Sea Green Eyes

Chapter 49

(A/N: This chapter might be a little painful. Good luck. XxD)

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They blew up the parking lot.

True to Bacchus' word, the parking lot was the best place to break into the underground chamber where Annabeth was. Chunks of asphalt as big as garage doors tumbled down, along with six or seven Italian cars and they hoped that their friend was alright because they didn't exactly have enough time to plot the safest course to her.

"Annabeth!" Cressida called down and she felt relieved when she received a sobbing reply,

"Here!"

And she finally spotted her as she leaned over the railing, grinning at her Books who grinned back at her Grapes.

The room kept shaking, but Annabeth managed to stand. The floor at her feet seemed stable for the moment. Her backpack was missing, along with Daedalus's laptop. Her bronze knife, which she'd had since she was seven, was also gone—probably fallen into the pit. But Annabeth didn't care. She was alive and her friends were here to save her.

She edged closer to the gaping hole made by the Fiat 500. Jagged rock walls plunged into the darkness as far as Annabeth could see. A few small ledges jutted out here and there, but Annabeth saw nothing on them—just strands of spider silk dripping over the sides like Christmas tinsel.

And the next thing she knew, Cressida had descended the rope ladder and was wrapping her in a hug. "I got you. You're ok."

It was usually the other way around; Cressida had numerous memories of Annabeth saying the same words to her when she had numerous breakdowns after numerous tragedies. She figured it was the appropriate thing to say.

"You came," Annabeth cried.

"Of course, we came! You're my best friend. I certainly wasn't going to leave you behind."

"Did you and Percy do what I asked?"

"I even have a new charm to prove it," Cressida replied before the two girls were engulfed in a bigger hug by Percy and Annabeth let out a teary laugh.

Their friends gathered around them. Nico di Angelo was there, but Annabeth's thoughts were so fuzzy, this didn't seem surprising to her. It seemed only right that he would be with them. "Your leg." Piper knelt next to her and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"

She started to explain. Talking was difficult, but as she went along, her words came more easily. Cressida didn't let go of her hand and Percy didn't leave her side either which made it easier.

When she finished, her friends' faces were slack with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well...some of it with a broken ankle."

"Either way," Cressida said. "My best friend is a badass."

Percy grinned so proudly. "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you did it. Generations of Athena kids tried and failed. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

Everyone gazed at the statue.

"What do we do with her?" Frank asked. "She's huge."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

"The giants' bane stands gold and pale," Hazel quoted. "Won with pain from a woven jail." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."