Percabeth (completed): Book 1 - Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Chapter Three ~ PERCY

• Chapter Three •

• PERCY •

They walked for what felt like hours, down endless dark tunnels until they came into a room stacked with gold and treasures.

"Where is this?" Percy asked.

"It's King Midas's room," Annabeth said. "Or at least an illusion, a replica. Jason, Piper and Leo met Midas a few months back. But he died again, they believe."

"But why? This isn't in my nightmares -" Percy stopped.

He realised Annabeth had gone quiet. "Your nightmares?"

"It's nothing," she said quickly. "Come on. Let's set up here for the night."

Percy didn't want to press her. If she was going to tell him, she would do so in her own time. But...

"No secrets," he reminded her.

Annabeth fixed her grey orbs on him. They were dark and sad and resembled a little fear. "Percy. I... I want to tell you. But..."

"Something happened from your past," Percy guessed. "When you were with Thalia and Luke."

Annabeth said nothing. Percy could tell he'd hit a sore spot. "Annabeth..."

"I'm tired," she said dejectedly. She undid her orange Camp Half-Blood backpack and bought out a bedroll. "Goodnight, Percy."

She lay down and curled up on the bedroll. Soon, soft light snores were filling the room.

Percy took the opportunity to look around. He capped Riptide back into a pen - it could do that because it was Anaklusmos - and put it in his pocket. Then he examined the room.

It was bigger than he'd thought. The walls were dark and like a cave, exactly the same as the tunnels, but chests of treasure and gold lit the room up like a lightbulb. Stacks of golden drachmas and goblets and precious valuables filled every corner. Half of the room was littered with discarded broken gold. But some things were just normal - a table, a bed, a chest of drawers, all an illuminous gold colour. Then Percy realised they were made of gold.

He looked at the bed. Maybe Annabeth could sleep there? He considered waking her up, but she looked so tired he knew she wouldn't appreciate it. He left her to it and walked over to the bed.

Even the duvet and pillows were gold. As he looked closer, he saw they were a hard shiny metal. He remembered the story of Midas. Midas had become greedy, and wished for powers to turn everything to gold. But he accidentally turned his own daughter to gold. Running water was supposed to cure it. But there was no water in Tartarus. Percy's powers were useless.

He didn't even have the mark of Achilles anymore. The river Tiber had washed that away when Percy first arrived at Camp Jupiter, where he'd been forced to carry an old lady called June - who was really Hera/Juno - across through the water. Because he'd been Greek, and he was entering Roman territory, the mark had been removed.

It hurt to think of his past. He remembered all of his old friends at Camp Half-Blood - Grover, Tyson, the Stoll brothers, even Clarisse, and more - and his new friends that he had made. People at Camp Jupiter - Reyna, Dakota, Gwen. He was very close to Hazel, she was like a sister, and Frank - who was actually his a-thousand-time-great-great nephew. And then there was Piper, Leo and Jason. They were cool, too. Percy missed all of them. He was even missing Octavian. At least Octavian was something to laugh at.

Percy!

Percy jumped. "Hello?"

Annabeth rolled over, but she was still snoring cutely, as Percy thought. So who had...