Annabeth awoke to the sound of battle.
Her eyes shot open and she instinctively moved her head to the side, just barely missing the gleaming sword that slid silently into the ground, before being wrenched free.
The dracaena snarled before swinging the blade around nearly taking off Annabeth’s head.
“Annabeth!” Jason yelled, swinging his spear around, disintegrating several monsters before rushing over to her, “Are you all right?” he asked, defending her back as she managed to keep dodging the monster, it becoming even more annoyed and its attacks even more wild.
“Do I look to be alright?” Annabeth yelled over the sound of the clashing metal, “And where the Hades is my knife?”
“Yeah, one of the Stolls didn’t have a weapon and they took yours,” Jason apologized
“Then can I have it back now?”
“He also lost it,” Jason added as a side note.
“I’m going to kill him, that was my second knife,” Annabeth muttered before suddenly spinning out of the way of the dracaena’s sword and kicked her wrist.
The sword dropped and for a spilt second, both demigod and monster stared at one another before Annabeth caught the falling sword and sliced the monster in half with one fluid movement.
“Is anyone injured?” Annabeth called out, as they finished off the remaining monsters.
No one called out so she assumed everyone was fine.
“Everyone get close, we need to do a head count,” commanded Jason, trying to have some form of order.
There were fourteen of them, the Stoll brothers, Chris, Clarisse, Katie, Will, Jake, Rachel and the remaining 6 of the Seven.
“So this is Tartarus?” Clarisse asked uncharacteristically serious, her grip on her spear tightening.
“Y-yes it is, we need to stick together at all times,” Annabeth’s voice started out shaky but grew stronger towards the end. She was a daughter of Athena, she wouldn’t give up so easily.
Rachel surprisingly was the first to start moving, she looked back and stared expectantly at them.
“Well? We all know where we have to go,” she said before she continued heading off in her chosen direction.
“What is she talking about? Connor asked,
“The Phlegethon, we must go to the River of Fire to complete the prophecy,” Annabeth murmured, her mind putting the pieces together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was at least the seventh time they were attacked in the span in an hour.
Most of them had already stopped counting as they had become exhausted. Clarisse and Jason were the only ones still leading their forced march, concentrating on getting them to the bright flare of lights on the other side of a massive hill.
Their skins were streaked with ash and sweat, boils and rashes appearing all over their skin and face.
Rachel came up from the rear, armed with a short sword she had wrestled from a monster, adding to their increasing armory as Clarisse had refused to part with any war prize.
“Are we close?” she asked Annabeth, as she brushed her curly hair out of her eyes.
“Yes, it is right over this hill, I’m just worried though…” Annabeth trailed off.
YOU ARE READING
Son of the Rivers (Wattys 2015 Entry)
FanfictionA being born from the Five Rivers of the Underworld, stronger than most gods, Feared by many. Always hiding, always there. An immortal being that carries out the will of the Rivers. Stronger than a First-Born of a god. Much stronger. He is made of t...
