Annabeth,

I looked at my sister in the full -length mirror.

She looked so beautiful, just like our mother had in that dress.

It was simple, to the horror of Olivia.

The white fabric was more of just hanging on her, with a metal belt in the middle to show her curves. It was a V-neck, which Olivia had used to her advantage by making Olympia wear a complicated ruby necklace that was a gift from Alexander for her birthday. The gown may have been simple, but Olympia looked like a goddess in it.

Her long brown hair had been calmed down into a magnificent up-do, curtsey of our annoying stepmother. And her grey eyes shone with the white dress. To match the ruby ring Alexander had given her, they had put little touches of red around.

Like the red carnation of her bouquet.

The ruby rose hair pins.

The drop-down ruby earrings that our mother had been given as a gift for her first anniversary.

And the lace veil that Azabella had made with the help of our mother for little Olympia to play with, though she never actually did play with it, was held in pace behind her head with a red headdress.

"What do you think, Annie?" Olympia smiled wide.

For the first time, it didn't feel unfair for her to be happy about her upcoming wedding. Instead, it felt right.

My sister had never been this happy. She was always upset about how people treated her lesser just because she was a girl. Or about how annoying being a princess can be. And she was always thinking of the one person who truly understood her and who was oh so far away, our mother.

She deserved this more than anyone else. Olympia deserved to be happy, and I was finally able to see that.

"You look beautiful, Olympia," I smiled, and Olympia looked back to herself in the mirror while Azabella continued to weave my hair with a red carnation pin.

This morning, Olivia had woken everyone in the castle up, even Percy this time.

We were all given jobs.

Eli was to help calm down our father.

Percy was the messenger between Alexander's wedding party and Olympia's.

Thalia was sent out to pick more flowers.

And I was supposed to calm down the bride.

If anything, Olympia was taking it the best. So, instead of my older sister, I was soothing everyone else. I had hugged Azabella more times than I had hugged her in years. I was forced to wash off Olivia's make-up after she started crying and ruined it. I had to usher my father out of the room when he started crying, and I had to keep finding jobs for Jason to do before he got that cookie I had my eyes on but hadn't gotten a chance to get to yet.

And, if it was at all possible, Olivia had made my job harder by trying to teach me what it would be like at my upcoming wedding.

It would be a relief when they would finally say "I Do" and this would all be over.

"Annabeth?"

I mentally groaned as I looked up at Olivia.

"Do you think we should switch out this this metal thing," Olivia toyed with the silver waistband on Olympia's dress, "for a red ribbon?"

My eyes widened, and Olympia's mouth formed an 'O'.

Azabella, seeing I was too shocked for words, spoke for me.

"Their mother melted down the sword that had caused her to meet their father to create that belt."

"I forgot," Olivia took her hand off the belt, "I'm going to check on your father."

Even after Olivia left, we didn't speak.

"You're done, Sweetheart," Azabella whispered in my ear, and I picked up two cookies before sitting down by the window beside my sister.

"Cookie?"

"Peanut butter?"

I smiled as I nodded, and my sister took one of the cookies from my hand.

"Azabella makes the best cookies," Olympia kept her eyes on the cookie in her hand.

"And she'll make them for us at our daughter's wedding," I smiled at my sister, and she weakly smiled back.

"She's not here yet, you know?" Olympia looked up to me, and I didn't see my twenty year old sister who was the strongest of all of us.

I saw the twelve year old girl who used to watch the sky, waiting for Zeus to let our mother come home again,

"She promised she would come, Annie."

"And she will," I squeezed my sister's hand.

We didn't see our mother much.

She is a goddess after all, and gods see time much differently. A year to us is a blink of an eye to them. And, considering how other gods treat their demigod children, Athena sees us all the time. That doesn't mean that it feels fair or that it makes it okay.

That's why we all remember our mother's promise that she would come to Olympia's wedding, no matter what.

"The wedding hasn't started yet. And, while she may not be able to come to the ceremony, I know she'll be here for the reception."

I sounded so confident, so sure.

But my fears were starting to set in just like Olympia's.

"I love you, Annie," Olympia ignored Olivia's warnings about how it would ruin my hair and leaned over to hug me tightly.

I had never really hugged my sister much.

Neither of us were huggers at all.

So, when we hugged, it was usually awkward.

But not this time.

This time it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Percy,

I handed Annabeth a drink as she finally let herself relax after everything she had to do today.

The wedding went perfectly.

The music played at the perfect volume as everyone came down the aisle.

Olympia looked beautiful in her mother's wedding gown, and her father forced his tears away for the time when he kissed his daughter goodbye and sat down in his seat.

And it was clear that, as Alexander and Olympia said "I Do",they were the happiest people in the world today.

I had to admit that I wanted that.

I had tried to keep myself busy to not think of that, but it kept coming back.

"Thanks," Annabeth smiled at me as she took the drink, and I forced myself away from my dreams.

"Is your mother here yet?" I asked, knowing I'd have to leave as soon as she got here.

"No, she's going to break Olympia's heart."

Annabeth sighed, and I wrapped my arm around her as we continued to stare out to the stars reflecting off the dark blue ocean.

It was a beautiful night, as if the gods had made sure of that just for Olympia.

"Uh, Annabeth?"

She looked up at me.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

Annabeth knit her eyebrows in confusion.

"What's wrong, Percy?"

What's wrong?

Everything really.

But I wasn't going to list everything like that.

I had one thing to tell her.

Three words actually.

I love you.

I was about to tell her after all these long years.

Note the was.

Suddenly, there was s sudden heat and gold light behind us.

Dang it.

I turned around to see exactly what I was afraid of.

"Mom," Annabeth smiled as she rushed to hug her mother.

Athena hadn't taken the same form that she had when she had been married to King Frederick. But she still reminded me of Annabeth.

Her long hair was black and tied in a bun behind her. Skin was a dark tan, and she was taller than she had been before. She dressed in all purple.

Purple ribbons.

Purple dress.

Purple shoes.

Purple jewels.

But her eyes were always the same intelligent grey that all of her children had inherited.

I bowed respectfully to the Goddess of Wisdom, but I could still feel her agitation for me. Whether if it was for my father only or because I had fallen for her daughter, I didn't know. But I did know it was there.

And that it made me want to cower behind Annabeth.

They continued to talk like mother and daughter do, and I realized that I wasn't going to get to tell Annaberh tonight.

Another day wasted.

"Olympia really wants to see you," Annabeth smiled at her mother, forcing tears away.

And off they went with that.

I sighed as I turned back to the waves breaking over the shore, as if my father was apologizing that Athena had just ruined everything, and I went back into the party, mingling Olivia had instructed me.

I was about to excuse myself from a boring conversation with some politician when I saw Annabeth waving towards me, smiling wide as she held up another drink. I couldn't help but smile as I began to weave through the crowd to get there.

And then I heard my name.

"Percy? I need to talk to you for a minute."

I sighed as I motioned to Annabeth that I would be there in a minute.

"I've been looking for you everywhere, son," my adopted father told me as he grabbed my arm and started to pull me off to the side, where no one would be able to hear us.

"Dad, I really don't have time. I need to talk to Annabeth."

"I know, I know, Percy. But this is important, too."

"Cant it wait?"

"No, it can't."

"I don't think you understand how important this is, Dad," I almost begged, which should of shown my father just how serious this was. He had raised a son that never begged.

"And you don't understand how important this is, Pursues."

I froze.

Pursues.

No one called me Pursues, except for when Rebecca is teasing me, unless this is bad news.

Not even when Zee is teasing me.

He's taking me home.

He hadn't said it, but I knew my father.

"We can't be going home. Not yet. Please, I'm begging you," I felt desperation set over me.

Time had run out, and I had blown it. But I was so close. She was only a few feet away, and I was going to tell her! I was going to do what I should of done after all these years. I was just so close…

But so far away.

"Read this, Percy," my father handed me a letter.

"It was inside an express letter. A very important one. And it is addressed to you, Percy."

Prince Pursues,

Open immediately.

But that wasn't the interesting part.

The girly cursive on the back was.

One day, you will forgive me.

Yours truly,

Katarina

I looked up at my father, and I knew.

I couldn't have imagined how much would be inside this small little letter.

But I could just tell that what Katarina was apologizing for would change everything.