"Sea and land may lie between us, but my heart is always there with you"
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Perseus Jackson was a Merman, wanting nothing more than to explore the surface.
Annabeth Chase wants to be i...
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Annabeth rode along the beach, enjoying the silence before her brothers decided to scream.
"Bobby! Stop squeaking! The horse is going to think you are a mouse!" Matthew, her six year old brother said, as the riding instructor helped Bobby onto the stallion.
It wasn't a stallion, in actuality. They were riding ponies. But given the fits they would throw if they knew the truth, her father thought it best not to tell them. And she couldn't agree more.
Annabeth had decided to accompany her brothers on their riding lessons today, both an excuse to avoid her aunt and curiosity to see how far her younger siblings had come.
The morning breeze just happened to be a blessing.
She rode further along than they did as she had mastered horse riding years ago. And she thought it best not to distract the young children, after all, they had to listen to their riding instructor and not constantly divert their attention to her.
The waters seemed turbulent today, unrestrained. It bothered her. Something felt off. Even the seagulls, who normally left her alone and were quite quiet had squawked louder and louder the further along she rode with her horse. It annoyed her to no limits.
Despite being the daughter of Athena, and the heir to her throne, she was always drawn towards the ocean. As a child, she would sneak out of the palace and watch the lapping waves for hours, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.
When she was quite a distance away from her brothers, she slowed her speed down to a walk, taking in the morning air and the scent of the ocean.
"Follow these birds, Orion. Maybe we can scare them away and finally get some peace," she told her stead. The horse neighed in response, picking up the pace and somewhat succeeding in scaring those pesky birds away.
That's when she noticed it, or him. A boy, who seemed about her age was lying on the beach, covered in seaweed. He had a potato sack around himself and no other clothes. She watched him for a minute, picking the seaweed off of himself and tossing it in the ocean.
"Give me a minute," she told Orion as she got down, sprinting to where he was.
"Excuse me, good sir?" she called out, and he seemed startled. She approached him slowly, placing her arms out in a soothing gesture.
Who was this boy? Was he lost?
Probably shipwrecked, she reasoned with herself.
Nevertheless, she approached him. And as she did, she couldn't shake the feeling she knew him already.
Was he one of the townsfolk? Who got lost and had to spend the night out here?
He looked at her for nearly a minute, as if he was taking apart every part of her and putting it back together. That's when she noticed them, his eyes, a dazzling sea green. The same as her beloved ocean. And the eyes which occasionally haunted her dreams.
