Prologue

All I saw was an inky black abyss as I sat up and looked around me. Coldness from the frigid air seeped into my clothing, chilling me to core. I couldn't see Annabeth anywhere around me. Suddenly a dim light appeared and I looked up to see Kronos holding a cuffed Annabeth, who seemed to be struggling to get away from the golden Titan. I tried to get up, but found that I was shackled to the ground. All I could do was watch with worry, horror, and hatred as Kronos took a knife and lightly pressed it against Annabeth's neck.

"Percy, Percy, Percy, you really should have joined me when you had the chance," Kronos' smooth voice rang out, echoing through the void of darkness. "But, since it wasn't you directly who killed me, I'll give you a choice. You..." and then he brought his head closer to Annabeth's ear and whispered, "Or... her?" I tried to open my mouth, tried to speak, but found that I couldn't. So when I didn't answer, Kronos took his knife and plunged it into Annabeth's ribs. That's when I could open my mouth and I let out a gut wrenching scream that could be heard for miles, but at the same time couldn't andI screamed out Annabeth's name as she dropped to the ground. Her went body limp as she looked at me with glassy, tearful eyes and said five little words that would forever stay in my mind:

"It's okay, Percy. It's okay," And the light in her stormy gray eyes disappeared... Forever.

Olympus (Counsel Room)

"He's having the nightmare again, father." A wizened voice said to the King of Olympus. The said god looked upon his daughter with a saddened expression.

"He loved her more than he would have ever known. She was the person he would turn to when things went bad... And now she's gone." Zeus replied. Athena nodded and looked at the misty image of the Olympian Hero.

"She was one of my children and now she's gone. Down in the underworld. I wish I could've saved her." Athena said, tears flowing steadily down her cheeks.

"I'm sure Percy would have too, but Tartarus is the one place besides the Labyrinth, that could make someone lose their mind," Hera said, walking up to the other goddess and touching her shoulder.

"My son is not insane," Poseidon seethed, watching as his son writhed and cried out for his fallen love.

"I was never claiming that he was," Hera said, glancing at the sea god with sadness clear in her usually happy expression.

"What are we going to do with the brat?" Ares asked in his rough tone. Zeus turned towards his son With puzzled expression.

"What do you mean?" Ares let out a sigh and turned back to the projection.

"The kid is going to breakdown one of these days and when he does, Camp Half-Blood will fall and it will start a chain reaction, making the Roman camp fall also." Ares answered.

"So what do you propose we do, then?" Aphrodite asked softly, staring at her lover with curious eyes. Hades was the one who spoke though.

"He can go to the Avengers," The others stared at him with baffled expressions.

"Let me get this straight," Poseidon started, green eyes blazing, "You want, my son, to go to a bunch of mortals and work with them?"

"The Avengers aren't just any mortals, some of them are our descendants." Artemis said, thoughtfully.

"And they saved New York last year from the Chitori." Apollo acknowledged.

"But how would they help Perseus?" Zeus asked.

"They work as a team. Each of them has their own faults. And every time one of them showed an ounce of weakness, they always helped each other." Athena said, wiping her tears and sitting back down on her throne. "If they help Percy by helping him through his nightmares then maybe, just maybe, he would heal. Both mind and spirit." Poseidon nodded and then sighed.

"But there's so etching else coming isn't there?" He asked, looking towards his brother. Hades nodded.

"There is one thing I can tell you... It's not coming from Tartarus though." At this the gods looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean... It not coming from Tartarus?" Aphrodite asked.

"I mean, ever since Gaea was defeated Tartarus has been silent." Hades answered.

"Which means...?" Apollo prompted.

"which means that it isn't coming from Tartarus... It is Tartarus." Athena said, gasping.

"exactly, and that's why, we're going to need a lot more help this time around," Hades said, before disappearing. The gods sat there, silently, as they watch the mist disappear and with it the image of the Hero of Olympus.

The hero known as Percy Jackson.