The Mark of Athena (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 1- Annabeth

Chapter 1

Annabeth

     Annabeth was ready. Six impossible months had gone by, but somehow she’d survived it without her boyfriend, Percy. Hera’s gamble had taken Percy and traded him with Jason Grace, son of Jupiter.

     Still, Annabeth couldn’t shake off the feeling that Jason could be evil. She kept stealing glances at him. Over his Camp Half-Blood shirt, he wore a toga. He rubbed his tattoos absently. He looked down at the sword he was going to use, somewhat disgusted with it. He liked using Roman weapons, he said. Annabeth kept thinking when they landed, he would cry, “Romans, I brought you a very useful warship and prisoners!”

     Piper stood, looking out the window. She had faded blue jeans, ratty sneakers, and her typical camp shirt. Every once in a while, she tugged on her braids, murmuring what she was going to say to the Romans. “Put down your weapons. We come under a white flag of truce. We only want to talk…” Her charmspeaking almost made Annabeth drop her knife and settle in for a nice, cozy conversation.

     Leo was tapping buttons so fast his fingers looked like a blur. He had bags under his eyes from many sleepless nights, trying to finish the Argo II. He was shaking slightly from the five cups of coffee he drank that morning. He stared at the California landscape under them. As Annabeth saw the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, her breathing kicked up a notch and her palms started sweating.

     “It’ll be okay, Annabeth,” Piper assured her. “We’re here in peace.”

     Jason glanced over, his electric blue eyes watching the every moment of the two girls. Annabeth thought again how perfect he always seemed. Maybe he had a plan to get them captured. But then again, Piper and he were kind of dating.

     “Yo, demigods, we’ll be landing in about five minutes. Get ready,” Leo said over the intercom. “Peace out from your supreme commander.”

     What if Percy found a new girlfriend? What if Percy didn’t remember her? What if Percy was so Roman that he hated Annabeth for being so Greek? Annabeth was close to tears. She gnawed on her thumbnail, feeling so anxious and upset.

     The “gift” from her mother was in her pocket, weighing her down. Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Last month, her mother appeared. She gave her the gift, and then vanished again. Annabeth was tempted to take it out, to tell someone, but she couldn’t find the courage to.

     From another room, Gleeson Hedge yelled, “Die!”

     Chiron had insisted on bringing the old satyr so he could protect them. But as far as Annabeth was concerned, they were probably better protecting him.

     The warship started tilting down slightly. Annabeth glanced out a window and felt as if someone punched her in the stomach. She couldn’t breathe.

     “Oh… my… gods…” was all she could mutter.

     Camp Jupiter was not just a camp- it was a city. There was a slightly destroyed aqueduct that was being rebuilt. The white dome was collapsed a little bit, but Annabeth saw small figures already tending to it. There was a field, scorched with fire, like there had been a battle recently. The Roman designs were unbelievable. As far as she could see, there were shrines to gods. It made her designs on Olympus look like some Legos.

     "Jason,” Piper gasped, awed. “Your home is amazing.”

     “There was a battle,” he said, sounding unsure for the first time. The way he said those four words made him sound like Percy, leaving Annabeth teary-eyed and slightly breathless. “Some things were destroyed.”