Sophia clutched onto her mother's hand for dear life as they walked through the busy streets of New York. Today was the day that Sophia was finally going to meet her grandmother, Athena. And not only was New York fast-paced today, but so was her heart. She was nervous (but excited, too) to convene with her grandmother because Sophia had been waiting for this day for a while now.
Sophia watched as the New Yorkers hustled through the streets, kind of like worker ants, she observed. They were all bustling to one destination or another, not to mention impolitely too. Sophia kept track of how many times a distracted adult has bumped into her or accidentally stepped on her toe. They didn't even apologize but just let out a huff of aggravation, barely even gazing down at the victim. Sophia concluded that she didn't like New York so much; she only enjoyed her house in the quiet suburb.
Her mother led her into a tall building which Sophia could point out was the Empire State Building. She smiled and followed her mother in, her white, summer sandals brighter than the marble floor. They both walked over to a kiosk where a man was slothfully reading a newspaper. To Sophia, he almost looked like he was starting to fall asleep. Annabeth leaned in close, her tone hushed and quick.
"I would like the key to the 600th floor, please." The man looked up from the newspaper, raising an eyebrow.
"Ma'am, there are only 102 floors here. Clearly, you are getting confused with other buildings." Sophia could see that his statement insulted her mother. Annabeth stood up straighter, her eyes narrowed, her grip on her daughter's hand a little tighter.
"Pardon me, sir, but you are the one who is mistaken. I am a professional architect and I even work he-" The man grinned, a sly glint in his eye.
"I'm just yankin' your chain, missy." He tossed her the key and Annabeth caught them just in time, a surprised look on her face. He continued, "I remember you, only the important people, really. Go on up, but just be careful, I have a feeling Zeus is a little restless today." Annabeth nodded and smiled, but only through politeness. She led her daughter to the elevator, not giving Sophia any chances on questioning that strange man.
Annabeth hit the button, and the doors opened up to them. They both entered and the doors quickly shut. Sophia watched as her mother inserted the key into a secretive slot and another button appeared on the menu of all of the buttons. Her mother hit the new button which had the omega sign on it and the elevator ascended.
Sophia looked around as they went up; the elevator was grandly designed with lots of gold and dark, grayish marble. She liked the design of it; it gave the elevator an aura of importance and need, unlike usual dismal and dirty elevators she has traveled in. This elevator was clean also, she could see the reflection of her face in the shine of the marble. The elevator let out a bright ding as the elevator doors opened again. Sophia looked up and gasped at the brilliant sight before her.
Olympus was a utopia, even though some parts of it were under construction. She saw temples being erected in the distance, a line of gold steps keeping the distance in between them. Her mother smiled at her reaction and kneeled down to her.
"I thought you might like it," Sophia looked at her mother, purely awe-struck.
"You designed this, mother?" Annabeth smiled more, nodding.
"Yes, I did," She stood up; taking her daughter's hand again. "The gods allowed me to reconstruct Olympus after the second Titan war your father and I participated in. I'm still so thankful, even today, that they allowed me to make my designs possible on their sacred structure." Annabeth sighed and Sophia noticed that her mother was having memory flashbacks; she always got this faraway look on her face, as if the memories themselves were playing out like movies in her head.
Sophia wished she could see these movies, she was sure that they would explain so much about her parents, not to mention that strong bond they share. Sophia could tell that special bond was built over a progression of hard times. But, as her mother says, what only kills you makes you stronger. She knew her mother had experience with this quote, she heard it through her mother's tone when she said it, it was truthfully raw, not to mention harsh, even though she wasn't trying to be.
She saw her mother slightly flinch at a bad memory, absentmindedly and almost painfully rubbing one of her shoulders. She shook her head, exiting that memory movie. Annabeth attempted to smile down at her daughter, reassuring Sophia that she was okay, but her smile looked forced, as if she was the one trying to reassure herself that she was okay.
Annabeth led her daughter up the stairs and Sophia dared to look down below. Through some scattered patches of clouds, she could see New York. The people really did look like scurrying ants, "but look who's the queen ant now?" she mentally asked the citizens down below. They didn't answer her back, so Sophia hastily stuck her tongue out at them, speedily following behind her mother.
