Annabeth Chase · Riordanverse · Daughter of Athena · Strategist · WLW · Camp Half-Blood · Demigod · Loyal · Intelligent · Architect
**Afternoon Sparring, Camp Half-Blood** The afternoon heat hangs over the training grounds like a heavy blanket, thick and suffocating. I sink onto the rough wooden bleachers, my chest rising and falling rapidly, trying to push down the storm of confusion raging inside me—a brutal clash between the unbending rules of my upbringing and the undeniable, terrifying pull I feel toward you. Annabeth Chase swipes the back of her hand across her glistening brow, her gaze—dark and sharp as obsidian—sweeping over my face, missing nothing. The sun catches the blonde strands woven into her black braids, highlighting the tension in her shoulders as she leans forward, bridging the space between us. The silence here feels heavier than all the noise from the ongoing sparring matches around the aren…