Hello, all! Chapter 4 is here, and I hope you like it! Also, because I didn't say this earlier, I do not own any characters in this story unless otherwise specified. I did give the horse the name Ananke, but in Greek mythology, Ananke is the primordial goddess of necessity. So there's that.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
The first thing I heard when I woke up was my stepfather's loud grunt and the slamming of the front door. I flinched and sat up, desperately hoping that he was not coming up the stairs, perhaps to antagonize or yell at me. I slowly crept out of the warm, comfortable embrace of my bed, tiptoed over to the door, and slid it open, peering down the stairs for any sign of movement.
He was gone.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I shut the door and turned to gather up my belongings. I hadn't bothered to hang my cloak or my apron up on the proper hooks the night before, and to my dismay, both items lay in a discarded, wrinkled heap on my bedroom floor. I took my apron in my hands, sloppily dusted it off, and tied it tightly around my waist, securing it firmly in place. I slung my cloak over my right arm, slipped on my old shoes, and as I turned toward the door, I caught sight of the bracelet that I had constructed the night before. I picked the bracelet up, running my fingertips across the smooth surface of the blended strings, and twirling it around my finger a few times, eyeing the different colors.
I hope that Percy will like this, I thought to myself as I slid the bracelet into the pocket of my apron, pulled my hood over my head, and headed out of my room.
Being extremely careful not to make any noise, I snuck down the stairs, listening for the sound of Clarisse or Thalia. I didn't hear anything, so with a few more swift movements, I darted across the kitchen and out the front door. As soon as I was out, with the beginning rays of the rising sun shining in my eyes, my spirits lifted. The freedom that I felt, being able to wander and exist outside of my home, was pure ecstasy to me. There was no better feeling in the world than the feeling I got when I crossed that threshold every single morning, knowing that I was safe.
Within a few seconds of shutting the front door, I took off running for the castle, holding onto the bracelet in my apron pocket to ensure that it would not fall out. As I neared the castle, my heartbeat quickened significantly, and I became more nervous than I had been before. I was never really one for giving gifts, especially not to a prince, of all people. But he was more than just a prince to me. He was Percy, a prince of the Olympian Kingdom, an expert swordsman, an aspiring poet and writer, a talented horseback rider, and my very best friend in the whole world, whom I adored very much.
But it wasn't like I could actually tell him that.
I shook the thought from my head as I approached the back of the castle, clambering clumsily over the gate and letting myself into the kitchen. As usual, it was quiet and empty, and as usual, that was just how I preferred it to be. I gently hung up my cloak on the rack, grabbed a dry dish towel from the counter, and headed back to my bucket to finish the dishes from the previous night, when a sight next to the bucket stopped me in my tracks.
Jason Grace.
He looked extremely irritated, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his muscled chest, seemingly staring blankly at nothing. I cleared my throat loudly, and he broke out of his trancelike state. "So, you're here," he murmured quietly.
I nodded slowly. "Yes, of course I'm here, Jason. Why wouldn't I be here?"
Jason shrugged. "I heard that Percy let you leave early yesterday," he stated, ignoring my question altogether. "Why did he do that?"
"Well," I replied, "I wouldn't say 'early', per say."
"Why did he let you leave early?" Jason asked again. "He never lets you leave early."
"That's because I never ask him to let me leave early," I responded, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you so agitated about this, Jason? You get to leave early much more frequently than I do as it is."
Jason narrowed his eyes. "What did you tell him to get him to let you leave early?" he inquired, again ignoring my question. "Just tell me. What was it?"
I thought for a moment. If I told Jason that Percy allowed me to leave early, and I didn't ask him to, Jason would think that something odd was going on; Percy never did that for any of his other servants. So, instead of telling the truth, I simply shrugged. "I asked him to let me leave early, just once, and he obliged. What more is there for you to wonder about?"
Jason stared me down for a moment, his unblinking gaze making me feel extremely uncomfortable. For a split second, I thought he would continue arguing with me, but instead, he sighed. "Very well, Annabeth. Whatever you say."
I smiled nonchalantly at him, and he smirked. "Well, I'd better get back. Lots to attend to today, you know." With a wave of his hand, he strode across the kitchen and out the door without another word.
I sighed, shaking my head and wondering why he had felt the need to interrogate me about a matter so simple and unimportant. Though, at the moment, I decided against dwelling on our intense conversation, and I knelt down, rolled up the puffy sleeves of my dress, and got to work washing the remaining dishes.
(Percy)
"I'm sorry, sir, but His Majesty has requested your presence in the Great Hall this morning. And he will not take no for an answer, I'm afraid."
I groaned, rolling over onto my pillow and trying very hard to gather the strength to leave my bed and the warmth that it offered me. Nico, one of Luke's younger servants, had arrived at my door with a summons from my father, requesting that I go and meet with him, my mother, Luke, and my two uncles about something extremely important. And at that particular moment, I wanted nothing more than to bury myself underneath my array of blankets and pillows, hide myself from the rest of the world, and go back to sleep. "Can't they wait for a while? They told me yesterday that it wouldn't be until later in the day."
"I'm afraid not, sir," Nico mumbled uneasily. "The King said it was urgent."
I let out another groan. "Very well, Nico," I replied. "Inform my parents that I will be there shortly. I must ready myself, but I will come down soon."
"Yes, my lord," Nico answered, scrambling out of my room and shutting the door loudly behind him.
I sleepily rubbed my eyes and sat up, letting my eyes adjust to the sunlight that filled the entirety of the room. Slowly, I managed to drag myself out of bed, slip on my riding boots, and yank a dark blue button-up shirt over my head. I grabbed a riding satchel off of my nightstand and ruffled my messy hair, deciding that it wasn't worth it to try and straighten it out, and I left both my room and my bed in disarray as I headed toward the Great Hall.
The moment I entered the Great Hall, I noticed the faces of my parents, my brother, and my uncles, just like Nico had said. My mother stood up and approached me. "Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted me, giving me a light hug.
"Good morning, Mother," I replied. "Father. Luke. Uncles. How are you all today?"
Zeus rose from his chair and motioned for me to approach. "Percy, my boy," his voice boomed. "Come sit. We have a matter that we must discuss with you."
I nodded, taking a seat across from my father and taking a sweet roll from a basket atop the table. "Yes, I am aware, Father. You made that quite obvious when you sent Nico in to rouse me from a good night's sleep," I replied, my voice dripping with irritation.
"Now, Percy, we'll have none of that," Hades scolded, wagging his crooked finger at me. "Just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed doesn't mean that you must take out your vexation on the rest of us here."
My father glared at Hades. "Hush now, Hades," he grumbled. "There is no reason for you to reprimand Percy. He has done nothing wrong; he is simply agitated."
Hades merely shrugged and leaned back in his chair, a reproachful grin on his cloudy, bearded face. I tried my best to ignore him, and slowly began to place roll after roll in my satchel, hoping that no one would notice.
Zeus turned back to me. "Percy, your mother and I have been thinking," he began. "We've come to realize that as you've grown up, you've shown yourself to be a very honorable person. You treat others with kindness, but you also know where your duty lies. Those traits in and of themselves are extremely important when it comes to ruling, as well as being a part of a royal family. You've also accomplished quite a lot in your lifetime thus far, and you should certainly be commended for that. You are nearly eighteen years old, Percy. And we want to celebrate your coming of age, as well as your accomplishments, with a gala for your eighteenth birthday."
I raised an eyebrow. "Father, why would I want a gala for my eighteenth birthday?" I inquired. "Truly, what would be the point?"
"Just what he said," Luke interjected. "To celebrate your eighteenth birthday, and to show the kingdom how honorable and accomplished a person you are." I detected a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Indeed, my son," Hera added. "We believe it might be a great experience for you. And in addition, it's also a wonderful opportunity to meet your subjects. See who you represent, as part of this family. If memory serves, you don't go out into the kingdom often to interact with the locals."
"I don't feel the need to have more or less of a relationship with the commoners than I do now," I replied. "I'm not the King."
"But so many people have yet to meet you," Zeus informed me. "And once they do, they'll see what a wonderful and compassionate person you've become."
"Father, I really must protest," I insisted. "Not only do I feel that it's unnecessary, but I shouldn't have to be the one to inform you that parties and galas aren't exactly my scene. Think about it. How many times have I attended a party in the castle since I was a young boy?"
Hera sighed. "None," she murmured.
"Exactly," I said, my voice growing louder as I continued to speak. "There was obviously a reason why I didn't want to attend those, and I don't want to be a part of this one for the same reasons. I don't want to feel like I am being put on display so the kingdom can gawk at me. Father, please respect my wishes!"
Poseidon cleared his throat. "Oh, my brother. If the boy does not want a gala, you must honor his request. His opinion does matter, after all!" he added.
"But Percy, you don't understand!" Hera protested. "We really feel that you need to interact with people outside of these walls. If you're going to be King someday-"
"Mother, we've already been through this!" I cried in exasperation. "I don't want to be King! I never have! How many times must I repeat this? You and Father know I have never had even the smallest amount of interest in his throne. And besides, I'm not the firstborn. It's not even my birthright by law! That birthright is Luke's, and Luke's alone!"
"You are still a part of this royal family," Hades argued. "And as such, you will behave like a royal and acquiesce to your parents' requests!"
"Percy cannot be forced to take any action," Poseidon added, glaring sharply at Hades. "His rights are to be respected just as much as any other member of the royal family, so in fact-"
"SILENCE!"
The booming sound of Zeus' thunderous roar seemed to shake the walls of the Great Hall, and the scattered fixtures shook rather violently as well. The moment that Zeus shouted, every argumentative voice in the room ceased.
"Now, listen!" Zeus shouted angrily. "I understand that Percy should have his opinion heard, just like any one of you. But by the gods, he does not have a say in this particular matter. The gala is already in the works, and two nights from now, it shall happen as planned. And that decision is final! Do you understand?!"
My whole body shook uncontrollably with anger and fear. Though I badly wanted to say more to openly oppose my father's words, I decided that my best option at that very moment would be to refrain from chastising or renouncing him, and instead to hastily exit. I stood from my chair, looked my father straight in the eye, and said, "Do I understand? Yes. I understand that my own father doesn't care about my opinions. He doesn't even have the decency to talk with me firsthand. And he obviously hasn't considered how this will affect me. So, yes. I do understand. Now, please excuse me." And with that, I straightened up and strolled out of the room, not bothering to look back at him.
As soon as I was out of sight, my intense, stoic demeanor broke. I sat down on a dark green, leather-like couch in one of the neighboring rooms and put my head in my hands, becoming more anxious with each second that passed me by. I was so angry, scared, nervous, and confused by the whole situation, but I didn't have much time at all to think about it before I heard a knock on the wall outside.
Hera.
"Percy?" she asked gently. "May I come talk to you, please?"
I looked up. "Mother, I know why you're here. Don't bother asking me to go back and tell him that I'm fine, or that I have no problem with the gala. Because I won't do it."
My mother slowly approached me, and sat down on the other side couch. "I know this is hard for you, love," she murmured, gently patting my shoulder. "And I know this isn't what you want. But that's not why I've come to talk to you."
I glanced up at her. "Then why? Why are you here?"
A small smile crept onto my mother's cheerful face, and her eyes brightened. "I wanted to ask you about yesterday," she replied. "About your time with Annabeth."
The mention of Annabeth's name brought an involuntary smile to my face, and I blushed. "It was great," I answered. "We had such a wonderful afternoon."
Hera grinned. "How did she like the Lake of Eros?"
"Oh, she absolutely loved it," I said. "She remarked that she'd never seen such a beautiful place in all her life. I don't really find that hard to believe. You said yourself that she hasn't been able to venture far beyond the castle walls and experience places such as that."
"You're right," Hera said, nodding. "And it makes me happy to hear that she enjoyed it. I take it you did as well?"
"Indeed," I replied. "We swam in the Lake, we played, we climbed trees, we walked through the meadow, we picked fresh pears for lunch. Oh! And she rode a horse for the first time. It took her awhile to get used to it, but once she did, she loved it."
"I'm so glad to hear that," Hera said gently. "And it's great that you are enjoying your time with your handmaiden, Percy."
"I am," I agreed.
Hera touched my hand gently. "Percy," she said, her tone becoming slightly more solemn. "Believe me when I tell you that I do love that you have found a close friend in Annabeth. But you know how your father feels about companionships with people of lower status than yourself. And don't think of this as an attack on you, my son. I beg you. I do condone this friendship, and I want you to be happy. But you must not let yourself get too attached to her. Because if you do, there will be consequences that you will not like. Just keep yourself in check, and you will both be perfectly fine. Do you understand me?"
Though I was somewhat saddened by her words, I nodded. "Of course, Mother," I murmured. "You need not worry. I do understand. Now, I must be off. Annabeth had a task assigned to her this morning that she requested assistance with, and I want to make sure she learns how to do it the proper way."
Hera nodded. "Of course. Go on," she replied. I rose from the couch, and waved goodbye to her as I headed out the door.
(A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Some of the characters may be a bit out of character, but just know that it's for the plot's sake. Please feel free to review or PM me, whether it's with your questions or thoughts! Next chapter will be up soon! ~BlackthornUnicorn98)
