ACHILLES ( annabeth chase )

fourteen | ANNABETH READS USELESS MAPS

THE ATHENA CABIN WAS ONE place Val had always steered clear of. Not because she didn't like it, or was repelled by it. She probably would have gone in at one point out of curiosity, except for all the scary smart people.

Yes, scary smart people was the reason Val had never visited the Athena cabin. And if you had seen the Athena campers, you'd probably be scared of them too. They were all athletic, and very strong. They also all had the most intimidating eyes you'll ever see. It was quite terrifying.

But Val was probably going to die on this quest, so she figured there was no point being scared anymore. Besides, she needed to talk to Annabeth.

The building was quite plain, a little silvery, with white curtains and a carved stone owl over the doorway. The owl's eyes were just as intimidating as the campers'.

Val hesitantly stepped inside. If she was being honest, it looked exactly how she expected it to look. As if sleeping wasn't important, the bunks were all shoved up against one wall. The majority of the space was taken up by workbenches, tables, and tool and weapon sets. A large library at the back of the room was stuffed with antique scrolls, leather-bound books, and paperbacks. There was an architect's drawing table with rulers and protractors, as well as several 3-D architectural models. The ceiling was covered in massive ancient war maps. Armor sets hung from the windows, their bronze plates gleaming in the sunlight.

Annabeth stood in the back of the room, rifling through ageing scrolls.

"Uh, hello?"

Annabeth whipped around, tense at first. Demigod instincts, Val thought. She would've had the same reaction. The daughter of Athena relaxed when she saw Val. "Oh...hi. I didn't hear you."

"Yeah, um...what are you looking at?"

Annabeth frowned at the scroll in her hands. "Just trying to do some research. Daedalus's Labyrinth is so huge. None of the stories agree about anything. The maps just lead from nowhere to nowhere."

"That's pretty useless," Val agreed.

The daughter of Athena's hair had come loose and was hanging in a tangled blond curtain all around her face. Her gray eyes looked close to black. But she gave Val a small smile.

"I've wanted to lead a quest since I was seven," she said.

Val didn't really understand why Annabeth was telling her this. "Well, you'll do awesome," Val responded. "Anyways, um, I need to ask you something."

Annabeth brushed the strands of hair in face behind her ears and put the scroll back on the table. "Hit me."

"I'm just...why would you want to bring me on the quest?"

Annabeth frowned. "Because you're my friend."

It felt good to hear her say that, but Val also felt she knew better. "Maybe. But there's more to it. I've done enough lying in my time to know when someone else is."

Annabeth sighed and raised her eyebrows. "Okay. I wanted to bring you on this quest so that find out more about you."

There it was. That's what Val had already known, only needing confirmation.

"Ever since you've arrived at this camp," Annabeth continued. "I have always been so...so curious, about you. It's frustrating how you don't tell us anything. I don't like not knowing things, and there's something about you...why am I so fascinated by you, Valentine?"

Val grinned and shrugged. "Maybe I'm just too fascinating for you."

Annabeth breathed out a laugh. "Maybe. But at least we're friends. And I promise, no matter what happens, we'll never be anything less."