Ξ Thalia's P.O.V Ξ
Lady Hestia called for a quick break. I suspected that Lady Artemis had asked her too. But I didn't question my Lady about it. I tapped Percy's shoulder and he nodded at me. He kissed Annabeth's cheek and then followed me out into the gardens.
I had a favourite spot that I always came to when the Hunters came to Olympus. You couldn't see it now in the daylight, but when the night came and the Stars shone, you could see the Huntress the clearest from this spot.
"What's going on Thalia?" Percy asked and I could hear concern in his voice.
I sighed and looked up to the sky, to where Zoë would be, silently asking her for the strength I didn't feel like I had in this moment.
"I'm sorry." I said still not looking at him. "I- this - it's my fault. I-l'm sorry." I said again.
Percy sighed. "Pinecone Face," he said, and it sounded like he wanted to be mad at me, but he wasn't. It made me feel better. "This isn't your fault." He said and for the first time since leaving the throne room I looked into his eyes.
"But if I had been the child of the prophecy-"
"No." He said leaving no room for argument. "You know as well as I do, that how things came to pass were how they were meant to be. We know enough about prophecies to know you can't fight them or change them. Which means I was always meant to be the child of the prophecy. You don't bear any blame for that."
"Percy-"
"No, Thalia listen." He looked at me imploringly and I decided to go against my instinct to argue and nodded.
"We didn't ask for this life. Not you, not me and not Annabeth. Heck none of the half-bloods do. But it is our life. It is decided by prophecy and fate and all those things some mortals say aren't real. Because we exist between two worlds. We join them because we exist. My fate was probably decided before I was born, all I can hope for is that it stays intertwined with Annabeth's. Taking the oath to join Artemis was your fate, Thalia. You were meant to be her lieutenant. I may not be as smart as Annabeth, but I do know that much."
"You've been spending too much time with Annabeth." I said teasingly.
"You're welcome." He replied, knowing what I really meant, and nodded towards the throne room.
As we walked back, he said "I should do something for her birthday."
"Annabeth's? But it was in July."
"Yeah - while we were in there. I don't want that to be her memory of her birthday."
"I'll help" I promised. It hadn't occurred to me that Annabeth had spent her birthday in Tartarus, and I wanted to make sure she knew she deserved better.
Ξ Annabeth's P.O.V Ξ
While Percy followed Thalia, Helen approached me and asked to speak to me. We left the throne room but didn't enter the gardens we sat on a bench on the walk way that lead up to the palace of the Gods.
Helen looked nervous and I didn't know why, I was trying to figure it all out when she spoke interrupting my thoughts.
"Annabeth, I owe you an apology, and I've been trying to find the right time to talk to you and I know we've been on better terms recently but I-"
"You don't owe me an apology" I interrupted her.
"I do." She continued and took a breath before continuing. "I- The spiders" I shuddered "I didn't realise, I thought-"
"That I was being a difficult child for her step-mom because her father was away." I said softly.
Helen nodded "I was so tired with the twins being so small, they don't tell you that y'know, when you have kids, they don't tell you how tired you'll be. It's not an excuse but it certainly didn't help. I wanted to sit and relax while you were all asleep and regain my energy and you keep screaming about them." She said.
"I thought a couple of them" she'd taken to calling spiders them after I shuddered at the first mention of them. "They're not really harmful, so it would be fine, you'd be fine. And while your father told me your mother was Athena, it – I struggled to understand what that really meant, at the time. Being here, hearing what happened to you, I'm sorry I didn't understand sooner. And I'm sorry that I treated you like you were human because I think that was really the problem. I was thought if I treated you the same as every other human, the same as your brothers, that you'd eventually y'know be human and this tale of your mother being a Goddess could be forgotten."
"Helen-" I tried but she held up her hands.
"Let me finish." She pleaded and I nodded.
"It's difficult to be thrown into your world, to believe it's real and in the beginning I didn't. I don't think I wanted too. I wasn't willing to accept that it could be true, that the brilliant little girl that I was now responsible for had a higher purpose than I ever thought possible. Or that they really were seeking you out, because one day you'd defeat their mother. Being here, I can see now how wrong I was, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you, I'm sorry I pushed you away."
I smiled at Helen tears glistening in both of our eyes as I took her hand.
"We've already hashed this out Helen, you didn't need to apologise again." I started "I recognise that your being here, must be really strange for you. That it's one thing to know and another to see. I'm sorry too, pride is my fatal flaw, and I'm learning to control it. It did contribute to my resentment. As the daughter of the wisdom goddess I should have recognised that your perspective was different. I'm sorry that I didn't." I said.
"You were a child you weren't supposed to know better." She squeezed me hand and continued, "I know you have a home in New York, with Percy, and at camp, Annabeth. But you'll always have a home with us too."
"Thank you" I said, and she smiled at me.
Ξ Fredrick's P.O.V Ξ
"How did it go?" I asked my wife as she sat down next to me once more.
"It went well" She told me and was immensely happy.
Helen took my hand, and I turned my eyes to my daughter who gave me a smile. I found myself looking forward to the time that we would spend together at Christmas this year. I wasn't the best at showing my emotions, but I really enjoyed the time Annabeth and I spent watching black and white romantic comedies with buttery popcorn. Maybe we could extend that to a black and white Christmas films this year too.
"Good" I said. Helen smiled at me, as Lady Hestia started reading once more.
Chapter 28 – Annabeth
After their fall into Tartarus, jumping three hundred feet to the Mansion of Night should have felt quick…
"Really?" The red headed girl who had paint all over her clothes asked my daughter, she looked amused. Annabeth just nodded.
…she had ample time to write her own obituary…
My heart hammered in my chest as I tried desperately to remember that she hadn't actually died and that she was right in front of me.
"Seriously?" The daughter of the war God asked.
I looked over at my daughter and she shrugged. I noticed the boy with the tool belt building something, before setting my eyes back to my daughter. She was right there, she was alive. I willed my heart rate to slow down.
…Annabeth Chase, died aged 17…
Her birthday, we hadn't celebrated her birthday. She'd turned seventeen and I'd sent her gift to camp because I hadn't known where else to send it.
A loud BOOM, BOOM! Broke my thoughts and when I focused again most of the children were standing with weapons drawn. It took me a while to locate the source of the noise but eventually my eyes fell on the boy with the toolbelt once more. He had a drum, though where he got it from, I don't know.
"Leo! You're lucky you didn't get hit with a spear or something!" Said one of the girls, she had a feather in her hair.
The children put their weapons away again and sat down.
"It was supposed to be funny!" The toolbelt boy, Leo said. Which earned him a smack to the back of the head.
…Died of massive injuries while leaping like an idiot into the abyss…
'You're not an idiot' I thought. The children were pointedly glaring at Leo who had put the drum away, again, where I didn't know.
…Survived by her father, stepmother and two stepbrothers…
'Stepbrothers' hit me in the chest like ice.
"Half-brothers" Annabeth said instantly, and the cold feeling in my chest started to thaw.
Ξ Percy's P.O.V Ξ
As soon as I heard Lady Hestia say 'stepbrothers' I felt Annabeth tense up. She immediately corrected her self while looking at her father and stepmother. I hoped they didn't take it to heart, what we went through down there, it was more than enough to excuse the slip up. But I'm sure it didn't make it hurt any less. I looked over to her parents and they didn't look upset which I was grateful for. I pulled Annabeth closer to me and kissed her forehead in what I hoped was a comforting gesture.
…in lieu of flowers, please send donations to camp Half-blood…
"Cheery" Frank muttered, and our friends nodded. Annabeth squeezed my waist like she knew I was thinking about how difficult it was to be cheery down there.
…her feet hit solid floor…
…she stumbled forward…
…hauling Percy after her…
"Thanks Wise Girl" I said because after the whole poison thing I had needed a nudge.
"Always Seaweed Brain" she replied.
… "I've got them! My Foot! Stop it!"…
Zeus groaned in disappointment again. I tried not to roll my eyes, he was really missing the point.
…She couldn't see…
…She used her other senses…
…It wasn't the first time she'd plunged through darkness…
I tried to shutout the memory of Annabeth setting off for her solo quest and the horrors she had had to face without me. It instilled a fear and odd sense of pride in me at the same time. Fear for her having to be in danger on her own and pride that she had succeeded. I pressed a kiss to Annabeth's head as we listened to Lady Hestia.
…her journey to Arachne's cavern seemed like a trip to Disneyland…
"Gods, Annabeth," Malcolm said looking at his sister, everyone understood why. If a child of Athena who greatest fear was spider's thought this made that look like Disneyland, well then it must me awful. The light tone in the throne room was starting to evaporate once more.
…In the distance…
…Annabeth began to hear a throbbing sound…
…The sound filled her with dread…
…She ran towards it…
"Brave" Clarisse commented, and I had always known that Clarisse respected Annabeth but now everyone could hear it in her voice too. Our friends nodded in agreement and Thalia squeezed her hand with a warm smile. Annabeth had always been brave.
… "Don't look," she told Percy.
"Wasn't planning on it," he said…
…Smart boy, Annabeth thought…
I couldn't help but smile at the compliment. It wasn't the first time Annabeth had called me smart, but I sure did love it when she did. There was a palpable silence in the throne room from our friends but not one of them disagreed, which was nice. Annabeth leaned up and kissed me cheek and I couldn't help but smile down at her in return.
…Whatever horrors lay in the Mansion of Night, they weren't meant to for mortal eyes…
…The throbbing got louder…
…like someone knocking on the bottom of the world…
"Because that's not terrifying" Will said.
…The air smelled fresher…
…The sound of flowing water…
…She knew the exit was close…
"The exit to the mansion or the doors?" Leo asked.
"The Mansion" I replied.
"But why would it be less Sulphurous if it's only the exit to the mansion?!" He asked but I didn't answer him this time. Because I wasn't sure I knew the answer.
…She began to run faster, which would have led to her death if Percy hadn't stopped her.
"Thank the Gods for Percy." Malcom breathed.
"How do you always know when to stop her? Like your eyes were closed right? So how did you know?" Leo asked.
"I'm sure it'll come up." I said not really wanting to get into it right now.
Ξ Athena's P.O.V Ξ
I had very mixed feelings about this chapter from the moment Annabeth's feet had touched the floor of the Mansion of Night fear started to coil in my stomach for her. I'd heard of the terrors of the Mansion of Night, never seen them but there was a valid reason father wouldn't go there. The fact they had was terrifying enough. I was grateful they had the wits not to open their eyes while they were in there and I was thankful that Percy had once again saved my daughter.
Never in my life time had I ever felt so grateful to a son of Poseidon. The more I heard the more I understood what my daughter liked about him. I could see how he balanced her and once again I found myself thankful.
Annabeth had always been the brightest of my children. She'd gone above and beyond to prove that as well. Knowledge had power, I knew she knew that, but Percy offered her a different kind of knowledge and with that a different kind of power. Not for the last time, for that I was certain, I was thankful for Percy Jackson's friendship with my daughter and how it had saved them.
Ξ
~Author's Note~
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