Annabeth woke with a scream on her lips. “Percy, where are you? Why did you leave me?” She opened her eyes and was shocked to realize that she could see, she wasn’t blind. Annabeth looked around the room and realized she was in her Cabin. Once she realized where she was her screams died as fast as they started. She had nightmares about Tartarus almost every night since the end of the war. As had most campers, they were no strangers to someone waking up in the middle of the night screaming. But she did not wish to interfere with her siblings’ sleep, they didn’t get enough as it was. They did not need her to give them less.
So, as quietly as she could Annabeth grabbed some of her plans and snuck out of her cabin. She would need to come back in a few hours to wake everyone up for breakfast and morning activities, but she knew that she couldn’t fall back asleep. Annabeth headed towards Hestia's cabin; it was open to all campers at all times of the day. She went there to work on her plans when she was stressed, the cabin felt like home, like Camp Half-Blood before the wars before Luke betrayed them.
Camp was still her home but after Luke left everything changed. His absence was felt everywhere, he had been the head councilor for Hermes cabin for almost 5 years. Everyone looked up to him, not only her and his siblings. Luke was one of the first friendly faces new campers saw when they arrived. Most often new campers stayed at Hermes cabin before they were claimed, if they were claimed at all. It was hard to accept for all of them that he would choose to betray them like that, that he would choose his hatred for the gods over his love for them. If he even loved them at all. She hoped he did, that her time with him before hadn’t been a lie.
Camp changed more after the first war too. So many lives had been lost. Sometimes she cursed her memory, thatshe could remember every face of the campers they had lost. It hurt her to know that so many died because she hadn’t found a better way. But she cherished her memoryjust as much for the same reasons. She could remember their smiles, their laughs. Annabeth could remember that they had loved camp as much as she did, and just like her, they would go down fighting for it. Unlike her they had, and she could never forgive herself for that.
When they returned to camp the day after the Battle of Manhattan it had felt like a ghost town. Campers entered their cabins knowing that their brothers and sisters were never coming back. She had to look at a bunk with her sister's stuff still on it, left in a hurry, and pack it up for her. She hadn’t known Amber’s parents personally, but she did know that they loved her deeply. They would want anything left of their daughter that they could have. While she wanted to keep it all to herself, to keep her sister by her side like she wasn’t gone, Annabeth knew that it wasn’t fair to Amber's mortal family. She had given the last of her baby sister to them with tears in her eyes, crying her apologies that she hadn’t kept her safe. That day was one the hardest days in her life, facing the loved one of those she had failed.
Eventually, the empty camp filled with new campers whose Godly parents were guiding them to sanctuary. Now that the war was over and they had cabins to go to. Suddenly they had more campers than ever before, but it was never the same.
The camp was her home, but it hadn’t felt right for years. Hestia’s Cabin felt like home to her, so she went there when she needed a reminder of what home was.
The project Annabeth kept her mind occupied with currently was giant dog toys. It wasn't architecture but it still made her happy. And she desperately needed something to make her happy.
When the second war was won, she had remembered Cerberus and how she had promised to come back and play with him. While she might not be able to go to the underworld, not that she would if she could (it reminded her of Tartarus too much for her comfort), she could design toys for the lonely dog. They needed to be able to withstand being played with by a 32-foot three-headed dog.
So far, she has designed a dozen toys with a variety of uses. Annabeth had taken her time with the details, ensuring everything was perfect before handing them off to Leo to make. Leo was ecstatic to make giant dog toys for her, so much so that he hadn’t even thought to ask why she had wanted them in the first place.
The toy she was making currently was one that she had put off making for a long time. A giant red ball, it had brought up the unwanted memories of Cerberus’ cries when they ran away from him. But she knew that she owed it to him to make him a ball that he could play with to his heart's content.
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When every toy was complete, and Annabeth had inspected them inch byinch and deemed them worthy of her design, she sought out Nico. He was the only one she knew who would be able to deliver them and ensure they were used as intended.Annabeth didn’t know how to talk to the kid, she had never gotten to know him over the years. He had bonded with Percy much more than her and he never seemed to want to talk with her. She did feel a sort of kinship with him though. He too had faced Tartarus and survived, but he had to do it alone. Annabeth respected him for that more than he could ever know, she and Percy depended on each other down there. Even then they had barely survived, Nico was so strong, and she didn’t think he even knew it.
“Nico!” Annabeth yelled once she spotted him walking out of the infirmary. She ran up to him, ignoring the shocked look he had on his face. “Nico, so glad I found you. I have a favor to ask you,” Nico was silent for a few seconds, so Annabeth continued “I made a few toys for Cerberus, and I need someone to bring them to him and to play with him with them. Can you?” Annabeth questioned the boy, hope evident in her eyes. “I can play with him, but Will banned me from shadow traveling with anything bigger than a backpack. Knowing how big Cerberus is, Iwon’t be able to bring them,” Nico looked apologetic, but Annabeth had planned for this situation. “Not a problem. I can mail it and all you will need to do is be there to accept the package.”
Once Nico had agreed with Annabeth’s plan he had left, and Annabeth headed back to Hestia’s Cabin. She didn’t have anything to keep her mind offher nightmares, but for some reason she didn’t think she needed it tonight. She knew that Cerberus was happy, and she was surrounded by the feeling of home. She drifted off on a couch in the cabin and dreamt of a small boy playing with a big dog, they both looked so happy.
