Chapter Seventeen

Annabeth's POV

I am loving camp. It just feels so good. It's like I'm at home and no one is here to bring me down. They are just like me. I visited the sword arena and found other demigods training and fighting. There was a girl out in the field. She had on a full set of armor and was a lot bigger than her opponent, who was a skinny boy with a sword. The girl had a big spear with her and yelled, "ARES!" Then, she jabbed the spear into the boys stomach, which was protected with armor, but sent him flying and yelling in pain. I also visited my cabin and it was amazing! I had brothers and sisters and they were all really smart. They had blonde hair and gray eyes. Each of their dreams was to create something that lasts forever. It felt right at home. I started to talk to some of them. I talked to my half-brother, Malcolm, about how it's been. I haven't seen him since I was seven.

"Well, nothing much has happened. Everyone has been planning and helping as much as they can with keeping the monsters out of the borders. Chiron has sent demigods onto quests and the usual voodoo thing the oracle of Delphi does. Rachel really does have a way with words. A scary way." Saying that had reminded him something that happened and it sent shivers down his spine.

"Okay, thanks Malcolm. It's so nice seeing you again." I gave him a hug and greeted some of the new Athena campers. I walked out of the cabin to get some fresh air. That's where I saw Silena Beauregard. She spotted me and ran over.

You see, Silena is a daughter of Aphrodite and has been trying to give me a makeup last time I was at camp, which was years ago. But, she's one of my good friends and one of the nice Aphrodite girls. She had on an orange camp shirt and a skirt, which she managed to rock. She had black hair and elegant blue eyes like Thalia, but her hair was straight and long, while her eyes were darker than Thalia's.

"Annabeth! I can't believe that you came to camp! Finally I can give you that makeover!" She squealed and hugged me.

"Hey, Silena. It's really nice to see you again, but I don't think I'll need a makeover. I'm perfectly fine," I managed to say, even though she was still hugging me. She finally let go.

"Oh, come on! There has to be someone that you like. You can impress him! Please!" She looked at me with her big, blue eyes. I had no choice. I ran. I use to do this all the time with Silena. She might seem really girly, but she can run really fast.

I found a shed near the arena. So I hid in there. Through a hole, I saw Silena run past. I was safe...for now. I looked around at where I was. There were celestial bronze swords, spears, and daggers everywhere. I found a shields laying in the back. A few of them were unused , but one had caught my eye. It was silver with an owl on it. I knew that it was a sign of my mother, Athena. Her sacred animal is the owl. I smiled, a feeling of warmth coming over me, like a blanket. I knew that I was in the Armory. Luke said that he goes here all the time to find weapons for kids. Suddenly, I spotted a girl in the back, looking confused. She had chocolate brown hair that was short and choppy, almost like she had cut it herself. A strand of hair was on both sides of her head. They were braided, but uneven, as if she didn't want attention. That didn't work. Her eyes were like a kaleidoscope. They changed colors from blue, to green, to hazel. But they were sad. It looked like she was native American and white. She was at least fourteen, the same age as Jason and had on an orange camp shirt with shorts. She knocked over some swords and groaned. Then, she noticed me.

"Oh, hello. Sorry if I messed this up. I just didn't know, ah, what to get." She chuckled nervously.

"Oh, it's okay. This is my first time here in the Armory." I said, walking towards her. I helped her pick up some swords. They were all celestial bronze. According to what I have found out, it can kill monsters and other mythical creatures, but not mortals. I picked one up and looked at my reflection. Then, I put it back to where it belonged. It took us a few minutes to clean everything up, but it was done.

"Um, hi. My name is Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite," she said.

"Hi. My name is Annabeth Chase and I'm the daughter of Athena." We both shook hands.

"So, what brings you here?" Piper asked.

"It just caught my eye I guess. Seeing things others can't is kind of an ability I have. I can see that you don't like being a daughter of Aphrodite that much. Why is that?" Piper took a deep breath and sat down on the floor. I sat down next to her.

"It's just, I don't like all the things daughters of Aphrodite do. They like makeup, I like dirt. They like pink, I like blue. They like dresses, I like jeans. I can name so many things that are different between us. It's like..." It took her a while to get her courage back. "It's like someone is playing a joke on me. I really don't get it though. And my dad...my dad ignores me. I mean, he doesn't ignore me, but it's like he thinks he knows whats best for me, but it isn't. He's too oblivious to see that. He's a famous movie star and it seems like he treats me like a dog. I'm not able to say or do anything because he doesn't understand me. So, I ran away from home." She hugged her knees against her chest.

"But don't you see that you guys are so much alike? And your dad is trying to make your life the best he can. He's just trying to turn you into a beautiful woman." I said. She looked at me. "You guys are loyal and smart. You have ADHD and dyslexia. Beauty doesn't matter. The beauty that's inside is what matters. You shouldn't care about what they say about you. I have felt this way before. I use to be bullied when I was in school, but I was lucky enough to find great friends and make it through without a single bad, rude, or mean thought in my head." I can't believe that I'm so open, but something about this girl was special. I knew that it would help. And it did.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Anytime. And if you need someone, I'm always here. I'll be like your older sister." It made me feel good to say that. We both got up of the ground.

"Okay, can you help me find a good weapon? I've been meaning to find one, but it's just really hard." I smiled.

"Okay. But first of all, do you prefer a sword, spear, or dagger?" I asked. She thought for a moment and the dagger around my leg.

"A dagger."

"Are you sure? It's harder to use a dagger unless you can handle it. A sword is better for defense because you'll be farther away from your partner."

"No, I want to use a dagger. I know that I can do it," she said with a wide smile. I smiled back.

"Okay." We started to look at daggers. I found a few and Piper tried it, but it was too small, too big, too light, or too heavy. We almost lost hope if she hadn't a dagger lying in the corner. It was sheathed in black leather and and bronze on the top. She walked towards it and picked it up. She unsheathed it and it showed an 18" triangular blade made of celestial bronze and had a polished, wooden handle. She looked at it in awe. I knew that she was going to pick this one.

"Wow. This is so cool. It isn't too heavy, or light, or small, or too big! It fits just right." She had on a huge grin.

"That's Katopris, meaning 'looking glass' or 'mirror' in Ancient Greek. It's a ceremonial blade and was never used in combat. It belonged to Helen of Troy from her husband, Menelaus. It was for her to use as a tool to look at her reflection. I could be used in battle," I had just surprised myself.

"Whoa. Are you sure that you were never at the Armory before? 'Cause it sounds like you know a lot." Piper looked at me with one eyebrow higher than the other.

"This has been my first time to the Armory, but not the first at camp half-blood. I was seven when I first came to camp. It was an awesome experience, but I didn't know that I was a half-blood then. I just found out this week."

"Oh. That's cool. I found out that I was a demigod yesterday." Piper exclaimed.

" You should meet my friends. They are awesome! There is Thalia, daughter of Zeus and her brother Jason. There's also Nico, son of Hades, and Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon." I said.

"Why did you say his full name?" Piper looked at me, smiling.

"What?"

"Why did you say Perseus Jackson instead of just Percy, like you did with your other friends. Do you like him?" A blushed crept up my cheeks.

"No! Percy is just some idiot. He's stupid, annoying, and childish, but is loyal, playful, and honest... I mean, he's just some guy. There is no reason for me to say his full name. It just...sounds cool. He has the same name as a Greek hero. And my name is an anagram of my mothers, but with a few extra letters." Piper laughed. "What's so funny?"

"It's-it's nothing." She chuckled.

"What?" Then, there was a noise, like someone blowing into a conch shell, from the direction of the mess hall, where everyone is eating.

"I guess it's time for dinner," I said. Piper sheathed her new dagger and her and I walked out of the Armory. We both arrived at the mess hall.

"Well, I'll see you at the campfire," she said.

"Okay, see you." I walked over to where they served dinner. The nymphs served chicken pot pie with green beans and some steamed carrots. I looked into the crowd of people. The tables were sorted by parents. No one from another Olympian parent can come somewhere they aren't suppose to be. I finally found the Athena cabin and walked over. I sat next to Malcolm and had a cup that looked like a goblet. I've found out how you do this.

"Water." They goblet filled itself up with clear water. I drank some of it. It tasted a lot better than any other water. I started to eat and talk to my siblings. It was really nice to hang around with people I know.

I was talking about the amendments with my siblings.

"-the right to bear arms. That is true, but-" I was cut of because, suddenly, Percy comes over to our table and pokes me on my shoulder. My half-brothers and sisters gave him a glare because, first of all, he wasn't suppose to be at other cabin's tables, and second of all, his dad is Poseidon, who our mom hates.

"Annabeth." he whispered. "Hey, Annabeth." I turned to see that his face was right in front of mine. I could feel his warm breath on my lips and our noses were barely touching. We both turned as red as tomatoes and backed away a few inches.

"Um, sorry. It's just I know where Nico, Jason, and Althea are. They were kidnapped." He said really quickly.

"What? Where are they?" I got up from my seat and we just stood by the Athena table. "I was worried sick about them, but I didn't think that they were kidnapped. Well. Where are they?"

"I don't know exactly, but I know that they are in a cave and monsters are surrounding them. And they are going to try to lure us into a trap with them. So run if anything funny happens."

"Okay. Thanks, Percy." Oh. My. Gods. I was in shock. I can't believe that I have been so stupid! I knew that leaving them alone wasn't a good idea. If they die, it's going to be all my fault. I could feel my eyes starting to tear up, but I can't cry here, especially in front of the other campers. They made me feel at home and I don't want that to change. I began to walk back to my table, as relaxed as I can, when Percy grabbed my hand. There was an instant connection, like a shock of electricity. My eyes widened and I could feel the tears slowly started to dry.

"But that's not all." It turned back.

"What?" I looked up into his sea green eyes.

"Luke, Annabeth. Luke is the one leading all those monsters."

This has been the longest chapter to write. It was about Annabeth when she visited camp. It was her POV when Percy was having the dream in the earlier chapter. Hope you liked it and please review!