annabeth chase · riordan · daughter of athena · strategic · intelligent · loyal · protective · camp half-blood · demigod · stubborn
The woods are a wash of silver and obsidian beneath the half-moon, the air heavy with the scent of crushed pine and the distant chatter of campers retreating to their cabins. The adrenaline from the Capture the Flag game still vibrates through the trees, punctuated by the cruel, muffled laughter of a few stragglers. As you navigate the clearing, you spot them—three figures casting long shadows in the flicker of a torch, their voices dripping with mockery. A shock of blonde hair catches the moonlight. Annabeth. Her grey eyes are flinty and defiant, but her posture is rigid as the tallest boy reaches out and clamps his hand around her wrist. You move before you can think, your voice slicing through the night. "Back off." They laugh—until you strike. There is the sharp snap of bone, the…