It's been so long since I updated that I forgot how to upload a document. I'm sorry, I'm trash.

Waking the next morning, buried in the white sheets of her oversized bed, Annabeth felt as if the previous day had been a dream; concocted up by her joy-deprived mind. Upon her return to the castle, alongside Jason and Piper, she had been corralled into her mother's office where a put-out Aphrodite, an annoyed Zeus and a bored Hera were waiting for them. And they had talked, oh for hours, they had talked back and forth about the proposed marriages and truces and broken promises and reassurances of trust and loyalties.

When they had eventually retired, all exhausted and thoroughly annoyed with one another, Annabeth found herself in her chamber, falling fully-clothed into bed. And she still lay there now, with her skirts bunched around her hips and her hair frizzing from it's plaits. She rubbed her face and sat up against the solid headboard, allowing the morning sunshine and the breeze curling through the open window to wake her up.

A knock sounded at the door before she had time to move from that spot and was followed by a quiet voice which Annabeth recognised immediately.

'Annabeth, are you up?'

It was her mother.

Annabeth looked around herself. Her room was a state, she had refused the maids' countless offers to tidy it for her and so it had been allowed to fill up with stolen crockery from the kitchen, apple cores, dresses in desperate need of washing, sheets of paper torn from their bound pads, and books stacked all over.

With a resigned sigh, Annabeth cleared her throat and called for her mother to enter. And so she did, with a peek through the cracked door before she opened it further and held back a look of shock at the state of her daughter and the room. Annabeth shifted uneasily on the bed, unsure of what to do. Her mother had not entered her bed chamber since she was eight years old, and here she stood; clicking the door shut behind her and interlinking her fingers over her stomach as her gaze fell about the room.

'Good morning,' Annabeth ventured.

Athena's eyes settled on her and she smiled. It looked tight, showing her stress, but she looked like she was trying to appear… inviting. Or something close to it.

'Did you sleep well?' she asked.

Annabeth shifted on the bed, tugging the sheets over her chest in a poor attempt to disguise the fact that she was still wearing her clothes from the day before.

'Quite well,' she said, 'thank you.'

'I wished to speak to you about something.' As she spoke, Athena began to walk the length of room, the way she paced the council hall or her own office when giving an important speech. But something in the manner of her wringing hands and unwillingness to meet her daughter's eyes told Annabeth that she was unsettled. 'Negotiations with Jason's parents are far from over, but I have high hopes for a reconciliation of this debacle. Damage has been done, but it is being repaired.'

'Mother...'

'You will be queen, Annabeth.' She halted her steps and looked at Annabeth at last, Annabeth felt her stomach turn over.

'I know I will. I am ready.'

Athena smiled and moved to sit on the edge of Annabeth's bed. 'No,' she said quietly, 'you are not.'

The look of hurt must have been plain on Annabeth's face because her mother's expression softened and she reached for her daughter's hand. 'You will be a great Queen, Annabeth. You will face more challenges than accomplishments, but you are strong and your stubbornness - a gift, I assure you - will not be worn down by the detriments of others. I have seen that with my own eyes. But it will take you a little more time to reach that goal.'

Annabeth simply stared. she didn't imagine that she would ever hear her mother speak these words to her and wonders vaguely if she is still asleep.

'I'm scared,' she says in a moment of weakness.

Her mother smiles. 'As was I before my ascention.' Then she released Annabeth's hand and composed her expression into one of formality. 'But that moment is not upon us yet, we have business first.'

'We do?' she asked uncertainly.

Athena raised her eyebrows. 'I do believe there is a boy going on trial today.'

Annabeth sat up further in alarm. 'Marcus' trial is today?'

Her mother stood and crossed the room to the door. 'I'll send Marsee in to help you dress. Be downstairs in half an hour, please.'

And so she was, clean and freshly dressed and drumming her fingers against the front of her corset as she waited in the entrance hall. The trial would be taking place in the circular council hall. Annabeth had attended only one trial before; many years ago after her brother's death. She hoped this time that she might be able to speak.

When she was eventually ushered inside, her mother was already there, along with every single council member - original and extended, and Marcus' parents. But there was no jury, no member of public or individual not affiliated with politics. Annabeth wondered how exactly this trial was going to go; at least it seemed that Marcus was not going to be made a public example of. Rather, he might simply swept under the rug without a soul outside of this room finding out. She wasn't quite sure which was worse.

Her shoes clicked loudly on the marble floor, echoing around the great chamber in the curious silence of the room. She felt eyes follow her to her seat next to her mother in the circle of high backed chairs. Barely had she sat down when the great door was opened once more and two guards emerged, each with an arm under the elbow of Marcus Close. He looked so much thinner and smaller than when he had last stood in this hall, his clothes, face and hair were dirty and matted, and there was a cut across his right cheekbone. Annabeth's heart swelled with rage, and then guilt. It was because of her that he was in this position.

He was brought to stand in the centre of the circle, without a chair to sit on or a post to lean; he wavered on the spot. Annabeth looked to Walter and Marion Close, standing beside the doors with their chins high and their gazes fixed upon their son.

To Annabeth's right, Chiron cleared his throat, demanding the attention of the room.

'The trial today, of Marcus Teilley Close, is seen before the eyes of the Queen Athena of Olympus, King and Queen Zeus and Hera of Rome, the esteemed Council of Olympus and their extended guests. The offence in question is the attempted attack of Annabeth Chase and the consequential attack of Jason Grace.'

Annabeth's gaze flitted around the room to find Jason. He was sat between his mother and father, his arm in a sling, his pallor skin almost returned to normal. He gave Annabeth a small nod before returning his gaze to Marcus in the centre of the room. Annabeth's heart froze in her chest; what if she was unable to stop this? If she was the only person to see this boy's innocence. How was she to convince this entire room that although Marcus did indeed almost kill her and Jason, he required no punishment, without mentioning a word of Percy and their true reasoning for being on the rocks that day? Even if she had previously convinced her mother of that, she could think of no way to convince the remainder of the council, who would be deciding the boy's fate that day.

Chiron's rumbling voice broke through her thoughts. 'First, we will hear from the accused.'

Every face in the room swivelled to Marcus' stooping form. He straightened under the weight of the gaze and briefly met Annabeth's eyes before staring straight at the stain-glass window behind Chiron, Athena and Annabeth's seats.

'I will not deny that my actions that day were justified, and that the damage I caused was not great and does not deserve a punishment. I can only offer my deepest remorse and regret for my actions. And in the light of new information brought to me, I want nothing more than to return to that day and undo what I have done.' He drew in a deep breath. 'But that is impossible. And I must face the consequences of my actions, which cannot be excused away by words now.'

So that was it. His guilty sentence was all but admitted.

Marcus' mother hung her head, her shoulders shook silently as her husband's arm came around them and held her to him. Annabeth wanted to stop it. She wanted to stop it all. But as the trial went on, explaining the false circumstances of that day, her determination faltered. One mention of merpeople would declare her argument as unbelievable, and she knew that no one would support her; not even her mother, whose attitude had changed so dramatically over the past few weeks. So when the court broke for the fake jury to discuss their verdict, Annabeth had remained utterly silent.

She remained in the room, along with Athena, Chiron, and the six other council members.

It was Chiron who spoke. 'I see no reason to punish the boy harshly, he seems to truly regret his actions.'

Ares' voice was bored. 'He almost murdered our future queen, and you want to give him a slap on the wrist?'

'As touched as I am at your concern,' Annabeth spoke up dryly, 'I suspect your suggestion would fulfill your persistent demands of a public execution as a form of punishment for offenders.'

'There will be no public involvement in this trial,' Athena said, her voice chiding and clipped.

'Why is that, Athena?' Ares questioned, his interest clearly peaking as he sat upright in his chair. 'Clearly the story we were all given just then was not the truth, but what is it exactly that you insist on hiding from even us?'

Annabeth caught her mother's cautionary glare to remain silent in her seat. Nevertheless she itched to stand up and declare the whole truth.

'Mother...' she said quietly. 'Please?'

Athena's jaw clenched. Abruptly, she stood and indicated for Annabeth to follow, she did, almost tripping over the hem of her dress, as the others stared on with raised eyebrows. When Athena reached the doors, she turned to address the group.

'Please, continue your discussions. We will return shortly.'

After the doors clunked shut behind them and they fought their way free of the crowd in the entrance hall, they were steeling themselves down a corridor and into an empty room.

'Do you think this is a game, Annabeth?' Athena whirled on her as soon at the door was closed, hissing like a caged animal.

'No! I think a man's life is at stake and you are lying to everybody!'

Athena rubbed her face tiredly, seeming to deflate. 'Might I remind you that this boy did attempt to kill you.'

'Might I remind you of the other factors involved here?' Annabeth exploded, unwilling to back down. The irritation that had built itself up inside of her during the trial was now rooting its ugly head. 'Why are you still so determined to hide these secrets? This could be our opportunity to set the record straight, to bring the truth to everyone's eyes!'

'And what truth is that?' she asked tiredly.

'That the merpeople are in our very harbour and they are looking for peace! This could be our opportunity to bridge a gap between our two peoples...'

Athena's gaze levelled her. 'And you are willing to risk the boy for that?'

For a heart-stopping moment, Annabeth thought her mother was referring to Percy, and she began reeling back on herself. Before she realised that it was Marcus her mother was speaking of.

'I don't understand,' she said.

Her mother stepped towards her. 'If we did this your way, with a full court, public jury, and the whole, unedited truth, what do you think would happen to the boy?'

Annabeth shook her head slowly. 'I don't know.'

'Neither do I. Perhaps he would have support from those who hate and fear the very people he attacked. Perhaps he would be excused due to the involvement of his brother; and if we moved forward with a truce, how would his attempted murder of one of them look? How would we explain that away? The people would want to make an example of him, Annabeth, not forgive him.'

Her breathing slowed down. This was why her mother insisted on a hidden trial, to hide the truth in order to prevent more damage being caused. Perhaps it had been her intention to protect Marcus as well, but Annabeth doubted it. She likely just saw him as an interference with a potential future political deal; a complication.

Annabeth didn't like it, but she struggled to find an argument.

'What will he face?'

'Prison perhaps. I would ask for exile.'

'Exile? You can't be serious.'

'Would you prefer imprisonment?'

Annabeth's mind flashed back to that dark, damp cell, and Marcus sitting in the small pool of light. To be left there would destroy him, eventually. She knew there was no way of him avoiding punishment altogether, her mind whirred as she thought of other options. But what options were there?

'His brother,' she said quietly.

Athena looked at her. 'His brother is gone.'

'Yes. And he is safe, and hidden.'

She was shaking her head. 'You cannot possibly be suggesting...'

'Why not? If you insist on hiding this trial, why not hide Marcus altogether. If his parents are to lose him, at least give him the rest of his family. And this could be what it takes to begin the peace treaty with Poseidon.'

Athena's eyes flashed, reminding Annabeth of her severity, of her power, of how easy it would be to shut Annabeth down and carry on her own way. But she was thinking over her daughter's words.

'This will not be easy,' she said eventually.

Without pausing to think, Annabeth stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around her mother. Athena stilled, and then very slowly, returned the embrace. She cupped the back of Annabeth's neck and held her there, rocking slightly, like a nurse lulling a baby to sleep.

'Thank you,' Annabeth mumbled against the skin of her mother's neck, which was now wet with her tears. 'Thank you.'

The Council was not best pleased.

Deciding that honesty was the best policy - at least within a small group of people for now - Athena and Annabeth returned to the council room and relayed the true story of the rocks. Athena conveniently avoided the depth of Annabeth's relationship with Percy, it seemed she was not quite ready to embrace that, but otherwise relayed the entire and frank truth.

Ares immediately declared a war. Aphrodite rolled her eyes. Chiron scratched his chin curiously. Hermes had the hint of a smile curling his mouth. Zeus was furious.

'So we're going to go down and hurl him into the harbour and hope for the best?' Apollo said in a tone nothing short of excitement.

'They have the power to transform individuals,' Annabeth explained for the second time. 'It is an irreversible process. And of course, we will need Marcus' consent before we even continue with this idea.'

'Oh, how will the boy refuse?' Ares rumbled. 'If his only other option is rotting in a prison cell with only rats for company.'

'You're supporting us?' Athena questioned skeptically; she and Ares had rarely seen eye to eye on anything.

Ares waved his hand. 'As you refuse to let me hunt them them down and gut them like fish, I suppose this is the preferable option. It will at least be entertaining.'

'So glad for your support,' Athena muttered. 'And the rest of you? Will you back this?'

A murmur went around the group. Athena cleared her throat.

Chiron stood up from his chair and the others fell silent. 'You have the unanimous support of the council.'

Athena counted everyone's gazes. 'And I can be assured that not a word of this will leave this room until we are ready to make an official announcement, yes?' Her question was more of a threat, but everyone voiced their agreement, and as their voices called out into the round room, Annabeth felt hope stir in her heart.

Marcus was sentenced to exile. That night, Annabeth broke into his cell.

It was as cold and damp as the last time she was there, and Marcus looked just as desolate.

'Annabeth,' he said, scrambling upright.

'We don't have much time,' she said and opened the door wide for him.

In the dim twilight, his face contorted into one of confusion, and then wariness. Something in Annabeth's expression, or perhaps his own feelings of hopelessness, made him step forward and follow her through the open door and down the dark tunnel towards his freedom. Neither of them spoke a word until the cool outside air broke upon them and Annabeth thrust a dark cloak into his hands before tugging her hood over her head to hide her face.

'Where are we going?' he whispered harshly.

'To the harbour.'

A heavy pause as Marcus tugged his cloak over his ratty clothes. 'Why?' he said at last.

'Remember that promise I made you?' She didn't wait for his answer. 'I'm making sure I keep it.'

'My brother?'

As they stole down the next almost deserted street, Annabeth caught his gaze. His eyes were wide in the near darkness, blown full of innocence and she forgot for a moment that he was older than she, and remembered that for a little while, he had intended to marry her. She reached for his arm, her fingers closed around his wrist and she pulled him against the wall of a flower shop, close enough to whisper.

'This is your best chance. You'll never go home to your parents, but I can give you your brother. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?'

One deep breath. Wide eyes, clenched jaw. A nod.

'I'd become one of them. Like my brother.'

She nodded. 'Like your brother.'

'Okay.'

'This is irreversible.'

'Okay.'

She stared at him for a moment, scrutinizing him.

He didn't ask about his parents, he had said his goodbyes to them this afternoon. He didn't ask how Annabeth had broken him out of prison with such ease; he had no reason not to trust her. He had no one else to trust.

'Okay,' she said, and pushed them away from the flower shop and down the street.

Athena stood on the rocks, a soft wind tugging at her hair as the sinking sun cast her silhouette above the ocean. She nodded curtly when they approached and cast a wary gaze around them.

'Any sign of them?' Annabeth asked and received a shaken head in response.

Earlier that day, after the verdict had been decided, Annabeth had stole away from the castle and left a message at the harbour, the rocks, and the cove where she and Percy had met up. The message had been scratched into rock with a knife Annabeth had taken from the kitchen:

Peace treaty. Rocks at sunset.

Annabeth hoped it had been enough, hoped that someone had seen the message and related it back to the right people. And above anything, she hoped that it would not be Percy who came tonight. She didn't think she could bear it; parting ways again.

Athena looked like she might give up and insist they return to the castle when the water broke just a few metres away from where they stood. The head and shoulders that rose above the water did not belong to Percy, but to his father. Dark haired and solemn-looking, he remained where he was as the three humans stared down at him.

'Ms Chase,' he said in a deep gravelly voice, 'it is a pleasure to see you again.'

Annabeth cleared her throat and stepped forward, crouching down at the edge of the rocks so that she was eye level with him. From the corner of her eye she saw her mother tense and begin to reach for her.

'The pleasure is mine, my lord. I am so grateful that you have come tonight, I have a great thing to ask of you.'

His face remained impassive and still but for the slow incline of his head.

Annabeth drew in a breath. 'This is my mother, Queen Athena of Olympus, and Marcus Close, whose brother has been with you for three years.'

Poseidon looked up at each of the persons standing behind Annabeth and inclined his head to each of them. He looked back to Annabeth and waited for her to speak. Words lost themselves on her tongue; nerves took her, she had not expected for Poseidon himself to come. She had expected him to send someone in his stead. She tried to take this as a good sign, this meant that he was eager for a peace treaty too. Why would he not be? After everything Percy had told her of the affect human life had on their population; Poseidon would want to save his people anyway he could.

'Marcus,' she said, 'his brother was taken by your kind; he was healed and changed and now he is...'

'He is one of us,' Poseidon finished. 'And you you wish to be as well.' He looked up at Marcus as he said this, though Annabeth had to wonder if it had been partially directed at her.

'Yes, sir,' Marcus said quietly, 'if that is possible.'

'It is.' He turned to face Athena and Annabeth stood so that her mother could take her place. 'You have business with me, Queen.'

Athena, proud and stubborn, knelt down on the rocks and tucked her hands together in her lap. 'I do. For too long our people have feared yours, have denied your very existence and abused your people because of that. I am here to right those wrongs; to ask you if you are willing to bridge the gap between our people.'

Poseidon was silent for a long moment as he stared at the queen. Annabeth wondered what he saw there. The look of promise in her eyes, the set of determination in her jaw? She hoped that what he saw was good, that he could trust her. Because if he couldn't, she had no idea of what would happen next.

But a slow smile was creeping across his face, one that rendered him so alike to his son that Annabeth's breath fell out of her and misted before her in a white cloud. Her heart raced as Poseidon moved towards her mother in the water and he held out a wet hand.

'I do believe we have the beginnings of a peace treaty,' he said in a low voice, barely disguising his eagerness.

Athena took his hand and a returning smile graced her face.

Marcus' hands were shaking.

'The process is not an easy one,' Poseidon was telling him. 'You have to drown first, before we can bring you back as one of our own. And even then, I must warn you the process is painful and not certain. Do you still want to go through with this?'

Marcus' eyes met Annabeth's as if for reassurance. She smiled but offered no advice or encouragement. This was his decision to make. Not that his other option was preferable, but there was less possibility of his death if he chose to walk away from the water now. But he did not.

He nodded. 'Yes I do. I want to come with you.'

'Then say your goodbyes.'

His farewell with Athena consisted of a short thanks and her hand on his shoulder as she wished him good luck. Then he was looking at Annabeth and she was suddenly afraid; what if all of this went wrong? what if he didn't survive the change?

'I wanted to thank you,' Marcus said before her thoughts could wind themselves too tightly around her anxious heart. 'For everything you have done for me, for your forgiveness.'

Annabeth nodded. 'I hope you can be with your brother, you deserve that much. And I wondered...'

'Yes?'

Annabeth glanced at her mother, who crouched low on the rocks in quiet conversation with Poseidon. She took a step closer to Marcus and reached up to unfasten the chain around her neck. She dropped the necklace into his open palm. From the thin silver chain hung a round pendant with the outline of an owl embossed on it. Annabeth had not taken it off since she was thirteen years old; it had been a gift from her brother.

She knew Percy would recognise it.

'I want you to give this to Percy. Tell him that I'm sorry I can't give it to him myself, but I want him to have it - to keep it.'

'He might not be pleased to see me,' Marcus warned.

She nodded. 'Just show him this, he'll know it's mine. Tell him…' She dragged in a cold breath and shook her head. 'It's dark, you need to go.'

Marcus watched her as he fastened the chain around his neck, the pendant hung between his collarbones, winking as the last remnants of sunset disappeared behind the ocean. Marcus gave her a small smile and stooped down to kiss her cheek, his lips were warm and chapped. His eyes held excitement in them; this was his great adventure, his brand new chance. And, as he slipped into the water and released his breath, Annabeth thought he deserved it.

She imagined herself in his place, trading her life on land for one in the watery depths and for a moment, her heart raced with anticipation. Then Athena rose and stood beside her, and Annabeth knew where she belonged. Up here, under the sky with the ground below her feet.