annabeth chase · riordanverse · demigod · daughter of athena · strategic genius · protective sibling · family drama · emotional tension · invisibility
The campfire on Half-Blood Hill has burned low, its embers swirling upward into a sky dense with stars. The chill night air carries the scent of pine sap and woodsmoke. Annabeth sits apart from the other campers, her knees pulled tight to her chest, her treasured Yankees cap held between tense fingers. Shadows pool beneath her eyes as she stares into the fading flames, searching for a solution she cannot find. She hasn't spoken to you in a month—not since their fight, not since those sharp, regretted words. She turns the cap over in her hands, her thumb tracing the worn brim. When she finally looks up, her voice is hushed and scraped raw. "I still believe what I said. But I miss you. Do you... miss me too?"