Hallo. Before I begin, I would like to state some things. One, this takes place about 6 months after the fight with Gaea. Two, Leo returned a week after he died, with Calypso. They have settled back into camp. Three, Annabeth and Athena have made up. I like to think that they made up in BoO - when they fought together against the giants. But I thought I'd clear that up. Four, this is a one-shot. Five, I've always pictured Athena and Artemis as friends, so therefore they are friends in this fic. Okay, I'm done.
Disclaimer: Someday, you might find my name on a book cover. You will say, "Hey, that's not Rick Riordan!" I decided to break it to you know: I don't own PJO/HoO. *sobs*
Annabeth's POV
I was eating dinner with Percy - at the Poseidon table - when someone appeared next to Chiron. Everyone looked up, and some gasped. Namely, the Hermes table. I glanced at my siblings, and though we were at different tables, masterminds work together. I gestured to the Hermes table, up, and then to Mr. D. Malcolm nodded, gestured up in agreement, and turned back.
"Who's that?" Percy whispered into me ear.
"We think it's Hermes," I whispered back. Percy smirked.
"Who's we?" He watched me with his sea green eyes staring deeply into my gray ones.
"Siblings and I," I said dismissively.
Percy and I turned our attention back to Chiron, Mr. D, and supposedly Hermes. We just caught Chiron nodding before he called, "Annabeth, Percy, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Leo? Come up here please." I glanced at Reyna and Piper, whom I'd gotten closer to after the war. The Romans were staying with us.
He called up the Seven. I wonder what's happening, I thought to myself as I walked up.
-o-O-o-
"Come outside," the person we thought was Hermes said. Upon closer examination, I decided it was Hermes. I groaned softly - my relationship with Hermes was always strained, after what happened to Luke.
We followed Hermes out of the dinner pavilion, with the eyes of the campers watching us.
"What do you think this is about?" Piper and Hazel had fallen in line with me.
I chewed my lip in consideration. "Well, it could be because of something that happened during our quest - Chiron called up the Seven," I said, thinking out loud.
Hazel shrugged. "Any idea who that is?"
Of course, she's Roman, I thought.
"Hermes," I said, sighing. Piper nodded wisely.
"Luke?" She asked, and I nodded, twisting the red piece of coral Percy had given me.
I looked up, and saw Hermes had stopped by Thalia's Pine Tree. Wow, we walked far, I thought.
-o-O-o-
I slipped my hand into Percy's; he smiled gently at me. I gave his hand a little squeeze as Piper came up beside me.
"Well, hello, all of you," Hermes started, watching us each in turn. "As you may or may not have guessed, the gods - myself included - are asking you to come to Olympus to get some gifts for your brave acts in the name of Olympus."
We all nodded, and the girls each gave me a little smile. Hermes nodded, satisfied, and seconds later we were outside the doors to the throne room of Olympus.
-o-O-o-
"Wow! Nice designs, WiseGirl," Percy commented. I smiled my thanks.
"You built this?" Piper asked, incredulous.
"Not built, designed. I was named Head Architect of Olympus after the Titan War," I explained.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Hazel asked gazing around. "Oh, that reminds me so much of the '40s, right there!"
"It wasn't relevant," I pointed out, just as Hermes cleared his throat. Quite loudly.
"Still here," he reminded us as he pushed open the doors.
-o-O-o-
We stepped in, facing the eleven Olympians in their 20-foot tall forms. Hermes slipped over to his throne, growing with every step.
"Hello, demigods!" Zeus's voice boomed. "Hermes should have told you, but I'll say it again. You are here because it was voted that you should receive gifts for your courageous acts." Here he paused, and I looked at Percy. I knew what he was going to propose.
"Now, usually we would offer the greatest gift of all time! And if you should ask for it, it shall be yours! But when Perseus turned down this gift, we decided to honor you with something different!" Zeus exclaimed. Okay, maybe not.
"You shall each get one wish," Hera said, smiling. "I am so proud of you, my little heroes."
I huffed. "Leo Valdez, my son!" Hephaestus said. "Come up, please." Leo blushed, and knelt in front of his father's throne, after bowing to Zeus.
"I am proud of you, Leo. Perhaps you could come to my forges sometime. Now, what would you like to wish for?" Leo blushed, and mumbled something. Then, realizing he'd mumbled, he repeated it.
"I'd like to see my mother again. Not, like, to have her forever, just to see her one last time." Leo said.
Everyone looked at Hades, who was sitting on the little visitor's throne. He pursed his lips, but nodded; he raised his hand, and a pretty woman with curly black hair that was tied back and eyes the color of chocolate appeared. "Mom!" Leo choked out, and ran to her. He threw his arms around her, and she hugged him back.
She whispered something in Leo's ear, and his eyes filled with tears. "But it was," he said. His mother shook her head. She whispered something else. Leo nodded, and said something into her ear.
"Ms. Valdez, two more minutes," Hades said. Leo hugged his mom again, and tapped something out on her back. She grinned, and tapped something back. I could recognize it as Morse Code, but I didn't bother to understand it. Slowly, Leo's mother began to disappear. Leo stepped back into line, tears shining in his eyes.
"Hazel Levesque. Please come up." Hades said, watching his daughter with careful eyes. "What would you like to wish for?" He asked, after Hazel had bowed to him and Zeus. "May I just say, I am proud of you." That was one of the only times I saw Hades smile.
Hazel bit her lip in thought. "I... would like... ummm..."
I shifted from one foot to another, watching as my friend tried to decide. "Could I... could I have something to remind me of my other life, but remind me of this life at the same time? If that's too much though..." Hazel trailed off, blushing.
Zeus thundered, "YOU THINK WE HAVE LIMITED POWER?"
My Seaweed Brain piped up like the idiot he is. "Umm, with all due respect, Zeus, last year didn't you have me make sure that my request was in your power?"
Zeus's fingers twitched towards his Master Bolt, but Hades interrupted. "Yes, my daughter. I think I could do something like that."
Hades snapped his fingers, and a necklace popped up. I could see that the charm was a horse. Hazel gasped. She grabbed the necklace and her eyes sparkled. My eyes met with Piper's, and I could see that we were both happy for our friend. Hazel walked back in line, and she showed her necklace to Frank. I could see her softly explaining it to Frank.
"Frank Zhang, please step forward," Ares called. My gray eyes watched carefully as Ares flickered in Mars. Frank bowed to Zeus (Or was he Jupiter? No, Mom was still in Greek, so it must be just Ares/Mars.) Then, he, like Hazel and Leo, knelt at the foot of his father's throne.
Mars watched his son with careful eyes. "What would you like to wish for?" Mars thundered. Frank gulped.
I could see Jason and Percy nodding encouragingly to him. Leo looked at him like, Dude, why have you not thought of this. Hazel smiled at him. Piper and I gave him a subtle thumbs-up.
"I...I would like to see my mother again. Please. Sir. Dad. Or whatever I should call you." Frank blushed.
Mars looked at Hades. "Fine," Hades snapped. After Hazel's turn ended, he had become the Hades every Greek knew.
A woman with straight black hair appeared, and Frank gasped. "Mom," he choked out.
"Frank," she said, holding out her arms.
"I... I missed you," Frank choked out. "I understand it wasn't your fault," he added.
Ms. Zhang gave him a look. Frank blushed. "Okay, now I understand it wasn't your fault." Ms. Zhang smiled.
"I'm proud of you," Ms. Zhang said. Frank muttered something.
Ms. Zhang hugged Frank.
"One minute, Ms. Zhang," Hades said.
"I love you," Ms. Zhang said to Frank, and Frank smiled.
"I love you too, Mom." Slowly, Frank's mother disappeared.
Frank stepped into line, tears shining in his eyes as well. He hugged Hazel.
"Piper McLean, my most wonderful daughter," Aphrodite called. Mom and I met eyes and mimed gagged. So did Artemis.
"I am so proud of you, Piper," Aphrodite gushed. Piper glared at her, and met my eyes. Why is she my mother? she silently asked. I shrugged, smiling.
"What would you like to wish for, honey?" Aphrodite was smiling gracefully.
Piper thought. She bit her lip. Then, she said, "I would like something that helps my dad understand this world." Aphrodite looked worried.
"Honey, I don't know if that's -" Aphrodite started, but Mom interrupted.
"It is possible, Aphrodite. Medea had some potions to help with what Piper is asking." Mom glared at Aphrodite, and Artemis nodded.
"Yes, I believe I have heard that as well. Perhaps Hecate has something as well?" Artemis looked at Mom.
"It is quite possible. Father, perhaps I could call Hecate and ask her?" Mom turned to Zeus.
"Of course, daughter," Zeus replied.
Mom snapped her fingers, and a goddess I believed to be Hecate appeared. She looked annoyed, but less so when she saw Hazel.
"Why do you call me upon Olympus?" she asked.
This time, Artemis spoke. "We were wondering if you had any potions that could help Piper's father," Artemis gestured to Piper. "To help Piper's father accept this world without terrible side-affects."
"And why should I help you?" Hecate asked. Bravely (in my opinion) Hazel spoke.
"Because Piper is my friend," she said. Clever, I thought. Hecate's chosen one is Hazel, she cannot deny this if Piper is her friend. Sure enough, Hecate sighed and opened her hand.
Hovering about an inch above her palm was a glowing pink potion. She handed it to Piper. "Mix this into a drink for him. Let him drink it, then tell him about this world. It will help him accept this world," Hecate said. Piper nodded wordlessly, took the potion, and stepped back into line. She smiled at me, and I gave a thumbs-up.
"Jason Grace, my son," Zeus thundered.
Jason stepped up nervously. He knelt at his father's throne. "What would you like to wish for?" Zeus asked.
Jason stood tall. "I would like a bigger lightning allowance."
Even Mom looked confused.
"What do you mean?" thundered Zeus.
"Well, I can only summon a certain amount of lightning bolts a day," Jason explained. "I would like to be able to summon a larger number of bolts."
Zeus sighed. "I suppose that could be arranged. Come here," Zeus said, standing up and shrinking to 10 feet.
Jason stepped forward. Zeus raised his arms, then touched Jason's head. "Θα παραχωρήσει σε σας την ευλογία να καλέσει την δύναμη του πατέρα σου. Θα σας επιτρέψει να λάβει κεραυνούς από τον τομέα του πατέρα σου. Jason Γκρέις, θα σας απονεμηθεί ο τίτλος του γιου του Δία!" {Translation: I bestow upon you the blessing to summon the power of your father. I allow you to take lightning bolts from your father's domain. Jason Grace, I grant you the title of Son Of Zeus!} (I'm sorry if anything is wrong there, I used Google Translate, and I know it can be faulty. If anyone has any tips on a language app, please tell me!)
Jason nodded his thanks and walked back to our line of demigods.
"Annabeth Chase, my own daughter," Mom said, replicating her words from last year.
I bowed to Zeus, then kneeled in front of my mother. So many memories were here on this throne...
"Normally, I would ask you what you would like to wish for," Mom started. I looked up in shock.
"However, I know you, Annabeth. And I know you would never ask for this. So I shall give it to you, and you can choose whether or not to accept it." Mom looked at me, and I nodded, feeling the eyes of the Council on me.
Mom pulled something from behind her back. When she lowered it to me, I gasped.
"Will you accept this gift, Annabeth Chase?" Mom asked.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. After all, I was more dignified than to start screaming.
"Yes, Mother. I will accept this gift." I dipped my head.
Mom smiled a wise smile. "Then take it, my daughter."
I took another deep breath, stood up, and took Daedalus' laptop from Mom's open hands.
I felt giddy, but I tried hard not to show it. I stepped into my place in the line, and looked at Percy. It would be his turn, after all.
Poseidon smiled. "Perseus Jackson, my son."
I looked at Percy and smiled at him. He walked up, bowed to Zeus, and then knelt in front of Poseidon. "What would you like, ma boy?" Poseidon asked.
Percy bit his lip, and I understood: having the power to wish for anything could be overwhelming. "Could I see Bob and Damson again?" Percy asked. Hades shook his head.
"I am sorry, but there is no way I can do that," Hades said. The rest of the gods shook their heads as well.
Percy dipped his head like he expected that. "Then could I have my driver's license?"
I snorted, trying to hide laughter. Leave it to Seaweed Brain to asked for that. Poseidon raised his eyebrows.
"Yes, I think we could do that," Poseidon replied, smiling.
Hermes nodded as Poseidon said that, and he tossed something over to Poseidon. Poseidon handed it to Percy. He smiled, then walked back in line, next to me. He kissed the top of my head quickly, and showed me his driver's license. I rolled my eyes and smirked at him.
"Thank you, demigods. Now, Hermes, could you please escort them back to Camp Half-Blood?" Zeus asked. Hermes nodded and slipped out of his throne, decreasing in size until he was only about 7 feet tall.
He shooed us out, all of us still holding/hugging our new gifts. The throne room doors closed behind us, and we were flashed back to Camp Half-Blood. Hermes disappeared.
I looked around. "They're done with campfire, it looks like," I said. Percy nodded.
"Guys, wanna come over to my cabin? We can show each other our gifts and talk," Jason suggested.
"Well, it couldn't hurt," Percy said, nodding.
"I'll go if Percy goes." I slipped my hand into Percy's.
"Of course," Piper said, smiling at Jason.
"Okay," Frank and Hazel chorused.
"Fine with me," Leo smirked at Jason.
Jason lead us to the Zeus cabin, and showed us the secret entrance. I nodded - Thalia had shown me that in her year at Camp before she became a Huntress.
"How are you not gasping in surprise?" Leo asked, taking in the ladder.
"Because I knew it was there. Thalia showed it to me the year she stayed here," I explained.
''Well, come on!" Jason started to climb, followed by Piper, Leo, Percy, Frank, Hazel, and me.
-o-O-o-
We sat in a circle. "Annabeth, I think we all are the most curious about your gift. I mean, obviously I recognize it, but I doubt anyone else does," Percy said. I nodded my okay, and set Daedalus' laptop on the floor.
"Well, this is Daedalus' laptop. It belonged to my half-brother, Daedalus. I mean, obviously." I smiled slightly. "It has a whole bunch of programs and such, but I lost it in Tartarus. I wonder how they got it back," I said finishing my explanation.
"Oh, is that the laptop that showed me the Chinese handcuff solution?" asked Frank, and I nodded. He nodded too.
''What's that blue triangle?" Hazel questioned, pointing at the Delta.
"It's the Greek letter Delta," Percy said before I could.
"What he said," I agreed. Then, I added, "We should just go in a circle."
Piper and Percy were both sitting next to me. "I'll go, because everyone knows what Percy's is," Piper said.
"We all heard Hecate's explanation, Pipes," said Leo.
"Fine, then I can pass it around and you guys can look at it." Piper glanced at us, and we all nodded.
Piper passed it to me; I looked it over. I passed it to Percy. It went around the circle until it was back in Piper's hands. She set it on the ground in front of her, just as I did.
Jason was sitting next to Piper. "Skip me; I don't have anything to show," he said.
"You could summon some lightning," Leo suggested, but Jason - thankfully - shook his head.
"Yeah, no. Frank, you can go." Frank was sitting next to Jason, so he would go next.
"I saw my mom, that's all. Oh, and she gave me this." Frank pulled out a golden-colored necklace with a golden-colored maple leaf. He passed it around. When it got to me, and glanced at it, smiled, and passed it on.
When the necklace was back in Frank's hands - "Very manly, Frank. A golden necklace," said Leo - it was Hazel's turn.
She pulled out her necklace, and held it up. It had a silver chain, and a golden horse charm. ''When I was in the 40's, the day I died, I saw a horse. I chased it, and everything. Then, in this life, the horse came to me again. Well, I rescued it again. His name is Arion," Hazel said as we all nodded in recognition. "It reminds me of of both my lives."
Hazel passed the necklace around. When it got to me, I ran my hand over the charm before passing it on.
Leo said, "I saw my mother. That's that. Nothing special." He nodded at Percy.
"I got my driver's license," Percy said.
"Brilliant choice of words, Seaweed Brain," I muttered. He chuckled. Then he passed the driver's license to me.
I scanned it before passing it to Piper. It went around until it was back in Percy's hands.
We sat quietly for a minute, all content.
"Calypso will kill me if I don't get back soon. See you guys tomorrow," Leo said.
"Bye," we chorused. Leo climbed down the ladder, then ran back to the Hephaestus cabin.
"I better go too. Nico might get over-protective if I stay out too late." Hazel rolled her eyes, but she stood up anyway. She had her necklace on. Frank stood too.
"I'll go with you, Hazelnut," he said. We all smiled at the nickname.
They both waved before descending the ladder.
"Wanna walk together?" Percy asked Piper and me.
"Sure," Piper said, before kissing Jason. I looked away, to give them privacy.
"You know my answer, Seaweed Brain," I said, standing up. Jason, Piper, and Percy stood up too.
We all went down the ladder, and Jason went to his bed. We waved before exiting.
I took a deep breath, and we started walking - first to the Poseidon cabin.
When we got there, I hugged Percy before kissing him full on the lips. He smiled at me when we broke off, and kissed my hair. He walked into his cabin, and created a rainbow. Piper and I walked away.
"What is he doing?" Piper asked, looking back.
"Probably IM-ing his mom," I said, glancing back as well. Soon, we were at the Athena cabin.
''So long," Piper said. "See you tomorrow."
"Same," I said, before walking into the cabin.
-o-O-o-
I was shocked to see both Malcolm and Reyna up. The rest of the cabin was asleep. Reyna was staying at the Athena cabin, because Athena was most like Bellona.
"What happened?" Malcolm whispered.
"We all got rewards, for saving the world," I whispered back. We were sitting on my bed.
Reyna rolled her eyes. "What, so I don't get a reward?" We chuckled.
"What did you get?" Malcolm asked. In response, I held up Daedalus' laptop. He gasped.
"I'll tell you more in the morning, now get off my bed." I shoved them off playfully. Reyna pretended to fall to the ground in pain, and Malcolm and I chuckled again.
I fell onto my bed. Right before I fell asleep, there were words in my head.
Hades found it when he was walking along the Cocytus River.
I smiled. I closed my eyes again, and thought one last thing before I fell into sleep.
Thank you.
-o-O-o-
Annnnnnnnd done. Yay, that was a long one-shot. I hope you guys liked it, because I'm pretty happy with it.
-WiseGirl0801, Daughter of Athena, Legacy of Hermes, Hunter of Artemis