Here you are, DDaughterOfAthena! I don't know if it's what you had in mind, but I hope it's okay! Let me know if you would like me to change anything!

Imagine you have this stuffed animal that you've owned since the beginning of your childhood. Let's say it's a… a stuffed horse. You got it as a gift from your grandma when you were born and you've been inseparable since. It lay with you in the cradle as you gurgled and cried. It was the only one of your toys that didn't get torn to pieces during your terrible twos. You slept with it, brought it to show and tell, and kept it with you every waking moment of your day. Even when you grew up, it held an immense amount of value to you. You clung to it when you cried, having been bullied by your so-called best friends. You washed it by hand when it got dirty, since it was too fragile to shove in the laundry. You even sewed it up on your own when a rip split across its back from overuse.

It was the only permanent thing in your life, and it meant more than the world to you.

And then, one unfortunate day, you got a sister.

You never asked for her. In fact, you didn't even want her. You were perfectly fine on your own with your faithful friend by your side. Even though said friend was inanimate.

From the moment you set your eyes on your sister, you knew that she was trouble. Her appearance could only be detrimental to your life.

And it was. In the span of fifty seconds, she saw your stuffed horse and she demanded it for herself. You adamantly refused, but then she threw a tantrum. You quickly left before she could do anything too bad and retreated to your bedroom.

When you woke up in the morning, your horse was gone. Whisked away from under your very nose while you were fast asleep. And you were furious. The evil, scheming witch had stolen your dearest friend from you and had torn your hopes to shreds. Why wouldn't you be angry?

Why shouldn't she be angry?

And Percy was so gods-damned oblivious to every single thing she did. Annabeth had even kissed him, for gods' sakes, and he still pranced around with his stupid girlfriend like nothing had happened. Like their bond meant nothing.

She slumped onto the half-eaten couch. Louis XVI furniture. Typical of satyrs.

Today, the redhead had stupidly decided to barge into the middle of a war, that dumb mortal. And Annabeth, of all people, was forced to save her. To save the girl who had single-handedly snatched away her best friend.

She had a mind to just let the girl crash to the ground with a resounding bang. There was nothing she wanted more than to keep Percy to herself. But she wasn't that cruel. A life was a life, no matter how annoying it was.

She winced as a painful pang shot through her bad shoulder. Stupid Percy. Stupid Rachel. Stupid life.

Sighing, she let herself fade into sleep. The Fates would keep them together if they willed it. If those two were meant to be, then maybe she would have to look somewhere else for something permanent.

Green mist swirled around the Big House as she stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before her. She knew what was happening. She was aware of what being an oracle entailed and how dangerous it was. She couldn't believe that Rachel was doing such a thing. She could die or go comatose or go crazy like May Castellan at the very least. She may not like Rachel like Percy did, but even she knew that the redhead was taking too much of a risk.

Needless to say, her respect for Rachel had increased tenfold.

Her gaze flitted from Chiron to Percy to Apollo to Rachel. Chiron looked pleased, though he occasionally winced due to his broken bones. Percy looked shocked and a little miffed. He kept fidgeting uncomfortably. Apollo just looked hot. When he noticed her glance, he winked at her. She flushed slightly.

But Rachel. She looked different. Not just because she was glowing. Her entire demeanor had changed. Her shoulders were relaxed and her eyes were much brighter. She looked a lot more comfortable with herself. Her tone was calm and patient, rather than her typical bullet-train manner of speaking.

Rachel was now a better version of herself, and Annabeth felt weirdly proud of that. This mortal girl had finally discovered where she belonged, something that was very difficult to achieve.

Now it was Annabeth's turn.

Later that day, Annabeth contemplated what it would mean for herself. If Rachel was now Oracle, she would have to renounce men, which meant that she couldn't do anything with Percy, which meant…

...maybe it was time for her to make her move.

A smile crept across her face. The Fates were truly geniuses.

The campfire's orange light flickered across the campers' faces as they sang "Old McGeryon Had A Farm". Percy's arm was draped across her shoulders. She leaned in and nuzzled his neck.

Beside her, Rachel was singing loudly, clapping along with the beat. Her hair was its own roaring flame. Her green eyes were shockingly bright.

She looked like Percy did when he was swimming: happy and in his own element. Of course with Percy, it was literally true, but Rachel had molded into her role nicely. She had meetings with Apollo every other day and participated in training with the campers in the meantime. To Annabeth, she had never been better.

After Percy's birthday, a small part of her couldn't help but think that part of the reason she became Oracle was to let Annabeth be with Percy. If that was the case, then Annabeth owed her life to that mortal. She had done something incredibly selfless and kind.

So Annabeth made the move to befriend her. She found they had a lot in common. They both had a similar taste in the fine arts, held many favorite artists/architects in common, and shared a passion for Netflix rom-coms. They spent hours talking about the most random topics; one day they started off talking about Chris Evans and ended up discussing the pros and cons of the Industrial Revolution. Within the span of a week, Rachel had shown Annabeth her brave, funny, and caring side, and Annabeth couldn't get enough of it. She loved spending time with the redhead mortal, and she hoped it went the other way.

Somewhere in the middle of "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa," Annabeth wrapped her hand around Rachel's. Her eyes seemed to glow as she smiled.

In Rachel, Annabeth had found a friend. Someone to trust. Someone to depend on. Maybe even another bond to last the ages.

Funny how all of that came from one mortal girl.

Please review, and don't forget to check out my story Oceans Away!