Guess whooseee baaaacccck? Well, at least for the moment. I have returned with an arsenal of big words, better grammar, and some really life-changing experiences. Two years really changes you. So, this is an idea I came up with while I was still writing TT, so I didn't publish anything. Now, I'm like super anxious to see people's reactions to this. I know it's dark, but bear with me. I'm so excited for MOA and because of my Percabeth deprivation, I felt the need to release this into fanfiction. Don't ask about a sequel to TT because I don't know where I stand on that. I hope you really enjoy this and please tell me what you think in a review!

This first chapter is in Annabeth's point of view...

Disclaimer: Rick owns PJATO, not me!

...

My Light in the Darkness

Prologue:

All I saw was darkness.

It all started when I left home. I had packed a bag full of my most important belongings, only leaving a few of my distasteful items and a note on the kitchen counter. My father no longer cared for me like he used to when my mom was still around. My step-mom treated me like we were not family, favoring her two sons. But, the way they all treated me didn't make we want to leave. I told my father that I left because of my mother's death that had occurred a few years ago, which was a lie. The real reason I left was because I wanted to explore the outside world and be an individual. I was good enough, right?

Wrong.

So innocent and naïve, I stepped into the woods in the dark of night. Before I could scream, a dirt-covered hand was clamped over my mouth. I kicked and fought, but to no avail. Before I knew it, the consuming mass of darkness had engulfed my vision.

The next thing I knew, I was being violently tossed into a small cell. The darkness was not only uncomforting, but also paired with a disgusting stench that was unfamiliar to me. The floor of the cell was wet, but in the darkness I could not tell if the substance below me was water or blood- or possibly even a mixture between the two.

If only I hadn't run away from the comfort of my home.

I cried and I cried, hopelessly sprawled across the cell floor with my head in my hands. Minutes, hours, or maybe even days passed before I started to think about getting out of the cell. Where am I? I wondered. Why am I here? Have I done something wrong? The darkness had never lifted from my vision, and I was starting to fear that I would eventually go blind if there was nothing to see. My heart stuttered when I heard a voice to my left.

"Hello?" It asked. It was a boy, I decided; someone who was near my age. I turned towards the voice and shuffled across my cell, letting my hands travel across the wall until I found what divided us. The boy and I were separated by a collection of jail cell bars; an impenetrable wall that we could not pass through. "Is anyone there?" He sounded alone.

"You aren't alone," I replied in a whisper, using my voice for the first time since I was taken to this dark place. I reached my hand through the bars out towards him and he grabbed it with a small callused hand. We cried together.

Every day, at least once, a man would push a tray of food under the cell. I didn't exactly know what the food was, because of the constant darkness, but I ate it acceptingly- avoiding death. The boy and I talked occasionally, but we never exchanged names. Instead, we made up nicknames for each other. He was seaweed brain, because of his love for water and the fact that he was very blunt sometimes. He called me Wise Girl, because I'm so smart (ha-ha). He had a mother at home who he loved more than anything in the world. He loved to swim and he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia recently. I told him about my family and how I shared the same disorders. We never talked about why we were here, simply because we didn't know. I wondered every second why I was kidnapped and thrown in a dirty dark cell, but it didn't really matter. I knew that I was not going to ever get out of this situation unless I had a plan.

"We have to get out of here," I whispered to him one day. "There has to be a way, we need a plan." He took a pause after I spoke and then replied.

"Got any ideas?"

"Well, you know how someone comes and drops off food for us every day? Somehow we need to get his keys to unlock our cells. I don't know exactly how yet but it's a start," I explained in a hushed tone. "When he makes his rounds next time, I think I'm going to try to talk to him." If only I knew how naive we were to consider such.

"I guess you could give it a shot," he said softly.

When the man with the food made his rounds, I took action.

"What are the daily specials today? Yesterday my meal was totally undercooked," I said jokingly. I could hear him as he stopped in his tracks and moved back towards my cell. I could hear the creaking of the door as he reached inside and yanked my arm. I should have known better than to say sarcastic remarks to someone who works with kidnapping children.

He pulled me across the soggy floor and into another room that somehow seemed even darker than my cell. I whimpered softly as he pulled off my shirt, the one I had been wearing since I had been taken to this prison. He traced his cold fingers across my back and my breathing quickened. I could have never braced myself for what happened next.

Crack

The first 3 whips were the worst and then the pain was so great that it began to numb out. Tears ran down my face as he howled with laughter. He was a mad man in his natural habitat, taking out his misery on my small fragile body. I could feel the blood dripping down my back and the breath escaping my lungs.

"Never, ever, say a word about your food ever again, or I promise you that I can do worse," he chuckled as I collapsed onto the floor in a puddle of my own blood. I no longer only feared the darkness.

A few weeks after my first plan went awry, Seaweed Brain was moved into my cell to create more space for a new victim. The new child never talked and embraced the darkness almost as if he was used to it. The night that he arrived, the sounds of what I assumed was thunder filled the empty dark hallways and echoed off the walls. It almost sounded like a whip cracking in the wind.

I continued to create escape plans after I started getting used to the punishment. Every time I uttered a word that they heard I would be whipped until my body was numb. I was bruised and beaten from the times that I tried to steal the key ring from the guard as he dragged me out of my cell to be punished. The worst pain of all was when one man took a knife and cut words into my skin, as if he was writing on the thinnest sheet of paper. Occasionally, the guards would hold what I later realized was a gun against my forehead or between my shoulder blades.

"Listen to me or I'm pulling the trigger," they would say.

Sometimes I was glad that it was dark. I didn't want anyone, including myself, to see me in the state that I was. Seaweed Brain would receive similar punishments whenever he would defend me or try his own foolish plans. Escape seemed hopeless.

One day, things ended differently than usual.

Seaweed Brain decided that he would try something more difficult and dangerous this time to escape. Even though I was against his idea, I do admit that it was brilliant. In the darkness, the guards would not know if the cell had been closed up after they left or not. He told me that he was going to sacrifice himself to be punished and that I should try to run away and escape while he was being taken away.

"I'm not leaving without you," I would say, countless times.

"It's better if at least one of us gets out alive, Wise Girl," He'd always reply. Then finally, I agreed to try, keeping in consideration that the guards couldn't do much worse to me than they already had.

"I'll never forget you," I whispered to him in a hushed tone, wrapping my arms around what felt like his body. He hugged me tightly and whispered in my ear.

"We will see each other again soon, I promise." I nodded and shuffled over to the edge of the cell, beneath a canopy of shadows. My hands felt for the bottom of the door. I wedged my foot so that it would work as a stopper when the guard opened the cell to take Seaweed Brain away. Even if this crazy plan did work, I'd never forgive myself for leaving him. But, he wanted me to do this and I couldn't disappoint him.

"Here he comes," Seaweed Brain whispered softly upon hearing the loud pounding footsteps. "Hey, ugly!" He shouted to the guard whilst knocking his fist against the bars. "Can I have two servings today?"

The guard suddenly slammed into the bars in a fit of rage. He reached for his keys and jammed them into the lock, creating a satisfying click. I held my breath. The guard grabbed Seaweed Brain by the arm and yanked him outside of the cell. When he went to close up the cell, Seaweed Brain shoved what seemed like his hands over the guard's eyes.

"Get off me you stupid kid!" The man grunted, blind. I quickly pulled open the cell door and raced away, faster than I had ever raced before. We had picked the perfect time to initiate our plan. As far as I could see, no other guards were at their posts which gave me the perfect opportunity to escape. I heard loud footsteps behind me and ran faster.

"Go faster, he's gaining on us!" A voice I never thought I'd hear again shouted through the cavern. Seaweed Brain must have escaped from the guard's grasp just in time to race after me. Everything was going according to plan. I saw light further down the long, winding, cavern. For the first time since I had been kidnapped, the darkness started peeling away. I ran faster.

A tall ladder with small footholds was the only thing that separated me and the outside world. I raced up, two rungs at a time, upon hearing the guard shout. I was so close! Pure adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I climbed relentlessly. Beams of light shined through the cracks of the trapdoor at the top of the ladder. With one hard push, the trapdoor was open and I was a few feet from freedom. The light, new to my eyes, blurred my vision. After blinking rapidly a few times, I made the mistake of looking down. Seaweed Brain was a few rungs from the top and had gotten stuck because the guard had grabbed his leg. For the first time, I saw a blurred picture of his face through my unadjusted eyes. He had long jet black hair, probably from not being cut in the cell, and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. I reached out my hand towards him, trying to pull him towards the top with my undeveloped ten year old muscles.

I wasn't strong enough.

"Let go," Seaweed Brain whispered. "Let go," he repeated, this time louder. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that the price of my freedom was losing the person who gave it to me.

I'll never forget you, I mouthed to him. I released his hand and closed the trapdoor quickly before the guard could grab me too. As I ran towards the sounds of civilization, I cried. I cried for Seaweed Brain, who had given up his freedom to let me escape unscathed. I cried for all the other people this had ever happened to. Lastly, I cried for myself. As I looked down at my arms and legs, all I saw were scars. Bitch was carved into my left arm and each letter was still crusted with blood. My hair was so tangled and bloody that I'd probably have to cut it all off. Ten year old girls were not supposed to have to handle things like this.

After reaching a familiar highway, I realized that I had finally gotten what I always wanted. I could see the light again. Granted, my vision was extremely blurry because I hadn't seen anything other than darkness for a very long time. But, I was finally free.

And yet, I never had felt so alone.

Hope you loved it! Sorry for the totally dark atmosphere, that's why this is rated T. Don't worry, the next few chapters are MUCH more uplifting. The title to this isn't solidified yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to finish out this story in my free time. Please review, it means the world to me!

With love, AE