Chapter 11: Wisdom's Repentance

Annabeth mentally kicked herself. At the same time, she physically kicked through the stone wall in front of her. As the rocks cracked and crumbled, she wondered what the Hades she was doing letting herself get talked into coming here. But, alongside the dust, her agitation cleared as she marveled at the structure she'd unearthed.

She'd been following caves beneath Athens for hours, guided solely by Hemera's loose instructions and her own instincts on where something so bizarre could be kept hidden. It'd led deep into the ground, and Annabeth couldn't help but reminisce on her adventure beneath Rome to recover the Athena Parthenos. She'd laughed at the irony considering what it was that she was in search of this time. Or, more accurately, who.

Standing before the hole she'd created, Annabeth looked down into the massive cavern that her dead-end cave had been hiding on its other side. At the bottom stood the ancient ruins of a massive temple. Its orientation was almost like a tiny city, definitely constructed during early Greek times, and it was beautiful.

Even from her vantage point, Annabeth could see the intricate detail within the classic columns framing the entrance of the little city. The demigod wiped the dust from her owl helm and armor before she spread her wings and glided down to the gate. Unlit torches hung in the columns' sconces, and Annabeth considered setting them alight. Being so deep underground meant everything was pitch black, and she knew it was only because of her primordial visor that she could see around her as if it were day. The demigod stepped past the torches, deciding against the idea because she didn't want to be seen coming.

Annabeth continued her forward march, though thoroughly entranced by the temple that must not have been seen through mortal eyes for millenia. The stone courtyard she found herself stepping through held cordoned squares that certainly used to house public gardens. Each corner of the plaza heralded bronze statues of Athena, one with her spear, another with her aegis, a third with both, and the final with neither. In the center was a fifth, larger statue that depicted the goddess bestowing the gift of an olive tree to Kekrops, the first king of Athens.

Alongside her awe, Annabeth could feel her chest tighten as her eyes traced each bronze image of her mother. She clenched her jaw and swallowed the lump in her throat as she left the courtyard and kept walking. Shrugging off the architectural dreamer that wanted to analyze and dissect every square inch of the long-hidden temple, Annabeth set her eyes forward and ignored the rest of the scenery. She didn't turn to look at the surrounding archways that led into auxiliary buildings or investigate the city's corner bastions that guarded the ancient landmark. Annabeth stalked towards the center of the temple, approaching the main structure where her mission should be waiting.

Again, she couldn't believe she'd been talked into coming. Annabeth blamed it on her dream last night, though she still smiled beneath her helm as she accusingly thought about it. She'd woken from it with no weight on her shoulders, a feeling she couldn't even remember, and no pain in her body to remind her of the devastating duel she'd fought just the day before. Hemera had taken note immediately, certainly happy for the demigod, but there had been another feeling as well when she'd learned about the contents of Annabeth's new dream. The primordial had wiped the expression away quickly, instead approaching the demigod with a proposition. It hadn't been easy by any means for Annabeth to say yes, but there wouldn't have been any discussion at all if it wasn't for the solace her dream had provided her.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Annabeth eyed the central temple shaped not-unlike the Parthenon. But it had only one entryway; the rest of the spaces between the columns had been walled with thick stone. Annabeth stepped through the entrance and silently followed a winding hallway, intricate etchings marking the walls on either side of her. The pressure in her chest returned when the path skewed and she found herself beside a lit torch.

Past it, there was another. Past that one, yet another. Annabeth's gloved hands balled into fists, and she fought to swallow the lump again forming in her throat. She steeled herself and willed her body forward; it was too late to turn back. Several lit torches and a few turns later, the sobbing began. But it wasn't Annabeth, though the sound made her heart hurt, and her own eyes welled.

She took her final turn in the ruins' maze and stepped into a large room walled with the same thick stone as the outside of the temple. Blazing torches outlined the walls, symmetrically dispersed to bathe the entire room in their light. Huge workbenches took up much of the open area, all massively cluttered with blueprints that would be incomprehensible to most mortals. The tables' orientation created a rough circle around the center of the room, where yet another table sat. Only that desk in the center boasted its pristine wood craftsmanship; it was devoid of any scattered papers or writing utensils. The only objects touching it were the elbows of a goddess supporting sobbing eyes buried in her palms and a blue Yankees baseball cap.

The nearly silent sching of Annabeth's sword materializing in her hand was enough to freeze the goddess before her. The demigod gritted her teeth behind her helm as Athena slowly stood up from her seat and turned towards her. Bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks marred the Goddess of Wisdom. But Athena's pained expression hardened as she stood face to face with the white warrior she'd last seen atop the Acropolis.

"Why are you here?" Athena asked, struggling horribly to keep her voice level.

Annabeth took a step forward, her grip painfully tight on her sword hilt. Instinctively, spear and shield took shape in Athena's grasp, and the goddess lunged into her battle stance against the silent opponent some odd feet from her.

"Why. Are. You. Here?" she repeated before her tension eased and left slumping shoulders, "I wish the other one had come for me instead."

Annabeth froze.

"You are not here to kill me, are you?" the goddess asked as she lowered her guard.

Athena's disappointed tone worsened the pressure in Annabeth's chest to a painful degree. She threw her own blade down and could see further despair in the goddess' eyes. But then Annabeth dematerialized her helmet, revealing herself to the woman that had begun the orchestration of her death.

Athena's expression shifted through a contradictory mixture of emotions as she surged forward with arms outstretched. Joy was most visible, among disbelief and hope and sorrow and regret. Regret came last as Annabeth jerked back from the goddess trying to embrace her.

The Goddess of Wisdom paused as she met Annabeth's glaring eyes that spilled silent tears. The demigod's fists were balled as she stared down her mother, whose expression still held wide eyes and a quivering lip. Annabeth couldn't bear to let her mother hug her then, no perfect dream with Percy could change that, but she was powerless to move again when Athena stepped forward carefully.

The goddess dropped her arms, but she bridged the gap between her and her daughter. Soft hands lifted to the demigod's cheeks, and Annabeth didn't have the will to push away from them. Athena's thumbs traced her daughter's face as they tried to wipe away her tears while the goddess wrestled with the idea that she was really there.

The idea of forgiveness wasn't even a thought in the distance, but Annabeth couldn't look past the endless relief in her mother's eyes and their silent pleading to embrace her. Athena seemed to feel her daughter relent, and the goddess wrapped her tightly as her dam broke and she sobbed into her armor. Though still standing rigid, Annabeth lightly closed her arms around her mother, her own eyes openly streaming while the tightness in her chest eased.

It took minutes before Athena stopped shaking and slowly stepped back. The goddess' hands drifted to Annabeth's, and she quietly led the demigod to the center table where she conjured a second seat. They sat down together while Athena's red-rimmed, striking grey eyes never left her daughter, processing that she had returned to her. The goddess wanted to ask how it was possible, but there was something far more pressing first.

"I do not deserve, nor will I ever expect, forgiveness. But I am so sorry for what I did to you and Perseus."

Annabeth sat in silence for a while longer as she wiped her eyes. She watched Athena's hands unconsciously move to the brim of the baseball cap she must have retrieved as a memento of the decision she'd made.

"Thank you," the demigod finally replied, granting her mother a small smile, "You're not going to ask how I'm here?"

"I-I planned to get around to it, but the means do not matter much to me. You here, alive, is a gift from forces above me that I would not dare question why or how. But if you would like to tell me, I would very much like to listen," Athena answered earnestly.

Slowly, Annabeth recounted her story from the time she and Percy fought against Tartarus. She told Athena about how she'd been saved by Hemera and how the primordial hadn't reached Percy in time. She repeated the horrible turmoil she felt after learning about his fate, about the Greater Prophecy, about her mother's words, and the gods' and her friends' complacency. She told the goddess how she still decided to save them because it was what Percy would have wanted her to do. Athena buried her head in her hands for most of the explanation, only speaking through quiet sobs.

But, surprising herself, Annabeth also told Athena about her dreams with Percy. She retold the horrific stories of how he was ripped from her memories in such awful ways, and how its sudden, beautiful shift last night had been the spur of Annabeth returning to find the goddess at her hidden temple. Athena listened fixedly to her daughter's description of the vivid dreams, and her mind raced as she considered the ethereal dynamics explained to her.

When Annabeth finished speaking, her voice quivering, Athena softly took her hands.

"I am so proud of you, Annabeth. You had every right to turn your back on us, to leave us where we led ourselves, and you didn't. I understand if you don't consider yourself it anymore, but I could not be more honored to call you my daughter."

Annabeth tightened her grip on the goddess' hands as she fought back another wave of tears.

"I'm still your daughter," she whispered before she cleared her throat, "But you have Percy to thank for that, too."

The goddess' eyes seemed to sharpen for a moment as she continually stared at her daughter. Annabeth could feel her wrestling with her discomfort as she weighed voicing a certain question. The demigod spoke it for her.

"You think Percy is the other warrior. The one that presumably killed Dionysus."

Athena's shoulders relaxed, and she nodded curtly while still grasping her daughter's hands.

"I thought the same thing, especially after seeing the monster control water at Camp Jupiter. I'm obviously not unbiased, but I don't think that's possible. Aether and Hemera both confirmed that he died in Tartarus. They also told me that Tartarus has been trying to wage his war for millenia, and he just used killing Percy and I as a catalyst; his soldier could have been training for centuries, if not more, and he has access to the rivers in the Pit."

"And do you trust them?"

Annabeth retracted her hands from her mother's as her jaw clenched. Athena winced as she realized her mistake.

"You're questioning who I can trust?"

The goddess hung her head and closed her eyes.

"No, it is not my place. They saved your life and are why you were able to ensure our victory at the Acropolis," Athena said quietly, affirming the idea to herself, "As was Percy."

Annabeth's eyes softened as her mother looked at her again. The demigod could see on her face how guilty she felt as she relived her own betrayal of her daughter.

"Okay, so we agree that it can't be Percy. And, I know this doesn't mean much to you because it's more emotional than strategic, but he could never become that. I loved him, love him, and that malevolent monster isn't something I can see him ever becoming."

Athena wisely decided on only nodding before she spoke.

"I wanted to talk to you about your dreams with him," she said carefully, and Annabeth watched her mother's expression mirror Hemera's regarding the same concept.

"What about them?" the demigod asked, already moving on the defensive.

"I believe you to be experiencing something beautiful. Something very few people ever experience, and your particular case seems to be a unique one that I have never heard of before."

Athena spoke soothingly, and Annabeth's unease slowly melted as she felt a hopeful spark within herself. She'd struggled in deciphering so many aspects of her strange, intense, horrible, incredible dreams. If her mother had some sort of knowledge on the idea, Annabeth felt it would be wise to listen to what she had to say. She nodded for the goddess to continue.

"What you are describing is a dyad. As you know, demigod dreams have always been special, but they sometimes become something greater between people with immensely deep connections to one another. Most commonly, the phenomenon occurs in demigod siblings. In even rarer cases, which you should fall in, it is between demigods in romantic relationships. But I believe you to be a one-of-one."

Annabeth remained silent as she acknowledged the goddess' words.

"Imagine a dyad as two separate people conjoined within the same dream. An integral piece of it, as far as we know, is you each become capable of feeling the other's present emotions. Their love, their pain, their hope, their rage," Athena paused, emphasizing her final word.

Annabeth shook her head as her mind raced and her breathing became ragged. Her world started to spin until the goddess reached over the table and caught her hands again. The room around her stilled as the demigod found her words again.

"Two people's present emotions? How can we both be there? Percy is dead. He's in my mind, and all of that emotion has to be mine, right? That horrible anger, all of it. It has to be mine," she nearly pleaded, meeting Athena's eyes.

The goddess' expression mirrored her daughter's pain, and Annabeth thought she could see the gears spinning in her mother's head.

"If it truly were yours, that unending rage you described, would you be sitting across from me right now? After all I have done, would you let me hold your hands in mine?"

Annabeth heard ringing in her ears, and her throat tightened. She didn't want to dwell on the idea for a moment longer.

"Wh-what about what you said? You said my case could be unique. It could be something else. What else could it be?" the demigod asked, her tone still begging.

Athena sighed as she massaged her daughter's hands. Annabeth's eyes darted aimlessly, but she held out for whatever explanation her mother could give her.

"I believe," the goddess began slowly, nothing but sympathy in her gaze, "that you both have gone through something horrible. An unbearable burden thrust upon you that you two bore together. Beneath that weight, your feelings for eachother persevered past Percy's death. Your love for him and his for you coalesced in a one-sided dyad, the only one ever. Your memory of him, your pain with him, your joy with him keeps him 'alive' within you in the form of your dreams together."

"And if that's not true?" Annabeth whispered.

Her mother sighed again, and neither had to voice the idea aloud. Annabeth was brilliant; there was no ignoring the evidence before her. But she also loved him; she could at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

"For now," the demigod began, her voice harrowing, "We're going to settle on your alternative explanation. Percy is dead. Aether and Hemera have given me no reason to not take their word for it, and they don't have any reason to lie to me. But–"

Athena squeezed her daughter's hands more tightly, more assuredly, before she promised she was with her regardless of her choice. The demigod breathed shakily, choking back her sobs, and she continued.

"But, I hear you. I understand what you're saying to me. Still, I don't believe he could ever become something like that. Not even for me. That thing is Tartarus' champion, and it is a monster that we have to defeat like all the rest."

The goddess nodded, again voicing her promise.

"I will never stand against you again, daughter. If you have taken my words into consideration and you will still oppose this enemy, I will be behind you. I swear it on Styx."

Annabeth looked wide-eyed at her mother as the nearly silent boom of thunder reached their deep cavern. Athena smiled at the demigod before she wiped her tears for her.

"I will spend eternity repenting for my actions, Annabeth. There is no greater crime than a parent doing what I did, and still, the Fates have given me another chance. Please let me remain a part of your life."

The demigod could only nod through her blurred vision and trembling lips. Athena stood from the table and embraced her daughter again, who mirrored her more firmly than before. Annabeth quietly let go at the same time her mother did, who then looked at the demigod nervously.

"I am sorry to ask you this, but I am still Olympus' strategist and believe it is our next step. I will absolutely not reveal your identity, nor will I allow anyone to attempt to uncover it, but would you accompany me to our next council meeting? It is today, and we must discuss your encounter with Tartarus' champion at Camp Jupiter."

"Yes," Annabeth said, finding her voice again, "Hemera expected the same and asked me if I would be willing to address the Olympians after meeting with you."

"Thank you, Annabeth."

The Goddess of Wisdom touched her daughter's shoulder, and the pair vanished from the hidden temple in a flash of light.

(Line Break)

"Back up!"

Percy pistoned his leg into Oryx's chest and launched the monster yards away. The demigod grinned behind his helm as he darted forward at blinding speeds, barely giving his opponent the chance to recover. Screaming from his gaping maw, Oryx slashed wildly at the demigod's blade already in motion.

Talons met Riptide's blackened metal, and the sharp fingers were severed from the monster's hand. Each digit hissed to the floor as Oryx shrieked again before suddenly spinning. A massive closed fist caught Percy in the gut and lifted him from the ground. He flew backwards before catching his momentum, burying his transformed glaive into the grey earth.

Oryx tore towards him, the hissing sound from his destroyed hand getting louder, and Percy shoved himself upright. He stabbed ahead with his polearm, but the towering creature bounded away, suddenly wary. Percy knew it was because of the wound on his hand; the properties of his blade were eating away at the monster. But the injury was relatively minor, for a creature so monstrous, and Oryx had time before he was in any serious danger.

Percy waited, shaking with excitement, as he watched Oryx's stalking form. The unbearable weight that had been on the demigod's shoulders for months suddenly felt manageable, even if his rage towards his surroundings hadn't shifted in the slightest. But one thing that had changed since last night was that he'd rediscovered his voice.

"Come on, Oryx!" Percy shouted, the eyes of his wolf helm glowing brightly, "Last chance!"

The hulking monster continued to circle him slowly but made no advance. Percy stomped into the earth and tore open a crevice that spidered towards Oryx. An eruption of roaring black water followed the demigod's raised hand, and the River Styx swallowed the massive monster.

Oryx's garbled shrieks barely escaped the thrashing ball of water as Percy held his hands ahead of him, keeping the river level while the monster slowly drowned. The demigod suddenly reared the arm back that held the glaive, and he launched it like a spear into the crumpling liquid prison.

As the water rescinded into the ravine Percy had created, Oryx's shriek shook the desolate landscape. The demigod's black glaive protruded from the monster's chest, and the hiss of the monster's essence being corroded became piercing. But it silenced instantly when Tartarus appeared behind the creature and beheaded it with a silent swipe of his own taloned hand.

As Oryx's massive form crashed to the ground, head first then body, it revealed Tartarus' humanoid face contorted into a sickening mixture of anger and confusion as it eyed Percy. His thin purple skin stretched tightly over his clenched jaw, and his narrowed eyes bored holes through the demigod.

"Suddenly speaking?" Tartarus spat at the triumphant demigod leaning on the glaive that had returned to his hand.

"Is that a problem?" Percy growled, glaring back at the monster that he'd sworn months ago he'd find a way to kill.

Just yesterday, Percy would have stood before his enemy silently, shaking in his rage as Tartarus killed Oryx and regurgitated another self-serving monologue. But after the dream he'd had last night, Percy had found something in himself, something he didn't dare describe as hope. Within his dream, he'd found his Annabeth. The one that wasn't ripped from his arms and left as a cold body to taint another memory with the woman he loved. He'd found something that felt so real, so intense, so pure, that it'd also left behind a feeling in him that could stand against the hellish being before him and speak.

And Percy could see that Tartarus saw the same. The primordial eyed him with that sickening expression, surely wondering how the mortal he'd considered driven mad could stand against him and still speak defiantly. Percy watched the monster shrug off the feeling, and the demigod understood exactly what Tartarus had thought in that moment; he'd just break Percy again.

Tartarus closed his fist. A spear jutted from the earth, entering Percy's back and exiting his chest. The demigod's helm dematerialized as he immediately threw up blood. But his eyes remained unwaveringly set on the demonic monster stalking towards him. Percy had found another way to be with Annabeth, even if it was just in his mind, and he refused to let even the embodiment of torture take away the feeling she'd reignited in him.

A/N: Really trying to work on my ability to flesh out character depth and relationship complexity, so any notes on that would be very helpful. Hope you guys are enjoying this because I really don't want to just have flat "good" and "bad" characters who make perfect decisions constantly. Anyways, I think Percy might actually be going insane but not going to comment too much on that. Hope you guys enjoyed, please review :)

Garfungo: I like the emotional roller coaster the fic takes us through. I may riot if there's isn't a happy ending after all of this betrayal lol.

Heh, will not be revealing anything at all except that I already know exactly what the last line of this story is going to be, and I believe people will be very satisfied with it. Also, emotional roller coaster not even halfway over, and I'm sorry in advance.

levisorous: ahh— a lovely chapter you have produced my friend. it seems percy and annabeth are fairly evenly matched but their driving factors are different. i must admit, i do like the one character centric idea, it fits very well with the story. just only being able to understand one persons side while you can only go off what the others action is. it's pretty dope. must admit i have definitely been waiting for this update, slightly embarrassing but your stories are incredibly captivating so i won't be too embarrassed. anyways, nice job on the 4.0 man. i hope you enjoy ur summer, you definitely deserve that break haha. keep up the great work.

As always, very much appreciate seeing your name pop up. They do seem fairly well-matched right now, and I thought it would be lazy writing to make them equal raw fighters. Percy has always been a ridiculously gifted swordsman while Annabeth has always been the most brilliant character in the story, so I thought I'd play to those strengths within their fighting dynamics. Single-perspective within the Line Breaks is going to play a big part in the future, and I wanted to set a bit of a precedent. I think it also helps readers be more involved because you get to decide exactly what characters' motivations are since stories should be a shared, peronalized experience imo. So happy to hear that you've been waiting for an update and can only hope that you enjoy this one too :)

Tjhunt99612: I'm surprised that Annabeth didn't put two and two together after seeing Percy control water also with knowing the prophecy

Deliberately waited a chapter to touch on that, especially because there's the big *contract* between Hemera and Tartarus. If Hemera accidentally reveals something, everyone may be screwed so there's some scary dynamics at play, especially if Annabeth starts asking too many questions now.

Beastking2589: Maybe it's just me but this chapter felt a bit short, no offense. But apart from that you are doing a great job mate, this story has been written beautifully. I can't wait to see where this is going. Also, just out of curiosity, how many chapters are there going to be?

None taken, I'm always happy to receive useful criticism. I've been trying to focus on tightening up my writing and just giving more information in less words. That unfortunately sometimes leads to shorter chapters, and I'll be doing my best to lengthen them going forward without rambling fluff. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the story overall tho. As for the chapters, I have no idea haha. I only brainstorm and write my chapters during the week I post them. I could give you a complete guess at 20 total, but I'm sorry that I can't get any more accurate than that.

fantasticfaner: Thank goodness I thought you were discontinuing the story

Nope :) Promise it will be completed, BUT I am going on a vacation with friends soon, so there will sadly be a one-Saturday break next-next week.