Water and Wisdom

#6 - And So It Begins

#6 – And So It Begins

Flashback

JOSIE

However, she had decided what to do. Flinging her bag to one side, Josie noticed that the time had flown, and it was time for the camp bonfire. Seeing that she was finished and had skipped dinner, Josie proceeded in a slow jog towards the bonfire that lit up the sky.

Josie had one last thing to do before the quest; apologise.

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ANNABETH

"Annabeth, we need to go to Master's Archery. Come on, or we'll be late!" My half-brother, Malcolm, shook Annabeth awake gently, reminding her of their upcoming class. Annabeth groaned and turned over, "Chiron cancelled it, remember? I have to go on that stupid quest!"

Malcolm nodded, "Yes, but then, you'll be late for the quest. You guys leave at dawn, the whole camp is waking up to wish you guys good luck. Now is 5 o'clock." That did the trick. Annabeth jolted up mechanically, her face contorted in horror, "I'm going to be late!"

She threw off the covers and grabbed the clothes she had hung the previous day. To blend in with the mortals, she had chosen something simple. After showering, she pulled on a pair of skinny denim jeans and a sea-green top with an owl on it. If they encountered any monsters, her celestial bronze dagger was hidden in a sheath under her shirt, and armour was packed in her knapsack.

Annabeth weaved an intricate plait and tied it back into a ponytail. Connecting an owl chain behind her neck, Annabeth removed her camp bead necklace, staring forlornly at the place where the seashell used to be. Annabeth had not only fought with Percy, but also Jason, who apparently saw the break-up as Annabeth's fault, as well as Piper.

"Annie! You need to leave! 15 more minutes!" Malcolm's voice shook Annabeth out of her thoughts. She replied that she was coming, clipping on her matching owl earrings, before checking the mirror for any flaws. Placing the bead necklace inside her pocket, Annabeth unbolted the door, hurriedly walking to her bag. Putting the bead necklace safely into the front pocket, Annabeth rummaged through her bedside drawer for the one thing.

During their fight with Order, Annabeth had befriended Chaos, a friendly immortal god, the one who had created the universe. Chaos had tumbling auburn hair and a kind smile, similar to her big heart. In the midst of their war, Annabeth had been presented by a bracelet, a magical one. It could change what she was wearing, which made it much faster to change. Annabeth wrapped it around her wrist, kneeling down to tie up her converse.

The bracelet had changed to silver just to match her clothes. Like she had said, amazing. Annabeth flung the bag over her shoulder, running through a mental checklist while racing to the camp entrance.

Fortunately, she reached there just in time, 5 minutes early. Calypso, whom Annabeth had befriended, was waiting there with her hands on her hips. Calypso was dressed in a simple yellow shirt with the words 'Sunshine & Rainbows', along with black shorts. Her caramel-coloured hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, a black hairband used to push her fringe out of the way, as well as yellow flats.

Reyna was dressed in a white blouse and denim shorts, looking uncomfortable when wearing something apart from her usual praetor clothing. On the other hand, Hazel donned a full suit, one that was red with smidges of black. Both girls had bags, Reyna with a backpack, and Hazel with a sling-bag. Calypso waved upon seeing Annabeth, beckoning her over to Reyna and Calypso. Annabeth obliged, treading towards them.

But the four of them were not the only ones. Frank was standing with Hazel, Jason with Piper a short distance away, and Will was with Nico. Josie Adkins was standing, isolated from the Seven, not knowing what to do. Feeling a pang of sympathy for the daughter of Khione, Annabeth set her bag down at Calypso and Reyna's feet, walking over to Josie.

"How're you holding up?" Annabeth asked softly. Looking up in surprise, Josie said nothing. "Not that well, huh," Annabeth guessed by her reaction. Josie shook her head, "No, I'm just surprised that you haven't beaten me up. In fact, I never expected you to be speaking to me."

Annabeth smiled, "It wasn't your fault that that sea scum broke up with me. Since you guys are now a couple–"

"No!" Josie exclaimed. "That's what I wanted to tell you. Percy asked me out, but I said no. I never wanted to hurt you, not after the kindness you showed me. And... Besides, I don't even know Percy! People can't fall in love after just one night. I figured that out. And I wanted to ask...are we friends?"

Rushing through her words, an anxious look loomed on Josie's face. Annabeth understood most of her hurried words, she grinned and nodded.

"Hey, guys! Since we're all here, let's introduce ourselves to the new girl. Josephina Adkins, I am Leo Valdez, the – what was it again – of the ship?" Leo declared, before cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy.

"Repair boy!" Piper and Annabeth shouted out in unison, before chuckling at each other, their arguments from yesterday forgotten. Leo scowled at them, "Yeah, whatever."

Next, Piper said, "My name is Piper McLean. My father is Tristan McLean, a famous Cherokee actor, and I like to give makeovers, especially to Annabeth." Annabeth looked to the daughter of Aphrodite. Having spent the first few years of her life learning to read people, Annabeth knew that Piper was trying to make up to her.

She nodded at Piper, who sent her a big smile. Next, Jason said, "I'm Jason Grace." Frank then continued, "Frank Zhang, and Hazel Levesque." He gestured to Hazel beside him. Calypso pointed to herself, "I'm Calypso from Ogygia." Reyna was up, "My name is Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano, call me Reyna."

Josie looked in awe at Reyna's long name. Annabeth laughed, "You already know me, Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena." Nico took a step forward to introduce himself, "Nico di Angelo, pleased to meet you. Reyna's boyfriend." He sounded so protective that Reyna, very unlike herself, blushed at his words.

Beside Nico, Will hid a smile, "Will Solace, I didn't think that I would go on this quest." After that, Jerk-Face-Sea-Scum said, "As the dumb blonde also said, you know me too." Whipping her head to glare at Jerk-Face, Annabeth hissed, "Do NOT call me that, Jerk-Face. I am a hundred times smarter than you. Unlike you and your brain full of kelp."

Jerk-Face looked a bit scared, and good for him too, for breaking her heart. Annabeth gritted her teeth and glowered at him one more time, before relaxing her expression and turning to Leo, "So, how are we getting to wherever we are going?" Leo cleared his throat, "We are taking an old friend that I recently fixed up."

All 12 demigods looked on in confusion, What old friend? Suddenly, it dawned on Annabeth. Crying out, she looked at Leo in surprise, "But it was damaged beyond repair!"

Smirking, Leo shook his head, "Not for me." Behind the trees, a large warship roce gracefully into the air, the floorboards polished and shining like stars.

The demigods gasped. Josie stuttered, "This is... This is a huge honour... I... This is a legendary ship!"

Leo snorted, "Legendary? You got that right! Welcome, demigods, to the Argo II."

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Hello! I almost freaked out 'cos I forgot to write this chapter yesterday. So, its kinda short, but I did the best I could.

QOC: Who is your godly parent?

Ans: Athena. She is wise and clever, with the owl as her sacred symbol. I think that Athena would be a cool mother to have, so if I don't know any problem sums, I could just ask her. J