The Mark of Athena,Heroes of Olympus, Book 3

Percy XXIII


Percy, Leo, and Luke ran through the woods. The rain had begun to come down heavier, and Percy refused to help the other two with it.

Suddenly, Percy heard a girl scream, "Annabeth!" Percy and Luke locked eyes and ran towards the sound.

"Piper?" Percy called. "Annabeth?"

"Marco!" Leo yelled.

"Leo!" It was Piper.

"Just say, 'polo!'" Leo shouted.

"Shut up!" Luke said. Luke looked around.

"Okay, if you were Annabeth..." he began, "where would you run?"

"Well, if I was Annabeth-"

"You'd be dating yourself," interrupted Annabeth.

"Leo, shut up, I'm trying to think like her so I can find her. I would probably split up with Piper, then meet up at the boat."

"That does sound like something Annabeth would do," agreed Luke.

"I'd run."

"Well, no, duh."

"Seriously. Octavian's right behind us." Percy and Luke turned around.

"Yeah, let's run."

It was nearly ten minutes later, and they still hadn't lost him.

"Split up!" shouted Percy. They all turned in different directions, but Octavian continued to chase Percy. Percy stopped and pulled out his sword. He held it out in Octavian's direction. Octavian almost impaled himself on it.

"Where is she?" asked Percy.

"On the brink of death," Octavian answered with a malicious grin. Suddenly, he disappeared, like dust in the wind.

"Guys! He's gone!" shouted Percy.

"I found her!" called Luke. Percy ran in his direction.

Brink of death. Brink of death. Brink of death. Brink of-

Percy shook his head, trying to get rid of Octavian's voice in his mind, repeating Annabeth's condition.

Brink of death. Brink of death.

"Percy!" It was Piper. Percy had never felt more relieved to see her. "Annabeth's-"

"Dying?" Percy said in a low voice.

"Yeah. Octavian-"

"Attacked her."

Piper nodded. Percy took a good look at Annabeth. There was a deep cut in the side of her neck, and one on her ribcage.

"I don't think it cut the jugular, but... I'm no doctor. There's not much blood, so I think we can get her back to the boat." Percy wasn't so sure. Annabeth was unconscious, and Piper wasn't looking so good herself.

"Leo. Do you think you can start a flare?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because, I'm going to call the Argo, and they're going to come get us."
Leo XXIV


Leo had never been really scared for Annabeth's life. He figured that if she could survive falling off the Argo and onto Clarisse, she could survive anything.

But that cut in her neck looked pretty nasty, and Leo didn't know anyone who survived a wound like that.

Then again, this was Annabeth.

Leo dashed around, gathering green, wet twigs and coating them in motor oil he got from his tool belt. He piled them together, and after making sure he didn't spill any of the motor oil on the grass he yelled, "Stand back!"

Percy, Luke, and Piper backed up, carefully dragging Annabeth with them.

"1, 2, 3," Leo counted. He lobbed a ball of fire in to the twigs.

Because of the motor oil, the flames burned high. But because the sticks were still wet, there was a lot of smoke.

"I can make a good fire."

"Jason, can you see it?" asked Percy into Annabeth's phone. "Okay, good. Come on over. Tell us when you're right over us, and we'll put the fire out. See you then." Percy anxiously watched the sky. Leo continued to throw motor oil and fire into the blaze, because the rain was putting out the fire.

"They're here!" yelled Piper. Percy held his hand out, and a tidal wave engulfed the fire. Leo turned and looked at him.

"How'd you do that?"

"There's a creek over there." Percy pointed behind Leo. Jason landed the ship in the clearing, where it barely fit. Miraculously, no trees were crushed in the attempt.

The rain continued to pour down. The water mixed with Annabeth's blood, and it was starting to make Leo sick. Piper, Percy, and Luke helped Annabeth into the boat. Leo followed, wishing they'd let him help. Leo didn't like feeling like he was useless to the cause.

Now we add four more heroes to the mix: Shape-shifting Frank, Once-dead Hazel, Uber-powerful Percy, and Genius Annabeth. Why on earth would Heroic Jason and Beautiful Piper even need Flaming Valdez now?

"So he can set up flares and drive a boat," Leo muttered under his breath. No one heard him, which was fine by him.

A few hours later, Annabeth was still unconscious, but the bleeding had long since stopped. Percy was going crazy, and Leo was down in his workshop, working on his spatha.

"Come on, you stupid thing," Leo grumbled. "Quit melting!" Leo sighed and hung the hilt on the wall after collecting the melted mixture of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold in a vat. He went back to working on that dang pocket knife. Maybe the bow would stay this time.

"Arrgghh!" Leo fumbled for the bow that had just popped out of the knife and hit him in the face. He snagged it before it could fall into the mixture of the metals. Leo sighed. Dumb curse. Luke's sword came out okay-for now. Leo didn't know if Luke would randomly download Angry Birds, and then the sword would turn into that red bird that does absolutely nothing for your progress.

"That's enough for today," Leo decided. Leo began to walk up the stairs to his room.

"Thank the gods, are you okay?"

Annabeth was awake. Maybe today wouldn't be a waste after all.