Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 21: Becoming Sixteen

Annabeth intensely looks at me as I work. It is so intense that my fingers are sweating as I hold my pencil. Minutes go by as charcoal hits the paper, which slowly starts to fill with sentences and symbols. My concentration is high, and my tongue is slightly sticking out. As my pencil writes down the last symbol, I put it down. My heart beats in relief, but now it also starts to beat with anticipation.

My hand pushes the paper towards Annabeth, who takes it. Her eyes scan it carefully, sometimes they narrow slightly as she reads certain parts. It remains silent, which makes me nervous as I worry what she will say. The paper again touches the desk. Annabeth's hardened gaze goes to me. But it soon is graced with a smile.

"Well done, Aileen. Only one mistake. You forgot to put a minus in front of 133 in question sixteen," she says, clearly pleased with the result. I smile brightly as I pull Annabeth in a hug. "Thank you, Annabeth! I may not be the best student, but I am glad you're doing this!"

"You're only bad at math and physics, Aileen. But I am proud of you. You're still way behind, though..." she says with a chuckle. I shrug a bit. "At least I am making progress, and spending the time with you! What else can I ask for?" Annabeth blushes a bit, but seems happy to hear it.

"Glad to hear it. Well, I will have to talk to Chiron about planning the next few weeks. These classes are extra after all..." she starts to say and reaches for a paper, "But I do have homework for you! I expect you to finish it by the end of next week," she says, and hands me a list of tasks as homework.

I sigh a bit, but nod. "I'll do my best... but can I get a little less? My birthday is soon, after all." Annabeth rolls her eyes as she grabs the list again and picks up a pen. Her eyes scan the list, and eventually she only crosses out two items from around sixty items.

I take the list again with a bit of disappointment. I was hoping for a bit more to be removed. "Something to complain about?" She asks sternly with a raised eyebrow. "No..."

"That's a good girl. It is a shame your birthday does not fall within the weekend. I will come by before curfew starts to celebrate it," she says, putting class materials back to where they belong. It is rather funny that most of the space in the Athena cabin consists of piles of books, workspaces, and these multifunctional classrooms. The beds are pushed to the side, as if they were an afterthought. "Thank you, beautiful girl! I am looking forward to it!"

Annabeth groans a bit with red cheeks and mumbles a few words. She turns to me with a soft sigh. "I am also aiming to become the head counselor. Could you give me extra training sessions with the dagger?"

"Of course, I will. But don't you want Clarisse to help? She is much better than me in fighting," I ask. Annabeth raised an eyebrow as she looks at me. "Aileen, I don't know what has gotten into you, but you have been training like crazy! If you're not doing these classes with me, I see you training with Clarisse or Chiron. You may not be as good as them, but you're better than I! Do you even have time for yourself?"

I fiddle a little bit with my fingers, with my gaze to the floor. "Not really..." I admitted softly. Annabeth sighs a bit as she puts a chair next to me to sit in. Her hands take hold of mine as she looks at me.

"That's not healthy for you, Aileen. Do you even have time to play the violin? It's your go to if you need a break," she asks. I hang my head even lower. "Only once during these three weeks..."

A finger goes under my chin to push it up. Annabeth looks at me with worry. "You're not doing this anymore, you hear me Skullbrain? I don't care if I have to drag your nice ass back to your cabin, I am not dating a corpse!" I smile as I place a quick kiss on her lips. "I... just don't want to disappoint."