Chapter one: Where's your trial? Where's your proof?
"A Traitor?!" she screamed, enraged. Her desperate shriek startled the whole throne room into a tense silence. "Have you, perhaps…" she started calmly, "LOST YOUR MINDS?" Only some of the gods had the dignity to look even mildly ashamed; and that fueled her rage. She was just about ready to tear Olympus down, brick by brick; the very same Olympus she had redesigned, the very same Olympus that was her pride and joy.
"Annabeth…" she stopped, her accusing index finger half-raised, and looked to the source of the resigned whisper to see her boyfriend, her wonderful boyfriend, shake his head forlornly. Percy gave her a tiny smile, I'll be fine, but even with the corners of his mouth raised, he remained an expression of misery. Akhlys flashed in the back of her mind and she clenched her teeth, even more riled up. It wasn't like she didn't know the gods were a lost cause really, because when had they ever listened to reason? But she was desperate for a solution, yearning for it to be just a dream, because after all they'd been through, they deserved at least a little peace before being thrown into the midst of action again. Though such is the way of the fates, they could never catch a break. She let her hand fall, a sullen expression on her face.
"But…" she started brokenly, her voice barely above a whisper. "He…He would never, could never…" for once, words failed her. She felt like she was in the presence of Mimas again, her mind clotted and her thoughts jumbled like someone had tied her neurons in a knot.
"Daughter" her mother's steely voice echoed around the council chambers "your feelings for him have clouded your judgment." And it was that cold, distant tone that finally sorted through the mess in her mind.
"No mother" she spoke up, her voice clear and heard by all. "It is you Olympians that have your judgment clouded. Can't you tell innocent from guilty anymore?" she rounded on Zeus. "Aren't you the supposed god of justice? Or do you go by the premise that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others?" she finished on a mocking tone and, slightly out of breath, faced the stunned faces of the council whose mouths were agape with shock. Will they ever be ready to face the truth? she thought, bitterly.
She risked a glance at Percy, and he smiled gratefully, reassuringly at her, his eyes brimming with tears. It was probably dawning on him that there was little to no hope left for his case and it tore Annabeth apart to know that she could do nothing to stop it, because for once, the daughter of Athena didn't have a plan. And the son of Poseidon was silent, resigned even.
When you need it most, wisdom shall fail you. The whisper sent a rain of phantom pains down her back and she couldn't help but shudder. She felt Percy's gaze on her and she steadied her breathing, giving him a small, weak smile. He smiled back and nodded at her as if to let her know that yes, whatever happened, he'd be fine, and that one thought simply broke her heart. She mouthed a heartfelt I love you and he answered back, with just as much passion.
"You are so caught up in yourself, so stuck-up, so selfish, and so overbearingly arrogant that you don't even bother to see how much that damages everything around you. You're just looking to pin the blame on someone, only to get yourself out of this mess with your hands clean. And maybe this time, you inflict your wrath on Percy- fear can do that to a person- but what about next time? What will the next unfortunate creature be? How many innocents will have to suffer for your deeds?" and her words caused uproar, as truth often did.
"We do know it's hard for you to accept it," Demeter started, somehow sounding resigned herself "but he betrayed our trust. You can't possibly hope to keep this up forever." Before the goddess of the harvest could even finish, Annabeth burst out laughing, a laugh that left the attendants shuddering. It was the bitter sound of a broken soul, a sound that bordered on hysterical.
"It's not Percy that I can't believe right now. It's you!" she crossed to the middle of the room, standing in front of Percy and facing the king of the gods. "I know what he is capable of! It's your cruelty and instinct of self-preservation that knows no bounds!" she eyed every single god in turn. "And while I've seen him do crazy, reckless things in his life, I know he could never fake such sentiments he carries for us and whatever wrong he'd done was for others and others alone." Behind her, she could feel Percy shuffling awkwardly, almost squirming under the intense gazes of their present company. "You, on the other hand, are only looking to uphold the untouched, all-mighty image you've built for yourselves! But you can't always get away with your treachery! You can't hold this over Percy; can't you see he's dealing with survivor's guilt even without your accusation? Where's your fair trial? Where is your proof?" The echo of the room gave her voice a booming quality that she quite appreciated at times like this. "His fatal flaw is loyalty, for heaven's sake!"She finished, panting and turned to Percy to see his encouraging, albeit shy smile and to feel his love and trust and pride all directed at her. She beamed back and was about to hug him when her mother rose from her throne, looking all like the warrior goddess she was.
"That is enough!" she yelled and brandished her spear. "I will not allow such disrespect coming from my own daughter!" and with those words spoken, she released a beam of light that struck Annabeth right on and made her loose her footing. She had just enough time to catch one last glimpse of Percy's worried face before she fell into his arms, a sure victim of the darkness that crept at the edges of her vision.
Well, as always, I would very much love to hear your thoughts so don't forget to share whatever sentiments you have (relating to the story of course, or, you know, if you just want to talk)
Goodbye, type you later! :)