Chapter 2
I must have passed out because that was the last thing I remembered before I woke up in a very weird place. I sat up slowly from the cot I was lying on with the start of a killer migraine, I looked around my surroundings and found nothing to resemble the twenty-first century. I was in what looked like a cobble-stoned room, with something that was similar to a cauldron, and small glass flasks covered a wooden table. The flasks were filled with colorful liquids bubbling inside creating steam and oozing bubbles over the side. I had no clue where I was, but something did not feel right. I was surprised when a white-headed man entered the room; he had a long white beard, ruby red velvet robes, and something that looked like a matching hat. He stopped when he saw I was awake.
"My goodness child you startled me," he spoke with old English accent, "but I'm glad to see your awake, I was beginning to worry that the trip was too much for you to handle."
"I'm sorry, what did you say…travel…huh? Where I am, who are you?" I was starting to wonder if this man who resembled my elderly grandpa had kidnapped me.
"Oh, let me introduce myself, I am Merlin, and you my Annabeth are in England in the early middle ages," I could have passed out at that moment.
"Sir, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy. This can't be the Middle Ages and if it was, you wouldn't know it existed, I doubt they had a name for it then, and how do you know my name?" I'm sure I had a wild look in my eyes, but I was very concerned for my safety at that moment.
"My child don't you think if I could pull you back, then I could go forward. To answer your question Annabeth, I know your name because I am one of your ancestors." Not possible, and I gave him a complete look of disbelief. "I know it's hard to believe, but look out the window," he pointed to a small balcony that made me think of Romeo and Juliet I stood up slowly and went to look at the world surrounding me, and it was not what I expected.
The world below did not look like the home I knew, the small town in South Carolina this was something completely different. The first thing I noticed about my surroundings was there was no sign of technology anywhere, instead there was horse drawn carriages some even pulled by donkeys. In the center of what looked like a small rural town was a scaffold that held two nooses supported by wooden poles. Then there were the people, they looked so different from what I was used to. From what I could see there were no women in jeans, but instead they wore worn dresses made of rough brown cloth, and the men were dressed in tunics with short pants of similar colors.
"I think I need to sit down," I said practically falling onto the cot.
"Do you believe me now?" Merlin asked.
"Honestly, right now I'm not sure what to believe, maybe I've just read one too many medieval fantasy stories and this is a dream," maybe Jen was right, all this reading isn't good for me…who would have thought?
"No this isn't a dream, but your fascination with the medieval times comes from me, my dear."
"So you're saying that I the reason I like fantasy and the times of knights, princesses, and dragons is because of you?" This cannot be happening I'm related to Merlin, unless this is all just dream, but I'm not so sure anymore, this all just feels way too real.
"I haven't even told you the best part yet, you're a wizard too, or a sorceress you could say."
"I…I don't believe you, there has never been a sign that I am magical as you say I am, I'm just …just plain old Annabeth," I've never seen sparks fly out my fingertips, or had any strange occurrences that suggest magic.
"That's because you have just began transformation, if I am correct today is your sixteenth birthday, correct?" he asked already knowing the answer.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"You don't receive your magic until your sixteenth birthday, which is something you would probably have found out on your own, if you would have gotten the chance, but I had to pull you back in time for a reason."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"If I wouldn't have pulled you back in time today, that bus would have killed you," I am sure looked puzzled, I had completely forgotten about stepping out in front of a bus today.
"Let me explain, recently in my time, an evil sorceress named Hera has cursed our family with a curse so strong it stretches over generations causing every future wizard or sorceress to die before they transform and attain their magical powers." This cannot be happening…my family is cursed? It doesn't seem real. "I pulled you back because surprisingly the magic that runs in the veins of our family has only been passed to you; you are the first magical sorceress to be born in our family for over hundreds of years."
"How do you know this? How do you even know I exist because I shouldn't be able to be here, I should be home in the twenty-first century. Do you have a crystal ball or something?"
"Well it's not exactly a crystal ball, but more of a magic cauldron and it has many purposes, many of which I will teach you," teach me, Merlin is going to teach me?
"That still doesn't really answer my question, how is it possible that I am here?"
"Like many people in your time believe, there is such a thing as multiple dimensions; it's just that there are very few people that know how to access them as I do."
"So you're saying that even though I am here now, my time is still moving forward there?" Everyone is going to be so worried, my mom and dad…and Jen she saw me dissolve or travel whatever I did.
"Not exactly, I've kind of paused or at least slowed the time there down, it was very difficult, and I don't know how long it will last, but hopefully it last long enough to get your help." He needs my help, why does he need my help? If he can do what he says and stop time, what could he possibly need me for?
"Why? How can be useful?"
"I need your help to stop the curse; this is something I've been wishing for awhile, watching over multiple dimensions hoping to find another magical relative. This curse is too strong for me to stop on my own, and if you want to survive, you will have to help me."
"What do I need to do?" I want to live, who doesn't?
"First we will need to train you, which I know sounds like a long process, but it won't take as long as you think. I am a very good teacher, and I have a very good apprentice that will be assisting us too," another sorceress who could that be?
"When do we start?"
"We will begin today, as soon as Percy returns with some things for you," so it's a wizard I was mistaken.
"Things? What do I need?"
"Well, first you need some appropriate attire, and I needed him to pick some herbs for both of us, and when he returns we can start on your amulet."
"Why do I need an amulet?"
"There are many reasons why you need an amulet, it can help with the transition of time to stabilize you here so you don't leave before we're ready, and it also can help in the use of your magic as an amplifier. What it will do is strengthen the source of spell causing it to have more force than it would without use of the amulet," well that's pretty cool.
"So where's your amulet?" I asked curiously.
"Mine is right here," all of sudden he pulled a small stick with what looked like an amethyst attached to the top from his sleeve. What surprised me was it was so small, but then he tapped against the wall and expanded to its full height. When it expanded, it was the size of a walking stick.
"That's a neat trick, so will mine look like that?"
"No, probably not. I think you would prefer to have a piece of jewelry. Am I correct?" Heck yeah, who doesn't want a piece of magical jewelry?
"You would assume correctly."
"That's what I thought," he paused all of a sudden, "Oh Percy is back," So I get to meet this mysterious apprentice. "Well come on, we should meet him at the door," and Merlin exited the door, and I quickly followed behind.
I was expecting Percy to be some wimpy teen, with crooked teeth and bad cleaning habits, but I couldn't have been more wrong. As I entered the foyer of what I discovered to be a beautiful castle, I caught my first glance at Percy. He was definitely not, what I expected, he was surprisingly really cute. He stood tall probably a little over six foot tall, with sea green eyes that resembled emeralds, and shaggy but clean black hair, he was nicely built and I knew that if he would have gone to my high school he would everyone's crush, myself included.
When I entered the room to where he could fully see me he bowed, like gentleman with manners.
"Hello, you must be Annabeth," he stated with a smile.
"Yeah, that's me," and I felt myself blush, I have never been good at talking to guys, especially cute ones. I normally blush and stutter with even the least attractive of guys and well this one is very attractive so imagine my brain right about now, it's about ready to short circuit.
"So are you ready to begin now that you two have met?" Merlin asked.
"Yeah, let's begin," I said.