Hey everyone! I know it's been a really long time, but I hope I can make it up to you with a much longer chapter than usual. Check out the A/N below for a few quick announcements. Till then, Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"The life given us by nature is short, but the memory of a life well spent is eternal."

-Cicero

Piper knocked on the door of Annabeth's chambers, and quietly let herself in when her calls were not answered. Slowly entering the room, she scanned the room for the soon-to-be Crown Princess of Corinth. She found the princess sitting in her desk in the far corner of the room, rapidly scribbling something down on a piece of parchment and muttering under her breath. Slightly concerned by Annabeth's nervous behavior, Piper approached the anxious princess.

"Annabeth, is everything alright? How was your meeting with Prince Perseus?"

Annabeth jumped back in her seat and let out a deep breath when she saw the familiar figure standing above her chair, "Piper, oh Gods, you scared the Hades out of me. The meeting was quite interesting, I'm not sure everything is fine."

Piper led Annabeth over to her bed and the two sat down to discuss the details of the Princess' earlier meeting with her fiancé.

Annabeth quickly began listing off every negative aspect of the Prince, and went on for a solid three minutes before Piper interrupted her. "Annabeth, remember, a princess is brave, a princess is kind, a princess is strong, both in the heart and mind. Be positive for a few minutes and go off on it."

Piper was more of a proper princess than Annabeth had ever been. Piper's grandfather had been the King of Sparta, but her father renounced the throne wanting a less powerful role. So, he settled for a minister in the Athenian court. However, Piper was still properly trained in case she wanted to take over the crown. But she too distanced herself from the royal title and decided to serve Annabeth instead. Sparta was very far from Athens, and she couldn't bear to be that far from her father and her friend. And yet, that never stopped her from advising Annabeth on anything and everything related to being a lady.

Annabeth took a breath and straightened up on the bed, "Well, he isn't bad to look at. Actually, he's the best-looking man I've ever seen… Not that I would know. I haven't left castle borders for years. Either way, he also cares about his mother very much, so he lives in a loving environment, which I desperately need after twenty-one years in this prison. He respects my boundaries, which is absolutely wonderful. My biggest concern with this arrangement was that he would be a bad person, and luckily, he isn't. But there's something very, very wrong in the way he interacted with me. His eyes were filled with grief, even when he smiled. Every time he looked I said something that was vaguely headstrong, he looked like he was going to faint. I don't know what exactly happened, but it seems like he has recently lost somebody who he loved more than anything. If it was romantic or platonic or familial, I couldn't tell. But I know there was a loss, and he has definitely taken it hard.

"Whatever this loss may be, I feel as if it might be the reason for his coldness towards me. I tried to be kind, but you are aware of my instinctual behavior. I am not naturally kind, having been brought up in this harsh environment. I tend to put many walls up, ones that are difficult to bypass, and it takes time to break them down. Prince Perseus kept his interactions with me at a minimum. He told me about himself, but the information I received was limited. His mother, Queen Sally, is a kind woman, his stepfather, Queen consort Paul, is also kind. He is twenty-one, a month younger than I am, and he is the Crown Prince of Corinth. And that was the end to the information that the Prince graced me with. I was left in the dark about his source of grief. Hopefully, I will find out soon enough."

Piper sat listening to Annabeth as she continued to speak of the Prince and his odd behavior. She tuned out the princess and began thinking of her future in Corinth. Yes, she would miss her father, but Corinth was not terribly far from Athens, and if all goes well she would be able to see her father fairly often. Not forgetting that she would definitely have a better life in Corinth. Even though she was the heir to the Spartan throne, because she chose to be Annabeth's attendant, she was treated just as Annabeth was. But in Corinth, her quality of life would be drastically increased. Corinth was also closer to Corinth, though it was still very far away. If she wanted to visit her childless uncle and aunt, the King and Queen of Sparta, it would be easier. Still a week-long journey, and very unlikely, but it wasn't out of the question.

"Piper? Are you listening?" Annabeth's voice pulled Piper out of daydreams and unfortunately, back into reality.

-Ω-

Percy settled into the guest chambers that King Frederick had presented him with once he emerged from his meeting with the latter's daughter. It was a nice, comfortable space with a large bed, a shelf of scrolls and manuscripts, and elegant works of arts carefully and precisely placed on the walls. The prince was told that his chamber was located in the main wing of the palace, on the lower floor, just one passageway away from the royal family. When he has asked about where he could find Annabeth to discuss any further arrangements, Frederick had gestured vaguely to the upper floor, dismissing her location as 'somewhere up there'. Percy, slightly infuriated by Frederick's lack of attentiveness towards his daughter, maintained his composure and nodded before returning to his room.

A wary glance at his surroundings allowed him to let his guard down and change into his night clothes. It was very late, and he needed to rest for the following morning, where he would meet the rest of the royal family and would be talking to some of the court officials.

As he discarded his robes, he heard a knock at his door. Quickly putting on some decent apparel, Percy walked towards the door and opened it very slightly. To his surprise, Grover Underwood, Percy's good friend and Corinth official, stood admiring the elegant wall décor. Upon noticing the prince, Grover straightened and addressed him.

"Perseus, may I come in? I have some important information to share with you."

Percy nodded groggily, slightly pissed that he wouldn't be able to get the sleep he wanted. Nevertheless, he let Grover in and took a seat on the bed.

Grover sat down next to the prince and gave him a sympathetic glance, "There are a few things you should know before your meetings tomorrow, but first, what do you think of Annabeth?". Grover had known Annabeth for a long time since he was actually an Athenian guard at the palace before he was transferred to Corinth because Annabeth had grown up and needed a female chambermaid/ assistant. He had been overjoyed when Percy had told him that Annabeth was the princess that he was arranged to marry. But he had also given Percy a careful warning about treating the princess with respect and dignity, and Percy wouldn't dare overlook those words of advice.

Percy was careful to watch his wording so he wouldn't offend Grover in anyway. "She's beautiful, that's for sure. But she's very commanding. If I was to take the throne, I have a strong feeling that she would quickly take charge. Not that that's a bad thing," Percy quickly corrected himself upon receiving a pointed look from his friend.

"But my real issue with this arrangement is that she has a very familiar aura. Too familiar for me to even fathom. Grover, Annabeth reminds me so much of Her. And since I lost Her, I haven't been the same, and you're well aware of that. It's hard without Her. I was 18, still a child when I lost Her. But time hasn't healed this wound. And Annabeth is strong, and brave, and beautiful, and having a figure like her won't help me forget or move on. I'll be dwelling on the past forever."

Percy's voice broke, and a lone tear slid down his cheek. "I don't want to do this Grover. It's all too much. I loved her so, so much. And she's gone. And it's because of me. I couldn't face Charles for over a year because I was too filled with guilt. He was so strong about it. But I wasn't. And I don't know if I ever will be. Going through with this arrangement is my duty, and my duty to my kingdom is more important that my emotions, and I understand that. I'm just unsure as to how I'll handle this."

Grover was taken aback by his friend's sudden emotional breakdown. Perseus Jackson, Crown Prince of Corinth, was one of the strongest men that Grover knew when it came to emotions. He could hold every ounce of anger without bursting. Hold every tear in without letting them flow. Hold every desire in without exploding. Even Grover, one of the Prince's closest friends, hadn't seen Percy tear up. Hadn't heard Percy's voice crack. At least, not since She died.

Taking a deep breath, Percy pulled Grover out of his thoughts. "Either way, what did you come here to tell me," said Percy, regaining his regality and composure.

Grover, reassured by Percy's return to normalcy, began telling Percy of everything he had experienced during his meeting with the Athenian officials.

-Ω-

Athenian Royal Court

Malcolm Pace was the most prominent advisor in the entire Athenian royal court, with the exception of his father. He had helped the King make most of the important decisions in regards to warfare and dealing with the peasantry. He had actually been the one to suggest easing relations with Corinth to Frederick. There was a greater enemy on the way, and fighting them would require immense amounts of manpower. Having Corinth by their side would make it much easier to join forces and fight with a united front against those with malicious intentions.

However, as well versed with the court as Malcolm was, there was one issue that his interference and input had no worth. And that was in the case of Annabeth. Malcolm was 5 years older than Annabeth and had been working at the palace since he was 18. Unbeknownst to the King, Malcolm too was a child of Athena, though his grey eyes, a dead giveaway of Athenian lineage, were hidden between pools of blue, making it easier for him to disguise his true heritage.

Malcolm's father, Minister Pace, had been working for the King for nearly 25 years, which definitely helped Malcolm make his way up the ladder of the courts. And though it may have been considered nepotism, court officials and others who worked under the Athenian royal family loved him so much that they let it slide. Minister Pace had actually been the one who Frederick had confided in when Annabeth was delivered to him. All of Athens knew of the young girl's true mother, and had tried their hardest to visit the palace, but Frederick refused to let anyone near his precious little girl.

That night was vividly ingrained in Malcolm's mind. His father had come home and told him that he had a little sister. Malcolm had been absolutely elated before finding out that she was actually the princess and he couldn't visit her. He found his way around this little obstacle, figuring out a way to visit with the princess when she turned three.

Malcolm remembered Annabeth crying into his shoulder when she found out her dad was getting married. She said Helen was nice, but she didn't want a mom that would take her away from her dad. Grover and Malcolm had sat with the girl when she was moved out of her large and well-furnished chamber into the upper floor of the castle.

Minister Pace would bring home stories of how the King was changing. How Helen would say terrible things about Annabeth and Athena in the court, and all the courtiers would have to listen with their heads down. How the King had begun to ignore his daughter, the girl who had been his most precious little baby.

Malcolm was enraged by all these stories and when he turned 15, he thought it was about time he told Annabeth the truth about their relation. He told her of their mother, who he had always wished to meet. He told her about what her father said, about what her step-mother said. Annabeth had wept for an hour before suddenly drying every last tear. She then swore she would show Helen what she was really worth. Show her father who he had messed with. Malcolm was a constant by her side, along with Grover.

But when the time came for Grover to leave to Corinth, Annabeth begged him not to go. However, her father ordered Grover away, and that was the end of the ordeal. So, when Grover came back as the representative of Annabeth's betrothed, Malcolm was elated to see his good friend.

The Athenian official told his former coworker of Helen's increasing torment of Annabeth, and of Annabeth's close relationship to Matthew and Robert. Malcolm warned Grover that Prince Perseus may not be treated with the utmost respect by Helen, who may have been married to the King for fourteen years, but still hadn't developed any manners whatsoever. He also informed Grover that Matthew and Robert would have to be spoken with separately, because their mother was definitely evil's incarnation, but the boys loved their sister very much.

But finally, as their meeting wrapped up, Malcolm turned to his friend, face tight and eyes wary, and whispered, "Make sure he takes care of her."

-Ω-

Sally scrambled around the Corinthian palace, attending to every possible preparation for the wedding. There were only four days until the nuptials of her only son, and in the Queen's mind, everything had to be in precise order, placed with perfection. She had even gone as far as to invite her nephews from Lemnos to help organize guest lists and seating arrangements. Her niece and nephew from Olympia were brought over to decorate the palace. She set her husband to ready chambers for the Princess and for King Frederick who would come by for the wedding.

Travel arrangements, sleeping arrangements, seating arrangements, and every other kind of arrangement was being taken care of in Corinth. The peasantry, all of whom were invited to watch a portion of the wedding, were in the midst of finding their fanciest and most elegant garments. Others had volunteered to head certain departments of preparations because the Queen had even roped government officials into helping her.

She spent hours and hours rushing from one end of the palace to another, directing objects, supervising officials, and heavy lifting furniture. All preparations were full swing. She had had the in-palace cleaners and maids mop and wax every floor, and as she wasn't afraid to gets her hands dirty, the Queen herself joined in, dusting, sweeping, and washing. She tended to the palace and the preparations with a keen, sharp eye.

By the end of the day, the tired, but proud Queen returned to her chambers for some well-deserved and much needed rest. She entered her wardrobe and began to change into more casual robes. After quickly tidying up her room, she exited and made her way down several grand staircases and passageways before arriving in the palace kitchen. She grabbed a packet of fresh milk, delivered to the palace that morning from the royal farmyard, from the icebox, and started a small, contained fire to boil it.

She heard a soft noise behind her, but dismissed it as a servant or palace worker making their way up to their room for the night. Mind wrapped up in the upcoming wedding, she also missed the sudden flash of light. It wasn't until the soft footsteps approaching her were heard that she addressed the visitor.

"Hello, how may I help y-," the Queen froze as she turned around. Her mouth fell open with disbelief of the two figures who stood within a few feet, towering above her…

I hope you all liked it!

You met a character who wasn't given a name, but was countlessly spoken about. She will be a very important character, and I wanted to give you guys a chance to take a guess at her identity- I won't say if she is in the books, or if she's an OC. Leave a review with a guess and how she was linked to Percy, and I might respond to it. There's one big clue in the chapter. See if you can find it!

Also, there is a poll on my profile. Be sure to head over there and vote!

Thank you for your patience and your support!

Love,

-AnnabethGinevraJacksonPotter