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I hope. This here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 5

Annabeth bolted upright, gasping for air.

What... What was that?

She thought as she glanced at the clock Abby gave to her on her nightstand. It was still pretty early. Looking around, seeing as her roommates were still passed out on their beds, she lied back down on her warm and comfortable bed, thinking about her dream.

It was strange. There was this distant voice... It was powerful. Annabeth became fearful of its source. Its hisses runs shivers down her spine. Although it said love and care, it was as if.. those things were used for something... opposite as that. The voice was... enticing in an different way. What was it..? A statement? A command? Temptation? What was it?

Annabeth rolled over such that she was facing her bookshelf. She began to eye every book label critically, as if they would spout out her answers. A question abruptly crossed her mind. Who was it? Who was his patron?

Suddenly feeling the pain of thinking about leaving her warm bed, with such difficulty, she stood up in front of the bookshelf, running her fingers through the engraved titles of the thick Ancient Greek books. She glanced back at her nightstand. Only one minute has passed. It seems that Chronos' tricks are put to work. Turning back to her tall bookshelf, she let her eyes travel wide in search of a certain word. And...

Aha!

Here it is, at last she found one damned book about it. She glanced back at her nightstand for a brief moment before turning back at the seemingly obese book. No matter, she has a whole lot of time to read it. Carefully pulling the book out between two more of its fat fellows, she almost dropped it of its sheer weight. She shifted the huge writing in her arms so the front faces her.

She scanned the cover. The cover art was black and white, and two symmetrical red shapes- which appeared to be glowing- were hovering just below the title: A World of Darkness. Dark. Darkness. It is the very same.

After minutes- the truth: hours- of searching, she came to find only one.

Ἔρεβος ("βαθύ σκοτάδι, σκιά") ήταν οι Πρωτογένους του σκότους, σύζυγος του Nyx (νύχτα), των οποίων η σκοτεινή ομίχλη τύλιξε τα άκρα του κόσμου, και γεμίζουν τις βαθιές κοιλότητες της γης. Γυναίκα Nyx του επέστησε αυτά ομίχλες σε όλη την ουρανούς για να φέρει νύχτα στον κόσμο, ενώ η κόρη του Hemera τα διάσπαρτα φέρνοντας ημέρα: ένα σύστημα μπλοκαρίσματος από το φως του...

"Erebus ("deep darkness, shadow") was the Protogenos of darkness, consort of Nyx (night), whose dark mists enveloped the edges of the world, and filled the deep hollows of the earth. His wife Nyx drew these mists across the heavens to bring night to the world, while his daughter Hemera scattered them bringing day: one blocking out the light of..." Blah blah blah. I already know that part, Annabeth disregarded the following text.

She looked back at the first sentence. According to the fat book, Erebus was a personification of darkness and shadows. It very much explains how he and his companions can shadow-travel. But still, why jump in the pit? As far as she knows, the protogenos of nothingness and the protogenos of darkness do not go along well. She, once again, searches the overly informed book all about blackness.

Shining bright sunlight rudely woke Annabeth up from her slumber. She stirred, agitated. She was sure her bed was a good ten feet away from the window. Nevertheless, as Mr. Sun calls for rise and shine, she opened her eyes slowly. After a few moments, she realized that she was not in her bed anymore. Heck, she was not even in her room.

She jumped up, and soon felt blunt pain enter her foot. She looked down to see the fat Ancient Greek writing having all the time in the world to trample her foot with its heavy butt. She gingerly picked up the book, her eyes twitching in annoyance. As she did so, she remembered that she had been leaning against her tall bookshelf since dawn, reading the gods damned book. How she got here in the open; she had no idea on that.

Thankfully, her answers were given as Aether and Hemera materialized next to her. They saw her puzzled look and started to explain. By the time they finished, Annabeth was pale as a sheet. Apparently, she overslept the schedule and they had to wake her up. They let it pass, since they admitted that they forgot to tell her, and this was her first day of training; but the next day, it wouldn't be so pretty if it happened again.

Aether, before beginning, questioned her of the book. She told him that she was curious and was seeking answers of who his patrons are, or who the enemies are, and that it was a part of planning- a daughter of Athena thing. It was true, but she didn't tell him the exact reason.. or the root of this spark of curiosity that came over her. Luckily, they didn't notice and bought it.

Annabeth watched as Hemera beckoned someone to come to them. A guy in a tuxedo stepped towards them. She noticed that he was taller than an average human- about seven feet. He had black hair tied in a ponytail, and a thinning beard on his chin. His face- his face was covered in scratches, like he'd been attacked by a small animal.

She scrunched her eyebrows at him as he extended his hand to her. "I am Prometheus. Pleased to meet you, Annabeth Chase."

She was so surprised that she almost forgot his waiting hand. Hemera just smiled at her while Prometheus didn't seem to mind.

"Now Annabeth," she told her, "He is the one to train you with mentality-based abilities. Seeing as you use your brain a lot, this is perfect for you. Tomorrow, you will be trained in using weapons, battle strategies, and battle styles, and one more important thing added to that. Don't worry, we'll tell you tomorrow. Train hard."

The daughter of Athena just nodded as they flashed away, and turned to the titan of forethought. She met his scrutinizing gaze in her own calculating ones. After a few minutes of staring each down, Prometheus blinked and spoke up, "Let's start with a test to your intelligence quotient."

Annabeth lied down beneath the shade, sighing at the sweat beads running down her face. She had no idea that Magneto, A.K.A. Prometheus trains this hard. So far, she was learning to master psychokinesis, she had learned telepathy, and was still learning to control psionic blasts, and got better control of the Mist, which has memory manipulation and partial mind control beneath its covers.

Lord Chronos, she prayed, What time is it?

It is four hours, fifty-two minutes, and forty-six seconds past noon, Chronos replied, making Annabeth roll her eyes. Why?

Nothing, my Lord, just asking. After the thought, the wisdom's daughter stood up and brushed herself off.

She walked back to her 'psychopathic' mentor and said that she was ready for the last go. Prometheus nodded and summoned a wooden table, then stepped back. She looked at the object and tried not to glare at it, but just gave it a hardened stare that maybe if it was animate, it would've cracked its legs from underneath itself.

Right then, she felt her heart beat faster, pumping more up to her head. One of the table's legs lifted up an inch, then higher, and then the other legs follow, and higher, until the table was levitating a foot from the ground. She still wasn't breaking a sweat. No- not for long.

She knit her eyebrows and urged the table to float up higher, using her psychokinetic abilities that were proved strong because of her higher than genius' intelligence quotient, and a little bit of resistance to headaches. The table floated up two feet more. Prometheus told her that it should be as tall as him. Meaning: four more feet to go.

Or she could just slice it to pieces and hold the tabletop at his level. Alas, a much easier way is always not allowed.

She was very tempted to lift her hand up to make it launch, but that was the point. This time, she needs do it with her mind, and mind alone. She was done with the hands first thing before.

As a test, Prometheus asked her to lift the table up- five feet above the titan's head. She had done that with a lot of work at first, then it became easier and easier. It just proved that her mental ability is so evolved, she could do it without raising her hand. Which needs additional training.

Thinking about those made her lose her concentration. Annabeth noticed that the table sank a feet. She pursed her lips and stared, turning her full attention back to the wooden table. It floated back to where it was before. Time to rise it up.

Annabeth lowered her head a tad, still providing a line of sight towards the table. Her eyes became slightly glazed over, and the table began to levitate up higher. She was starting to sweat a little yet she had broken so much sweat once before- it didn't bother her. Prometheus watched as she stood there, unmoving; the table as if feeling her gaze was rising up in the air, the tabletop almost at his eye level. He had to admit though, he was impressed.

Even if the time was slowed down extremely, it still counts as a day. And on that day, she managed to learn what she can, and almost mastered what should be mastered. It was a lot of progress, indeed, the progress needing patience, endurance, and perseverance. He realized that it was inspiration that drove her to this much, and he almost felt sorry for her. Why can't she understand?

With an exhale of mirth, Annabeth managed to rise the table six inches above the titan's head. Now she just had to wait for him to tell her to put it down. Now looking back on him, it appears that he was studying her. She looked up at him and blinked, and before she could say anything, he spoke.

"Very good," he praised. "You've mastered it. A thing that you should be happy for."

He gestured for her to put it down. And as she did, he said, "Now for your last test, before we call it a day."

She said a 'ready' to his mind, making him nod in approval. She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. A small ball of psychic energy formed in her hand, enlarging as she concentrated and urged it to become larger. If she makes it too large, though, it will result into a massive headache, which is very much uncalled for in a battlefield.

The ball began to take a certain color, her signature color grey, if ever she wants to induce pain; and more as darker hues of grey: pain, unconsciousness, memory loss, severe brain damage, or the worst, death. She then raises her hand slowly towards Prometheus, making it a slightly lighter shade of a dark grey. The ball sent a message clearly: I'll give you pain. Head pain- sucks- for you.

She hurled it onto the titan. He closed his eyes as he felt himself go into a head-splitting migraine, then finally leaving him alone- at peace- five seconds later. He felt wobbly, but didn't move. As he felt he was steady, he opened his eyes to meet her own, grey orbs shining with hope and anticipation. After a stare-down competition, Prometheus smiled.

"You are quite the fast learner, Annabeth Chase. Master it on your own. Let me call this a day."

"Good night, Annabeth."

"G'night."

Annabeth sighed as she rolled over to face her clock. She grabbed it and set it on time. Then after a hesitant moment, she held it up and stared it down. The clock lifted itself up and placed itself gently on her nightstand.

She glanced behind her- at the obese piece of Ancient Greek text that she brought back physically- and narrowed her eyes at it.

We're not finished, you fat book. I was just starting with you.

Ohohoho!

Annabeth Chase VS A World of Darkness! Who d'ya think will win?

Anyways.. my email page is kinda buggy, so I can't thank the favs and alerts by name, but yeah, I'll just thank you wholly! SO YEAH THANKS FOR THE FAVORITES AND FOLLOWS! And for some of the reviews...

AlexisFoy27 - Thanks for naming it, "mysterious". I can't think of anything else to describe it with, really. :) And you are welcome!
ACOOLGUY - Hi. You know what, me too! Pertemis is my favorite, Artemis is just so awesome, and cool, and *ahem*. Yeah, catch my drift? I.. really don't know what to do with the pairings, but yeah, whatever.

Thank you and I'll see you, next time! ~Smartzyfan