Disclaimer: All PJO characters belong to Rick Riordan.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Annabeth
"The bravest thing I even did was continue my life when I wanted to die."
(Juliette Lewis)
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Percy's kiss was still hot on Annabeth's lips as she watched him leave the basement.
She clamped her lips shut tight, hoping to hold in the kiss, savor it and treasure it. If that was their last...no. Annabeth refused to think that. Percy would come back. The guards weren't up there. They couldn't have found them all the way out here. It just wasn't possible. They were out in the middle of nowhere.
But Annabeth knew how determined her parents were. If they wanted something, they would stop at nothing to get it. It was no different when it came to Annabeth. If anything, they were even more desperate to get her back. After all, she was their daughter. Even if they did put a lot of pressure on her and always got onto her for doing the littlest thing wrong, they still loved her more than anything.
She would be fine if the guards got her. But if they caught Percy, he would be a dead man walking.
A sob clawed its way up Annabeth's throat at that thought but she pushed it back down. Percy would get away. She knew he would. He was, after all, Percy Jackson, Olympia's best criminal. And to Annabeth, he was everything. She didn't know if she could even physically live if he died, much less mentally. Percy had become a part of her, a part she couldn't possibly live without. He couldn't just die.
Annabeth fell to her knees and started to sift through the trunks again, using the flickering light of the candle Percy had left down here to see, hoping to distract herself. She had already gone through the books, so she began to sort through the dresses. The crimson dress she had picked up earlier was draped over the trunk's lid, revealing the dresses underneath. One in particular caught Annabeth's eye. It was a cream, long-sleeve dress, not too fancy. It was something you would wear to a public appearance in winter, of course. At least, that's when Annabeth would wear it. The bodice was tight and form-fitting while the skirt fell loosely to the floor. The sweetheart neckline was lined with diamonds and under Annabeth's hand, the material was soft silk and tulle.
Piper would have loved these dresses. She had an eye for beautiful dresses and she picked Annabeth's gowns for the day more often than not. Just thinking about Piper sent a sharp stab of pain through Annabeth's chest. She missed Piper. She missed Chiron too, and all the maids at the palace. She missed her parents more than she thought she ever would. She missed her bed and her bathtub and all the sweet perfumes she had gotten for birthdays past.
Was it bad to miss all those things? Was it bad that she longed to go home? She didn't want to leave Percy; she never would want to. But the part of her that was truly a princess - a part of her that was more dominant than she cared to admit - missed being clean and having someone do her hair and make-up everyday. She missed the food and all the books in the library. She just missed home and part of her felt guilty about that. If she truly was a girl in love, shouldn't she want to be wherever Percy was? Whether that was in a palace or in the sewers, she should just want Percy and whatever came with him. So why did she long for her old life?
She hadn't realized she was crying until a tear fell on her clenched hand. She jumped and found herself clutching the cream dress with both hands and sobbing onto it. She didn't even know why she was crying. Probably because the reality of her situation was much to strong for her to handle. A reality without Percy was too much to handle.
Gods, she was so lame. How many times had she cried since she'd met Percy? Too many to count. Back home, Annabeth had never cried.
He had to come back. Not just for himself, but for Annabeth and her sanity.
A sound pulled Annabeth out of her pity party. She wiped away her tears, dropped the dress and stood up, peering around the trunks and towards the opening that led to the house. It sounded like someone was crawling through it. Annabeth's hands clenched into fists. She bent down and grabbed the candlestick for light, the flame flickering and sending shadows dancing across the room. She thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye and jerked her gaze that direction to find no one there.
Annabeth took a deep, calming breath. Everything was fine. Nothing was there. Her messed up mind was just playing tricks on her, as it always did. Her reassuring thoughts to herself did nothing to help her jittery nerves, though.
Again, another noise through the tunnel, closer this time. Whoever it was was almost out of the tunnel. "Percy?" Annabeth called instinctively, then clamped her mouth shut. Idiot. If that wasn't Percy, now the person knew where she was.
Taking hesitant, careful steps forward, she moved out from behind the trunks so she could have a full view of the tunnel. Unfortunately, that meant that whoever was currently shimmying through it had a full view of her also.
Please let it be Percy.
The unknown person poked his head out from the tunnel and relief flooded through Annabeth. She recognized that shaggy black hair and tan skin. She murmured a silent prayer of thanks and then moved forward to help him out of the tunnel. Percy didn't seem to need any help, though. He slithered out like a snake and was on his feet in three seconds flat. His gaze locked with Annabeth's and she almost sobbed with relief.
"Oh gods," she cried. "I thought they'd gotten you. I thought you were gone." Her voice cracked on the word "gone" and Percy's face was fractured with pain for a second. "Thank you," she continued, almost in tears. "Thank you for coming back to me."
She started forward towards him - to hug him until her had no breath, kiss him as long and hard as she possibly could, or punch him for scaring the heck out of her, she had no idea - but then stopped dead in her tracks when he locked eyes with her. Her blood ran cold.
Those weren't Percy's eyes. Or not her Percy's eyes.
They were still green, but not as bright and vibrant as her Percy's are. They swirled with too many dark emotions: hate, betrayal, and most of all, blood lust.
He started towards her, taking long but slow strides that had a menacing edge. Annabeth had always read about the long walk the villain took towards the hero in books but had no idea how truly terrifying it was to see the end coming towards you but not being able to do anything about it. Annabeth's hand tightened around the candlestick. She never broke the gaze with the man who looked like Percy but couldn't possibly be him. Heart leaping out of her chest, she waited until he was a foot in front of her before swinging the candlestick as hard as she could towards his head. The flame flickered out before it hit, engulfing the room in darkness. She couldn't tell where it hit him, but she heard a cry of pain and her heart constricted. It was Percy's cry. That was Percy's voice. But it couldn't be him.
Apparently, the blow hadn't hit the man in front of her too hard, because a couple seconds later, she felt a hand grab her wrist, keeping her from scrambling away. She gasped, feeling Percy's hand around her wrist but not feeling the sparks of electricity that always accompanied his touch. She cried out and threw her elbow back, connecting with his gut. He grunted and twisted her around. For a split second, Annabeth was left in terrible darkness, not able to see her attacker, before a fist connected with her jaw and the world exploded with light. Her brain buzzed. Pain blossomed across her jaw. A noise escaped her mouth, a mix between a sob and a gasp. She tried to pull away but then felt another blow, this time in her gut, and she doubled over, gasping and crying.
This was not Percy. The hands holding her up were not Percy's hands. The breath she felt next to her ear as this man leaned down to be level with her was not Percy's breath. This was not Percy.
Her breath returned to her and, despite feeling dizzy and nauseous, she fought back. She felt her fist connect with his jaw and the harsh grunt she heard gave her a sense of satisfaction, as well as a sick feeling.
That was not Percy's grunt, she told herself.
Another blow, this time on the other side of her jaw. Her ears rang and she thought tears were falling from her eyes but she couldn't be sure because the pain was too much. She was hit again in the side and elbowed in the gut before she fell to the floor. She kicked at him, knowing she wouldn't be able to stand and fight on her own. When a kick knocked all the air out of her, Annabeth gave up fighting. The man above her kept beating her until all she wanted was to be done. Percy was gone, as far as she could tell. Surely, he would have heard her screams and cries if he was still just upstairs. She was on the brink of death. With every hit, the pain became more and more until eventually the pain was so much she started to numb. She felt like she was blacking out, but she couldn't tell because it was as dark as night in the basement.
She was barely aware of the an grabbing her arm and pulling her up as if she weighed nothing. She looked into the green eyes that despite their evil glint, still shone through the darkness. She glared at those green orbs even as she heard the sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath. Only a soft moan escaped her when the blade penetrated her side.
The man let go of her and she fell the floor like a rag doll. Her breaths came out in short, harsh gasps. The tears had stopped. She stared up, hoping that death would come soon, that she only had to live through this agony for a little while longer and then she could leave forever.
White began to creep in from the sides of her vision, enveloping the darkness. Annabeth watched it like it was her knight in shining armor as it destroyed the evil. It moved slowly, like a cloud, and Annabeth was hypnotized. Murky pictures flashed before her eyes: little Annabeth running into her father's arms and him spinning her around, young teen Annabeth sparring with Piper, Annabeth poring over books and doing math and science lessons with Chiron, arguing with Percy, dancing with Percy, hugging Percy, kissing Percy...
Annabeth knew then that she didn't want to lose that. Never. Even if she already had.
Then suddenly, all of it was gone - all the pictures and all the white. Sunlight was streaming into the basement through the trapdoor that Percy had lost the key to. Her vision was blurry, like she was looking at everything from underwater. She could make out guards stomping down the stairs, using a torch to see. For the second time that day, relief flooded through Annabeth.
I'm right here! she wanted to scream at them. I'm here! Just look!
She couldn't see them very well, but she knew they had spotted her lying broken on the ground by their sharp intakes of breath. They moved in slow motion all towards her. One man who looked oddly familiar through her watery gaze bent down and took her in his arms.
As he carried her up the stairs, Annabeth felt her eyelids closing. The last thing she remembered seeing was a cruel, twisted smile on her savior's lips.
And then everything went black.
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Annabeth woke up in the palace.
It took her a few minutes to let that sink in. Her eyes fluttered open to find a high stone ceiling, one she had seen too many times as a kid just learning swordplay. Her eyes drifted down to the bed she was in. White blankets. The customary color of the infirmary.
She heard a sniff to her left. Slowly turning her head, she found her mother, Queen Athene, sitting in a chair next to the bed with her eyes closed and her cheeks wet. Annabeth stared at her in shock. Her mother was sitting next to her. Her mother. The realization sunk in and it took everything in Annabeth not to cry. Athene looked terrible. Her dress was wrinkly and her hair was disheveled. The crown she always had to wear was crooked and dark bags had grown under her eyes. Was she thinner also?
Moving her hand to her mom's, Annabeth croaked, "Hi, Mama."
Mama. Something Annabeth hadn't called her mother since she was five, but the trauma of the whole situation and the rush of being with her again pulled the name out of Annabeth.
The queen's eyes shot open. She stared at Annabeth like she were a ghost. Annabeth's eyes gathered with tears and she squeezed her hand. At that gesture, Athene broke down into tears. She slipped out of her chair and to her knees, sobbing into the bed. Her hands found Annabeth's and gripped them like she were hanging over a chasm and Annabeth was the only thing keeping her from falling.
"Oh, my baby," she kept crying. "Oh, my baby."
Tears fell from Annabeth's eyes and she squeezed her mom's hands back.
Oh gods. She was home. Home and okay.
"Annabeth?" Her father's voice came from the right. Annabeth turned her head and found the king standing in the doorway, looking much like her mother did. Tired. Frail. Broken. He stared at her, his eyes filling up fast, before running to her side and crying over her much like her mother was.
"Daddy," Annabeth sobbed, and let the tears loose, crying with her parents.
After all this time, she was home. She was with her parents again. She was out of the woods, away from wolves and coyotes, away from thunderstorms and crazy drunk men in alleys. She was safe from harm.
"W-what happened?" her father asked her once he was calmed down a bit. Her mother had stopped her uncontrollable sobbing and resorted to just silent tears. She held one of Annabeth's hands while her father held the other, supporting her without actually saying anything.
Annabeth took a deep breath and then winced. A white hot fire of pain flamed up in her gut. She cried out and tore her hands away from her parents to fist the blankets up in her hands as the pain grew and then died down again. Once she was capable of moving, she pushed the blankets off of her to find the top half of her body bare of everything except a pristine white bandage that reached from her waist and covered her breasts. She stared at it uncomprehendingly.
"They brought you in like this," her mother said in a quiet voice. "There were bruises all over your body also. They said they found you unconscious and bleeding to death in the basement of some house days from here. They wrapped up the wound and kept you drugged until they could bring you back here to get medical help."
The queen's words were muffled in Annabeth's mind. She continued to stare at the bandage as her memories slowly started to come back. Yes, a basement sounded familiar. She had been beaten up in there and then stabbed by-
Percy.
Annabeth was then hit by a bomb of memories. She remembered everything, from their very first kiss in the woods, to their second kiss in the cabin, to their flirting and daily sparring and arguments and fights. She remembered falling asleep in his arms and reading to him while he braided her hair. She remembered him saving her from that man in the town. She remembered how after every spell and vision she had, his arms were there to protect her and shield her from the horrors that came from the darkest depths of her mind. She remembered him showing her all of his mother's trunks and then that kiss - that last kiss - and saying goodbye without really saying goodbye.
She remembered him coming back into the basement and hurting her. She remembered his rough hands on her skin as he punched her and kicked her over and over again until all she wanted was death because whether that was really him or not, just seeing him in the place of her tormentor might have possibly scarred her more than any vision ever could.
She gasped for breath, startling her parents, and started to flop around in the bed, trying to get out, trying to get away to go find Percy and see if it really was him that beat her to nothing, screaming until her throat was raw because she couldn't take this any longer. She had to know. She had to know if he was the one responsible for this burning agony that was spreading from her gut to the rest of her body as she fought against her parents' hold on her. Finally, she gave up and flopped hopelessly down on the bed, burying her face in her pillows and crying, crying tears of heartbreak and pain. She could hear her mother's tears as she watched her daughter completely lose it but didn't care because he had betrayed her and nothing could hurt more than that. Not even death.
"Annabeth," the king said, using a voice as soft as a feather and coaxing Annabeth out of her pillow. She slowly turned her face towards him.
"Annabeth," he repeated gently, "I know it's been a rough month for you. But is there any way you can tell us what happened? We have to know if he hurt you in any way."
"Is he the one who did this to you?" Athene asked, her voice raw with tears and anger. "Tell me if he did this to you, Annabeth. Tell me now."
Annabeth kept her back to her mother and ignored her plea. She clutched the blankets around her and watched her father, trying to imitate his cool demeanor. She had to keep her head. She couldn't lose it now. Not when her parents needed her. Not when Percy needed her.
She had told him once that when she was queen, she wouldn't arrest him or charge him for anything. She would protect him. And even though she saw him beat her up, she had to hold on to the hope that he hadn't. That he would never do anything like that. Because he was supposed to protect her and she would protect him.
"He had dressed up as a suitor," she whispered. "And one night when I was coming back from a walk, he had broken into my room and was waiting for me. He knocked me out once I walked in. He took me-" She paused, wondering whether she should tell her parents about the shack that doubled as his home or not. "I woke up in the woods." There. Not technically a lie, but not entirely the truth. "And he told me we were going to this little house in the middle of the woods. It took two weeks to walk there."
"Did..." her father trailed off, obviously unsure of what to say. "Did anything happen during those two weeks?"
Annabeth smirked inside. Uh, yeah. Quite a lot happened, actually. On the outside, she barely shook her head. "No," she lied. "Nothing happened. We rarely talked to each other, to be honest. I think he was new to the whole kidnapping thing." She tried to smile, but neither of her parents found it funny. She cleared her throat and continued. "Um, we arrived at the cabin and he, um, he let me stay in the bedroom. By myself," she added quickly when she saw her father's face. "He was usually either outside doing something or in the living room. I rarely saw him."
"How did you end up in the basement?" Athene asked sharply.
Annabeth hesitated. She wasn't sure how to cover up that part of the story. She scrunched up her eyebrows and faked confusion. "I, uh, I don't remember." At her mother's face, she said, "I don't really remember anything about those last couple of days." That was true. She really couldn't remember it all that well, but it was because they were so blissful rather than horrible like her parents must think.
Her father stood abruptly, startling Annabeth. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Did I say something?"
The king shook his head. "No, Annabeth. It's nothing you said." He paused. "Well, actually, it's everything you said. I'm just going to have a little talk with that Percy Jackson."
His name sent a shiver down Annabeth's back. Then King Fredrick's words sunk in.
"You have him here?" she demanded, horror lacing her words. They had caught him. Oh gods, they had caught him. The penalty for kidnapping a person of royalty was death. Had they set a date for his execution yet? How were they going to execute him? Where was he being held? Annabeth had so many questions bubbling up, she was afraid she would explode.
Her father and mother seemed to take her horror the wrong way. Athene gripped her hands while Fredrick smiled at her reassuringly. "It's alright, Annabeth," he comforted. "He's in the palace prisons, in a room all on his own. I've had him all chained up so there's no way he can possibly escape. You're perfectly safe."
Annabeth swallowed down the urge to vomit - they had him all chained up? - and said, "Thanks, Daddy."
Her father smiled and kissed her on the forehead. The gesture had been one Annabeth had missed so much it physically pained her to have it back now. She choked back tears.
Once Fredrick left, Annabeth was left alone with Athene. Her mother smiled reassuringly. "It'll be okay, Annabeth," she said. "Your father will take care of that Percy Jackson. And we have guards placed in front of your room and on all the terraces around your balcony to ensure that no one ever steps foot inside your bedroom without invitation."
The mention of her bedroom made Annabeth ache. She wanted to go to her room so badly and sleep in her bed, wear her clothes, take an actual bath instead of a swim in a pond. She wanted it so badly, it hurt.
"Can I go to my room?" she blurted out. "I mean, I've missed my room. Is there any way I can rest in there instead of the infirmary?"
Athene bit her lip. "I suppose..." she said after a long pause. "Let me just clear it with the doctor." With another kiss on the forehead, the queen glided out of the room, leaving Annabeth alone.
Annabeth clenched the sheets in her hands. All of the information she had just gotten was like a bomb exploding over and over again in her head. Percy had been caught and was in the palace dungeon, all chained up and trapped. The thought made Annabeth ache. He didn't deserve that. He had a family to take care of, a little girl who was depending on him to save her life.
It would be her fault if he let them down.
Annabeth needed a plan. She needed to get him out of prison. Maybe she could negotiate with her parents and keep him alive until her coronation so she could decide his fate. Then she'd have all the power in the world to let him go free. Or maybe-
Her mother entered the room again, cutting into Annabeth's brainstorming session. She was pushing a wooden chair on wheels and because Annabeth's mind was scattered with thoughts of Percy, it took her a couple seconds to realize her mother was pushing a wheelchair.
"The doctor said it was fine if you stayed in your room instead of the infirmary," she announced. "But he won't allow you to walk yet, so, unfortunately, you have to use this wheelchair."
Annabeth offered her a weak smile. "Okay."
Together, with the help of a couple nurses who had followed the queen in, Annabeth was moved from the bed and placed in the wheelchair. She was also given a blanket to wrap herself in since Athene declared that her daughter would not go through the halls of the palace half nude. While the nurses fumbled over themselves trying to get the blanket off the bed, Annabeth rolled her eyes at her mother's modesty. Honestly, Annabeth was appropriately covered. She had on a pair of loose boy's pants and the bandage covered most of her torso. She had dresses that showed more skin than this.
But, of course, mother knows best.
Walking - or, rather, rolling - through the palace halls was a much bigger deal than Annabeth expected it to be. She felt the stares of every person they passed follow them until they were out of sight. She could practically hear their thoughts:
There she is.
She looks terrible.
What happened to her?
I wonder if she'll ever be the same.
I'm just glad it wasn't me.
She knew that everyone was thinking that last one. She knew that she always had when she heard of tragedies and such. She was just happy and content that whatever happened hadn't happened to her. It was kind of ironic thinking back on that now. Now she was one of those people with empty eyes that showed no emotion because of the tragic happenings in their past.
The attention was almost too much to bear. Annabeth felt like she was carrying the weight of the sky on her back. She was so thankful whenever she reached her bedroom door and her mother rolled her inside.
Everything was the same as she'd left it. Completely neat and spotless. The bed was made, the vanity clean and organized, the bookshelf neat and orderly. Annabeth pushed the wheels on her chair forward, cursing the thing for being so immobile. She rolled herself over to the sitting area by the balcony and looked at her small bookshelf. When she spotted Beauty and the Beast on the shelf, she smiled in spite of herself. She gently took it off of the shelf and stared at the cover, which depicted both the Beast and Beauty.
Why is Beauty a brunette? I think that blondes are prettier. Percy's words echo in her mind. She remembered the fluttering feeling in her stomach when she heard him say that. She remembered remembering this copy of the book that she now held in her hands.
When Annabeth was five, she had taken her copy of Beauty and the Beast and painted Beauty's hair blonde because she felt that it was racist to have a brunette be called Beauty. That was back when she didn't even know what "racist" meant.
"What are you looking at?" Athene asked, coming up behind Annabeth.
Quickly, Annabeth shoved the book back on the shelf. "Nothing," she answered quickly and kept her head down, afraid that if she met her mother's eyes, everything would come spilling out of her. And Annabeth knew the queen was everything but understanding.
Her mother had fallen in love with a man of royalty. It was easy for her. She hadn't fallen for a most wanted criminal that had kidnapped her. She had no idea how confused Annabeth was, having to decide between duty and love and knowing that she was leaning towards love. Her mother just didn't get it.
A knock sounded on the door and a second later a servant appeared. She curtsied quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the king and the duke are waiting for you in the throne room."
Athene nodded and thanked the servant. The girl (she couldn't be much younger than Annabeth) hesitated before saying, "And Your Highness, I'm very happy that you are okay."
Despite her foul mood, she smiled. "I am too. Thank you." The servant smiled and left the room, leaving Annabeth and the queen alone. Annabeth looked up at her mother.
"The duke?" she questioned. "Who's the duke she was talking about?"
Athene had already begun walking out of the room. She turned at the door and looked at Annabeth. "You'll see," she said with a smile. "And I saw the way you treated that servant." She paused and Annabeth found herself wanting to hear her mother's next words, wanting her approval, something she never thought she'd want.
"You'll make a great queen." Then Athene left.
Annabeth sat back in the chair and bit her lip. She knew that her mother had meant that as a compliment and for a few seconds after the words were spoken, Annabeth had been happy to hear them. But becoming queen meant marrying someone and the only person Annabeth would be willing to marry was currently locked up in prison.
Momentary anger blinded Annabeth. After everything that had happened, the queen was still going to bring in suitors? Annabeth knew she couldn't handle it. Not after Percy. Not after being stabbed in the side and acting emotionally unstable.
No. She absolutely could not take another perverted, snotty, jerk of a prince trying to win her affection.
Her vision flashed and Annabeth saw a scene that was, sadly, all too familiar to her now. It flashed by in a split second. A wedding gown, a church, a chaplain, her smiling father, and the hungry man at the altar. When Annabeth returned to normal, she wasn't even fazed. She had seen that scene so many times.
Percy had told her that she wouldn't marry anyone except him. She had seen the passion and the pain in the his eyes when he had uttered those words. Now, more than anything, she wished for him to be with her and talk to her. Despite everything that had happened, everything he may or may not have done, Annabeth wanted him.
She needed to see him. Soon.
Another knock on the door. The person who knocked didn't even wait for her to let them in before throwing the door open and rushing towards her. The person threw their arms around her and Annabeth yelped, partly from pain and partly from surprise. Soon, Annabeth relaxed in their embrace.
Piper.
"Oh, Annabeth, I can't believe you're here," Piper sobbed into Annabeth's shoulder. "I'm so happy you're okay. Oh, I can't believe it."
Annabeth's shoulder was wet now, so she gently pushed Piper back. The girl pulled away and sat on the couch next to Annabeth's wheelchair. Her cheeks shone with moisture. In the past month that she had been with Percy, Piper had gotten older. Not really physically, but mentally. The disappearance of a best friend did do things to people. Annabeth felt guilty for doing this to Piper even though it wasn't really her fault.
"I missed you," Annabeth said and Piper burst into tears again. Biting her lip to keep her own tears down, Annabeth grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed.
"Y-you were j-just g-gone!" Piper sputtered. "And then th-there was the n-note th-that h-he l-left and oh, Annabeth, it...it w-was s-so m-m-much! I n-never th-thought you w-were c-coming b-back!"
She was crying and stammering so much, it was hard to understand her, but Annabeth got the gist of it. She opened her arms and Piper fell to her knees and gladly leaned into them. Piper sobbed on her shoulder again and it took all her self-control for Annabeth not to burst into tears also. Gods knew she had done enough crying to last her a lifetime in the past month.
Piper managed to calm down after a few minutes and pulled away, taking her place on the couch again. She looked at Annabeth with a confused gleam in her kaleidoscope eyes. "Did he do anything to you?" she blurted out. "Percy Jackson, I mean," she added on quietly.
Annabeth took a deep breath. She hated all of these questions. These people saw Percy as a villain and maybe he was, but his motives made him innocent in Annabeth's eyes. He was desperate and what happened to her was the result of his desperation. She couldn't blame him for that, at least not completely.
"Piper," she started, "there's something I need to tell you."
"Oh no," she said. Her eyes swirled ferociously. "What did he do?"
Annabeth smiled to herself and said, "No, no, he didn't do anything. Actually, he-"
The door opened and both girls turned to look at the intruder. Annabeth felt her lips pull up in an involuntary smile. Suddenly, everything that had happened that day seemed much more manageable. "Chiron," she said and his wheelchair rolled him over to her faster than she'd ever seen. Suddenly he was in front of her, gripping her hands tightly.
"Oh, Annabeth," he said and that's all it took for Annabeth to break down for the twenty-seventh time that day.
"I missed you!" she cried. "I missed both you and Piper so much. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't think about you two."
Piper started crying again but Chiron just smiled at her sadly. He squeezed her hands. "I've seen many people break after tragedy," he said, "but you, Annabeth, are the strongest person I've ever seen."
How do you know? Annabeth wanted to scream. How do you know I'm not tearing myself apart inside?
"Thank you," she said instead and wiped away a tear. Chiron had always taught her that even if you were vulnerable, never show it. Putting on an act of bravery was better than not being brave at all.
He also taught her to never surrender, under any circumstances. Never succumb to the enemy's will. That was a tip that Annabeth used in all situations, not just in combat. She couldn't help but think that it was relevant now. In the midst of everything that was happening to her, she wasn't going to surrender. Seeing Chiron here, telling her she was strong, was just the reminder she needed.
"Thank you," she repeated. He nodded and squeezed her hands one more time.
"So what did you want to tell me?" Piper asked. She glanced at Chiron. "Assuming you want to tell Chiron too."
Annabeth smiled. She had missed Piper's caring personality and the way she blurted stuff out.
She glanced Chiron. She was going to tell Piper all about Percy. She couldn't stand knowing another person hated Percy for what he had done. He didn't deserve that. And she might lose her mind if one other person asked if he had done anything while she was missing.
She was entirely comfortable telling Piper everything, but telling her old tutor everything made her a little uncomfortable. It was like telling your father all the details of your first kiss.
"Don't worry, Annabeth," Chiron said with a small smile. "I need to go anyway. I'm loaded with work to do." He leaned forward and kissed Annabeth's forehead (the third time that day) and wheeled himself out of the room. The moment the door closed, Piper leaned forward, wearing a concerned expression.
"If he did anything..." she threatened and it took Annabeth a minute to figure out that she was talking about Percy and not Chiron.
"No, that wasn't what I was going to say," she started.
Piper pursed her lips. "What were you going to say?"
Annabeth swallowed. How should she phrase this? She didn't want Piper thinking she had Stockholm Syndrome. "Um, well, I was going to tell you that, uh, maybe we shouldn't judge him too harshly yet."
Piper stared at her like she didn't understand. "Annabeth," she said slowly, "he kidnapped you. He held you captive for a month. And you want to feel sorry for him?"
Annabeth sighed and shut her eyes tight. "No, no, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Annabeth clamped her lips shut. What did she mean? She didn't think going outright and telling Piper what had happened between her and Percy during that month was the best way to go. Piper would either think she was lying or think she was crazy. Possibly both. And maybe Annabeth was a little crazy, but she knew she couldn't keep this secret forever. She would need someone to talk to whenever she was married to someone she hated and-
Annabeth's internal battle was interrupted when her parents came into the room, followed by a man who looked vaguely familiar.
"I really need to get some locks," she murmured before turning her attention to her parents.
The man behind them was young, possibly in his mid- to late-twenties. He had short blonde hair cut in a military-style cut. His eyes were bright blue and a long scar marred the left side of his face. He was staring at Annabeth with a small, friendly smile on his face, but Annabeth felt something cool and evil take over her whenever she looked at him.
This man couldn't possibly...her parents wouldn't...
She slid her gaze to her parents. Her mother looked pleased. She had a small smile on her face and she looked much more cleaned up than she had when Annabeth had woken up. Her crown was centered again and the wisps of hair that had fallen out of her updo were brushed behind her ears.
The king, however, didn't look very happy. His mouth was set in a firm line and he stood a bit too tall to be comfortable. Annabeth knew that look. Just looking at her parents, she knew exactly where this conversation was going.
"Annabeth," her mother said and old Annabeth came back. She hated the tone Athene was using, and she hated how after everything, she was throwing this onto her. She wanted to get out of this wheelchair and throw it at her mother's face.
The queen continued without delay. "This is Luke Castellan. He was the man who saved you."
Annabeth looked back at the man - Luke - and shook her head. "No," she murmured. She felt Piper's horrified stare and tried to hold it together.
Athene smiled. "He's of royal blood and in reward for him finding you and returning you to us-" Her voice caught and she paused, collecting herself before continuing. Annabeth just sat and listened in horror as her mother said, "We have agreed that in reward for him finding you, he shall have your hand in marriage."
Okay, so first of all, I want to apologize for the rushed ending. My mother told me I wasn't having enough contact with humans today so she forced me to come out of my bedroom and sit in the living room with everyone else. So I was a little distracted while I wrote the end of this.
OH MY GODS I GOT OVER 50 REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH MYSELF RIGHT NOW! I really don't. You guys are amazing. The feedback for last chapter was incredible. I thought it was going to be tough getting to 300, but I got to, like 336. That's amazing. Let's do it again. Let's get to...355?
Oh, and I've been getting some questions about this story, like how long is it going to be and why it's rated T, so I took the liberty of posting on my profile the answers to such questions and more for each of my stories! You're welcome!
Next up, Percy's POV! Anybody have any idea what happened to him? Was that really him that beat Annabeth? How's he doing in prison? I'll try to update as fast as I can. I'm super busy for, like, the first half of this month and then I have three weeks until school starts. I'll try to update as much as I can before school starts back up. I have three chapters left of my other story Begin Again that I need to finish also, so this story isn't really my first priority right now (although I'm updating this one more than I am the other one because I like this one better).
"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done." 1 Chronicles 16:8