Forbidden Quests

Chapter 6

Annabeth

Artemis had stayed a little longer, joining us for dinner. The urge to ask her what she had been talking about before was strong, but whenever I found the courage to ask, Athena would walk in. I didn't want Athena to know about my love life, because she wanted me to join the hunters too. She didn't want me to get hurt by men. So the curiosity racing through my body had to be suppressed.

A son of who? And why was Artemis so nervous saying it?

It got me so frustrated. I was a daughter of Athena. Therefore, I wanted answers. I hated not knowing anything.

The next day, I was up early. I usually get up earlier than most people at the temple, going to the arena and taking advantage of the emptiness inside. Practicing took my mind off things—it forced me to focus on what was happening right then, about where I was driving my dagger and what strategies I was going to take. It didn't leave a lot of room for thinking about stupid love lives.

After tightening the strap on my armor, I rested my hand on the hilt of my knife, looking at myself in the mirror. You might be thinking, You aren't going to spar with anyone, no one's there. Why do you have armor? But I almost always use my armor in training, because it would get me used to the weight of it. If I didn't, then when I put my armor on to spar or to go to war (which, of course, hasn't happened yet), I would probably be laying on the ground and struggling to lift my bronze-clad body up.

But today I was going light, so I just used my arm gauntlets, breast plate, and back plate. I threw on some breeches and my tall black boots. Opting not to use a helmet, I tried to decide what to do with the mess of blonde curls falling to my waist.

As I was sitting on my desk seat braiding my hair, I brought my gaze out to the glass balcony doors. The early morning light was peeking in timidly, casting a grey glow about the silver room. Another reason why I got up early was because the sunrise—like the sunset—was one of my favorite parts of the day. And my room was perfect for it.

I was in a room on the side of the temple, so consequently I had a beautiful view. I had the ocean side, and thanks to my balcony, I could look at the untamable sea, and looking the other way other you could see the city of Athens and a lot of the commoner's houses. Behind the houses and city lay the forest. The forest was the biggest on in Greece. It was gigantic, intimidating, eerie—but absolutely breathtaking

I wake up each morning to the sound of waves hitting the shore. You'd think I'd hate that, being all anti-Poseidon and ocean and—yeah. But I didn't. The thought of going into the sea freaked me out, but if it was just for sights, I adored the roaring waters.

I finished my braid and walked out of my room. My footsteps echoed against the deserted hall, sending the sounds bouncing back into my ears. Absentmindedly I tapped my finger against my leg to the beat of my steps sounding around me. 

My tapping started to pick up as another set of feet joined my own, sounding about the hall in a parallel fashion. I wondered for a second what servant nymph was up right now, doing chores. Nobody else was allowed in these corridors except them. 

I was about to turn and greet them, but something pricked at my brain. Something—like a warning—a little feeling that something wasn't right. 

A nymph. A cloud nymph. They were the ones that worked in the temple. So? the other, less cautious part of my brain said.

My heart froze as five words slid into my brain. Cloud nymphs don't have feet.

I paused, a shiver running down my spine. 

Footsteps continued just for a second longer before pausing. It wasn't an echo. It was another pair of feet.

In a second I had whipped out my dagger, whirling around and taking up a defensive position. My heartbeat picked up at a galloping tempo—but there was nobody there. The footsteps that weren't mine had stopped, just a second after I had, but I had still heard them. Everybody was supposed to be asleep—who was up right now, and walking through the private halls of my mother's temple? 

Relax, it was just your imagination, I said to myself. My shallow breathing was unnaturally loud in the seemingly empty halls. After waiting a moment longer, I sheathed my dagger, warily turning back around and continuing my path towards the arena. But I kept my hand on the hilt of my dagger, seeking the comfort the weapon brought me.

After a few feet, I stopped again, hoping to catch anybody behind me off guard. But there were no extra footsteps.

I let out a shaky breath, flexing my hand. I was just imagining things. 

Forcing my head to clear up and my breathing to calm, I walked unperturbed to the arena. I was coming here to lose some worrisome thoughts—not pick up a few more.

There was nobody behind me.