Chapter 14 - Antikythera
published: Sunday, 3 March 2019

Percy leaned against the railing, staring aimlessly into the ocean.

He couldn't believe he was out of that horrible place. Percy had been in there so long that if he closed his eyes, he could almost feel the pain breaking across his skin again.

In his right hand, Percy fiddled with Riptide, desperate to feel comfort at holding it again.

The ocean's presence calmed him, and Percy even waved to a naiad he spotted as they passed. Percy knew their exact coordinates and speed, and reciting them in his head helped to calm his mind.

But he couldn't help thinking of Beckendorf and everything that had just happened in a matter of days. Percy had long given up on waiting for rescuers, and as if by a miracle, his friends had come. Percy had already accepted his fate as being a prisoner of Tartarus, but then Annabeth had burst into his prison cell and freed him.

Percy had nearly passed out from sheer astonishment when he saw her. Despite their five years apart, Percy could still see her exact features in his mind.

She didn't look too different from before. Her bones were more prominent – now Percy knew why – and her eyes had a haunted look in them that worried him, but her glare and calculating look hadn't changed.

Unfortunately, both had been aimed at him. Percy didn't fully understand why Annabeth was so mad at him, but he promised himself he would earn back her trust.

The last time Percy disappeared for 8 months, Annabeth had judo-flipped him. Percy supposed he should've just been happy that she hadn't stabbed him or something this time.

"Hey," he heard Piper say.

She walked up next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, groaning to herself. "I'm having morning sickness, and I keep having to tell Jason that I've newly developed some form of seasickness."

Percy pulled a face. "Lucky you."

"I know," Piper said gloomily. "How am I supposed to fight if I'm pregnant? Will the baby interfere with the mission?"

Percy shrugged. "I have no idea. But if anyone can kill Tartarus with a baby coming out of them – it's you."

Piper elbowed him teasingly, though she smiled.

"How's things with Annabeth?" Piper asked him. "You guys haven't even kissed yet."

Percy looked down at his feet. "I think we kind of broke up."

"What?" Piper demanded.

Percy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. She won't even look at me or talk to me unless she absolutely has to." He shook his head miserably. "It's exactly what I was afraid of."

"She's probably just readjusting," Piper suggested. "I mean, she had to spend five years without you. There's been a lot of pressure on her at camp, as the leader and all."

Percy remained silent for a few seconds. "I hope that it's just that."

^^^^^

In the afternoon, Annabeth stumbled up the stairs to see her friends already gathered abovedeck and peering over the railing.

"What're you looking at?" Annabeth asked as she walked over to join them.

Percy glanced at her. "You should've yelled for us to help you up."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "I'm fine. The wound's almost healed anyway."

"We're almost at Antikythera," Piper informed her.

Leo was at the wheel, steering them towards the small mass of land that slowly approached.

"Why Antikythera?" Annabeth said in confusion. All she knew about the island was the Antikythera mechanism – the first analog computer ever – from a shipwreck they found years ago.

"There's a dark energy," Hazel explained. "I didn't recognise it at first, but after we talked about Tartarus, I realised that it's an entrance to the pit."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "That's convenient."

"They're all over the place," Hazel said dismissively. "But this one is nowhere as big as the one in Rome."

Annabeth hummed in agreement, but her mind was faraway.

She remembered the web yanking her leg down so she was dangling off the edge, Arachne's cackling laughter echoing in her mind. Percy gripping her hand as he, too, was dragged over the edge.

"As long as we're together," Percy had said.

Annabeth shook herself out of it. They were almost at Antikythera.

As Leo docked the boat in the harbour, Annabeth noticed some dodgy looking ships neighbouring and some strange fishermen staring at them.

"Maybe someone should stay behind," Annabeth said in a low voice. "They look like they could loot our ship."

Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Percy and Piper exchange glances. Percy said something, barely above a whisper, and Piper hissed back an answer.

They knew something. Annabeth could tell just from their body language.

"I'll stay," Piper reluctantly said. "The ship needs protection anyway."

"I'll stay with you," Frank offered. "I don't really want to go near Tartarus at all."

Annabeth headed belowdeck to pack a rucksack with materials she might need. She had sketched out a rough map of Tartarus, based on the places she had been to. But it was 5 years ago, and she didn't remember much of it other than the horrors she had seen.

Of course, she packed a whole load of ambrosia. Annabeth remembered the beach of glass shards and the burning sensation of the Phlegethon.

And a parachute – she didn't know if this entrance led to a river.

Annabeth vaguely remembered falling forever. Maybe she could bring a book? She quickly decided it was too heavy and stuffed a blanket into her bag before zipping it shut.

After slinging it on her back, Annabeth knew she'd packed light enough, and she went up to join her friends.

She was instantly attacked by Piper with a fierce hug.

"Be careful," Piper pleaded. "Come back, okay?"

Annabeth squeezed her back. She felt terrible for the way she had treated Piper the night before. "I'll try."

She tried not to think about the fact that it could be months before she saw her friends ever again.

Frank gave both her and Percy a bear hug, and Annabeth kissed him on the cheek when she saw his eyes welling up with tears. "You shouldn't have to go back to that hellhole," Frank said quietly.

Percy patted him on the back. "Don't worry, we have a foolproof plan. We'll get out fine."

A white lie. Annabeth knew that Tartarus was as unpredictable as could be.

"We should go," Hazel said softly.

Annabeth said her last goodbyes to Piper and Frank before traipsing off the bridge to follow the others.

Annabeth glanced back, hoping she would see them again soon.

The five demigods walked along Antikythera for hours, trying to hone in on the "strange energy".

Hazel said the source kept flickering on and off, making it harder for her to find it. But eventually, they arrived on the opposite side of Antikythera's coastline, where a sheer cliff rose above the ocean.

"Up there," Hazel said, pointing to small opening in the cliff. "I can feel it now."

Leo nudged Jason in the side. "It isn't just me, is it? Those tourists have been following us around everywhere."

Jason discreetly caught a glimpse of the people Leo was talking about. They were a group of mortals, dressed in normal summer clothes, but their eyes looked empty and hardened.

Percy glanced in their direction. "Warriors," he warned in a low voice. "We need to go. Now."

"Too late," Jason muttered as the tourists started striding towards them, drawing wicked blades of imperial gold.

Jason drew his spatha and Hazel unsheathed her longsword.

"Go, go!" she urged Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth hesitantly approached the cliff. It was high, but nothing compared to the camp climbing wall, where molten lava threatened to burn you alive every second.

She slid her fingers into a small hold and started hoisting herself up, using jutting stones and cracks as footholds.

Annabeth glanced down – she was about halfway up now. Percy followed slightly below her, and their friends were distracting the warriors.

"Percy!" Annabeth suddenly yelled.

He turned his head in alarm to see a warrior who had gotten past the others and was scampering up the cliff at breakneck speed.

Percy released a hand so he was hanging off the cliff one-handed. He reached out his free hand, and tendrils of water from the sea just behind the warrior curled up and snatched him off, slamming him into the ground, where he lay limp until Jason stabbed him through the chest. 

Annabeth continued to climb, and with panting breaths, she finally reached the cave.

Her arms were throbbing and her fingers were sore, but she pulled herself into the cave with a last burst of energy.

A few minutes later, Percy joined her, and they crouched inside.

The cave wasn't very big. It fit both of them snugly and there was a large opening in the floor of it.

Whispers and taunts floated out of the hole, almost as if about to drag Annabeth in. She knew this had to be the entrance to Tartarus.

"This is it," Percy said warily. He peered down the hole and retreated with a shudder. "Are we really doing this?"

"You don't have to," Annabeth said softly. "You spent five years under torture with him."

Percy swallowed. "Shouldn't that have made this easier?"

Annabeth couldn't stand the pained look in his eyes.

He shook his head. "No, I'm coming. I won't let you go down there alone."

"As long as we're together, right?" Annabeth murmured under her breath.

But Percy heard and glanced at her in surprise.

Hazel appeared at the entrance before he could ask.

"We've got it under control for now," Hazel rushed. "But I don't know if they'll call for reinforcements." She glanced at the entrance to Tartarus. "This one isn't strong enough to pull you in. You'll have to jump."

Annabeth bit her lip. "Jump?" Her right palm gripped a rock as if to say, I'm staying here. She forced herself to release it. This was part of the mission, and the rest of the world was depending on her.

Screw the rest of the world, part of her argued. Why do I have to sacrifice over and over?

"I can't jump," Annabeth said, her voice breaking. Her heart has begun racing.

Percy glanced at her.

"I just can't," Annabeth gasped. "I can't jump. I don't want to go back there, Percy. It's horrible, the nightmares, the monsters–"

He hesitantly reached out and slid his hand in hers. "It'll be fine," he whispered. Percy paused for a moment. "Look, if you really don't want to do this, I'll go alone. I can handle it."

"No," the word was pulled from her lips as Annabeth shook her head in panic. "I won't let you. You can't die down there. I can't have you die down there."

"I won't," Percy promised.

"I'm coming with you," Annabeth said determinedly. Her heart was still racing as she tried to ignore the disembodied voices drifting up from the entrance. "I just–I need some help to jump."

"Guys, they're coming," Hazel warned. She slashed another warrior off the cliff side.

Percy pulled her to face him as they crept towards the hole.

"As long as we're together," he whispered.

Annabeth gripped his hand as she swallowed back her fear.

She jumped in, her hand in Percy's as they streamed through the darkness once again.