Annabeth had her head bent over the blue prints, her hair falling out of her ponytail and her neck cramping. She knew there was a mistake somewhere on the page, and had been trying to find it for two hours. She squinted at the teeny white writing and sighed. She was supposed to be hanging out with Percy, but at the last second had been told that her work had an error, and so here she was, trying to find an error on the page infront of her.

She frowned, she had been sure that all her calculations were correct, and yet her mother had told her they weren't. Could her mother be trying to keep her away from Percy? No, Annabeth thought, that's ridiculous. My mother doesn't care that much.

"You're wrong, you know," A smooth voice said from behind her.

Annabeth turned slowly in her chair, mentally preparing herself for an argument with her mother.

"What am I wrong about, Mother?" Annabeth tried to keep the irritation out of her voice, but failed epically.

"This has nothing to do with the boy, though I do think you can and will do better." Athena smiled coldly, like she could already see the breakup. A shiver ran down Annabeth's spine and she sat up straighter.

"With all due respect, Lady Athena, I really don't think I can. Percy is the nicest, bravest, most loyal, funniest, and best friend I've ever had. I really wouldn't bet on us breaking up. He's my best friend, and He'd never let anything happen to me." Annabeth realized that somewhere in that argument, she'd started shouting. Her face was all red and she was fuming, the very idea that Percy wasn't good enough for her made her hysterical.

The Lady Athena smiled, her antagonism gone. "I see. I was wrong all those years ago when I told him to stay away from you. You do understand now, don't you Annabeth." Athena tilted her head and looked at her daughter, hoping she understood the point.

Annabeth of course had understood the point. "It was a test, wasn't it? There is no mistake, you just needed me frustrated." Athena nodded and motioned for her to go on.

"You wanted to be sure that I knew what I was doing, and that I was happy. Or at least that I wasn't stuck with Percy because I felt indebted to him. You wanted to make sure that I was making a wise decision."

Athena nodded. She never intended to break them up, she wasn't Aphrodite. She knew that the heart could rule the mind, especially in mortals. And she would never allow her daughter to fall into a trap of love; instead she would allow this man to sharpen her daughter's wit, and watch her be happy. A happy mind produced many more ideas then a lonely one.

"I approve of you two. And I know you will make me proud." Annabeth nodded and stood to put on her coat. She turned away so that her mother couldn't see the tears in her eyes. Annabeth was a fighter, a strategist, a leader, but inside she knew she was still a child, barely 18 years old, still vying for approval. And now she had it. Her mother approved of her, and that was the most incredible feeling. It was like a big weight had been pulled off her back, and she had just realized how much it had been weighing her down.

Annabeth put on her coat and faced her mother, who gave her a fleeting smile and disappeared. Annabeth smiled and walked out her door, ready to be herself, not a scared little girl. Because it was unwise to be anyone but herself.