Percy POV

We have been wondering in the cramp corridors for hours at the very least. My legs were starting to cramp again and I am almost 100 percent certain that Annabeth is lost. Of course, I would never admit it to her because I would probably end up with a knife against my throat.

Since I appreciate the fact that I'm still alive I trug behind her, keeping more silent than a mute mouse.

Behind me, Bob was sweeping the dirty floors of the cavern, making his broom more dusty than keeping the floor clean. Small Bob twirled between his legs threatening to trip him any moment.

Luke followed a safe distance behind everyone, his glaze roaming between everyone. Mostly settling on Annabeth, he stares at her so intensely that you would think that he was inspecting her.

My previously white shoes were layered with a generous spreading of dust. You could barely tell that they were white in a past life. For now, if anyone asks about them I'll tell them that they are supposed to be grey.

As we turned the corner Annabeth stopped so abruptly that it froze us all in our tracks. We slowly approached her, trying to be silent. We didn't want any unwanted visitors to know about it. I peered around the corner and saw an old man grinning at her with a bottle of beer resting in his hands.

He gives her a drunken smile, his grin was lopsided.

He walks up to her, limping with each step. "Hey, pretty girl." His voice was rounded as if he couldn't pronounce his letters.

Annabeth talks a step back as he gets closer.

"Come on, I won't hurt you." He lifts his hand up trying to touch her face. "It will only hurt a little, only if you resist me. There is a nice little bed around here."

I put my hand on Annabeth's shoulder and glared at him. "Leave. Her. Alone."

She pushed my arm away and looked at the man, her eyes glared. "I've got this."

The man walked up closer to her, he reached out a finger and reached up to her face. Annabeth stood there unflinching. As he was about to run her hand down the side of her face, she scrunched up her hands and punched him straight in the head. He collapsed to the ground, the bottle of beer rolled out of his and onto the floor.

She wiped her hand on her dress and frowned. "That was disgusting, his forehead was all sweaty and wet."

She turned around and continued walking down the hallway. I looked back at the two guys behind me. Bob just shrugged and continued stroking Small Bob. Luke took his sword and stabbed the guy through the chest.

"That seems a little harsh don't you think?" I question him "Don't get me wrong I absolutely despise him, but he probably doesn't remember anything."

Luke looked up at me while he was dragging the body in a nearby room. "Probably. We are not taking any chances. Do you want to get caught or not?"

I rolled my eyes and look at Annabeth. "Tell him he's wrong. It's not right just to kill someone that saw us."

She just shrugs. "It's too late now. It's not like we can bring people back to life."

Annabeth changed before she would have never been so cold-hearted. Something happened to her and it made her seem more like a zombie of herself.

I sigh to myself and keep quiet after that.

~~~

Forget about what I said earlier, Annabeth is 100 percent lost. I swear she has been reading the map upside down or something because we have passed the same door 5 times. The surroundings look exactly the same and my shoes are only getting dustier.

Luke even has gotten bored and started a conversation with Bob. Bob was still stroking Small Bob's fur even though he was fast asleep in his arms. I watched Annabeth while she looked up from her map and continued walking.

She stopped before we made another turn in this endless maze.

She gives us know it all smirk, "Told you I wasn't lost."

"No one said you were lost."

"I know you guys were all thinking it, the exit should be around here."

I raise my eyebrow questioning her, "Should be?"

"Don't judge me, I was trying to take us down the more confusing less-used paths to stop people from finding us."

Luke smiles at us, "Discrete? Those are the paths that we use all the time."

She sighs and turns around like she is tired of looking at us.

"Luke please keep quiet," Bob whispers softly. "Small Bob is trying to sleep."

Annabeth opens the door on the other side of the corridor and smiles. There was some sort of weird contraption. There was a bunch of gears and pulleys lined on the side of the walls. There was a cage-like box in the center with a door. On the side was a button that seems to be what made the gears spin.

"This is what the exit looks like." It really is a mechanical wonder.

"Perfect, maybe we can get a stick to press the button while we all get in." Annabeth runs her hand through her hair as she brainstorms for ideas.

"Or." I looked at Luke as he suggests an idea. His eyes seemed to glow a bright gold in the lighting. "Everyone can come out and take you back to your cells for leverage against the gods."

"What do you mean?" I question. "What people? What gods?"

A group of warriors formed around the entrance of the room. We were cornered, there was no way to escape. I look at Annabeth and there was a layer of guilt wrapped in her expression. As soon as it came it disappeared and replaced with anger.

She grabbed the hilt of a piece of the scrap metal laying down. "I'm not going down without a fight." She snares at Luke.

"I do hope you don't get hurt deary I would love to study you more. A dead person coming back? Never heard of!" The gold eyed boy gives her a flirtatious smirk. "Your special sweetie."

"I will never go with you!" She screams with all her might and swings the metal bat at his head. He easily ducks and blocked it with the blade of his sword.

The warriors start rushing into the room pinning Bob and me to the ground. Small bob the kitten has woken up from his slumber and was hissing at everyone willing to come close to his giant friend.

If we stepped away from the doors, we would never leave this place. At the very least if we fight back we would die together, fighting.

I was about to swing at a nearby person when a ripple of alarm passed through the army. In the distance, I heard shrieks, screams, and a persistent boom. A fully armed warrior spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plum of bright-green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde. Everything in its path collapse.

As Annabeth looked at the newly empties path she grinned. "Damasen!"

The doctor inclined his head. "Annabeth Chase, I took your advice and I chose myself a new fate."

When Damasen fought by our side we actually had a chance. He was a whirlwind of death, killing everything and everyone in his path. Even though we had a bloody doctor, a killer kitten, a murderous janitor, and Annabeth we knew when reinforcements came there would be no chance.

In the commotion of battle, Bob stumbled up to me, "We need to get you and Annabeth into the cage."

"No, we stay here and help you fight."

"You know this is already a lost cause. You guys are still young you are going in."

I fight back, "Then you guys are coming in with us."

"No. We need someone to hold the button on the bottom of the people inside won't make it."

"Annabeth will talk some sense into you. We need to stay and fight." I was determined that there was going to be no man left behind.

A familiar blonde beauty pressed against my back as she fought a soldier. "Percy we need to get you out of here, you are a prince, the kingdom needs you."

Bob awards her a smile for siding with him.

He swept both of us up like a rag doll tossing us into the cage. "I will hold the button."

Tears were dripping down Annabeth's eyes while she nods. The cage door swishes shut as we slowly start rising.

Bob looks up at us one last time and mutters. "Until we meet again, my friends, tell the sun and stars hello for me."

As the cage rose, in between the cracks were signs of blood and death everywhere. In the corner of the room laid the traitor Luke. There was blood dripping down his side. That's what he deserves, a painful death. The part of his body, I didn't understand was that the blade that stabbed him, his own hands were at the hilt.

I looked at Annabeth and see tears dripping down her cheek. Her eyes were wide with sorrow.

Her voice hiccuped as she talked. "I'm supposed to be down there fighting, bleeding and dying. I'm not supposed to be alive."

"Don't say that Annabeth, you deserve to live as much as they do." I reach my arm out and hold it on her shoulder, comforting her.

"No Percy, that isn't true. I remember now. I'm already dead."