Greek Eye

Chapter 2

I walked back to my cabin feeling tired. My alarm clock read 9:30 but I felt like it was midnight. I opened my door and immediately collapsed on my bed.

Not seconds later, I fell asleep.

I was standing on the edge of a cliff, the silver moon staring down on me, the fog over the sea in front of me was thick, and I could barely see the hand in front of my face. The temperature was below freezing, and my bones were glacial in my body. The moon started to glow faintly, casting a silvery radiance over the landscape.

A shiver ran down my spine as a raspy voice spoke loud in my mind, casting an echo through my ears, "Come down, Perseus Jackson, and see what beholds you throughout the sands of time."

Mesmerized, my eyes glassy, I instinctively took a step forward, not realizing I was standing on the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking the churning ocean three-hundred feet below, if I fell, I'd shatter on impact. But I didn't, I was standing, in mid-air! I looked down and nearly had a heart attack. I gazed down, to see an angry vortex stirring the tides below. The whirlpool was the size of a city block, but sounded, and looked like the biggest toilet ever being flushed. Then the voice crashed into my mind, "Do not stare at the mighty Charybdis below, it will not bring you harm, of course, unless I want it to. Step down the staircase, spiraling to the cavern entrance below."

I did as I was told, but, finding the cave, I heard noises coming from inside, I stopped cold. When I was within fifty feet, I heard voices; voices I

found extremely familiar. "How do you know?" a stern, deep voice echoed from the rocks.

"Silence, someone approaches." Another voice, this one way more familiar.

That's when I walked through the entrance of the cavern; only to be faced by eleven giant immortals I knew as the Olympians.

I was about to speak, but then I realized; there's twelve Olympians. I did a headcount. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon . . .

"Where's Athena?" I asked.

Zeus perked his head up. "She's not here."

My father, Poseidon managed to push his brother aside. "Athena is having problems, she's—"

Zeus elbowed my dad in the stomach.

Suddenly, mist swirled around the gathering of gods. A voice spoke in my mind, it sounded like Kronos, but he's since dissipated into mist, and scattered, and I haven't heard of him since.

This voice sounded the same, screechy and metallic. That is enough, you will find out soon enough from close sources about the whereabouts of the goddess. Good luck half-blood.

There was no maniacal laughter as it exited, just a blinding flash of light.

I woke up to the night sound of crickets and a brooding howl from the woods. I glared at my alarm clock. I read four in the morning. I slammed my head back into my pillow, but to no avail. I lay there for fifteen minutes rolling over countless time. Finally, I couldn't stand it; I had to do something.

I got up out of bed and went over to the sword fighting arena. Sword play always calms me down.

Slashing and rolling, dodging and stabbing left me drenched in sweat. I was so involved in what I was doing at the moment; I didn't even realize that I wasn't the only person in the arena.

"Calm down, Seaweed Brain, we do need those to last all summer, you know."

I jumped up nervously, and instinctively slashed my sword, almost taking off Annabeth's head; making her yelp.

"Sorry." I said.

"It's—it's okay." She managed, though she wasn't sounding like she meant it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question." She said, standing up and climbing down the stone steps.

I watched as Annabeth circled around me, keeping her finger pressing against my shoulder, wrapping around my shoulder blades and back around my other shoulder. I couldn't help but start to sweat in spite of myself.

"So Percy," she said, speaking into my ear, "Are you feeling alright?"

I looked her straight in her eyes, "I could ask you the same question."

Annabeth stopped cold in her tracks. She stared at me, but in the moonlight, all I could see was a dark silhouette of her body, but her stormy grey eyes could be seen a mile away; the eyes that always seemed to see right into me, to see the part that I wanted to bring out, but just couldn't.

I sighed and dropped my sword. It clattered on the ground. "Annabeth—"

"Shhh . . ." she said, putting her finger to her lips. "Listen Percy, sit down." I sat down and she followed, her eyes still trained on mine. "Earlier today, you were asking why I was acting depressed and I snapped at you. I'm sorry; I was just having trouble taking the news spreading around Olympus."

"What news?" I asked.

Annabeth sat quietly on the stone steps in the moonlight. I was about to re-ask the question, but Annabeth spoke first.

"Percy," she said, her voice was so dangerously close to tears, she had to revert to whispering. "Athena is leaving the council of Olympians. She's—she's giving up her thrown."

"What?" I asked.

She was again silent. I felt terrible for her.

"Sounds like someone needs a hu—" I said.

Before I could finish what I was saying, she tackled me and wrapped her arms around me. I gasped for air, but I still gave her a hug back. Annabeth was warm as a fire, but shaking like a leaf, I couldn't blame her. In spite of the bad experiences I'd had with Athena in the past, I couldn't help but remember Hestia, the last goddess to give up a thrown on Olympus, It must be hard, not knowing where to go or who would except you.

I asked the next thing that came to mind, "Why?"

Annabeth looked away; I saw that a boundary had been crossed. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me." I put in quickly.

"No," she said, "It's okay. Athena is leaving because she thinks that nothing is being solved on Olympus, there's no thought put into any of the gods' decisions, and they can't stop arguing to save their lives."

"But they're immortal, right?"

"That's not the point Seaweed Brain." She said, "The point is, Athena is leaving because wisdom has no place on Olympus, it's just arguing and brash decisions, and no one can get a word in without being judged."

"Oh, Annabeth." I said, squeezing her tighter.

"Percy," she said, "That's only the worst part. If Athena's not an Olympian, Camp Half-Blood will have no choice but to demolish the cabin dedicated to her, and the campers living in the cabin will have no-where to go"

"There's always the Hermes cabin."

"There's another point; Hermes cabin only takes in his children and unclaimed half-bloods who don't know their parentage. We all do."

"Then we'll ask Chiron as soon as he wakes up." I suggested.

"Alright." She agreed.

"Well," I said looking towards my cabin, "We'd better get back to bed. Good night."

I turned back towards Annabeth. Her face was very close to mine.

Then, without warning, Annabeth leaned in and kissed me.

I took the surprise positively, and gave the kiss back. For the longest time of my life, I was holding the one person who meant more to me than anyone else in the world. She kept her arms wrapped around me and I followed her lead. When we broke away, my vision was spinning and my heart was pumping.

"Uh . . ." I managed.

Annabeth smiled at me "I've known you for six years Percy Jackson and I believe I can trust you more than anyone else, even Chiron. You're always so kind and caring; always putting others before yourself, and if I am thrown out of camp, I'll always remember you for that."

It sounded way too final to me, which made me sad and a little spiteful, but I managed to snap out of it, "Sure thing Annabeth." I said.

She smiled at me one more time and got up, "Good night."

"Good night."

AS she left, I thought that maybe it could be the last few times I see her, the last few chances to express . . . certain feelings.

After five minutes, I fell asleep again, still on the steps of the arena.