Chapter Text
“Come on, Percy!” Annabeth yelled, tugging at my wrist.
“But that’s—”
“I know!” she shouted. “The place you described in your dream! But Grover’s going to fall if we don’t catch him.” She was right, of course. Grover’s predicament got me moving again.
He was yelling, clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him toward the pit, and it didn’t look like we could possibly get to him in time.
What saved him were his hooves.
The flying sneakers had always been a loose fit on him, and finally Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It sped into the darkness, down into the chasm. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but not as fast. Grover was able to slow himself down by grabbing on to the big rock and using it like an anchor.
He was ten feet from the edge of the pit when we caught him and hauled him back up the slope. The other winged shoe tugged itself off, circled around us angrily and kicked our heads in protest before flying off into the chasm to join its twin.
We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. Even my backpack seemed heavier, as if somebody had filled it with rocks.
Grover was scratched up pretty bad. His hands were bleeding. His eyes had gone slit-pupiled, goat style, the way they did whenever he was terrified.
“I don’t know how…” he panted. “I didn’t…”
“Wait,” I said. “Listen.”
I heard something—a deep whisper in the darkness.
Another few seconds, and Annabeth said, “Percy, this place—”
“Shh.” I stood.
The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far, far below us. Coming from the pit.
Grover sat up. “Wh—what’s that noise?”
Annabeth heard it too, now. I could see it in her eyes. “Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus.”
I uncapped Anaklusmos.
The bronze sword expanded, gleaming in the darkness, and the evil voice seemed to falter, just for a moment, before resuming its chant.
I could almost make out words now, ancient, ancient words, older even than Greek. As if…
“Magic,” I said.
“We have to get out of here,” Annabeth said.
Together, we dragged Grover to his hooves and started back up the tunnel. My legs wouldn’t move fast enough. My backpack weighed me down. The voice got louder and angrier behind us, and we broke into a run.
Not a moment too soon.
A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if the entire pit were inhaling. For a terrifying moment, I lost ground, my feet slipping in the gravel. (TLT - Ch.19 - WE FIND OUT THE TRUTH, SORT OF)
Annabeth crashed into me and the both of us were once again dragged towards the edge.
Grover came running towards us grabbing onto a strap of the backpack, only for the bag to snap and launch into Grover’s hands.
“Percy! Annabeth!”
Grover’s bleats we’re the last thing I heard before Annabeth and I sank into darkness.