~36 AD~

Prologue

"More monsters have come from the Death Zone, Sire." King Fredrick Chase looked up at his trusted advisor. Lines of weariness mapped his parchment pale skin, and steel-grey brows drew together above dark blue eyes that had lost their lustre.

Shadows lurked in their depths, reflecting pain that gnawed at his innards and loosened his hold on life. The doctors had withdrawn from the sickbed and stood in affronted unwillingness to admit their failure.

Indigo velvet curtains covered the windows and kept the wood-panelled bedchamber gloomy, adding to the sense of doom. Smoking braziers burnt incense, thickening the air with cloying scent. Bottles, vials and pots cluttered the bedside table, testament to the doctors' futile ministrations.

King Fredrick's swift illness had taken everyone by surprise, wasted the flesh from his powerful frame at an alarming speed and robbed him of his strength. The King's eyes wandered over his longtime friend's face, as if seeking an answer in his elderly features. Despair flared in his eyes.

"What can I do about it now, Pervor? All that I can, I have done. Did you meet the wizard?" Pervor nodded. "He agreed to help. He told me that he would send a tool, some sort of magical device, and it will appear in our dungeons when it is ready. Do you truly trust this man, Sire? You leave the fate of your kingdom and your daughter in his hands." Fredrick sighed. "What choice do I have? The gods have decided to take me from this mortal plane, and none can gainsay them. Certainly not that brood of incompetents that lurk in the shadows.

I only wish I could stay to see it through. Annabeth does not deserve this burden on her reign. She is too young." Anger warmed the old King's cheeks for a moment before it drained away again. His wheezing broke the hush.

"Annabeth is strong," Pervor said. "She comes from a long line of warrior kings and Godess of war Athena. She will win." Fredrick shook his head and closed his eyes. "I know". Her mother was as the most Intelligent women, I met though I never knew her as Godess Athena until our last meeting where she left my girl in my hand, She's as fragile as a flower, and as easily crushed. Annabeth tries to be a warrior princess, but she is too small, her blows too puny. Mandon, bless him, makes her feel good when she does her sword training, but he tells me that she can hardly cleave a butterfly in half."
"But she has Athena's blood in her, My King. She will be strong when she has to."
"She will try. I pray she does not kill herself in the process. Pervor, swear to me." The advisor fell to one knee. "Anything, Sire, just name it."
"Protect her, and if you cannot, since you are old, find a mighty warrior who will. One who will stand beside her and kill her enemies. She will have troubles aplenty, and not merely the monsters from the Death Zone.

The kings will fight for her hand, and none are good. Find someone. Be he mage or warrior, prince or miracle worker. She will need him. Swear this to me." Pervor bowed his head. "I swear, My King, upon Styx and my children's, to do my utmost."
"Tell her of the weapon as soon as she is Queen. Help her to use it, and defeat the Death Zone. I leave her in your care."
Pervor nodded, frowning as the King's breath rattled.

A healer came closer to bend over him. "Send for the Princess." The advisor rose and retreated as a manservant ran out. The King lay shrunken and pale on the huge bed, the doctors gathered around him like vultures about a corpse.

Princess Annabeth Chase gazed down at her father's peaceful face, her throat tight. He seemed to have aged a decade in the last week. His lips were tinged with blue and he breathed in wheezing gasps. A bevy of doctors, advisors and servants stood in the shadows. She stroked his brow, lined by years of worry. The King was dying. Everyone knew it. Soon, she would be queen of a vast and powerful land. Her father had never wed in life, rejecting all offers. He had met the Athena, A brief year of happiness had ended with her mother a few days after Annabeth's birth. She had abandoned them just like all "Gods". From her father, she had inherited the Chase, her slight stature and fine features, and from her mother's blood, blonde hair and grey eyes which stood out.

Annabeth sought his limp hand amongst the bed clothes and gripped it, and the King opened his eyes. She leant forward. "Papa? Papa, it's me." His gasping breaths quieted. "Annabeth, my child." His eyes roamed over her face.

"Papa, you must not die. I do not want you to die."
His hand grasped hers. "I am sorry, little one. Be happy, Annabeth. Do not let anyone take that from you. Trust Pervor, he will guide you and take care of you. I go to join your grandmother."
"No! Papa!" Her tears overflowed as his eyes closed, and his breath left him in a long sigh. She flung herself onto his chest and embraced him, sobs racking her. A sigh came from the King's retainers, and a doctor approached and pressed his fingers to the King's neck.

After several moments, he proclaimed, "The King is dead. Long live the Queen." There was a rustle of rich cloth as the retainers knelt. A firm hand clasped her shoulder. "Come, Your Majesty. He is dead." Annabeth did not recognise the voice, but allowed herself to be tugged away, hardly noticing as she was led to her room.

Annabeth's ladies-in-waiting dressed her in a white satin gown, its bodice adorned with intricate patterns of seed pearls and its gossamer sleeves sewn with tiny diamonds. Her silken tresses were teased into glossy bangs and swept up into a regal coif sparkling with jewelled pins and fine gold chains. Diamonds flashed on her fingers, wrists and neck. Teardrop pearls dripped from her earlobes, and the diamond-studded silver mesh pinned to the back of her hair fell around her neck like a raindewed cobweb.

Her ladies praised her beauty, but were forced to rub berry juice onto her cheeks and lips, reminding her of a lamb being prepared for slaughter.

For ten days, the kingdom had mourned its King's death, none more than Annabeth. Her father had lain in state, mourners filing past to pay their last respects. He had been interred in the royal tomb beside his mother, and Annabeth was alone, an orphan at sixteen, barely of age. Pervor watched over her with the fervour of a broody hen, dogging her footsteps with unending advice. Her principal lady-in-waiting offered a plump, motherly shoulder on which to weep, and it was often damp.

Now, ten days after the funeral, Annabeth's coronation was about to take place in her father's throne room. The priests and nobles awaited her in the long, banner-hung throne room with its high roof and polished slate floor. Battle trophies, coats of arms and suits of armour told the tale of her ancestors' glory days.

The three rulers of the neighbouring kingdoms raked her with cold, calculating eyes when she entered. They were there to vie for her hand in marriage, and her extreme youth and beauty clearly pleased them. She was not the prize, though. They wanted to annex her kingdom for the duration of the marriage and profit from it.

Her father's last words echoed in her mind as she was led towards the throne, hardly aware of the courtiers who bowed as she passed. For Annabeth, the ceremony was a blur of droning speeches and tuneless hymns.

She held the things that were placed in her hands, not caring what they were, and repeated the words she was asked to, all the while remembering her father's gaunt, tired face. As the cold weight of the crown settled upon her brow, she vowed to obey her father's last wish.

The eyes of the three kings crawled over her like slugs. Everywhere she looked, she met calculating gazes, plotting, weighing, seeking her mettle.

She raised her chin in proud defiance of their judgement, and the scheming eyes slid away with cunning glints. Even at her coronation, enemies surrounded her. Her life was poised to plunge into a dark sea of intrigue and plots, and the prospect terrified her.

Author's note:

Hi! guys this will be my second story in fanfic hope to outshine my previous story, I know have been absent like forever now, Sorry about that, But the good news am gonna continue my other story too!

So hope fully u enjoy this story, beacuse this Idea had been in my mind for a while now...And CHICA'S dont forget to review!

Love you all guys...Though I haven't been writing had been following your stories...very closely and u guys are too Awesome!

Signing out now over n out

Confusion-123