This isn't my first attempt at writing fanfiction and it probably won't be my last. Unfortunately between the holy trinity of motivation, creativity, and time I was only gifted with creativity and time, so my motivation to actually write out the vast amount of ideas swimming through my head is practically void, despite the amount of time I have which is very little.
You may notice that a lot of the aspects of this story sounds a little 'Game of Thronesy', but that's just because besides Percy Jackson I'm also a huge fan of the series, so I think bringing some different aspects of the show into the Percy Jackson universe could be pretty neat.
By the way, criticism is accepted and appreciated, but like every other person on the planet I have these things called 'feelings', so keep any form of profanity you have to yourself.
So disclaimer, I don't own either Percy Jackson or Game of Thrones. If I did I probably wouldn't be writing this.
Chapter 1
Annabeth looked at the capitol in absolute wonder.
The city of Atlantis rested on a massive cliff that overlooked the ocean, the setting sun giving it a magnificent radiance that would make an man bask in its presence. Almost a million people resided with its walls, each one living out their daily lives, waiting in anticipation for the lords and ladies of the kingdom of Athens to arrive to swear fealty to their king. Atlantis was recognized as the capitol of the entire continent due to its magnificence as well as it being the center of all trade in the realm, and each day thousands of people came in and out in order to visit family or to simply conduct business with the local trading empires.
She had been here years before, when she was but ten years of age, when her family had come to watch a tourney that the king, his grace Poseidon, had put on. There she had had the opportunity to experience the royal court life, and see the wonders and brutality of knights and combat. Her brother, Malcolm, had been seven and ten then, and had participated to represent her house and kingdom of Athens. He may not have been the best knight in all the realm, but he was certainly amongst the smartest. Her family had always been known for their military ingenuity, her mother having perhaps the sharpest mind in all the Twelve Kingdoms.
There she had seen knights of almost every house, from the house of Hermes, who were known for their agility and mischief in battle, to the house of Apollo, who were known to be masters of the bow. She watched as she saw Lord Apollo's champion, Paris, defeat the legendary Achilles the Invincible of the house of Thetis, a house who served as bannermen to King Poseidon, with nothing but a bow and arrow. That fight nearly caused those spectating in the arena to lash out in violence against one another, the guards had to come in and quell the rising tensions while King yelled out for everyone to keep calm. That had been the first time she had seen a man die, and she had had to watch as the Lady Thetis ran over to her son and champion's body and cry out in anguish, a sight that had brought her to tears as well, for she had grown up listening to the tales of Achilles and his prowess in battle, a knight every lady had hoped she could call her own.
One of her fondest memories had been getting separated from her father's escorts and wandering among the hundreds of pavilions that lined the outside of the arena. She had cried for hours in hope that the escorts would find her and return her to her family, or at the very least for some peasant to show her the way back to her family's pavilion. Instead when no one would answer her pleas, she sat down in the middle of the muddy street, ruining her favorite dress, and crying her eyes out. It was then that a young squire had found her, a boy who couldn't have been a year older than her, after being ignored by hundreds of other commoners. She remembered what he had said to her when he helped her up to her feet, 'A lady shouldn't be wandering these streets unaccompanied.' At that point she knew she had found her knight in shining armor, even though he was but a boy, and not yet a knight.
He had escorted her back to the arena where she found her father's soldiers being reprimanded for losing sight of her, and she saw her mother tear up as she entered the room and ran towards her for comfort. Her father had forgotten about the insolence of his men and rushed to his daughter as well, each of them giving her a shower of kisses and hugs, with words of worry and concern flowing from their mouths. She had introduced them to the brave squire that had returned her, and he named himself Perseus, the bastard son of the King himself, and her father had promised him to shower him with gold and glory once he reached of age. He had accepted the promise, and the young squire had taken it upon himself to become her sworn shield for the duration of tourney, both of them playing the part of knight and princess.
Perseus had explained to her that his stepmother, Queen Amphitrite, wouldn't allow him to sit with the King due to his status as a bastard. She apparently didn't want him anywhere around their true-born son, Triton, who was practically a little nightmare. His mother had died giving birth to him, a commoner who the King had had an affair with, a scandal that nearly rocked the kingdom to its foundations. The King was heavily influenced by prophecy, and one had been issued years before by the Oracles of Delphi, a group of people who had the ability to steal glimpses of the future from a far away land, that stated that a bastard prince would be the one to save the realm from the return of monsters. So in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy he lied with a commoner and gave birth to a bastard prince, whom he named Perseus after the hero who had vanquished the last of the monsters hundreds of years ago.
Together they made friends with several of the other children of the other houses, such as Thalia and Jason of the vast house of Zeus; Nico, Bianca, and Hazel of the black house of Hades; Frank and Clarisse of the mighty house of Ares; Leo and Charles of the smith house of Hephaestus; and the maidens Silena and Piper of the glamorous house of Aphrodite. They had come to befriend all these future rulers of the realm, and they had all come to respect Perseus. He had that leadership quality about him that made men want to follow him to the corners of the world and to the gates of hell, and yet he would never be seen as King due to him being an illegitimate child, but she had no doubt that he would be a great knight and serve the realm well. His teacher was Chiron, one of the greatest master-of-arms the realm had ever seen, and even at the age of ten Perseus had been gifted with a blade.
Once the tourney had ended they were practically young lovers, each of them promising one another that they would one day be together, despite him being a bastard. He would become the greatest knight the realm had ever seen, and she would be the ruler of her house, so perhaps that would be enough for them to be wed.
Looking back then she became disgusted at the thought. The current circumstances had ruined the chances of that marriage from ever happening. She was now a lady of two and twenty, and the realm had been in thrown into a massive civil war that had been raging on for four years now. King Poseidon had passed from a fever, leaving his son Triton to take the throne and wreak havoc throughout the realm. Poverty had increased almost as quick as crime, and the king's soldiers now harassed the common folk. On top of all this, King Poseidon's brothers, Zeus and Hades, had decided that they each wanted to become King, seeing as how they were both the brothers to the King, as the fact that Triton was essentially a tyrant. Most of the other kingdoms had sided with Zeus, with Hades gaining the allegiance of the house of Demeter through the marriage of her daughter Persephone.
Annabeth's parents had no choice but to side with Zeus, despite their oaths to the previous king and their daughter's infatuation with his bastard son. The other houses soon followed their lead, and Zeus had gained a sizable army of about a hundred thousand men. He had married his son Jason off to Aphrodite's daughter Piper, and he had also sent his daughter Thalia to be a ward under the eye of Apollo's sister Artemis.
And yet even with that amount of soldiers, when they met the armies of Triton on the open battlefield, the champions of all the houses, the men and women who she had met all those years ago at the tourney and who she called friends had all fallen, along with their men, by the boy she had fallen in love with. With only a force of about sixty thousand, Perseus had shattered the armies of Zeus through sheer military genius, and had met each of the house champions on the field of battle and single-handedly defeated and killed them all.
Including her brother.
From that day on he became known as Ser Perseus the Destroyer, the most brilliant and deadly man the realm had possibly ever known. The boy she had fallen in love with had killed her brother, and her whole family was distraught with grief. The other houses were even denied their bodies to be buried, so now they would forever remain on the battlefield amongst the bodies of thousands of men, with no hope of ever returning home. She and her mother had cried for a full week, and her father had remained silent and didn't eat. When mother ran out of tears to cry she instead began to curse Perseus' name, praying to the gods that he would die a painful death. She pleaded with my father to once more march upon Atlantis, rip the crown off of Triton's head and plunge his sword into Perseus' chest and avenge her son. But her father would just look at her with lifeless eyes and reply, 'With what army, dear?'.
Lord Zeus had been forced to swear fealty once again to King Triton, and in exchange for sparing his life he had agreed to give him one of his bannermen's daughters hand in marriage, and unfortunately she had been chosen. Now her family was on their way to swear fealty to the tyrant that ordered her brother's death, and the man that had done the deed. Her mother had no doubt started plotting ways as to how she was going to kill Poseidon's bastard son, and her father was still distraught over the fact that he had to give his only daughter away to a madman.
Despite having her brother killed and being given away to a tyrant, she couldn't help but wonder about why Perseus would do these things. Her friends lay dead, but they were once his friends as well, and her brother, a man whom he had also admired, lay dead by his hand as well. She just couldn't comprehend why he would do such a thing.
She sat in the royal carriage along with her mother and father as they neared the gates of Atlantis, having already met with a group of royal guards just outside the city gate, sent by the king to escort them in. Yet despite the exterior of the city looking so marvelous, the interior was anything but. The once clean streets now were filled with filth and garbage, and there was essentially a brothel on every corner. Shady characters could be seen everywhere she looked, and guards sat around doing nothing but twiddling their thumbs out of boredom. The Grand Palace itself seemed rather gloomy, with men and women casting nasty glances upward towards it as they walked by. She had thought the common folk would line up throughout the streets to welcome them, yet no one even seemed interested in their presence, instead jutting out in front of the carriage and guards to make it to the opposite side of the street to get to their destination.
Before they reached the palace her father turned to her and grasped her hands, "Annabeth, my child, whatever happens up there, whatever that tyrant or that bastard decides to do with you, you must remain strong for us. Remain strong for the realm if you must, but never lose faith in yourself, do you understand me?" He asked with pleading eyes.
Annabeth felt herself tear up but blinked them away as to remain strong for him, "Of course father, I won't let anything happen to me, that I can promise you."
He looked somewhat relieved, if not fully, and sat back in his seat. Her mother didn't say anything, just continued to stare out the window towards the palace in disdain. She couldn't blame her, yet she had had time to mourn, and now was the time to look towards the rebuilding of the realm. Perhaps in the position of Queen she could finally do some good to the city, if not she would forever be some minor figure in the shadow of a madman, forced to play the role of the good wife and bear him children until her dying day.
They arrived at the palace and the guards opened the carriage door, her father stepping out first followed by she and her mother, who gave a loud sneer, "I half expected that bastard to escort us himself, where is he so that I may spit at his face?" She asked a guard. "My lady, Ser Perseus is off fighting against Hades out near the Kingdom of Tartarus, however he should be here in a couple days for the wedding." One of them explained.
Annabeth had almost forgotten about the war with Hades. Despite Zeus having fallen, he still continued to press his attack, claiming he was the true ruler of the Twelve Kingdoms. From what she had heard, he had started to pray to dark gods to grant him power, and began using sorcery to strengthen his armies, but these were all rumors. Magic and monsters were all just stories that old women would tell children to get them to behave, no one really believed them anymore.
The guards led them inside the gates to the palace which led to a magnificent foyer, the walls lined with portraits and tapestries of late kings and queens and their lineages, including that of the late King Poseidon. Large banners hung beside each of the entrances and doorways, each emblazoned with the King's family sigil, a majestic mare on a blue backdrop.
They were greeted by the King's royal guards, and were escorted into the throne room. A crowd of the King's bannermen and local commoners were already situated within, and the King himself sat upon the golden throne, with the Queen Regent Amphitrite standing next to him. He had a cocky grin on his face that basically screamed 'I won', and he sat slouched in the throne with his legs crossed like a child. His clothes screamed royalty, fine silk that looked to be imported from distant lands, and the golden crown that sat upon his head looked to be crooked.
They approached the throne and an announcer stepped forward, "You stand in the presence of King Triton, son of the late King Poseidon and the Queen Regent Amphitrite, rightful ruler of the Twelve Kingdoms. He asks that you denounce all ties to the house of Zeus and declare fealty to him, so that your crime of treason may be dissolved." He declared. My mother's pride looked severely wounded, but she had no choice but to kneel, as well as she and her father.
"My King, I, Lord Frederick, ruler of the kingdom of Athens swear fealty to you, my lands are yours as well as its subjects, armies, and resources. In exchange for sparing our lives for our treason, I offer my daughter Annabeth to be your bride. May she be forever loyal to you and sire you many heirs, your grace." He said still kneeling.
From the throne the King rolled his eyes and groaned, "Oh whatever, I could care less about your fealty. If I had my way you would all have your heads placed along the walls of the city, but mother says you may prove useful in this stupid war. However I do accept your daughter as my bride, I'm sure she'll prove herself worthy to serve me." He said slyly. Annabeth winced at that statement, she was still trying to get used to the fact that she would have to marry this barbarian.
Her father cleared his throat in discomfort, "We are very grateful for your mercy, your grace. If there is anything we can do to help the crown in this war, then we will offer you our men and many strategies." He said in an attempt to appease him. The King did nothing but scoff, "Your strategies mean nothing to me. You had a hundred thousand men at your back and your 'strategies' failed against a force of a mere sixty thousand, led by a bastard at that. It's no wonder that idiot son of yours got killed, it seems the intelligence of you so called 'Athenians' skipped a couple generations." Annabeth could have sworn she heard her mother give a low growl, but again she quenched her pride.
"Your grace, I admit our house has seen dark days of late, but I can assure you that we are here to assist you in any way necessary, be it war or famine. My daughter is known to have perhaps the sharpest mind in the Twelve Kingdoms, and she could serve you wonderfully in your war councils." Her father urged on. The King gave an 'hmpff' and looked past them in disinterest, "Perhaps she could be useful, she may be well suited to collaborate her strategies with my bastard brother when he arrives on the morrow to finally rid the realm of that oaf Hades. Fine, I accept your fealty, but should you ever betray my house again, I will string up your useless corpses along the city's walls and force your daughter to stare at them for hours on end each and every day." He said seriously and with an evil glint in his eyes.
"Of course, your grace." My father said bowing again. Truth be told I didn't feel comfortable being placed within Perseus' company again, and by the look on my mother's face she didn't either.
At that time the Queen Regent decided to speak up, "And when shall we hold the wedding, your grace? Perhaps we should hold it soon, as to raise the spirits of the commoners?" She suggested.
"And why in the gods' names would I do that? Who cares about those stupid peasants, they should be grateful that I allow them to even remain here in the city." The King said indignantly. A few people in the crowd began to murmur amongst themselves but a harsh glare from the King made them return to silence. "We'll hold the wedding after we defeat that idiot Hades. I was merciful with Zeus, but I want his head and the head of that son of his, so far they've done nothing but caused me trouble. The girl will accompany the bastard to the front lines in order to speed the process along, to be honest I'm surprised he hasn't finished them off already, what with those new soldiers he acquired from across the sea."
Lord Frederick's eyes widened, "Your grace, surely we shouldn't send your future bride to experience the harrows of war, she would be in an incredible amount of danger!" He attempted to reason.
"The future Queen should have at least some experience with the comings and goings of the kingdom, war being among them," the Queen Regent began, "If she really is as intelligent as you say she is, then perhaps she may assist Ser Perseus in destroying our enemy."
"Well she should at least consult the Court Oracle first, shouldn't she? That's generally the tradition!" Her father continued to press. He didn't want his last child to be thrust into the world of war, especially with the man who had murdered his son and the fact that her life could be in grave danger. "Unfortunately, my lord, Ser Perseus wished for her to travel east with him for the war, claiming that she could be useful in predicting the outcome of the many battles that were to take place." The Queen Regent continued.
"And what of that bastard? Are we to receive any sort of compensation for our son's death by his hands?" Her mother spoke up. She could tell that her anger was rising, and hopefully she would be able to keep it under control.
The King spoke up, "As much as I loathe my father's base-born brat, he has proven himself a capable knight and commander of my armies. He normally runs the day-to-day operations of the kingdom in my stead as my Hand, but that position has fallen to mother ever since he left." He explained inspecting his fingernails for dirt, "Besides, I find it rather poetic that your daughter now has to work with the man who murdered her brother. It makes the situation more fun, if you ask me." He said with that same grin on his face."
Her mother let out another growl but kept her tongue as to not insult him. Annabeth knew that this was killing her on the inside, but what other choice did she have? But then again, who could blame her, knowing that her last surviving child was to be married to a man such as this, who happened to be the brother of the man that killed her only son. That was enough to drive any woman to grief and sorrow.
Annabeth chose to speak up, "Excuse me your grace, but when do you expect me to leave for the front lines?" At this point she was ready to leave the capitol all together. The Atlantis she had known when she was younger was now gone, infested by ravenous vipers that turned the beautiful city into a cesspool of filth and corruption. Noble knights were being slaughtered left and right, and now there was no one to protect the realm from the transgressions that threatened the once great acts of chivalry, all by a crooked king and his mad dog that he's set loose upon the world.
The King didn't even bother to meet her eyes, "You'll leave with Ser Perseus in a week, he'll be sure to arrive the day after next, and I'm positive he'll have business to conduct here in the capitol. During that time he'll teach you about his responsibilities as Hand, seeing as how the both of you will be working together on that matter." He went on, "We'll call that your punishment for your family's treachery during the war with Zeus."
"Of course, your grace." She said looking down. Her family had truly dug their own graves siding with Lord Zeus, but so did every other lord and lady who did.
"Perhaps we ought to continue this another time, your grace. Our lords and ladies must surely be exhausted from there long journey from the south." The Queen Regent said to the King.
He sighed, "Very well, we'll continue this when the bastard returns. I took the liberty of writing to him and commanding him to return the Court Oracle, so perhaps that will quell your whining. She'll no doubt give us a prophecy that declares my rule continue for another fifty years." He said. Annabeth shuddered at that thought, who could survive another fifty years under his reign? Thousands, perhaps millions of people were already starving from hunger, and suffering from poverty, and the realm was in its second war in the past ten years.
Before my father could reply his thanks, a messenger burst through the doors and whispered something in the Queen Regent's ear. Whatever he said caused her eyes to widen and she quickly whispered the message to the King. The King groaned, "It appears that my brother has arrived early, perhaps now we can get this silly business finished quickly. Guards, bring the bastard in!"
All eyes turned to the grand doors to the throne room as they opened slowly. Several foreign warriors entered the room, most likely the soldiers that the King said that Perseus had acquired to help fight the war. She noticed that their gear looked to be very different than the traditional plate armor, instead using leather with chain-mail embedded within it. Their helms concealed their faces, yet they carried the traditional sword and shield that any warrior of the Twelve Kingdoms carried. They all lined up on opposite sides of the throne room leaving a path straight for the throne, and then he entered. The man who she had fallen in love with when she was but ten years old, and the man who had murdered her brother and nearly all of her friends lied just before her eyes.
His looks had changed dramatically since the last time she saw him. His once short, midnight black hair was no slightly longer and messy, and he had grown a slight beard that made him look older than he actually was. His armor was full plate and golden with the Atlantean house sigil emblazoned onto it, and he wore a blindingly white cape that stretched down to his knees. His hand rested on the pummel of a sword that hung on his left hip, within a beautiful silver sheathe. Despite everything he had done, all the atrocities he had committed that had granted him the title of 'Destroyer', he looked like the most gallant knight she had ever seen, more noble than the might Achilles and Paris put together. In his other hand was a massive leather-bound book, which looked to be a ledger of some sort.
He walked past her and her parents completely ignoring them, and her mother kept giving him the nastiest glare she had ever seen her give to anyone. All her father did was avert his eyes away from him in shame, and yet all she could do was continue to glue her eyes onto him. He had changed so much in the past twelve years, she hardly even recognized him anymore.
He approached the throne and bowed slightly, not even taking the time to fully kneel, which caused the King to fume. "Your Grace." He acknowledged.
"What on earth are you doing here? You weren't expected for another two days and we are in the midst of a war! For all you know the Usurper could have already decimated our armies!" He yelled.
Perseus didn't seem fazed, "Your grace, I've been back in the capitol since yesterday, I just didn't bother to tell you because I wanted to assess the condition of the city before I consulted with you. According to the ledger two more brothels have opened up in the Slums, which now appears to be the entire city." He said reading the leather-bound book. "And what's this I hear about you holding a tourney for your wedding? Where do you plan on acquiring the funds for this endeavor?"
"What do you mean 'where'? I'm the King you dolt!" He yelled.
"Yes, you are the King, but that doesn't mean you shit gold. The realm is in a state of poverty, and right now all the available funds are needed for the war effort. So unfortunately, your grace, there's no chance for a tourney this year, or for perhaps the next ten years." He said closing the ledger shut. Annabeth stood there with wide eyes. He had matured tremendously since the last time she saw him, and yet all the youthful playfulness had vanished from his eyes, leaving nothing but a cold, emotionless husk in its place.
"Oh whatever, I'm sure after we kill Hades we'll be able to collect on his wealth anyway, he is known to be the wealthiest man in the realm." He said dismissively, "Tell me about the war effort, how close are we to defeating Hades?"
"Close, your grace. We should have him under submission by the month's end, we just have to continue to push them back towards the city." Perseus explained.
"And what about his son, Nero?"
"It's Nico, your grace, and he's been taken care of." He reported. That made her heart nearly stop. Another one of her friends from childhood had been vanquished by her one time lover's hand. Suddenly, as if in a trance she heard herself speak, "How could you?"
Nearly every head in the room turned to her, all except Perseus, who did nothing but stare forward. "How could I what?" He said softly.
"How could you kill those whom you called friend? They trusted you, my brother trusted you, and yet you killed them anyway!" She yelled at him.
"Silence woman! What you speak of right now is verging on treason!" The King yelled getting up from his throne. Annabeth began to feel the weight of her actions, and she felt herself slowly losing her edge. She again knelt, "I apologize your grace, I don't know what came over me."
He growled, "Make sure it doesn't happen again, or else you'll extinguish the last bit of mercy I've shown to your family." Perseus turned to face her, silencing the commotion in room. There was a moment of silence before he spoke, "Everything I've done, I've done to keep my father's legacy alive. You may not understand today, but I promise you, you will one day." He said looking directly at her. Her mother still had that glare of hatred splattered on her face, and her father was giving her a sorrowful look. Annabeth averted her gaze and said nothing.
"Now that that's over, perhaps now is a good time to continue with your report." The Queen Regent said stepping in. Perseus turned to face the throne again, "Of course, your grace. So far our losses have exceeded three thousand, however there's are ten times that number at around thirty thousand. The entirety of there host was originally forty thousand strong, so it's only a matter of time until we crush their little rebellion." He finished.
"And what of the Oracle? Why isn't she with you?" She pressed.
"She's up in her tower communing with the gods for insight for the war. I'll have her brought to Lady Annabeth later, but I believe for now she needs time to focus." He explained. She gave a curt nod in satisfaction. It's tradition for a new bride to consult with an Oracle to see some insight as to what her future would be like with her new husband, that way the bride can decide whether or not she would stay with her spouse. All Oracles are female, and they mainly devote their professions towards other members of their gender. However, they could also be summoned to become Oracles in court, and sometimes they consulted with males on matters such as war.
The King let out an annoyed groan, "Is that all? Can we be finished with this stupid gathering?"
Perseus bowed, "Of course your grace, servants will show the lords and ladies of Athens to their chambers, and I will consult with the Lady Annabeth tomorrow about the responsibilities of Hand. We'll leave in a week for the front lines so that I may take back the reins of commander and finally end this war."
The King rolled his eyes, "Well if that's all, then this assembly is dismissed."