Chapter 5: Enter King Kronos

Athena Troy was a strong, confident, beautiful, and independent woman. She made sure everyone knew it, too. Annabeth often wondered how Athena could have possibly ever fallen in love with sweet, loving Frederick Chase, but that was 17 years ago. And it had only lasted a year. Within that year, the two had gotten hitched in Vegas and Annabeth was born seven months later.

It was a month into her visit when Annabeth finally asked what was on her mind.

"Mom," she said, "do you believe in ghosts?" Her mother shot her a strange look and seemed to consider her reply.

"Why?"

"Yes or no, Mom?"

"Of course not, Annabeth," she admitted. "You should know that; I don't know why you're asking."

Annabeth hadn't thought about that. How much did she want to tell her skeptic of a mother? "It's just, you know, the old house that I'm living in now. I was halfway hoping that you would say yes." She wasn't telling a total lie. She had hoped that her mom would say yes.

The rest of her trip was uneventful: her mother practically ignored her unless she was bragging about one of her "innumerable accomplishments that anyone would be proud to have done." When she got back to Nebraska, there was snow on the ground. It was almost Christmas.

Matthew and Bobby had been born in her absence (she had decided on her own to give her dad and Sabrina time with them alone) and were now a month and a half old. Her parents looked so frazzled and relieved that she was home that she felt sort of guilty for leaving.

But the person she was most excited to see again was Percy, and nothing could stop her from seeing him again that night. She practically sprinted up the stairs, and found him waiting as usual.

"I got your note," he said.

"You don't sound disappointed that I'm back," Annabeth replied. He smiled softly at her.

"I'm trying to be, believe me. About what I did…" he trailed off.

"I told you that we'd talk, didn't I?" she asked. Truth be told, she didn't plan on talking as much as he probably did. She planned on taking matters into her own hands.

She was proven right when he started apologizing again. "Annabeth, I'm sorry that I did that," Percy started. Annabeth, for her part, started making her way over to him from the stairs as he kept talking. "I don't know what came over me: usually I have more self-control than that."

Annabeth cut him off. "Do you think I'm pretty, Percy?"

Just like last time they talked, Percy seemed to realize how close she had gotten. "Beautiful," he blurted. He blushed like a schoolgirl, but Annabeth just smiled.

"Do you like me?" she continued.

"More than I should," he admitted. All of a sudden, her arms were wrapped around his neck and her lips were on his. It took a second for him to return the kiss, but when he did, he completely took control. His hands landed on her hips, and his tongue pressed for entrance at her mouth. It was quickly granted, and after what felt like seconds—but was probably a few minutes—of their tongues fighting battles, Percy pulled his head away.

His face was panic stricken. Annabeth looked at him in confusion until her bedroom began to melt into an otherworldly place. She yelped and gripped him tighter as a throne room came into focus.

"Perseus!" a deep, evil-sounding voice boomed, startling her. "It's good to see you again."

Annabeth, with her head buried in his chest and her eyes shut tight, felt Percy move to face the voice, bringing her with him. "Kronos," he said calmly, "what do you want?"

"I see you brought me a gift," Kronos said.

Percy tried not to notice the hundreds of lewd sexual acts being performed around the enormous red and black room.

"She's not for you," he said. The king rose from his blood red and gold throne and started stepping over the mass of tangled, naked bodies, many of which were in the throes of orgasms. Moans and screams of pleasure rang out in the air, but Kronos ignored them.

Percy didn't know if it was possible for Annabeth to be closer to him, but he sure tried to pull her shivering form to his.

"Oh, but Perseus," Kronos started, "from what I can see, she is very beautiful." He turned to her. "Show me your face, little one."

Sorry for the wait. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to go wrong, but the inspiration for this came to me last night. I hope you enjoyed it.