Eyes Of An Owl

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨: 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝

   I was sitting beside my father's half-dead body. He was practically a corpse and it hurt me more than I liked to admit. We were never the best father-daughter duo; in fact, I got along with my step-mother better. But seeing him like this shattered my heart into pieces I would probably never be able to put back.

   "Annabeth..." Helen's voice brought me back to Earth. She put a plate filled with chopped fruits in front of me, before continuing. "Eat something. I know you're leaving today, so eat."

   "Helen, are the boys awake?" I asked her carefully. I knew it was much harder on her than it was on me, and I knew that she had been trying to stay strong for us. For her children and her kingdom.

   "No, they're not... They don't really know much about what's happening and I'd like to keep it that way." She lowered her voice as it shook. A tear, glistening and almost unnoticeable, slipped down her eye and she looked away.

   "I'll save him, I promise." I whispered to her, I don't know why. It just felt right at the moment, to speak softly, to give her a fragment of hope to hold onto. But I knew as well as she did that this promise didn't have much weight. We both knew that there was a chance that we weren't able to retrieve the cure on time.

   The woman just nodded before offering me a small smile and I got up. At the very same time, there was a knock on the door before Luke entered. "Annabeth, we're departing in a few hours, at dawn, so that we take shelter in Erythres before sundown."

   "Okay, tell the stable boys to groom and ready the Pegasi." I straightened up and looked over my shoulder, at Helen. Then we were out of the doors, winding our way through the castle to the stables. The chestnut coloured Pegasus, Porkpie, was my ride. I was the one who had named it as a kid.

   The winged horse whinnied the moment he saw me, his eyes full of expectations for probably a sugar cube or two. I didn't have one with me at the moment. The stable boy had probably already groomed him, as we were alone. "We're going on an adventure, boy." I tell him as if he understood me. He probably did, I wish I could too.

   I sat down on the hay, one hand stroking Porkpie's belly as I stared at nothing in particular. Ambrose. That was the name of the plant whose roots cured any disease known to mankind.

   It was said that the twins of Zeus, Apollo and Artemis when still young, were running through the wilds when Apollo scraped his foot on a jagged rock. Gods' blood was a powerful substance, hence wherever his ichor fell, it gave birth to the plant. This plant was then named 'Ambrose' after Artemis had observed the divine healing powers of the plant, its roots to be exact.

   From time to time, heroes went in search of this plant but no one was said to have found it. It was protected by the twins' powers, and only the one worthy enough shall lay their hands on it. Obtaining the plant was a feat enough of being Heracles'.

   Grover had scavenged this information from several nymphs, and it made sense. There were stories about how dangerous the foothills of Mount Parnassus, more than two hundred kilometres from Athans, were. But, since it was an inhabitable place, not many people believed it. It seemed like a child's imagination, of dragons and wild boars protecting a divine plant, when the danger really could be something as meek as a landslide. Now, it all made sense.

   "Princess Annabeth, the council is sat." Said a messenger, breaking me out of my reverie. I offered him a nod and made my way out of the stables. I was ready in my travel clothes, and with a few pats, the hay stuck to my clothed legs was gone. Now, I shouldn't be allowed to roam around in tight clothes and no corset and pants, but then again, I wasn't only a princess, I was also a hero. It was excusable, I hope, and frankly, I didn't care.

   The council stood up the moment I entered. Helen was standing there, in front the dais, her hair knit tightly into a seamless bun. Nobody could tell that this impeccably dressed woman had been crying all day. I respected that the most about her.

   Luke cleared his throat and the council sat back down, except for us. Grover was standing behind the dais, so were Thalia and Luke, my companions for the quest.

   "News travels fast in the castle, so I'm counting on all of you to already know about our impending quest. For obvious reasons, I will not be sharing the location of the plant, nor the details of the quest. But, in my absence, someone has to take care of the castle. I trust my step-mother, the queen, to take care of her kingdom." I announced in my best voice as nervous murmur filled the hall, before I looked back at her.

   She was nervous, no woman ruled a kingdom. No man bowed to a woman, their dignity prevented them from doing so. I had authority only because I had immortal blood in my veins, I was aware of that. But I trusted her. I trusted her with the kingdom and power and authority.

   "I know you can do it better than I ever can..." I whisper to her the moment I hand her the scroll of paper that declared that every noble is to listen to her, no matter the age, sex, status before continuing. "...mother."

   Her eyes were the size of two moons when she looked up at me before nodding. I could tell her that she wanted to hug me right now, right here. I looked around and took a deep breath before wrapping my arms around her in a hug. She hugged me back, and at that moment, I felt like I could touch the sky...

...(Time skip)...

   "Giddy up!" We raced through the path between the woods created by years of trading and travelling, the castle far behind us. The moment we were out of the direct capital, our Pegasi had spread their wings and we were up in the air in no time. Erythres was more than eighty kilometres away from Athens, and it was where we were to spend the night.

   The world was a haze of green and brown beneath us, the wind slapping our faces. Making us feel more alive. The sun was high up in the sky by the time we decided that it was best to land. Tiring out our rides before sundown was not exactly ideal. And the sun was too warm to keep flying.

   The coolness of the Earth was very much appreciated. We dismounted and sat down under the shade of the largest tree in sight. Grover was panting while feeding the horses. "They're saying that they need an hour at most to recharge." The satyr said while chugging down from his flask of water.

   "Yeah, well, we can just scout around on foot from now." Thalia offered while looking around the clearing we were in.

"I think there's a settlement nearby..." I muttered. There were marks from wheels, from carriages and carts, it seemed. Probably a small village.  That was good, since we could scout around for information from the commoners.

   After a few minutes, we decided to get going. There was no time to waste. Walking in the general direction, I felt the forest thinning. "I think... I think I can smell something..." Grover said with a slight quiver in his voice.

   "What do you..." I trailed off as Luke touched my shoulder. I peeked around him and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach...