GLOOMY GOODBYES

They got reported by Apollo. Yesterday was her last day at home before she set off for Delphi.

Annabeth ran her fingers through her, now, just below chin-length hair. She peered at her curls as she thought about her newest hairstyle. She wouldn't be able to do much with it for a while, so she'd be stuck after her mission. That was if her mission didn't take longer than a month or so.

Honestly, Annabeth would enjoy being out of the castle for a while. She didn't have to sit with a straight back for hours on end, she didn't have to plaster a "perfect" smile on her face, she wouldn't get expected to lead, and she could just let being a princess behind. It was quite stressful at times.

At the same time, she didn't want to be out for too long. She didn't want to miss home (not that she thought she would), and she didn't want to worry anyone. Despite the number of arguments she had with them on her princess duties, they were still her parents. She loved them dearly and didn't want to leave them in the lurch. Especially on this mission. Not only were they counting on her, but so were the rest of the royals. She couldn't disappoint.

Before long of staring off into space, her eyes began to water. It wasn't a shocker, considering the thin piece of plastic bombarding each of her eyes. Another very distinguishing feature about Annabeth was her silver eyes. Cutting her hair wouldn't hide her identity, so Lacy suggested that they give her colored contacts.

Colored contacts were very expensive for commoners but easily accessible for royals. Annabeth was thankful for them. Even though she liked her eyes, she thought the grey color was a bit… boring. Granted, she could scare the shit out of anyone with her stare, but her blonde hair diminished that. So when given the option, the princess chose brown.

Choosing the color was for many reasons. It didn't resemble anyone in her family. Her father had blue eyes, and she got her eyes from her mom. None of her grandparents had brown eyes either, so absolutely no family resemblances showed. Green was similar to blue, so that was already out of the water. But, the darker brown color was the perfect option. Hopefully, she wouldn't give any of the assassins princess vibes.

Blinking many times to get rid of the water was easy. It was like after yawning; it made your eyes sprinkle. Annabeth's eyes weren't as irritated as they felt cloudy and fuzzy; bombarded by the contacts.

Shaking her head, she cracked her knuckles before setting off to continue with work. She jumped off her comfy mattress, hauling the empty messenger bag onto her bed. She smiled softly to herself before setting off towards her closet.

The layout was similar to her parent's bedroom, just a tiny bit smaller. Her bed was on two marble steps, that rounded out on the edges. Across from the door, which was on her left, were large doors to a balcony. Near the balcony doors was a spire. Inside that spire was where her clothes were, instead of just a bench. A large white curtain was the "door" to the closet.

As she strolled to her closet, she searched her bookshelf. Most of the books were on Greece's laws, and more government trash that she tended to stray from, but some were of her choosing. Most of the shelves on the left side of her bed had her favorites. Annabeth had to figure out which story she'd want to take with her.

Yanking back the curtain, he found herself inside a large circle. It was huge, probably a circumference of twenty-five feet. When Annabeth had first heard that her closet was that big, she was surprised. That was until she got older, and her dresses got larger. Now with all the poofy layers and size of them all only left twelve feet to move around. Which is the shape of a circle, was not big at all.

Annabeth knew at the back of her closet there were clothes she would have to wear on the journey. Taking a couple of steps, she shoved her dresses out of the way with all her might, making the hangers screech. "God," She muttered, glancing at the fancy outfits she'd be void of for a couple of weeks at least.

Hanging off two hangers was the outfit she longed to wear by the day. She smiled brightly at the sight of it. The black leggings hung from a pant hanger, and beside it was her cloak. Dangling under her cloak was her black tank top, one of her most comfortable pieces of cloth. Sitting on the floor was her black combat boots, seconds ago hidden by the layers of dresses.

"Hell, yes," The princess muttered, pulling the clothes off the hangers and snatching the boots with her other hand.

She ran over to her bed and set them on it, dashing back to her closet. She grabbed lots of socks and even more extra pairs of leggings. She would have to thank Drew another time for secretly making these for her. Years of torture in dresses twenty-four-seven would've been a living nightmare. She picked up a grey and white tank top, skipping back to her bed.

She stuffed all three tops in her bag, the two leggings following. Her undergarments were next, which then got maneuvered to the bottom of the bag. A knock on her door made Annabeth look up, finishing stuffing her messenger bag.

"Yes?" She called, plopping back onto her bed to put on her boots.

Without further ado, her mom was revealed, closing the door softly behind her. Annabeth saw her dad nowhere in sight, which made her heart drop. Was he going to say goodbye to her? Wish her luck? Anything?

Her mother trots over to the bed, hiking up her dress when arriving at the steps. The room was so large, it took her a minute just to get from the door to the bed. Annabeth had since finished putting her boots on and was waiting patiently for her.

The bed dipped with Athena's added weight, who folded her hands onto her lap. Her eyes found Annabeth's whose eyes no longer mimicked hers.

"How are the contacts doing for you?" Her mother questioned, reaching up to Annabeth and cupping her cheek. Her thumb swiped across her cheekbone as if trying to soothe her.

Sighing, Annabeth straightened her back and set her hands into her lap. She fiddled with her fingers, nervous. She wanted to tell her mother about Conner, but she wasn't sure when the right time would be. It had only been a few nights since the ball, and she wasn't sure how her mother would react. She didn't want Athena hating her before she went on a life-threatening mission.

She thought about how to drag the ball into her response. Something about how the contacts give her a headache as the ball did? No, that's lying. Annabeth bit her lip but decided to answer on a whim.

"They're fine. They don't bother me at all."

Smiling, her mother dropped her hand off her cheek. "Great!"

Nodding, Annabeth gazed around her large room. The silence was awkward, and that made Annabeth unsettled. In minutes she'd be going on a life or death mission. Did both she and her mother have nothing to say to each other?

She saw her mother's gaze drop to her messenger back, and Annabeth prepared herself for the worst. Instead, Athena chuckled and shook her head lightly, making the loose strands framing her face bounce. Her shoulders rocked a bit as she laughed. This made Annabeth raise an eyebrow, totally confused.

Athena put her hand on the princess's thigh, her long nails digging into her skin. "Honey, you're no better than me when it comes to packing."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth reached for her bag and dumped all its contents out. The few pairs of underwear, thicker and thinner, sports bras, tank tops, leggings, her cloak, and socks flew onto her grey blanket.

Annabeth figured that was plenty, if not more than enough. Where would she have room to store more clothes? She needed to make it look like she had been on her own for a while. That meant dirtier clothes, fewer clothes, and so on so forth. Lacy had already put just a touch of makeup on her face to make it look messy.

She didn't spray herself with perfume, and she didn't wash her hair last night in her shower. She used the unscented soap, making sure she seemed as previously beat up as possible. When she got into the woods later, she would rub dirt into her clothes and her boots. She wanted to appear to the assassins that she had been on her own for a while.

The princess would also have to shove simpler food into her bag. Berries would be her best option, along with a canteen of water. She didn't want to raise suspicion in the assassins. They had just heard her voice a little under a month ago. They may or may not recognize it. To sell the deal, she had to play her part.

Annabeth figured the easiest half to play would be hating the royals. Granted, she doesn't hate them all personally, but she hated the way things ran; including in her kingdom. Wanting to change things would be a piece of cake to talk about if they even brought up the topic. She knew they would just based on the way they acted during their raid.

"You need far more clothes than these!" Her mother shouted, digging through the small pile. Her face must have been incredulous, as her mother looked back at her as if she were crazy. "Four pairs of underwear is not going to last you very long,"

Huffing in annoyance, Annabeth draws it out as a sigh. This was not how she wanted the conversation to go. "Mother, I'm sure I'll have time to wash them in a river. If anything, I might be able to get better ones when we raid the kingdoms. Of course, I'll pay the store clerk without them noticing."

Despite saving herself near the end, Annabeth spotted the rage in her mother's face. "Just because you will be spying on them does not mean you shall join them!"

"But Mom!" Annabeth stood up and shoved everything back into her bag. She muttered to her mother as she stuffed her bag full. "I have to make them like me! I can't sit out on all the rebelling they'll do, thinking they won't know if anything's up! Mom, I was down there when they ransacked the castle! They're smarter than they look!"

Annabeth tossed the messenger bag over her shoulder, stomping over to her bookshelf. She would need a long, thick story to keep her mind busy.

She was going to do it her way. Her mother didn't interact with them. She doesn't know a piece of what they're like. She doesn't understand how they used Jason to get even more money and attention. Athena didn't get that their fighting technique was nothing like Annabeth had ever seen. She'd need all the luck she could get. And taking her mother's advice on this one was not the way to go.

The blonde reached on her tiptoes and snatched the perfect book off its shelf. She unlatched her bag and threw it inside, locking her bag after.

If Annabeth got her mom to direct her around, she was dead meat. There would be no way she'd make it. She had plenty of knowledge and experience on her own to get through this mission by herself. Her mom may have been named after the Greek goddess of wisdom, but wisdom wasn't everything.

Wisdom was only a certain form of brain smarts. It's like the difference between book smart and street smart. When you're book smart you're better at learning and understanding things when you're learning at school. Being street smart means that you may not be all that knowledgeable when it comes to school, but you know how to fight for yourself, you know how people work, you learn patterns to your advantage. You may or may not be able to think of things in an instant, whether it's stupid or not. You can react to things quicker.

Wisdom and intelligence were that way. Wisdom reminded Annabeth of when you had more common sense. You were all-around smart, and you used the smart way into things. Wisdom was when you had experienced it, and you learned from it. You knew what was better for others because you have seen it first hand. Intelligence is no different than being book smart. You were excellent in class, naturally smart. That doesn't mean that you can give someone advice as wisdom can.

Cleverness can even fit into the category. When you're clever you can think of things to say quickly. You think of what others might think and use it against them. You can be speedy and quick when thinking, and you use unique patterns around things. Normally, when someone's clever they're very witty.

Knowledge, intelligence, wisdom, cleverness, smartness, are all synonyms when used in the context of having mental strength. When you branch off, you see that they all go into different definitions of mental strength. The word smart is the trunk of the tree and the synonyms are the branches on the tree. They all weave in different ways, sometimes connecting and overlapping, but they have individual meanings. They all stray from one source but have a twist. It's kind of like a crazy family tree.

Annabeth's mom was more in the book smart category. She had never truly experienced something that Annabeth was. She never felt the need to give up a dream, in hopes of turning her people's dreams into a reality. Athena never worked, using her opportunity as princess or queen to make a change. She just sits back and lets her fabulous world live on. She didn't think about the townspeople that knew their dreams would never come true. Why not sacrifice yourself for the good of hundreds of others?

Athena would never. She never had the outside of the palace world Annabeth did. She doesn't know how to wield any weapon, where Annabeth knows how to properly use a dagger and bow. Athena didn't sneak out of the palace in her teens to help the people. At that time, she was probably thrilled at the idea of being a queen, seeing no flaws in her country.

She had always excelled in her tutoring classes, but never got a true experience of the world. She never saw what it was like to live in poor conditions. Sometimes, no food or water in a day. Necessities to live weren't always guaranteed. Athena not once witnessed any of that. It was different from just being smart. You needed the knowledge of the outside.

By now, Annabeth had advanced to her door, turning around to face her mother. Her arms crossed over her chest, and her cheeks were pink from anger. Her brown eyes stared deeply at her mother, who was in the same position but back at her bed.

"You don't know anything outside of your little world, Mom!" Annabeth pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Young lady," Athena began, unfolding her arms and descending the steps. She strolled over to Annabeth, her heels clicking on the floor. "You must not speak to me that way!"

Scoffing, Annabeth slapped the side of her thighs as she dropped her arms. "It's true! You don't know how much poverty the peasants live in! You don't know a thing about the assassins, other than the havoc they wreak! You don't know a thing about me! The only thing you know is that you are the most important!"

"I know what's best for my people,"

"No!" Annabeth cried. "No, you don't! You don't even know what your daughter wants! You ignore her! Maybe if you listened to me for once, you'd get out of our thick skull that the world doesn't revolve around you!"

"Annabeth, you need to stop thinking that it goes around you. You constantly complain to your father and me that you don't want to get married. Then, at the ball, you proceed to dance with the same man three times!"

"But-"

"A few years back, you'd always leave your room at night! You claimed it was for the peasants, but with your attitude, it was clear you were just trying to fight against us!"

"No!"

Athena put her hand up for silence. "I know you want Athens to change, honey. But it's a lot harder than it looks. And going against your parents makes it even tougher."

"You guys are the ones making it worse!" The princess protested, her mouth opens like a hole in astonishment.

The queen raised her eyebrows at Annabeth. She did the same back. "Go ask the people! I treated them to food, clothes, and money for a long time! And I don't want to hear a word about Conner! Since I am complying and playing by your rules, Conner was the best man there! He was an amazing friend."

Athena's calm exterior prevailed, but Annabeth could almost see the pulsing anger inside of her.

"If you wanted to earth to revolve around me, how about you look in Conner returning for another ball when I complete my mission."

With that, Annabeth turned. She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Tears burned behind her eyes, causing her vision to become fuzzy. The colored contacts inside of her eyeballs were not aiding the factor. She stormed down the halls of her palace without any sense of direction. The hard footsteps from her boots echoed in the large corridors. Her steps were so determined that her messenger bag slapped against her left hip.

Annabeth didn't want to leave the palace like that, but she couldn't help it. Her mom had tried to critique her, despite not having an ounce of experience. It made Annabeth upset and angry. She had always tried to direct her around like that, instead of letting Annabeth do her own thing. It was as if she was trying to control her life.

The other half of the princess told her it was just her mom trying to be helpful. It may not have come off that way, but that was most likely the path she was coming from. If Annabeth would've just stayed calm and listened, maybe thighs would have settled down faster. It wasn't like advice would be the end of the world.

The princess shoved the latter down. Why would Athena try to help her? She didn't know half as much as Annabeth when it came to the rebels.

Annabeth's feet guided her to the kitchen, which was downstairs. Her feet had led her down a flight of stairs, and through twisted and turns. The kitchen was near the back of the castle, while Annabeth's room was towards the front and top.

Before any brain cell could tell her to stop, she grabbed fruit off the bowl in the center. The maids shuffled around her, giving the princess wary looks, but she ignored them. She pulled out a few apples, oranges, grapes, and strawberries. She grabbed a small bag out of the drawer below the counter and shoved the items inside. That bag then went into the front pocket of her messenger bag.

Annabeth maneuvered around the large island, going to one of the cupboards and opening the cabinet. She snatched a skinny and long canteen. Looking around the kitchen, her short curls itching her chin, she saw a measuring cup of water. She rushed over to it and gradually poured the liquid into her container, screwing the lid on tightly. The blonde didn't want anything to spill.

Unlatching the main pocket of her bag, she dropped the bottle inside. Closing back up, Annabeth rushed out of the kitchen. She called out to apologize to any of the maids that she ran into, squeezing through small walkways.

She tried not to think of the argument. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but Annabeth could now manage to blink them away. She had to complete the mission without anyone's help. She would finish unharmed and come back with valuable information. She would show her mom that she didn't need anyone's help. That she was fully capable of doing it herself.

But before she left, she had one more thing to do.

Traveling through the castle again made her legs ache, but she persevered. She strolled through long hallways, turning right and turning left. She looked out the windows, sometimes getting a view of the ocean and sometimes the town.

She arrived at the room she needed, not even bothering to knock on the door. It was around noon, which meant that the first half of guards would be grabbing their perspective weapons to train with. Most of them used swords that were first, but few grabbed spears. The second round of training carried bows.

When the door opened, many of the shirtless guards looked her way. She knew none of them would be nude, as they were required to wear the same gear training as when on their posts, but some needed to let loose. Most of them had muscular arms and chest, and few had abs. Even though they all carried godly six-packs, they weren't all that cute. So Annabeth had no trouble finding her way to the bow and arrows.

Being an archer would be her first or second weapon option, but it was the safest one to go with. If she used a knife or sword, they might recognize her technique. Now that would be terrible, so Annabeth had to shoot. She could feel all of the eyes on her as she picked up the first bow she came across. It wasn't light or too heavy, but when she pulled back and dry-fired, she could hardly truly pull back.

So, she loosened the string, hoping that it would work. Thankfully, try two worked just fine. She could pull back to her ear and let go without trouble using three fingers. Not wanting to ruin the bow anymore, she set it down. She unhooked a quiver of arrows off a hook on the wall, pulling it around her back. She tightened the buckle just enough, making sure it was tight enough so it wouldn't fall off, but loose enough she could still move.

Picking up the bow in her right hand, she nodded to the staring guards, leaving the room full of sweaty and whispering boys. Breathing in the fresh air, Annabeth frowned once again. She looked at the bow in hand and the sack to her side.

That was real. She was about to go on a mission. It was such an important mission that all of the royals in Greece were relying on her. If she didn't accomplish her goal, everything was going to go down in flames. She needed to be careful. She needed to listen.

Doing a mental checklist of all her supplies, she found she had everything she needed. If she wanted to catch the assassins before they got too far, she'd have to pick up the pace.

Just before she began heading towards the back of the castle to begin her adventure, she heard her name being called.

"Annabeth!" She turned around and saw her dad with a frantic look on his face, running over towards her.

When he reached her, they pulled each other into a tight hug, savoring the moment. Annabeth wrapped her arms around his back, being cautious of the bow in her hand. She could feel the pressure of her father's arms approximately, knowing that he was holding onto the moment.

"Dad," She whispered, digging her face into his neck. She breathed him in, not sure when she'd see him again. Or if she'd ever see him again for that matter.

After a minute or so of soaking into his arms, Annabeth untangled from her dad. He held onto her forearms tightly, his fingers piercing her skin. His eyes were glossy, and Annabeth wondered for a second if he was going to cry. Did she care that much? His hair was poking out every which way, and his suit was wrinkly.

His voice was so soft that Annabeth had to strain her ears to hear him. "Please be safe, baby."

"I will." Annabeth needed to stay strong. For both herself and her dad.

"Please. I don't want to lose you." She didn't have time to respond before he yanked her into another hug. This one felt final. It felt like a goodbye. It wasn't a cheesy, 'see you later', in hopes of Annabeth returning, but a real goodbye. Just in case she didn't.

"I love you." She whispered, tears stinging her eyes. Why couldn't she and her mom get along? Why couldn't they handle themselves for five minutes just to hug and say bye? Were they that crazy?

Annabeth felt her father tremble under her. "I-," His voice cracked. "I love you too,"

"Tell mom I love her," Annabeth said, one tear tracing her cheek. "Tell her I'm sorry."

"Of course. Anything for you, baby."

The princess felt guilt creep into her heart. She didn't say goodbye to her mother. She made someone else do it for her. Annabeth could only hope she'd see her again to tell her in person.

Words: 4,293

This chapter was more of a filler, but I still enjoyed it. If not just the ending, the whole thing was rushed. But again, it had more description than dialogue, and it was just a filler so I'm not all too concerned.

Thanks for the reads!

[ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS GO TO RICK RIORDAN]

-Bookworm-2026