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Annabeth wanted to storm Mt. Olympus herself and scream at her mother. Echidna’s words pounding her mind relentlessly. She couldn’t contain her rage and burning betrayal towards her mother. Her mother who supposes she is just, punishing her for Percy’s impertinence. Yet, she could not find it in herself to blame Percy. She went along with him because maybe deep down she wanted to go against the grain from camp, go with Percy on this one. And now, she’s scouring St. Louis’s canal and river system for any sign of him. She knew he was alive, he HAD to be alive not while she owes him. As her and Grover turn the corner, there he is, Seaweed Brain. She found herself calling him that nickname in her head since the Medusa incident, but she held herself back from calling him that as she did not want to expose her thinking of him in such familiarity that she gave him a nickname. He is talking, apologizing for pushing her into the stairwell, but Annabeth doesn’t hear him. She rushes to hug him; Annabeth has always been a tactile person with the people she cared about. She always held Thalia or Luke’s hand when they were getting to camp. She didn’t think twice about hugging him, Percy already proved to be a more constant person in her life than most and she has only known him for a week. He cared deeply for his friends, and she can’t help but want to be a person he cares deeply for. Grover cracked a joke startling her into removing herself from the hug, she hadn’t noticed it had gone on as long as it had- it felt so right to hug Percy, so safe. She blushed and pushed her head down. Grover brought Percy up to speed with his current criminal status.
They set off onto the highway heading west to Los Angeles. It caught her by surprise how confident Percy acted after the river talk with his dad; Annabeth couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of him, but she liked this Percy. Honestly, she wasn’t surprised too much that Ares reached out to them, but she was wary of the fact that her and Percy had to go retrieve his shield. She couldn’t help but wonder what mad the god of war spook and leave his shield. She did know for certain that her and Percy were going to find out soon. As they walked into the amusement park with her making the comment that she had never seen a movie before, she didnt think too much of the comment, but then Percy offered to change that for her. She couldn’t help but turn into herself and smile, it seemed like she finally won Percy over, they were actually friends and a spark of gold light filled her up with hope.
After the entrance exam for the park, they wondering into the park where the Tunnel Ride over love sign lit up. She couldn’t help but feel awkward about it for a reason she couldn’t quite place.
The ride provided Annabeth with even more respect for Percy’s mom, she finally figured out why Percy was the way he was. Why he was so kind, caring, so unlike everyone at camp. His mother taught him the harsh reality of their parents rather than what Annabeth grew up on, and as the quest goes on she has begun to see that Percy’s view of the gods may be more realistic rather than cynical. She found herself looking at Percy more than strictly necessary for a reason she did not want to delve into just yet, but every time she looked away she felt him looking at her with gave her another spark. After seeing what was in store for them in the boat, they jumped off into the water. Annabeth was a strong swimmer, but the undercurrents were stronger than they should have been for an inclosed amusement park ride; as she struggled against the current looking for Percy, she felt an opposing current pick her up from the water and launch her onto the island with the shield. Looking at the throne and the shield, she knew the mechanism that would trigger the release of the shield would force one of them to be stuck here forever. She went to sit on the throne when she felt Percy yank her back. She couldn’t let him sacrifice himself for her again, that’s not how it works, that’s not how love works. You earn it, it’s transactional, it’s one for one, and yet Percy doesn’t seem to follow that. He willingly sacrifices himself for his friends over and over again, and Annabeth can never seem to stop him. “This isn’t the Arch Seaweed Brain” she pleads, she has to prove to Percy that she deserves love, the she deserves him just like she has for everyone in her life. He gave her Riptide in an answer and this time she feels that she won’t be giving it back to him. As he sat on the throne, her heart in her throat, Annabeth knew she would see another friend be taken from her. She sees Thalia in Percy, in the worst way possible, and she feels like crumbling to the floor in despair. He keeps repeating “I’m okay” and it’s driving Annabeth crazy. She had never felt more powerless, more unworthy, more useless in her life. Once he is fully encased with gold, the shield falls to the floor, but Annabeth walked over the shield to the back of the throne to figure out a way to save her friend.
She hears someone come in and give her an escape, but that’s just background noise, she focused on the mechanism trying to figure out how to reverse it. The random figure finally identifies themselves, it’s Hephaestus. Annabeth seethes with anger, another god who let petty anger take someone dear from her away. She wants to throw her dagger, the shield, anything at this god at all of them. He talks of the forgiveness she would receive from her mom for returning the shield, past Annabeth would have killed to have the respect of her mother, but right now all she feels is disgust in the idea of leaving Percy just to return a shield. The gods lead them on petty quests, put them in danger, and they receive nothing in return but rather are put in more danger after their work. She snaps. “ I don’t want to be like you. Eat or be eaten. Zeus, Ares, my mother, they all act for themselves only with no regard for collateral damage left in their wake even if the damage is their children. HE is not like that and that’s who I want to be not like my mom. He is better than them. I know I was like you guys before, but I will not be like the gods anymore.” Gasping for breath, she looks up at Hephaestus and sees him blinking back tears- odd she didn’t know gods were capable of any emotion. He then blows into his pipes, she rushes to the front of the throne and she catches her breath. Percy is coming back to her, he somehow dodged the Fates again. As he comes off the throne, he instinctively steps in front of Annabeth to protect her from whoever just released him from the throne which catches Annabeth by surprise. After all Percy has done for her, he never fails to continue to protect her. That’s when it hits her all at once shaking her to her core like Clarisse’s spear shocking her through her shield. She likes Percy and more than in a friend way, the hug, the looks, the overwhelming urge to hug him and never let go. Annabeth likes Percy, the boy fated to die, the boy fated to something she does not even begin to understand. She barely hears the parting words from the craftsman god, she is just staring at Percy and finally putting together pieces that have been eluding her.
They have an uneventful walk back to the diner, but all Annabeth can think of is Percy, not the quest, not her mother’s wrath. She knows this crush is going to haunt her until the day she dies, she knows she will never get over Percy Jackson. As they walk, she finds herself checking every so often that he is still there like a haunted Eurydice. After returning the shield, Ares does hold up his deal and gives them a gross ride to Las Vegas. And if Annabeth was ever to doubt her crush on the Seaweed Brain that is Percy, it was solidified when he looked up to Ares and threatened him. She knew in that moment that the Seaweed Brain will forever be her person regardless if she will ever be his.