Alternatively

To Be Human (ii.)

There was a village not too far down the road, big enough to host it's own tavern with glowing windows and a couple patrons. Percy walked just before her, doing all the talking and hiding her less than customary attire from the lady of the place. She kept looking over his shoulder, kindly eyes taking in as much as Percy would allow.

"There is a room open, but I'm afraid you'll have to share with the brooms and spare glasses."

"That's perfectly fine," Percy replied, digging through his bag for upfront payment.

"I didn't catch your names."

"Perseus," he said absently. "She's, uh, my-"

"Annabeth."

The older woman cocked her head. "I'm sorry, dear, what was that?"

"Annabeth," she repeated softly, staring at the fire in the corner of the room.

It had been awhile since she had to recall that name.

They trudged up the stairs, Percy's steady hand light on her back so she didn't topple down. The establishment wasn't anything extraordinary, but it was warm. She sat on the only bed, staring at her hands barely protruding through the coat sleeves, and stayed that way when the magician left to get some food for them.

Her stomach growled.

Mortals and their habits were not new to her, she knew all there was to know from those who sought blessings, but to be human...

She scratched at her skin, nails biting into the gash she had already tore open.

Percy returned with two plates and a dress, eyebrow raised. "Did anyone knock?"

She shook her head.

"Oh. Well, this was left outside, it might be a little too big, but it should be warmer than my coat."

Annabeth made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, reaching for the food instead. It smelled divine.

They ate in silence, absolute silence pushing down on her. She could barely hear the patrons at the bar below, let alone anything beyond the four walls. Once they were finished, Percy snatched a pillow from the bed and made do with a spare blanket on the ground, telling her she could blow out the candle whenever she felt like it.

She let it burn all the way down, staring out the window for hours after.

A mere mortal could not protect her forest. A mere mortal could not fight the beast, reclaim the glory of the immortals. She was not going to get anywhere by sitting shellshocked for days on end, so she had to push all those human feelings down and get to work.

But it's so...terrifying.

She wrapped her arms around herself to suppress her shaking.

The next morning, she woke Percy up with a pillow to the face, his frazzled expression and wild hair sparking something light in her chest.

"We're going to change me back," she said simply.

"But I-"

"And we're going to follow that beast."

He grumbled something under his breath as he stood, tossing over the dress that he had laid out for her. "You're nothing if not determined."

His magic would take awhile to replenish in order to cast such a large spell, but there were ways to speed up the process. Like rare elixirs.

The lady rushed out from behind the bar to see them off, looking Annabeth over with a critical eye. She dryly insisted she get the dress altered when it was most convenient, and something panged in Annabeth's stomach. She would need to keep the tavern in mind once her power was restored.