The Return of Leo Valdez (After Blood of Olympus)

23- Annabeth

Annabeth sat at her desk in the Athena cabin. Architecture and technology textbooks written in Greek were spread across the surface.

Annabeth grabbed a piece of paper from a pile beside her desk and a green pencil from the desk drawer.

No one was in the cabin, Annabeth specially told everyone they couldn't come in. She needed full concentration.

Annabeth picked up the nearest architecture textbook and flipped to the page with a neon green foot- note in it.

She began to map out the hall of the gods and each and every throne. Pencils, erasers, ti-squares and paper flew around the room as Annabeth worked up a brainstorm.

She began to design the throne room. She added the twelve thrones in a 'u' shape and decorated them in a special way. Much like the cabins at camp half-blood.

On Athena's throne, she added delicate gray silk hanging off the sides.

For Poseidon, Annabeth included fishing nets draping off the sides of the throne. She added a small slot next to the throne for his trident.

Annabeth heard a knock on the door. She knew it was her siblings coming back from archery practice. Annabeth was never a big fan of archery. She never understood what to do when someone attacked you head on.

Bows and arrows seemed like an unethical way to fight alone. But, if you were in a group, that was a different story.

"Come in," Annabeth yelled.

Surprisingly, it wasn't her cabin mates that came in, it was Piper.

"Hey," she said. "What's up?"

Annabeth sighed and pushed her chair away from her workbench.

"Just working," Annabeth said.

"There's...there's...some...you know."

"Huh?" Annabeth asked furrowing her eyebrows

Annabeth knew Piper was stuttering. This wasn't going to end well.

"And...you know...someone is-" suddenly, Piper stopped speaking. Her eyes filled with tears, and her lip started quivering.

"I'm sorry I came in here," Piper said wiping her eyes. "It's just about-"

"Leo," Annabeth finished.

From that point on, Piper didn't hold back the tears. Annabeth could understand her feelings. Even if some memories of her and Leo were fake, they've made some real ones, some very important real ones.

"Yeah," Piper said as another tear rolled down her cheek. "It's just, Jason's at archery practice and everyone else is on some kind of quest or mission except you. So I just thought you could make me feel better."

Annabeth opened up her arms for a hug. Piper wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tight.

Annabeth remembered the times in the temple of fear with Piper. That was the one time Annabeth wasn't the strategist, Piper was. I guess this was her way of repaying Piper, because without her, Annabeth and possibly the whole world, would be no more.

I felt Piper needed to have a bigger part because she is a seriously underestimated heroine.