Chapter 4: Finding Family

Anthony's Pov

I had finally made it to Pennsylvania, I was getting off the bus when something caught my eye, down the street was a little blonde girl. She was running in my direction, from the tense look on her face, I knew she was scared but hid it well. That's when I looked directly behind her, it was giant spider, its mandibles ready to skewer her.

I rushed in without hesitation, analyzing the giant spider, it was black in color, its exoskeleton looking more armored than anything I've ever seen from any known spider species. But it didn't cover its joints, neither did its eyes.

So, with a plan in mind, I first needed to get the girl out of harm's way, meaning I'd have to play mouse, in a cat and mouse chase. I ran toward her, yelling," dive into the alley, I'll catch its attention away from you!" she looked at me then nodded, before diving into the alley right next to her. Before the giant spider could do anything to her, I slid under it, changing my owl pendent into my spear, and slicing it at a joint, before getting up again.

The spider's attention successfully changed; I had to do the most difficult part of my plan, and that is to run, dodge, and slice at its joints before it's a writhing mess on the floor. Before running through its eyes with my spear. Which is easier said than done, but I have to do it anyway, so neither the girl nor me dies because of it.

Annabeth's Pov

As I dove into the alley, the older boy that yelled at me to dive into the alley, slid under the spider, slicing its joints before quickly getting up. Facing the spider with piercing stormy grey eyes, his long black hair covering his face from my eyes. 

The spider screeched in fury, lunging at him, its mandibles threatening to spear him through. It was then that he slid under it again, his spear trying to cut through its tough exoskeleton. It caught purchase when cutting the back side of the spider.

Making the spider screech in agony, a horrifying screech that made me shiver, before he got up, covered in the spiders webbing. The spider notice this, it took the opportunity, lunging at him again, thinking its prey has finally been caught.

Noticing this, the older boy, looked at me and said, " target its eyes!" before throwing his spear at me. I looked at him horrified that he gave me the only protection he had, before noticing the shield he had that cut through some of the webbing. Though, he was still stuck, so too was the spider, the spider latching to the shield by its mandibles.

Catching the spear, I braced myself before rushing towards the spider, jumping on it. I headed to its head, the spider squirming the whole time, trying to shake me off. I then held the spear to its eyes, thrusting it forward. The spider screeched for the last time, before slumping down, its body turning to dust. 

I yelped as I fell, before the older boy caught me, with worry in his eyes he said, " you alright," I just nodded, now that he was so close to me, I saw his face. There were numerous scars on his face, bags under his eyes, his breathing labored, as though a small breeze could make him collapse.

As he gently put me down, his eyes were drooping, and he was tilting forward. I had only one thought when he fell into my arms unconscious, "he was fighting that monster while this low on energy?" I dragged him towards the alley I dove in, making a makeshift shelter, before retrieving his duffle bag. I then carefully removed his shield from his hand, before noticing the owl head pendent, it was missing the body.

I looked at the spear and shield before holding both to his owl pendent, they quickly transformed into the body of an owl, I stared at his pendent in amazement, before focusing on the animal in question. It was an owl, and the owl was the sacred animal of my mother, Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.

I had half-brothers before, and they were the worse, but this guy who yelled at me to dive in an alley, and then proceeded to protect me when he didn't have to. Told me that he was different from the creepy men who tried to lure me with candy and snacks.

So, after exhausting myself out, I laid down next to the boy. Looking at him drool in his sleep made me laugh, I then closed my eyes, letting sleep take over me.

Narrator's Pov

It was this scene that Athena, the mother of the two, watched as the two slept. She had never thought that a legacy of Poseidon would catch her attention and make her want to have a child with him, or how respectful the child that she would make with that legacy would be.

She remembered the first time he had given her an offering, and how genuinely grateful he was to her. He had given the club of the cyclopes that killed his father, as a thank you for helping him in the battle where he fought three cyclopes.

Though, when Annabeth ran from home, she was worried for her 7-year-old daughter. It was then that she needed to guide Annabeth to Anthony. Anthony had qualities that most of her children lacked. First was his humility, throughout his journey to Camp Half-Blood, he had never once thought that he was better than anyone.

He asked advice from the homeless to the old veterans he would come across, he would learn the way of the land and sea from farmers and fisherman. He would ask how to track from hunters that he would come across in the forest, learning new ways of thought because he thought that he could still learn, still improve. He learned from people from all sorts of standing, from the poor to the well off. 

This led into his second quality that most of her children didn't have. The second quality was his loyalty to those he viewed as friends and family, the level he would go through for those he viewed as friends and family was immense. He had continually prayed to her and Poseidon, thanking them for people that he met, to the experiences he experienced.

He had gone through the trouble of running 5 miles, to save the homeless women who taught him how to make a makeshift bed, from hypothermia. He had repaid the old ladies who taught him how to sew, with a scarf and mittens for the winter.

So, she knew that Annabeth would be in good hands if she guided Annabeth to her older brother. The only thing that made her worry about Anthony taking care of Annabeth, would be because his qualities, would most likely kill him if Annabeth was in serious danger.

 She quietly watched as her children slept, her stormy grey eyes sharpened in thought, as the news of Zeus's demigod child had met up with Hermes demigod spread fast. She knew that if she guided her children to those two, that she would be endangering her children even more.

But she knew that if Annabeth had three powerful demigods to protect her would be better than one. And the added bonus of Anthony having someone to watch his back was a comforting thought. So, she began her plan, starting with guiding them to Connecticut.