Chapter Text
Annabeth held the tankard of ale up to her lips, preparing to take a swig. She heard the tavern door swing open, and the sound of hooves clopping on the floor caught her attention. Taking that long-wished-for swig of ale, she turned around.
Chiron, the pleasant olden centaur who had been training heroes such as herself for years, was quickly trotting up to her. He had his bow on his back. The a green tunic wrapped around his chest. A pleasant smile was spread across his lips. He stopped when he reached the bar.
Annabeth sighed and looked up at him.
"What do you need?" she asked politely.
"I have something you must complete," Chiron reported.
"What is it you need done?" Annabeth responded.
"You need to go on a quest with Perseus Jackson. The two of you must recapture the famous artifact the Head of Hygeia," he ordered.
Annabeth fidgeted in her seat. She was unsure why, exactly, she had to go find the Head of Hygeia. Instead of thinking on it, she focused on the sound of the bard strumming his lute. She did not hear Chiron calling out her name for her to focus.
"Annabeth! Focus! This is important!" Chiron exclaimed, snapping his fingers under her nose.
"Of course. Why must I retrieve the Head of Hygeia?" she asked.
"It is to be used for a festival of joyous sorts!" he announced.
Annabeth gritted her teeth and grumbled, "Yes, joyous festivals. I love those horribly so."
Chiron did not catch her sarcasm. She did not bring up that it was sarcasm as she brought the tankard of ale up to her mouth again. He nestled himself on the ground, and he looked up at her. She took a much larger swig of ale than she had before, finishing off the tankard. She wiped the foaming froth from her mouth as she burped.
"Excuse me," she said. "Where might I find this Perseus Jackson?"
Chiron smiled and replied, "You will find him in the coastal town of Maritimam Oppidum."
Annabeth held onto the edge of the bar as she leaned back. As far as her studies served her, "Maritimam Oppidum" was Latin for "Seaside Village". The innkeeper refilled her mug of ale. She thanked him, and he nodded. The bard switched over from the lute to the flute. Thank gods for that, Annabeth thought harshly. The bard, Austin Lake, excelled at everything except the lute. The sound of drachmas being flipped met her ears.
Annabeth tried to recall when the last time she had been to Maritimam Oppidum even was. She doubted she could remember what paths to take to get there. Just thinking about the quaint coastal town sent the scent of sea breeze flowing through her nostrils.
"Annabeth, are you still responsive?" Chiron asked after a while.
She hummed her reply and said, "Yes. Very much so, in fact."
Annabeth leaned forward and onto the bar. Chiron sighed and stood up.
"I see that you are accepting of this quest, and I will leave you in peace until you return with the Head of Hygeia," Chiron promised.
"Thank you, and I will return with the Head of Hygeia," she replied.
Chiron trotted out of the tavern, and Annabeth dug out six drachmas and paid the innkeeper for her drinks. She took a few sips of her ale and looked around. She turned to face the rest of the tavern's patrons. Finishing off her ale with a large chug, she smiled and waved goodbye to the innkeeper as she walked out the door.
Annabeth sniffed, taking in the crisp night air of the city of Artae. She walked down the closely-built cobblestone steps to the road made of the same-tightly packed cobblestone. The streets were relatively empty, and the night smelled of leafy greens and freshly fallen rain. She turned to the right and expertly navigated her way through the streets to her modest dwelling just a few blocks from the tavern.
Annabeth was so caught up in her thoughts that she tripped over a little girl's foot.
"Are you alright, madame?" the girl asked.
"Yes. I am alright," she responded.
"Would you like to buy some flowers? Freshly picked from the Polkus Meadow! Hydrangeas, lilies, roses, hyacinths, you name it, I am quite likely to have it!" the girl advertised.
Annabeth raised an eyebrow and inquired, "What compels you to be out at this hour? Do you not have parents to whom to go home?"
The girl fidgeted and took on a pained expression, and Annabeth realized her mistake.
"I have to be out this late. There were no orphanages that would take me in, and my parents have perished in a fire on our farm years ago," the girl explained. She added after flinching, "I have to sell flowers to get by on my own."
The girl held out her basket of flowers and replaced her pained expression with a smile.
"Would you like to buy some flowers?" she offered again.
Annabeth returned the smile and have her two drachmas for a small bouquet of hyacinths and hydrangeas. The girl thanked her for her patronage, and Annabeth walked off, waving goodbye to the girl. She wrapped her dark green sleeved shawl tighter around her, relishing in the warm comfort. Her knee-length green dress with gold trim, and green tights tucked over traveling boots.
Yes, the bottom half was generally considered a male's outfit, but it was practical. That was all Annabeth needed: practicality. She continued down the torch-lit street. She looked up and saw dark clouds rolling in over the twinkling night sky Lady Artemis had put up for her. She frowned and realized a storm was coming on.
Soon, it began sprinkling down warm summer's rain. It fell across the bridge of Annabeth's nose, and she shivered in response. The rain felt nice. However, it was not desirable, as she was a block or two away from her home. She rounded a corner, and she was instantly hit with a wave of pouring rain. Thunder crackled.
Annabeth rushed off to her house on the opposite end of the street. She threw open the wooden door and closed it behind her, latching it shut. She closed the thick shutters and closed them tightly. She trapped herself in her cold stone house while it rained legions outside. She lit the fire in her small hearth, and she looked around at her surroundings.
A pleasantly adorned bookshelf sat in one corner. A table with a small plate of Parmesan cheese and an apple sat in the opposite corner. A modest flight of wooden stairs lead up to the attic, where her small bed lay. An extra bed sat in the corner of the main room of the home for guests, which were very rare.
Annabeth smiled. This was home. This was the place she had bought with her hard-earned money from the job as the court wizardess's apprentice. She looked to her end table and saw her book on her studies, quill, and inkwell. She picked up the studying materials and she cracked open her book, prepared for a long night of studying.