Half Blood Realm: Rise Of The Titan

All Set

Annabeth POV

3:34 PM Sunday Afternoon

Annabeth glanced around her cabin one last time.

Thalia stood at her side as well as Piper and Leo.

Leo sat down on one of the beds. "So when will you be back?"

Thalia glared at Leo and Piper sighed as Leo threw his hands up in defense.

Annabeth chuckled. "I'm not sure,
Valdez. I just need to clear my head."

Piper nodded. "I understand. You have my number."

After some more farewells, Piper and Leo left.

Thalia sat next to Annabeth. "Your school won't reopen for another week or two. Sure you don't want to stay until then?"

Annabeth shook her head. "And chance seeing Percy? I can't. I need to go back to being me. I need...I need to forget about this life."

Thalia was silent.

Annabeth sighed, standing. "He hasn't told anyone, Thals."

Thalia nodded. "He's just looking for the right time."

Annabeth snorted. She shook her head. "Yeah, I'm sure he is."

She began for the door.

"You gonna keep the knife? I think you should." Thalia suggested.

Annabeth glanced down at her waist. The knife rested in it's sheath, still strapped around her waist.

She gave this thought, thinking of all the knife had come to mean to her in the past few days. She couldn't bring herself to part with it.

"I think I will. Besides, it'd be unwise to leave this place with no way to protect myself." She responded.

Thalia nodded, coming to stand at the door next to her. "Can I give you a lift back home?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Sure, Thals."

Thalia nodded again, a shadow seeming to appear out of thin air against the door. "Step through here and you'll be in your room. Don't be a stranger, Annie. I love you."

Annabeth gave Thalia a quick hug, hoping to avoid the waterworks. "I love you more, Thals. See you soon."

With that, Annabeth stepped through the darkness.

It ended just as soon as it began and Annabeth sighed in relief as she stepped into her room.

It was just as she'd left it and judging from how quiet her house was, no one was back yet.

Good.

Unbuckling the knife from her waist, she put it inside the chest at the foot of her bed.

It might come in handy one day.

She decided she'd go around and clean up just to give herself something to do.

An hour and a shower later, Annabeth was sitting at her desk in her room catching up on the last of her school work that she'd abandoned.

Her pajamas were warm against her skin and she felt an odd sense of comfort as she gathered up her papers and put them in their designated folder.

Then she glanced at the windowsill and her heart skipped a beat as she remembered Percy perched there watching her in her pajamas.

That was just a few days ago and yet Annabeth felt as if it was years ago.

She felt as if the person she knew sitting on that windowsill was not the same person she knew now.