Prologue
A hero's birth is marred with tragedy from birth.
Condemned to walk a treacherous path of torment against their minds, hearts and souls.
Even old age forsakes them. All that accosts a hero is pain and the constant fear of losing all they love without even the chance to claim their revenge.
The truth of a hero's life is often hidden in the whimsical nature of fairy tales.
But the Fates are responsible, even for that…
Percy
They say that time heals all wounds.
I say that that's a load of Minotaur dung, and my words mean a lot seeing as I had literally fought Time himself two years ago.
The calming crash of waves masked the soft laugh which slipped from my lips. It brought me out of my mind for a moment, leaving me to stare longingly into the welcoming waters. The thought of slipping beneath the waves played on my mind, though I reconsidered as a glimmer of shimmering sliver rays glistened off the surface of the water. Judging from the position of Artemis' chariot, I was already cutting it close enough as it was with the harpies.
I exhaled loudly, letting my back crash onto the sand. As my eyes trailed past the monsters in the stars, I chuckled at the irony of my situation. It wasn't so much the monsters I had come to the beach to clear my mind from as it was the person who fought them beside me. A smile graced my lips at the thought of fending off Gaea with her, but the bitterness of our separation took away the joy of the memory.
Well, I say separation, but the truth is that she left me.
And, if I'm talking about truth, I don't completely understand why.
It had been two months since we broke up and, besides spending a lot of time at the beach, I had been handling it as maturely as possible. If you would consider leaving camp at every available opportunity to avoid seeing her at all costs mature, that is. Of course, Blackjack had always been willing to accommodate me on all of my 'adventures'.
It might have led to me skimping out on a lot of my responsibilities at camp, but it had given me the chance to process everything.
As much as I had been avoiding her, I wasn't exactly bitter or angry with Annabeth herself. I'd come to realize that the whole nature of our relationship had been shrouded with danger. Now that things had begun to settle down, there wasn't as much need for the warrior leaders that we had been raised to become.
The camp needed builders and leaders in civility. A role which Annabeth had settled into with tremendous ease. Her mornings shifted from training to countless meetings and planning for the reconstruction of the camp. It was a shift that, despite my best efforts, I simply could not make.
In an odd way, I think it was the peace that broke us apart. I couldn't say that she didn't love me anymore, and I know that I still love her… but we were becoming different people.
And, despite how bitter the situation made me, I had come to accept it.
The water hissed its way up the sand, drawing my attention. The smile on my lips twisted quickly back into a frown as I sat up.
For the first time since I was twelve, there was no quest and no rampant emotional, near-death adventure to occupy my mind. This should've been everything I dreamt of.
Yet, it all felt so empty.
The only reprieve was the small, comforting moments, with Chiron. The soft silence and his gentle gestures of kindness kept camp feeling like home. Even as it changed more each day.
I knew there was a decision to be made. I couldn't sit in this vicious cycle of pitying myself and running away from my problems and the future. I couldn't sit by idly and waste away.
I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet.
Tomorrow would be the day that I start putting my life together again.
A/N:
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-ZedricSOZ