The Fate of Olympus | Reynabeth [✓]

7. Leaving Camp Jupiter, Part II

(continued from previous chapter)

Gingerly, Annabeth stepped out of the vehicle. Nothing happened.

"Hello, Mother," said Annabeth.

"Thank you for avenging me last summer, my dear," said Athena the owl. It spoke directly into Annabeth's mind. "You have won my respect. You are truly the most clever of my living children. But now you're pushing limits of knowledge that are not meant to be pushed."

Over the years, Annabeth had noticed that gods, not just the time lord Kronos, frequently stopped time to talk to demigods. Hera was especially infamous for it. But Kronos could actually stop time for a long time. Annabeth wondered if the gods actually affected time or just her perception of it. If so, what was the difference?

"We are on a diplomatic mission to Camp Half-Blood."

"I have been watching over you, Annabeth. I have seen what you read. I have heard you speak. You seek gods from other mythologies: Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Briton, Shinto, and so on."

"We are on a diplomatic mission."

"Not only to Camp Half-Blood. You were hoping for a lead with that di Angelo boy, then you were going to go to a place like Memphis, I suppose. That's what I would do. Don't play dumb, Annabeth. It doesn't sound convincing from you."

"Why are you here? As the goddess of wisdom, surely you believe I should be allowed to seek the truth without fear of reprisal?"

"Not all truths bring satisfaction," warned the goddess. "Wisdom and sorrow oft walk hand-in-hand."

"How many other gods know about my quest?" said Annabeth.

"Among the Greeks, only I know of what you seek," said the owl. "I cannot vouch for Shinto gods."

"What are the gods hiding?" demanded Annabeth. "If you fear nothing, the truth about reality wouldn't be hidden!"

"Mortal minds cannot conceive Chaos," Athena reminded her. "Your mind would turn to madness as your body disintegrated. Why can't you look directly upon the gods' divine form?"

"Forget about seeing Chaos. That's not what I meant, Mother. I care about my family. Why has my mortal family been ripped apart? How many other families have been torn apart? Look at Jason and Thalia Grace. They're siblings who were separated because of their godly parentage! The gods are cruel."

Athena's gray eyes brightened with dangerous energy. "Pardon?"

"I'm sorry. What would you like me to do, Mother?" asked Annabeth quietly. It was a bit of classical technique to diffuse tension during an argument. Seek to understand the other party's point of view. Use their title to affirm their relationship to you. Hope that time wouldn't restart and kill you for standing on the highway.

It worked. The brightness behind Athena's stormy eyes dimmed.

"Turn back," she said. "Return to the safety of camp, where the gods, your gods, can protect you. Seeking out other pantheons can only create more enemies for you. Turn back and speak nothing of this. Perhaps you'll have a peaceful summer for once."

"I once thought that everyone who didn't believe in Greek gods were just dumb mortals. Then I learned that some of those 'mortals' were actually Egyptian magicians. Some others were Roman demigods. There are way fewer 'dumb mortals' in the world than I had thought. Is it possible that everyone sees an equally valid version of reality?"

"Di immortales, child," said Athena softly. "I exist."

Annabeth tried to imagine what it was like to be among the wisest gods, the most revered war goddess in the Western world. Then, for some reason, after the fall of Greece, for people to deny that she existed.

Then she imagined what it was like for Ra and all the Egyptian gods. They were so old and had ruled for so long that she couldn't possibly conceive their fall from grace. To Ra, Athena was a young upstart. Ra was as ancient to Athena as Athena was ancient to Annabeth.

There were countless gods that were in the same place as Athena and Ra. Billions of people denied their existence. It had to hurt them too.

Annabeth stepped forward. "Mother, I appreciate that you want peace for me. But that's not what I want right now. With this quest, I...finally feel in control of my destiny."

The owl rotated its head all the way round. Annabeth's stomach did the same. "We are never in control of our fate," said the owl.

Suddenly Annabeth was back in her dad's sedan. They were driving along the freeway as if nothing had happened.

"—feeling about this," said Reyna.

Annabeth was silent, trying to comprehend what her mother had told her. Essentially: your quest is going to be difficult and it won't be worth it. She regretted dragging Reyna along.

"When did you draw your dagger?" asked Reyna. "I didn't even see you."

Annabeth's ADHD must have been acting up because it took her by surprise when her father exclaimed, "We're here!"

They rolled up to the departure gates at Oakland International.

Her dad insisted on hugging Annabeth again, even though he'd hugged her fifteen minutes ago. He shook hands with Reyna again.

"Your dad is cool," said Reyna once he was out of earshot. They joined a massive line for checking baggage.

"He's a dork," said Annabeth, but her heart wasn't in the teasing. Her knees were weak and she felt like she was still standing on the highway with an owl.

"Yeah, in an endearing way, though," said Reyna, none the wiser. "I like him. I wish my dad was a dork instead of a PTSD mania."

Annabeth thought about it. Her childhood didn't seem nearly as dramatic as Reyna's. "Yeah," she agreed. "I had it easy with my dad."

They shuffled forward in the line. Annabeth became aware that she was standing too close to her Reyna. Annabeth took a big step back.

Reyna noticed. "Huh? Do I smell bad or something?"

"No," said Annabeth. "You smell nice. I mean, you smell fine."

They shuffled forward in line after a long silence. Annabeth studied the mortal man in front of them. He had a briefcase and a bagel. What Annabeth wouldn't do for a bagel.

"You look nice," said Reyna. "I like your owl earrings."

Annabeth's hand drifted to her earlobes. "Oh, thanks," she said, but her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat.

She didn't know what else to say, so they checked their bags, made it through security, and sat on the plane in silence. They were right next to each other in the economy section.

"I hate planes," Reyna grumbled.

"So does Percy," said Annabeth dreamily, looking out the window.

Reyna grumbled something under her breath.

"Hey, Reyna?"

"What?" Reyna wasn't trying to hide the annoyance in her voice.

"Do you want to trade seats? The window seat is better than the middle seat. It might make your flying experience less awful."

"Oh," said Reyna. "Uh, no. That's all right. Thanks for asking though."

Annabeth looked out the window again.

"Let me know when they hand out free food. I want some pretzels," Reyna said. Annabeth nodded and Reyna pretended to sleep while other passengers boarded.

~~~

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