𝕚𝕧𝕪; annabeth chase

ix.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

maddie can feel her heartbeat in her fingertips by the time the elevator dings, signaling her arrival.

her breathing came in short, shallow breaths as she steps onto olympus. everything felt off as maddie jumped across the floating stones, and it took her a second to realize how quiet the mountain was.

no music floated past her as she crossed the bridge, no minor gods passed her by. the only being she saw was a few muses strumming some flaming lyres on a bench, but that was it. every shutter was closed on every building she passed.

maddie bit her lip anxiously and quickened her pace, knowing it was only a matter of time before someone came looking. she knew percy had dozed off easily, and even though maddie had managed to sneak past everyone, she knew someone would notice her absence soon enough.

there was not one guard at the hall of the gods when she arrived. maddie winced at how loud her footsteps were as she pushed the adjacent door open further and slipped inside.

her ponytail was making her head ache, so she let her hair down as she came to a stop in front of the throne room. she knew every god was away, busy battling typhon, but her stomach was still a bundle of nerves as she cautiously walked in.

"moooo!"

maddie jumped, but soon recognized the ophiotaurus, swimming around happily in the corner. she smiled at it for a moment. the memory of the quest in which they found the creature flashed in her mind. her heart ached as she thought of bianca and zoe, before she remembered why she was here in the first place.

maddie frowned. she wasn't exactly sure how this process worked. hesitantly, she stepped forward and called, "apollo?"

no answer. maddie huffed, conscious of the fact that anyone watching her right now would see an idiot.

her gaze fixed on apollo's throne, and an idea popped into her head. it was risky, and there was the chance that apollo would smite her on the spot, but it would most likely get his attention.

before her doubts could get the best of her, maddie walked forward and pulled herself onto the throne. it was hard, as the throne was at least twenty feet tall, but maddie managed to find a little groove to stick her foot in.

she readjusted herself so she was sitting properly and leant back, relaxing into the seat like she had seen apollo do whenever they came here.

for a brief moment, maddie felt a faint wave of power wash over her. she took a deep breath, feeling it burn through her veins. maddie felt like she could harness the sun. she grinned slightly, and—

her body suddenly lit on fire. every inch of maddie's body burned, causing her to yelp and jump off, landing on the floor roughly. she winced as the pain faded as quickly as it came, still leaving her with a wave of whiplash.

a bright ray of sun lit up the throne room.

"you dare sit on—"

the voice stopped. "jackson?"

maddie looked up weakly, her ears pounding at the sheer volume of the voice. apollo stood in front of her, dressed head to toe in armor. his skin was glowing vibrantly, dotted with scratches. he still looked dashingly handsome as he glared down at the girl. his bow glowed in his hand.

"hi," maddie said weakly.

"why . . . were you sitting on my throne?" apollo said through gritted teeth. he sounded like he was trying to control his rage.