Sounds Severed

Annabeth hadn't really visited Atlantis much in the past. Her mother wasn't exactly a fan of King Poseidon, but the Royal family often had to pass through the city on their way to King Zeus' kingdom. It was fairly small compared to Delphi or Francisco. Annabeth looked around in amazement, as she always did while in the city. It was very much like the port in Francisco. The closer to the bay they got, the denser the crowd got. Annabeth could smell fish all around them and everyone dressed like fishermen.

"Lord Triton!" A woman yelled over the crowd, causing some heads to turn. The woman ran up to Annabeth 's group and fell to her knees, her head bowed. "It is blessed to meet you!" She then leaned forward and kissed Percy's feet. Annabeth looked up at Percy with an extremely confused look. He didn't return a look as he knelt down in front of the stranger.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm just his brother."

Brother?

"What?" Jason asked as the other seven rebels began whispering amongst themselves.

"I'll tell you later," Percy said slowly before turning back to the woman at his feet. Eventually, she stood, curtseying, and disappeared into the mass of people.

Percy then led the group through to the palace ahead of them, which sat on a large cliff overlooking the port. He could feel his friends staring at him, their eyes piercing through the back of his head. He wasn't too worried about what they thought of him. Well, except for Annabeth. He didn't know what he would do if she decided that his lie was too much. That she couldn't trust him anymore.

"Percy?" The boy nearly jumped when she spoke his name.

"Yeah?" Percy looked around to the Princess. She held onto his arm so that the others could go on ahead of them.

Percy couldn't breathe. Even in common clothes, she managed to take his breath away. What would he do if he lost her? She was so confident and powerful that he didn't know how people didn't recognize her. Of course, he was certain that some of that power was going to be directed negatively right at him at any moment.

"Are you Prince Perseus of Atlantis?" The question was something that he never thought he'd hear her ask him.

"Yes." His answer was a whisper. Annabeth frowned and looked away. Percy felt like his stomach was falling through to the other side of the earth.

"Okay."

Percy was shocked to say the least. He searched her eyes for answers.

"You're not mad?" He asked, extremely confused. Annabeth just smile sadly.

"We'll make it work. Just try not to like to me anymore, okay?" She took Percy's hand and squeezed reassuringly. Percy leaned forward and kissed the blonde curls on top of her head before wrapping his arms around her.

"Love you, Wise Girl."

"Love you, too, Seaweed Brain." The Princess pulled away after a minute. She took a deep breath before pointing up at the palace. "Lets go talk to your father."

The palace was much larger than Annabeth originally thought. Not only was it on top of the cliff, but it was built into the rock down to the beach. Immediately upon entering, the rebel group was showered with gifts and surrounded by strangers that Percy seemed to know.

"Your Highness, the King and Lord Triton are currently visiting King Zeus. They will be back in a few days," A man told Percy quickly. The boy nodded.

"Have some room ready for our guests. We'll wait for them to return." The man bowed his head several times.

"Will do. Will do. Will do," He repeated as he scurried off. Percy then turned to the small group of rebels.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was supposed to stay a secret until the right time. I guess that time will have to be now."

"Why did you keep this a secret?" Leo piped up.

Percy looked down at his feet. "When my father first heard about the ban on music, he sent me to Francisco to find out what exactly was going on. I ended up joining the rebels under the cover of a fisherman and met all of you." His eyes locked with Annabeth's. "There was no way that I could leave you and I couldn't reveal myself without getting Atlantis dragged into a war with Frederick."

"You could have at least told us," Reyna said as she put her hands on her hips.

"And what would h=you have had me do? Try to convince my father to go to war? Reveal myself and possibly endanger us all?" His green eyes flashed. "Of course, I couldn't do that. I care about my people as much as Annabeth cares about hers." Percy stalked away. Annabeth looked as though she were going to chase after him, but hesitated.

"Reyna, you and Nico should go back to Delphi. Tell the others we have an audience with Poseidon. Tell them they can meet us here or stay in Delphi." The two nodded as Annabeth ran after Percy. The remaining five watched Reyna and Nico leave the palace before going off to do their own thing. Hazel and Frank ran off to explore the cliffs while Leo headed straight for the forgeries. Jason and Piper were left alone to wander the palace.

"Gosh, I can't believe that Percy is a prince. It's just so unbelievable," Jason said with a laugh.

"Yeah, unbelievable," Piper repeated quietly. Jason took her hand as they walked through a courtyard. A fountain sat in the middle of it. Light reflected off the water, creating rippling shadows on the walls around it. Piper found it incredibly beautiful, better than her own garden at home. Of course, her family wasn't royalty.

"Poor Annabeth. The least he could have done was tell her. I can't imagine how betrayed she must feel."

His words struck deep with Piper as they sat down on a stone bench by the fountain.

"So what. He had a reason not to tell her. I respect his decision," Piper said quietly, a little annoyed. Jason laughed.

"Maybe. I don't know. I'd be pretty upset. I tell you everything." He kissed her cheek lightly as Piper's heart dropped. "We need to be here for each other. Especially with the little one on the way." He leaned back and looked into her eyes. The adoration she saw in them was too much. She looked away.

"Not everything surely."

"Piper." He took her chin between his fingers and turned her face towards him. "I love you too much not to show my entire self to you. You should know that."

"Jason..."

"Piper, I'd never lie to you, you know that. I am not hiding anything from you."

"Jason-"

"I would never hurt you-"

"It's just the opposite, Jason!" She blurted, her frustration clear in her tone. Jason sat back, confused.

"What are you talking about, Pipes?"

The tears started flowing before she could say anything. Jason had a sickening feeling as she finally did meet his eye.

"I haven't told you the entire truth. About me. About my life. About my past." Jason took her hands in his.

"Then tell me. You can trust me. I will love you no matter what you have done."

Piper shook her head. "You don't know anything. It was all a lie from the moment we met." She stood, looking like she would rather be anywhere else.

"Piper, why? Why would you lie to me? Don't you trust me?" The blond asked, his voice full of hurt. When she looked back at him, the pain was too clear in his eyes.

"I can't tell you, Jason."

The boy stood quietly. He didn't say a word as he walked out of the courtyard. Piper couldn't bring herself to run after him. She knew in her heart that she didn't deserve him.