The Pirate of Greece

Chapter XXV (Annabeth)

The morning came quickly, bringing with it a sense of eeriness. You could feel it by watching the hunters pack up camp swiftly and effortlessly, already ready to leave by the time the first light of dawn broke the horizon, threading through the trees of the forest. Everything was hushed and silenced. Even the wolves prowling the perimeters of the site knew better then to growl, howl or otherwise cause the slightest noise then their padding against the forest floor.

In all honesty, it unsettled Annabeth. Whatever she expected, it certainly wasn't this sense of nothingness.

The General had risen with the rest of the group, with the help of Thalia camped down right beside her during the night. The daughter of Zeus shook her awake, forcing her out of her drowsiness until she could help dismantle their tent and pack away most of the equipment surrounding it. And now she was left to wait in the cool breeze, the trees swaying lightly, and gather her thoughts for the day.

They had an important task ahead of them. Absolutely vital to their quest. It couldn't go wrong. She couldn't stuff up.

"You've got that look on your face again," someone said to her, a masculine voice.

Annabeth glanced at Percy, his hair ruffled more than usual, and a tired smile on his face. He yawned once and stretched his arms, running a hand in his hair afterwards, messing it up even more. Even though he still wore the same clothes as yesterday- the same as she did- he still managed to appear presentable.

Not to mention he was back to his old self. Friendly, positive and light humoured. The struggling, nervous, ship wrecked pirate from yesterday seemed to have vanished. But that still didn't help Annabeth as she re-evaluated her whole being, including her facial expression right down to her stance. How was she supposed to act? Like the previous night hadn't happened? Or should she reassure him? For once in her life, she admitted she had absolutely no idea.

It wasn't often people spoke to her as honestly and emotionally as Percy did. Maybe it was because of her position as General, or maybe because she just wasn't a very approachable human being, but nobody else really spoke to her fairly honestly. Like an actual friend. That is, besides Thalia. The daughter of Zeus didn't count, seeing as she had always been there from the start. Neither did Piper. That girl was friendly with everyone (unless you managed to get on her bad side. If that happened, the person had better be prepared to suffer the wrath of the daughter of Aphrodite. It wasn't...pretty.)

But either way, Annabeth was touched. It was a nice feeling, knowing someone was looking out for you. Annabeth had been that 'someone' to a lot of other demigods under her care. But it felt nice to be the one being looked out for, for a change.

Yet that didn't mean she was letting her guard down. Gods no, that was ludicrous. Especially as it was Percy who became her 'someone'.

"What look?" she said.

"You're overthinking things. Just relax, everything will be fine." She started to protest, but he held up a hand and yawned again. "By the gods, what is it with these guys? It's much too early for this."

She held back a smile. "We need the time. This way we're not hurried, and can set ourselves within prime positions around the area."

He shook his hair. "Still is ridiculous."

They were both interrupted by Thalia, who made her way over after muttering a few instructions to one of her hunters.

"We're departing. You ready?" the Lieutenant said.

Annabeth answered for the two of them. "We're prepared."

"How about your ship? Have they been notified?"