The son of Poseidon lowers himself next to the daughter of Athena, watching as her calculated grey eyes move back and forth across the pages of a worn journal. Her hand scribbles furiously, ink splattering on paper as words are carefully drawn out.
Eyebrows creased, he pauses, contemplating his words. "I always see you writing in that thing—is it a diary?"
Her hair sways as she turns to face him. "I suppose it is. But it's not for me."
At his confused expression, she sighs, a wistful look falling upon her face. "I've been writing down all of the events of our quest so I can retell them in detail."
"Why would you need to do that? You have the best memory of anyone I've ever met." He returns. A small smile spreads. "I don't want to miss a single thing. She'll want to know everything."
"Who?" "Helia." Percy recognises the name. From the moment he had arrived at camp, he had heard it uttered constantly, though he had never met the owner.
The half bloods he had spoken to had hailed her the strongest, their unrivalled fighter, who had overwhelming natural ability dripping through her veins. She was a sorely missed presence, as their unrivalled archery teacher and revered capture the flag captain.
Gods, Percy had even seen some of the Ares kids brooding over their absent training partner.
"Everyone always speaks of her, but she's not at camp, is she?" Annabeth frowns. "No, she's not. She's been gone for nearly a whole year, helping saytrs search for half bloods."
Percy nods, noticing the sad tone. He continues, "So you're close?"
"She's my best friend," the girl utters, "practically my sister. She's been at camp longer than anyone. She was there when I arrived—we've grown up together." She pauses, grabbing the gold bracelet on her left wrist. "I miss her. A lot. I know she'd be beyond excited that I'm on a quest. We'd always dreamed of doing one together."
He'd never seen the girl look so sentimental and vulnerable. The importance of their bond was obviously clear.
"Well, I can't wait to meet her then." Annabeth looks up at the boy, a goofy grin spreading across his face.
She chuckles. "I can't even begin to imagine the chaos you'll cause together."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
