Faded

Parthenon

Athena had teleported Annabeth to the middle of a set of ruins that seemed strangely familiar.

Then she looked up to see the Parthenon standing in all its glory on the top of the hill.

Athena made her way around the blocks of stone and marble to the entrance way. But when she stepped inside, the Goddess disappeared as the air around her rippled.

Trusting her mother, Annabeth followed her into the warped fabric of reality. Instead of stepped into a ruined building, she found herself in what the Parthenon would have looked like in ancient Greece.

In the far end, was an ornate, red cushioned throne with armrests made of gold. The gaps between the pillars were filled with windows made of square glass panes that shone with the rainbow when the sun pierced through them.

There was a set of stairs that led up to another floor...WAIT!

The Parthenon had only the one floor...didn't it?

"This is not the real Parthenon," Athena said, as if reading her mind, "This just suits my needs while giving that little bit of personalization".

On one of the pillars, Athena took down a bronze shield with the visage of Medusa as well as a long spear. Which she handed to Annabeth.

"Sit on the throne and my power will be bestowed upon you," Athena told her daughter, pointing towards the throne.

But Annabeth hesitated.

Her mother had stopped so that Annabeth still had half of the room to walk. That, plus that fact that she gave her a shield and spear, meant only one thing.

If Annabeth wanted the power, she had to prove that she was worthy of becoming the Goddess of Wisdom.

The first step proved her right.

Arrows and crossbow bolts shot out of nowhere, coming t her from the roof as well as the walls. Twin streams of Greek fire burst forth further down the path, then stopped, then started again.

From underneath the cover of her shield, Annabeth counted the time between each burst of the fire. But there wasn't any rhythm.

But she stepped back out of reach of the projectiles, strapped the shield to her back, and ran towards the fire.

She used the spear and pole-vaulted over the stream of fire.

Then she saw a spider the size of a dinner plate waiting for her on the floor. But Annabeth just flipped and landed on her back, splattering the spider with Medusa's face.

She rolled and jumped to her feet, standing at the foot of the throne. She looked back at her mother who was watching with interest. Athena nodded her approval and Annabeth sat down on the throne, feeling the power seep into her bones and the wisdom of a thousand years to rush into her mind. And at that moment, she knew that if she hadn't just been turned into a Goddess, that much knowledge would have killed her.

"You are my heir," Athena said, walking towards her, "You must spread knowledge to the ignorant and wisdom to the arrogant. Do not disappoint me".

Annabeth, Goddess of Wisdom, nodded. But she didn't expect Athena to hug her.

"You were always my choice fro the very start," Athena whispered into her ear, bringing tears to her daughter's eyes.