The Weight of the World

Annabeth watched from the hill surrounding the beach. He was still down there and had probably been standing in that exact same spot for hours now. The waves that swept around his feet were tossing and turning.

The sea was in turmoil.

His nightmares had become so frequent that he dreaded falling to sleep. Finally, after several days of side-glances and worried expression, he had broken down and told her what they were about.

"They always start out the same, you know. You and me and Grover standing on the beach laughing when this huge wave come up and drags Grover away. And he screaming and asking me to help him and it won't listen. It just won't listen… And then you're standing there screaming at me, asking why couldn't I save my best friend, why couldn't I stop the wave, why couldn't I help him…"

The look on his face when he had started shaking was enough to convince her that this had happened more than once, that it plagued his daydreams. So she pulled him into a hug, ran a hand though his soft hair, and promised she would always love him no matter what size of wave washed up on the beach.

But now, standing on the hill, watching him gaze at those rolling waves, fists clenched his sides, she felt her heart squeeze. He was sixteen and still carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.

So she did the only thing she could think of. Scrambling down the hill, she splashed into the waves and joined him in the surf, standing by his side. With a gentle touch, she pried his fingers apart and mashed their hands together. He didn't turn his head, didn't even acknowledge she was there, but the way he gripped her hand told her he understood.

And so, for the rest of the night they stood, in the same spot in the same sea. They never let go of each other, never walked away. They didn't speak either but there were no words to say. And just for that night, the son of the sea and the daughter of wisdom carried the weight of their worlds together.

And the sea was still.

Yes, it's bloody short. But it's been running laps in my head and just needed to end up in a Word document no matter how weird it sounded.

~`ww