Bride of the Sea God

Chapter 7

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

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Annabeth was glad to crawl into bed after each day's grueling training in swordsmanship. Surprisingly, she had been able to pick swordsmanship quite well.

"That's not too shocking. Athena is the goddess of both wisdom and war after all." Perseus had remarked. "Break time is over, Wise Girl. Keep training."

He then proceeded to train Annabeth even harder, which Annabeth thought was the sea god's petty revenge for her stubborn insistence on using the dagger.

In a large underwater sea bubble the sea god had created over the arena to simulate being on land, Annabeth practiced swinging the sword two hundred times in each posture Perseus had shown her before he would make her perform a sword trick two hundred times. It was only after the sea god was satisfied with her performance would he end the practice for the day. Gradually, over the week Annabeth had improved bit by bit.

But it seemed that today she was not tired enough for her dreams to cause her more distress.

She was praying in the temple, the same one she had dreamt of before.

"Please," she prayed. "Give me your guidance on how to overcome this obstacle. I cannot take this madness anymore. This sacrifice needed to use the power. Can't...can't I be the sacrifice?"

The glittering light turned harsh. "As long as one is pure of heart and free from the taint of evil and selfishness." The voice said. "It will only work in the moment of need and true sacrifice." Then the light disappeared.

She felt a part of her began to despair. Pure of heart? She was a fraud to those who knew of one side of hers, and a disappointment to her family on the other.

She stumbled out of the temple, her legs shaking. When she was away from the temple's boundary, she collapsed by the riverbank.

"Have you found the answers you sought?" The voice gurgled nearby.

She didn't have the energy to turn her head to the voice. She already knew who it was. He had sent him there to watch over her, to remind her that family bonds were stronger than other ties. To make sure that she was obedient. Her life source was already in his hands.

"I just didn't want to hurt anyone." She murmured.

"There will be less suffering if you just listen to what he says," the voice babbled again like a river's hollow bubbling. "Fewer people will be killed than if you insist on continuing this foolish path."

"I can't." She wailed. "That would mean hurting...I can't stab him in the back like that."

"You must." The voice insisted. "Or the innocent shall continue to die until the power is awakened."

The dream shifted again and she was back running with some companion by her side. A monster lunged at her shoulder and its jaws moved to rip at her throat...

Annabeth woke up in a sweat. She groped for the water jug at the side of her table.

The cool water felt good down her throat. But the splash of the water reminded her of one of the voices in the dream. She felt she had been dreaming of something crucial but the dreams had been so disjointed she could hardly make them together.

Just a bad dream, Annabeth told herself. Just a bad dream.

Sleep evaded her. There was no sun down here, so she couldn't tell whether it was morning or night.