The Fate of Olympus | Reynabeth [✓]

2. Annabeth's Dream

In Annabeth's dream, Percy looked much younger, maybe twelve. He looked so small. His voice sounded so much higher-pitched than it did now.

"So...even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"

She marveled at how young they had been when they'd retrieved Zeus's lightning bolt.

Chiron told Percy that the future was uncertain, but Annabeth wondered how much Chiron had known, even then. "The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid the gods should ever suffer such a doom..."

The dream changed.

It was Nico di Angelo. He looked right at her. "Annabeth, I need you to meet me at Half-Blood Hill in three days."

Annabeth's brain felt foggy, as if her body had been dragged through space and time, but her consciousness hadn't quite figured out what was happening. He was standing in a long, narrow corridor.

"What?" said Annabeth, but as soon as the word left her mouth, her mind kicked into full gear. Nico was standing in the New York subway, probably along an abandoned line. The tunnel rumbled. It was a distant train, but the sound reminded Annabeth of Gaia's earthquake moments before she had felt the earth jerk from beneath her feet.

"Bring Reyna Ramírez-Arellano to Half-Blood Hill in three days," said Nico. "I have a lead on the information you were researching. June fifth, understand?"

"I understand. Will you be available for Iris messages? I might want to talk again."

"No, I'm adrift. Iris can't connect me if I don't have a clear location."

"For the best connection, you're supposed to say, 'O Fleecy, do me a solid. Show Annabeth.' It should work even from the Underworld."

Nico didn't say anything. Maybe he was surprised. Maybe he thought Annabeth was kidding. It was hard to read people's expressions when they were shrouded in shadows in abandoned subway stations in a dream.

Annabeth felt her connection to Nico fading. "Is our three-day deadline urgent?"

"It's important," said Nico, but Annabeth was already drifting off.

She was on a rooftop with Reyna. It was raining sheets.

"Minerva was a sworn maiden," said Reyna. "The way she has children is unnatural."

Annabeth had heard this before. Why was she dreaming this again? "I see," she said. "Is that why you hate me? Prejudice."

Reyna rushed Annabeth down. The next thing she knew, Annabeth was flat on her back, a knife at her throat.

"There are a hundred reasons I hate you. I'm no human," Reyna hissed. When she stood, the rain crashed on Annabeth.

She was underwater. Annabeth gasped, but could breathe just fine. She knew she was in the ocean. It didn't make much sense. Above the surface of the water was an archeologist with piercing gray eyes. Somehow Annabeth knew that if she surfaced, she would be looking at the woman in her true divine form. She'd better put some distance between herself and the surface.

She kicked her way down toward the ocean floor and the archeologist, who hovered a few inches above the surface, changed into a gray-eyed woman with a plumed helmet, shield, and spear. No, thought Annabeth. Not Minerva.

Annabeth kicked her way down another level in the ocean, hoping to see Minerva turn into Athena. There was resistance, like she had a life jacket on, but he managed to struggle her way down. The answers were at the bottom of the ocean. She could feel it.

Minerva's body turned blue, radiating life. Even though visibility from this far down in the ocean should have been impossible, she could see the goddess's body perfectly fine. As Annabeth descended, the blue god ceased to be Minerva. In her mind's eye, Annabeth saw thieves going blind for stealing glasses, or losing sleep for stealing pajamas, or becoming debilitatingly forgetful for stealing parchment.

Annabeth grew weary of fighting her way to the bottom of the ocean. She began rising again, and the woman became Minerva again. Minerva frowned and pointed at the sea floor.

Annabeth kicked her way down, toward the answers, but it felt like the water had become molasses. Fighting was pointless. Truth was meaningless.

Minerva morphed into a new goddess. One who was even more warlike, more bloodthirsty, less wise. The new war goddess said, You can save me, but it will cost thirty gold and the world as we know it.

Annabeth's dream lungs filled with water, and she woke up in a cold sweat.

~~~ 

She gasped for air and almost fell out of her bed, but calmed herself using her mindfulness techniques. She focused on the feeling of her breath, the weight of her body, the way her thoughts moved in and out of her mind like clouds crossed the sky. She breathed. She opened her eyes. 

It was five in the morning. Early, but also too late to go back to sleep.

She had a sad breakfast consisting of cold oatmeal and iced tea. She read some Ceric Lang. Even though it was five in the morning, it was unbearably hot.

Her suspicion had started years before, when Annabeth had met an Egyptian magician on the subway who believed in the Egyptian gods, and again when Annabeth met Romans who believed in the Roman gods. Her suspicion exploded into full-on conspiracy when Frank told her about the ancient Chinese gods. Why was there so much magic in the world? Why all this insistence on secrecy? Annabeth had started looking for lost knowledge anywhere she could.

At Camp Jupiter, she had found a dusty old encyclopedia called Ceric Lang's Encyclopedia of Minor, Archaic, and Obscure Roman Gods. It had proved a useful resource for Jason Grace while he was busy building monuments to the minor gods. That way, they could act like they knew who the minor gods were, when in reality they were consulting a book that was as fat as Californian elephant seals and nearly as heavy.

Now Annabeth used the tome to explore the archaic and obscure gods, hoping to find the truth. If the answers were contained in the book, they eluded her, as they had for the past six months. 

~~~

A/N: Please vote if you enjoyed! Thank you for your support.