Annabeth Chase and the Lightning Thief

Chapter 1 - I pick a fight with every thing and every one

I glared at the sketch pad before me like it had done me a mortal insult. I could hear Malcom saying something beside me, but I couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. Something about the naos of the new temple we were supposed to be designing. But I had bigger things on my mind. Like war.

Okay, most twelve-year-olds don't usually have to worry about war but it's different when you're a demigod. War is practically a daily problem, usually thanks to the Ares Cabin.

I'm not making much sense. To make a long story short, all you need to know is that all the Greek mythology stories people love to hear about, all the gods and heroes and monsters and stuff, yeah, well they're not stories. They're all true.

Welcome to my world.

I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Those who are familiar with the myths might be shocked at that, seeing as my mother is supposed to a virgin goddess. She is, but her children are special cases.

When Athena falls in love with a man, it's purely intellectual. Like, two great minds come together and my siblings and I are the result. Brain kids, literally. We spring straight from the mind of the goddess, like she did with Zeus. And before you ask, yes I do have a belly button! Gods, I hate that question!

Anyway, the only safe place for demigods is Camp Half-Blood, my home. The mortal world is often too dangerous for us, what with the constant monster attacks. Apparently, they can smell us, despite whatever deodorant we use. So we go to Camp Half-Blood for protection and to train, preparing ourselves to live outside the camp once we're old enough. Most people only stay for the summer, but some of us stay year-round, because we have no other home to go to. Like me.

Usually, it's a place for us to feel safe behind our magical borders, but this year was different. And it had all to do with our parents, the gods.

They were at each other's throats, although I didn't know why. My best guess was that something had been stolen, something valuable. But what?

No one would tell me anything! Either they didn't know or they couldn't tell me. It didn't help that Chiron was away either, off on some secret mission that, again, I knew nothing about. He'd merely said that it was important and left and we'd had no contact since then. I hoped he came back soon though. We need him.

If only I knew what was going on I could help! I was the daughter of Athena after all, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. That had to count for something.

Knowledge is power. That's what my mother always says. I have to admit that it was true. I felt pretty powerless right now.

In frustration, I grabbed a pencil and impaled the sketchbook in front of me, tearing through the grid paper. I wasn't a child! I was the head counsellor of Cabin 6 and had been here longer than practically anyone! I had to know what was going on!

"Annabeth? Are you alright?" Malcolm asked, sounding concerned.

For some reason, that just made me even more frustrated.

"Just fine," I grumbled, biting back the urge to snap at him. "Why don't we take a break and come back to this later?"

"Okay," he said hesitantly, "are you sure you want to be left alone?" 

"I'll see you at dinner," I said, then immediately regretted my snappy tone when I saw the hurt that washed over his face. But as I began to stammer out an apology, he kicked back his chair and walked out, leaving me alone in our cabin. 

I sunk my head into my hands, feeling worse than before. The stress and worry from the unknown problem was getting to me, making me lash out at those around me. I was going to have to swallow my pride and apologise to Malcom, when I found time. Right now, all my attention was on what was happening in Olympus. If I couldn't figure out what was going on, then no one else in camp could.