Annabeth looked in the mirror. Her stormy gray eyes looked back at her. Tomorrow would be her 21st birthday. And the anniversary of the death of her dad.
She looked at the picture of her parents and her pinned to her mirror. Her younger self looked so happy, so full of life. Her tiny body was riding her dad's back, her blond hair falling all over her dad's blond hair. None of them were looking at the camera, but laughing their hearts out. She placed a finger over her mother and ran her finger down the thin, brown-haired figure. She closed her eyes and thought about the moment.
They were posing for a family photo to be put in the hallway. Annabeth's dad bent down and let Annabeth get on his back. As they were about to take a photo, a ladybug landed on his nose. He whispered just enough for Annabeth and Athena to hear. "I have just spotted a lady land on my nose." That's all it took for them to start laughing.
It seemed so silly, but Annabeth treasured the moment. It was the last time they all laughed together. After that Athena disappeared from the picture. Annabeth was only five. Athena died from a spider bite. Spiders were her mom's worst fear. After that, Annabeth hated spiders. It was cruel how fate worked.
After that, her father married Hera, who automatically hated her. Annabeth remembered the moment she met her vividly.
She was now eight-years-old, and she bounced excitedly down the stairs. A new mom, she thought, that's like my real mommy.
It's wasn't until she met Hera that she had realized she was wrong.
She got down the stairs and looked at a lady with jet-black hair and a thin body. The lady was bickering with her dad. Annabeth was just in hearing range to hear, "Why do we have to keep your child? I'm sure someone would love to take her." She tried to move, but couldn't. Her dad and step-mom must've heard her, because they both turned to look at her. What unfroze her was Hera's raven-like eyes.
Near tears, Annabeth ran back into her room and locked the door.
She had sobbed and sobbed. When her dad came, she said, "Go away! Or maybe you should just give me away!"
Those were the last words she had said to him. She never forgave herself for saying them to him.
But how he died bothered her the most. He died from a spider bite. Everyone said it was a coincident, but her dad had people come every week to kill the spiders in the castle, knowing about Annabeth's phobia, or maybe because he hated spiders too. If she had to bet her money, she would bet it on Hera.
But of course, Hera had all of the money. It was the only reason Hera actually provided for Annabeth.
In her dad's will, he said that he would give extra to Hera if she took care of Annabeth until her 21st birthday. You would think Hera already had enough money, marrying the king of Camp Half-Blood. "How did Annabeth know?" you may ask. Hera told her enough times that was the reason.
What might stop Hera from doing so, though, was the fact that Annabeth was the only heir to the throne. Either way, when Hera died, Annabeth would take the throne. She was the nearest living relative.
And when that happened, she knew the whole kingdom would throw parties. Heck, Annabeth would throw a party.
Unlike her Athena and Frederick, Hera was cruel. She had the whole kingdom wrapped around her finger. Most of the kingdom was in poverty, and Hera and Annabeth were living in fairytale land with all the food they could eat. Annabeth promised herself that when she ruled, she would fix this.
She yawned into her hand, and looked out the window.
Wow, she thought, it's late.
She got up and went to bed.
-Bam! Scene change!-
A bystander would have been confused watching it happen.
Hera rushed out of the castle, wearing a black dress with her crown on her head. Her black hair fell elegantly down and her eyes moved around, as if making sure no one was watching. She stopped next to a pond and looked down at it.
No rippled-Hera looked up.
The pond didn't actually look like a pond. There was no bottom, and the water looked more like flowing mercury.
But without taking her shoes off, Hera jumped in. No crown floated to the surface.
On the other side of the pond, a dry Hera entered a black-walled room. The only thing in it was a mirror on the wall.
There was nothing unordinary about it.
Or rather, there was nothing unordinary about it until she said the words.
She looked at the mirror, and she reflected Hera looked back. Then she spoke, "Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"
Hera's reflection disappeared, and smoke appeared engulfing the glass of the mirror. A mask appeared. One side of it was green with half of a smile and a happy eye, and the other side was purple and had half of a frown.
A masculine voice came from the mirror.
"You, my queen."
So, for those of you coming from The Apple of My Eye, how do you guys like it?
In general, do you guys like it?