Somewhere in Time
Chapter 14- Could do, should do

A/N Voila!!!! At last and finally!!! I updated! I am extremely sorry for not doing so, but to excuse myself, I had a horrible week. Heck, I had a horrible month. Add to that a serious seizure of OCD and I can guarantee you, you will NOT be in the mood for writing. And besides, I re-wrote this Zeus knows how many times. It's amazing how your own feelings can affect your writing. For more information go read my other story, CONCRETE ANGEL. And now that I am done ranting, I present to you, CHAPTER 14 of Somewhere in Time. (And the disclaimer, of course)

Disclaimer- I don't own!!!

Aphrodite paced restlessly on the sand. As she moved, her clothing glittered in the sunset. She was rambling on about something unintelligible……again.

"Just go," I sighed, "Seriously, you have done enough."

I hoped she was aware enough so she could understand that, when I said it, I did not mean it in a nice sense.

She had been complaining for ten minutes straight about stress and wrinkles, which I knew were a façade to cover up her bigger worries. She was mumbling about my mother, and something about breaking oaths. I got to the point I almost felt sorry for her. Almost, but she only managed to exasperate me even further, and so I asked her, not-too-kindly, to leave. She stopped her ranting enough to turn to me, and change her expression from worried to cocky.

"I'll be expecting a burnt offer in the brazier soon," she said, and with that, she left in a swirl of rose petals and pink smoke. Did gods even have to burn an offer to another god? It seemed unlikely seeing as how we were all exceedingly proud.

I shook my head, trying to clear the smell of designer perfume that creeped into my nose and filled my brain with sickly sweetness. Ironically, this reminded me of everything I hated about Aphrodite. I decided to redirect said loathing into another god instead. I knew I could comfortably call for him here, without having to take an unplanned swim.

"Poseidon," I let my cold voice be carried by the wind deep into the vast ocean.

He emerged a while after, the sea breeze picking up, and put on a politely interested face. "Annabeth. What may I do for you?" he asked.

I let my jaw drop disbelievingly and raised my eyebrows. "You sired a boy? You broke the oath? Why didn't I know of this? He is so close to sixteen, he has to be the Prophecy child!" I let out a huff.

But my anger hardly mattered because his face went pale. He completely froze in place. I could swear the tide stopped.

"Have you met him?" he recovered his speaking ability.

"Evidently! I met him just now. He was down here, watching the ocean when I happened to walk by. He wasn't very friendly by the way, but Aphrodite told-"

He cut me off.

"Aphrodite? You owe your 'chance' meeting to Aphrodite?" he proceeded to mumble to himself. "I should have known she would break the oath sooner than I. She has had this obsession-"

Apparently, he became aware that I could actually hear him, and stopped himself, realizing he had said too much. But too much of what? I could barely contain my fury.

"What are you talking about? She didn't break the pact, you did, which brings us back to your son, Perseus!"

He let his eyes wonder back to me, shot the sky a glance, and stepped into the ocean, until his knees were underwater. He beckoned me to do the same, and when I didn't, he willed the tide to pull me in, water rising up to my thighs.

"What?" I asked.

"Very well, we can talk freely, now what did Aphrodite say about Percy?" he questioned. He said his son's name with such affection, I couldn't help but realize this boy had made the great god Poseidon proud, and proved my suspicions about the boy right. He was a hero. But why would he deny it? This brought me to my answer.

"She said he was lost without his rational side. That he had suffered a great loss of some sort, that a recent event had left him bitter, and I couldn't help but wonder… Poseidon, what happened to this boy?"

"He is forlorn indeed. There is pain in his past, Annabeth. He is in desperate need of a friend. Your mother has a certain prejudice against him, because of some rifts between me and her millennia ago. I don't resent her, still, she does not trust Perseus. But he's a good boy. He is brave beyond measure, kind, and good-natured. He has the true heart of a hero." Poseidon explained and, again, I was surprised by all the pride that, intentionally or not, leaked into his voice.

"I am sure he has friends here at Camp Half-Blood. He just looks…pained. Why? Is his mother-" I began to wonder, but once again, he interrupted me.

"His mother is fine and very much alive, she is a queen among women, but she is not the reason my son is so unhappy." He answered half of my statement.

"Then what is? Poseidon, whatever happened to him, it seems quite serious."

"And it is. But right now that is not important, I cannot say much, I am bound of direct interference, as you are well aware, but you, you can aid him, Annabeth. Make him become himself again."

I blinked twice, and proceeded to frown.

"I am bound of direct interference, too. I am also a goddess." I replied, I didn't like where this conversation was headed, or the fact that the sea god had just begun to beg.

I stared down at my hands, and the single scar that was embedded on the left one. No magic would wash it off, and I could not really remember how I had gotten it, which was strange, if not a bit preoccupying, but still, it didn't bother me. I was not that vain. I looked up once more as I heard Poseidon's voice fill in my pause.

"Perhaps, but you are expected to know your Campers. You are their director, after all. You can get close to him, my dear. You need to, I cannot stand my own son being deprived of a single smile every day. I will not have him in this condition when he makes his choice, it is much too dangerous. Please." He pleaded with me, and I could tell watching and not having the power to do anything hurt him. And like he said, I could do something. I should do something.

And then there was my mother…

"Yes, your mother, that could be difficult." He mused, echoing my thoughts. "We will keep this in secrecy. Aphrodite can be of much usefulness contrary to popular belief, Annabeth. Do not despair, just focus on your task, Aphrodite and I have got it covered." He decided.

I didn't know if I wanted to do this. I held a lot of respect to Poseidon, and I admired him greatly, but still, there was a bigger part of me that did not want to deceive my mother. It did not feel right. And then there were the reasons Poseidon had given me. The worst part was, they made sense. It was perfectly logical that, for the sake of the world, he would want his son to be in a right state of mind when the time came to make the prophesized choice. It was the right thing to do, and as my intuition told me we would not pull it off without the secretive behavior, I knew what to answer.

"Fine, I cannot see reason why it shouldn't be, though it somehow manages to displease me. This should be interesting." I commented.

Poseidon half-smiled. "It shall."

~Please REeviiew!!!! And again, read my other fic, CONCRETE ANGEL!! Special thanks to Clara Fonteyn!!
Anna :)