Kapitel 177: Knock

They stared at each other for a moment, frozen, taken, enthralled. It was only for a moment, before Antonio smiled lightly, turning to the baby below him. Annabeth's eyes followed his gaze, but then stayed fix on how his eyes were. In her chest, there was a light throb she had felt when he had looked away. 

Like magnets being forced to repel, when his gaze was shifted to the baby, it felt like someone had pulled her away from her mind forcing her to reality, being washed over with a wave of electricity. 

It stung. It throbbed. It felt... weird. 

Annabeth blinked blankly. 

But worse than all the emotions she was getting right now, was the fact that she was even feeling something. The fact that she knew it stung, and the fact that it throbbed. And even the fact that it felt weird. The fact that she was aware of feeling those things, that was the worst thing of all.