Hi everyone! I know that it's been absolutely forever. I'm so sorry! Regardless, enjoy the chapter and check out the A/N at the end.

Chapter 11

"A strong friendship doesn't need daily conversation, doesn't need togetherness, as long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends will never part…"

-Unknown

Helen harshly yanked the loose thread she found on the Athena statue that led from the royal chambers to the main palace, nearly ripping it out. She stormed out of the corridor and into the throne room to have a word with her husband about letting what she called "Corinthian scum" into the house, even if he was to marry the King's daughter. The Corinthians were supposedly kind people who cared for everyone, but this was Athens. This was Athena's kingdom, and Poseidon's spawn were not welcome, no matter their intentions, nor their invitation.

However, as much she hated the Corinthians, she hated Annabeth more. The girl was the literal spawn of the Gods, making her not only beautiful, but also smart and brave. Which left Helen with seething jealousy and competition for throne, not ideal qualities for the Queen of Greece's finest kingdom, second only to Corinth. And this jealously was what led her to poisoning the King's mind, convincing him to lock away his first born, his little girl, and leave her to the servants, with no attention from the King whatsoever.

And now, she has to travel miles upon miles to Corinth just to attend the wedding of a woman she wished nothing better than death for. How wonderful. But as much as Helen hated the idea of Annabeth receiving power, whatever its form may be, she was awfully glad to get her wretched step-daughter out of her palace. Sure, she had never really interacted with the girl more than a few times. Once she'd convinced Frederick to isolate Annabeth because she was an illegitimate child who could tarnish his reputation, there were but three or four instances in which the Queen met with the young princess. All of them being quite short and pointed. And all of which Helen had taken advantage of, screaming at the girl to go back to her room and stay out of a place where she wasn't welcome.

And despite the immense jealousy Helen held for Annabeth, there was a small part of her, a tiny sliver, one she would most definitely not admit to, that wanted to get to know her young step-daughter. The one she'd tried to throw out of the palace on multiple occasions. But that little bit of good in her would disappear the second Helen thought of the girl's mother. The mother of her husband's child. The actual Olympian Goddess herself. How in Hades could a simple mortal woman, one who reigned from a small Greek kingdom that Frederick was forced to make peace with, compete with an actual Olympian Goddess? The guardian of their kingdom. The wisest woman to ever have graced the Earth and the Heavens. Of course, she knew that Annabeth was a brain child and that Frederick and Athena were never truly in a relationship, but the fact that a Goddess' daughter lived under the same roof as her still ate at her insides.

However, no matter how angry she was with her life, she still had to attend a wedding. And she didn't really mind outshining the bride. Helen was considered extremely beautiful to all those who laid eyes on her. She had sleek, straight black hair that fell to her waist and large brown eyes, often coated in layers of thick lining like those of the Egyptians. Her skin was without a flaw and glowed in the light of candles and in Apollo's rays. She had a slim figure, one that every woman who saw her envied. All eyes are on her as she walks into the room. In all honesty, her reputation was based solely on her astonishing beauty. And the worst part, she was very aware of it. And very proud of it.

Regardless, Helen stomped into the throne with the full intention of scolding her husband, only to find him waiting alongside a very handsome young man with beautiful sea green eyes and naturally disheveled black hair. It was men like this who made her wonder why she married a man like Frederick, who was good looking in his age, but didn't age as well as she'd hoped. She supposed it was her step-daughter's betrothed. She took a good look at him, taking in all of the features. He was much too handsome to marry Annabeth. The girl was too raggedy, too skinny. Her eyes were stormy, and she always looked angry. She would never be able to keep the future King of Corinth happy. But because the wedding was purely for diplomatic reasons, she straightened up, and strode towards the prince with the composure of a Goddess.

"Prince Perseus, a pleasure to make your acquaintance"

-Ω-

Sally stood staring in disbelief at the two Gods that stood in front of her. She'd gotten used to visits from Poseidon and even Athena, especially of late. But these two, to visit her, of all people. It certainly was shaping up to be an interesting day.

The woman who stood in front of her had thick, wavy brown hair that reached her mid back and bright eyes whose color couldn't be placed. Her eyes had been elegantly coated with kohl and ash. Her lips were a dark red and her nose was pierced, holding a small ring that held a silver gemstone. She wore a wine-colored dress that fell to her ankles and heels that were way too high to be comfortable. The man who stood by her was considerably shorter than her and was in a simple white tunic. He had curly and short brown hair. He had a bronze helmet resting on his head and white shoes that had small, bronze wings. In comparison, he didn't look like half the God she was.

"Queen Sally of Corinth, an honor to meet a mortal as wise and honorable as you," the Goddess said, giving Sally an approving glance.

Sally bowed at the Gods and expressed her confusion at the visit.

"I've learned to expect Lord Poseidon and Lady Athena when I see flashes of light nowadays, but I was not informed of this visit. Lady Aphrodite, Lord Hermes, is there something wrong?"

"Queen Sally of Corinth, though we wish we are here on a more pleasant note, but that is unfortunately not the case. Your son will be marrying Princess Annabeth of Athens in two days, as I am very aware-" Hermes was interrupted by a little clap and squeal from Aphrodite.

Rolling his eyes, Hermes delivered the rest of his news, "Anyway, this union will be the cause of many controversies throughout the country. Though I personally find this engagement to be one of the greatest in all of history, and Aphrodite most certainly agrees with me, arrogant humans who surround your kingdom, especially those in Crete and even extending past your country's borders, may not be as happy with the arrangement. The uniting of the two of the most powerful kingdoms in all of Greece may come off as a threat to the less commanding kingdoms."

Sally was taken aback by the amount of information that was thrown at her in the short moments following the Olympians' arrival.

"My Lord, are you alerting me to call off the wedding? With all due respect, the wedding is in a little more than 48 hours, and it is 1 AM. Too much effort has gone into this wedding to have it disbanded now. If this was the case, why choose now to inform me? Annabeth, Perseus, and the rest of the guests from Athens are leaving in 7 hours. It is much too late to send them a message!"

Aphrodite was quick to clarify Hermes' message, "Sally, my dear, there is absolutely no need to jump to conclusions. Hermes and I are here only to inform you. Even if Zeus tried to cancel the wedding, I never would have let him. I most definitely will see Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase be wed."

Sally let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "My Lady, what do you suggest I do to prevent these threats, other than cancel the wedding?"

"There does not exist a way to prevent a future which has not been destined by an oracle. We are not sure of the certainty of a war or even a small battle in your near future. We only come to advise you. We Olympians are also subjected to the rumor mill. These are mere cautions that we are providing you with."

"Lady Aphrodite, war has always been at our forefront, how does this battle differ from every other prospect that has been placed in front of us in the past?"

"This time, the Olympians may have to get involved. Ares himself has found this impending future unappealing, and he normally would be salivating at the idea," Aphrodite replied, with a small laugh.

"How do we prepare for the battle with so many of our resources being thrown into the wedding?", asked Sally, already thinking of every alternative that could be used to solve the problem that the Gods has posed.

"Go on with the wedding, but once the Crown Prince and his wife return from the tour of the city, be certain to escort them to Delphi. Apollo is off dealing with matters in distant hands, so he will not be able to attend to prophetic duties, but he has left the finest Oracle known to man and God alike to keep everything in order. She will be able to advise your son and his wife on how to deal with the impending threat your kingdom faces."

Sally simply nodded, already running through several battle strategies to pitch to her General, in the case of war.

"On that note, it's time we took leave. We wish you well in the preparations. We'll see you at the wedding."

Sally bowed and turned away as the Gods took their full form and left the palace.

Navigating herself to the nearest seat, Sally fell back into a small couch located in the corner of the room and let out a deep breath. As if her life wasn't crazy enough, she was now victim to random visits from Gods about the impending doom of her kingdom. Oh, wasn't palace life just a joy.

-Ω-

Frederick saw to the loading of the last of his baggage and climbed onto his mount. Not far behind him were Matthew and Robert, followed by a palanquin carrying Helen and her handmaid. The family would be travelling through the heart of Athens to greet their people before making the journey to Corinth, hence their early departure. Annabeth and Percy agreed to visit the Athenians after they had gotten married and were settled in, and were departing later with Piper, Grover, Malcolm, and Chiron.

Frederick directed the guards to open the gates and start ahead. As they proceeded down the pathways leading into the city, the King kept himself several paces ahead of his sons and his wife. Amidst all the preparations for the wedding, it had been hard for him to get time alone to think. And with his number one confidant was busy spending time with Annabeth, helping her get ready, he'd had no one to talk to recently. Malcolm had always been awfully close to the Princess. Frederick was unaware of the reason behind this connection. It felt like family bond to him, but Malcolm's father wasn't related to the King and his mother had died soon after she gave birth, as far as he had heard.

He'd asked Malcolm to accompany him on his trip to the city, but the official had flat out refused. Though the King had always opened up to Malcolm and had treated him like a son, the young man kept himself tight-lipped. The advisor seemed cold whenever speaking to the King, as if Frederick had sinned unrepentantly. The clueless king didn't put much thought into Malcolm's behavior. He never once connected it to his treatment of his daughter, Malcolm's beloved half-sister, because unbeknownst to Frederick, Annabeth was Malcolm's top confidant.

The thought of Annabeth's relationship with Malcolm led Frederick into thoughts about the wedding. Percy was a fine young man and would be a wonderful King. And though Annabeth was the rightful heir to the throne of Athens, her husband would be the real ruler, which provided Frederick with an immense amount of relief. The girl, though trained by the greatest brain and the greatest brawn in all of Greece, as well as being blessed by all the Gods, may prove to be reckless in her ways.

For that reason, Frederick tried time and time again to hand over the kingdom to his son, Matthew, who was responsible, brave, and smart. But upon receiving threats from Athena, and Matthew and Robert's rejection of the throne, he was left with no choice but to name Princess Annabeth Chase the heir to the throne. Sure, the girl was his daughter, though produced by Athena herself, she was half of him. She had his stubbornness, his leadership, and his love for architecture.

Frederick remembered her love for building blocks and puzzles when she was a child. He would sit with her and play in between meetings and appointments. During the meetings, she'd sit on a small throne beside his and entertain the children of the court officials or the children of the villagers who came to the King with concerns. Her wisdom was the charm of hundreds of stories told throughout the kingdom and was spread through the other Greek cities. The people found hope in the daughter of Athena. The Goddess had trusted the King with her daughter. That had to mean he was a good man. One of honesty and integrity. One who would love his people like his family. One who would raise his daughter to be the best Queen the country would ever see.

The King had once hoped to live up to these expectations. He made plans to give Annabeth the best possible education she could receive. Shower her with so much love. Find a man to rule by her side, one who was worthy of her, one who could love her as much as he had.

But all those hopes went down the drain once a King from a small Greek kingdom threatened war on Athens unless Frederick married the man's daughter. Reluctantly, Frederick agreed, not wanting any harm to come to his daughter. Though it had been a small kingdom, their military power was unmatched. They were feared by many other kingdoms in Greece. Yet, the nerve to challenge a kingdom like Athens had to come with insane confidence and power. So Frederick was left with no choice but to marry the woman and create a treatise with the other kingdom. However, Helen turned out to be the poison that Frederick had been trying to avoid. Once she gave birth to her twin sons, she demanded that Annabeth be given minimal attention. The woman's persuasion was extremely powerful as she made an argument about Annabeth being an illegitimate child who would set a bad example for the people.

With a heavy heart, the King moved the little girl to a room far away from the chambers of the royal family. She was given food in her room and was not welcome to any family gatherings. She made the occasional appearance at a big gala or during the Olympian festival merely to appease Athena, who had directed her attention towards other matters. Even Annabeth's education had been halted. However, Chiron, the trainer of heroes, disobeyed the orders of the King and continued teaching the young girl. Because no one cared for her whereabouts, she was free to train at any time. Frederick had once caught the girl sword fighting with Chiron, but he had let it slide, warning them to stay out of Helen's sight.

It was with this free time that Annabeth had gained such a closeness with nearly every court official, palace servant, and military official. She would sit alongside the general as he directed the soldiers in their training, and he would let her direct them on occasion. She would keep the servants company as they cleaned, and though they vehemently refused her help, she would clean along with them. She would spend time in the kitchens when Helen was not present and would get the first taste of every meal that was prepared for the royals.

She had won the hearts of everyone who inhibited the palace, which was what made it tremendously difficult for Frederick to send her away to Corinth. No one wanted her to go. They knew they would have to face the wrath of Helen and there wouldn't be a young girl there to get them through it. She had promised them that she would come back, but the likelihood of her keeping that promise was low. And everyone knew it.

Frederick knew that he had made many mistakes in his time, and he was aware of the influence Helen had had on his treatment of his first born, but at this moment, as he was headed off towards her wedding, where he would be sending her miles and miles away, to possibly never see her again, he felt the weight of his sins. Regret pooled in his heart and it panged to spend more time with his little girl, the future Queen of Corinth. But he knew his time for repent had passed. He knew that her forgiveness was no longer something he could win. He would have to live out the rest of his life knowing that he mistreated his daughter. That he shut her away for 15 years and kept her in the dark, quite literally. It had been done. There was no reversing it. And he would have to live with that.

Hey! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. So much has happened in the last few weeks, so I wasn't able to keep up with the writing. But I will try and get another chapter up sorta soon.

We got to see the softer side of Frederick here and take a look at Annabeth's childhood. Also, what do you think the war means for Percabeth?

The next chapter will most likely be the wedding, or at least the beginning of it. I know you guys have waited so long for it, so I thought it might be time.

Keep your guesses coming for who She may be. I won't deny or confirm the guesses from last time. But some of you came close.

Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Love,

-AnnabethGinevraJacksonPotter