Light Seeking Light

Chapter Two: Electricity

At first, I walked quickly when I was afraid of being discovered. But I knew not to run- I would be stopped and questioned. My backpack weighed heavily on my shoulders, still thin despite my recent maternal-induced growth spurt.

I grew tired after I reached the crosswalk. It was cold for Virginia, and I was thristy and hungry. But I trudged on into the winding alleys of the bad side of town. I had a feeling people like my mother had described would stand out in the parts I knew.

An hour later, after my feet were burning and I was sticky with sweat, I found them.

Immediately, this pair stood out- a little larger than life, a little too colorful to be real. The girl's hair was raven black in long waves I immediately envied, but it was her eyes that made you pay attention.

So dark blue as to almost be black, but, if you looked very carefully, you could see moving sparks of blue electricity in the iris. She had deathly pale skin, as though the sun feared her, but had some light freckles across her nose even so. Her features were fine and classical, but the set of them inspired not femininity but leadership. The appearance of regality was either offset or enhanced by her footless tights, dog collar, sequined skull tank and Doc Martens. Weapons glittered at her wrist and side.

The boy's hair was golden-blonde, , , and tousled, his eyes the mischevious green of emeralds, and he had a smile that made you do things you'd regret. His clothes were a black tank top and ragged, dirty shorts.

They were clearly a couple, even to my seven-year-old eyes. They gave off happiness and contentment in waves, but a slight electricity too- literal and figurative. Also, the love in their eyes was clear to maybe anyone but each other- a love that said, given the chance, they would do anything to save each other, from anything.

I shook myself out of the trance the two had put me under- next thing you'll know some goddess of love will be messing with my head and my life until a crazy love triangle builds up between me, some guy who lets an evil presence take over his body, and another guy who doesn't even know how to do basic algebra equations.

"Hello," I said to them. They stopped, shaken out of their conversation and wary, because that's all they knew of people.

"I'm Annabeth Chase. Athena sent me."

The girl looks down at me warily. "Why?"

"She's my mother. I need help getting to the hill."

"Are you sure about this, kid? This isn't an adventure. It's scary. There will be monsters, all kinds," the boy's tone irked me, as it would any seven-year-old.

I looked up at him, going for bravery. "So's life."

The girl looked me over and smiled approvingly. "We can't just leave her, Luke. And I like her."

"I'm right here, you know," I pointed out, annoyed.

She grinned again at me. "Sorry. I'm Thalia Dolca, daughter of Zeus. This is Luke Castellan-" (A/N: Dolca means Lighting in Russian, for the word freaks.)

"Son of Hermes. So I hope you don't have much money to lose." His grin was dazzling, but he wasn't really joking.

"We better get going," Thalia said, looking around warily. "I think a drachma could get us to Baltimore."

Luke held a coin out and winked at me cheesily. I giggled.

Thalia sighed. "O Hail, Chariot of Damnation!" she shouted in Ancient Greek after Luke flipped her the coin.

A cab pulled up. Thalia and Luke exchanged a glance, then sat at opposite ends of the seat with me squished between them. This is the first time I noticed the drivers.

Hag really was too minor a word for them.

Picture some old lady if she was still alive in thirty years. Remove their eyes and dentures. Take away any semblance of hairstyle.

Multiply that ten times, and you have the Gray Sisters.

Despite being repulsed by them, I could tell Thalia and Luke had a plan. They seemed to be arguing with their eyes, which occasionally flicked toward a single blob the Gray Sisters were squabbling over.

I wondered briefly if I would ever have that kind of connection with someone, where we could ask and answer with only eye contact.

It seemed unlikely at the time.

Then I shook myself out of such far-off thoughts and watched Thalia grab the Gray Sisters' eye.

The sisters moaned. "Not again!" cried one.

"What are mine and Luke's fatal flaws?" said Thalia, eyes narrowing.

"Ugh," the Gray Sisters moaned.

Thalia made a window-tossing motion with the eye.

"All right!" snapped the Gray Sisters. "You both have the same flaw."

"Which is?" Luke prompted.

"Oversimplification. You both see the world as good and bad, right and wrong, set in its ways, and believe some things endure forever. Beware, Son of Hermes, Daughter of Zeus. Love is powerful, but like any great power, it can be twisted to do wrong. Know you this: You will both betray and hurt the other for which you believe is right."

"So dramatic," hissed one. "Can we have the eye?"

"You're lying," Luke said raggedly. "I will never hurt or betray Thalia."

"Give it five years," shrugged the one who had spoken s sp

spo . "Five months, even. Love is easy to bend and twist and stab. NOW GIVE US OUR EYE."

I mutely handed the eye to them, from a shocked Thalia's hands.

"Sometimes, it's better not to know," cackled one. "Now, where are we going?"

A/N: I love Annabeth at this age, she's such fun because she's so observant and so little that she sees everything without people knowing it. The question is not to review because that's a command not a question!