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UNDER LEO'S CONTROL, the Argo II promptly blasted a hole on the roof of the chamber Annabeth was in, giving us a view of one of Rome's ancient underground tunnels. My heart seemed to beat steadily again, once I registered that she was alive. Extremely injured and next to what I guessed was the monster Arachne, but alive.
I saw with pride that Annabeth had somehow trapped the spider-lady in some kind of bigger version of a Chinese finger trap. She was a genius, as I was reminded everyday.
Chunks of asphalt as big as garage doors tumbled down, along with six or seven Italian cars. One would've crushed the Athena Parthenos, but the statue's glowing aura acted like a force field, and the car bounced off.
That car (a Fiat 500), dropped onto the already crumbling floor, and created a chasm beneath the gigantic spider. As Arachne fell, she screamed like a freight train on a collision course; but her wailing rapidly faded. All around Annabeth, more chunks of debris slammed through the floor, riddling it with holes. But she was safe for now.
Something shiny caught my eye. The statue of Athena.
Huge would be an understatement. The Athena Parthenos was a enormous gold and ivory rendition of the goddess of wisdom and crafts, that seemed to have an almost glowing aura. Despite all the falling debris, it was completely undamaged.
Percy rushed to the edge of the ship. "Annabeth!" he shouted.
"Here!" she sobbed.
As the Argo II descended, Percy began to smile in relief. The room kept shaking, but Annabeth managed to stand at the sight of her boyfriend.
As we neared her, I peered into the hole the car made, seeing only jagged rock walls that plunged into the darkness. It seemed almost endless. Where did the chasm reach?
I shivered slightly, feeling as though I already knew where it led.
The Argo II hovered to a stop about forty feet from the floor. It lowered a rope ladder, which Percy quickly climbed down. He turned her gently away from the pit and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and broke down in tears.
"It's okay," he said, reassuring her. "We're together."
I climbed down too. Soon, everyone was gathered around them.
"Your leg." Piper knelt next to her and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what happened?"
Annabeth started to explain. Talking was difficult, but as she went along, her words came more easily. When she finished, our faces were slack with amazement.
"Gods of Olympus," I said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."
"Well... some of it with a broken ankle."
Percy grinned. "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!"
