She offered a faint, sad smile as she step back from the man, taking her hands off his arm and gathering her belongings from the road below. She clutched her books to her chest for lack of things to do with her hands now that she'd tied off the man's scratch.

"Thank you," Annabeth offered, pausing as he did. "Are you okay? Did you hear something?" A moment of panic surged, visible on her face. The last time she'd faced something that seemed like it belonged in the woods, she'd gotten briefly pulled into a magical black market animal trade and faced off against a magical cat caught on the idea of facing off against her. Eyes darted around, uneasy, and for a second, she caught herself looking for Mr. Adlard in an unrealistic hope of association.