, marred by the golden letters Hazel.
A/N
Did you like it? I cried writing the Tartarus scenes. It must be horrible to have your worst memories thrown in your face. Literally.