PART FOUR: PROSECUTION

CHAPTER 26: Pretrial

The courtroom was full to the brim with Denizens. Extra benches were brought it, to accommodate the crowd that had come to watch the trial. Denizens from all corners of the House, from every demesne, had shown up to view the proceedings. They were dressed as fancy as they could manage, for this was a very important occasion. It was the busiest Suzy had ever seen the Court of Days.

The courtroom had been modified for the trial, with two desks being set up side by side, facing the judge's bench. Both were empty, but Suzy knew who the occupants would be. On one side would be Art, who would be prosecuting the gods, and on the other desk would be whichever god was defending him or herself at the time. The judge's bench was really a large panel with seven chairs, which would be occupied by the Morrow Days when the time came. To the side, in their usual place, were the Dawns, Noons, and Dusks, dressed in very fancy clothing. To the other side were twelve ordinary Denizens, the jury.

Suzy watched all of this though a crack in the door of Art's office, where several people were assembled. Art was at his desk, looking grim but determined. Before him stood all of the Morrow Days, who were each taking turns swearing oaths of neutrality and impartiality on their demesne's Key. Watching the proceedings were Suzy and her six friends, who were honored guests of the prosecution. Whatever that meant.

"Do you, Lord Sunday, Master of the Incomparable Gardens, swear upon the Seventh Key to be neutral in the upcoming trial?" Art said.

Sunday, with his hand on the Seventh Key, nodded his head. "This I swear."

Art nodded. "That's the last of it," he said.

"Not that it matters," Sunday added, a little late. "We could be partial in favor of the gods and they'll still lose this trial."

"That's for the jury to decide," said Wednesday, a bit stern. "But yes, you're right."

Suzy rolled her eyes. She had no idea what all of this legal stuff meant, and she was a bit miffed that she had to attend this trial in the first place. Regular meetings didn't exactly entertain her, and trials were worse. Eh, I'll probably only need to sit through the first hour or so. Hopefully.

"Now," said Art, "as the prosecutor, I am obligated to inform you judges of certain things pertaining to the trial. You already know most of them, but I must say so anyway, as a matter of record."

"You may proceed," said Sunday.

Art nodded. "First, the charges. I have arrested twelve gods on the count of Gross Mismanagement of the Architect's Creation. They are Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Dionysus. They will share a single trial and a single jury, but their verdicts will be independent of one another. I will prosecute them in alphabetical order."

"And how long is this trial supposed to last?" asked Saturday.

"Given the number of witnesses and the length of their testimonies, about a fortnight," Art replied.

Suzy's jaw dropped open. "A fortnight!"

"Miss Blue!" Art chided. "This is formal business."

"I ain't staying in that courtroom for a fortnight!"

"You don't have to," said Art. "It's a courtroom, not a prison. Come and go as you wish."

"Oh," Suzy drew back in surprise. "Very well, carry on."

"Thank you for your permission, Miss Blue," Art replied dryly. "Back to business. The trial will last around a fortnight. These gods have been around for millennia, and each of their acts must be examined through testimony in order to build a proper case."

"Very well," said Sunday. "The trial will begin in ten minutes. The first god on your list will be brought in promptly."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. As the New Architect's assistant, it was Suzy's job to answer it. Ignoring the conversation between Art and the Days, Suzy went to the door and swung it open.

"The New Architect isn't available," she said automatically. Then she looked to see who it was.

At the door was a tall, strange figure that Suzy vaguely remembered seeing on the field of battle. From the waist up, he was a muscular man. Below the waist and down, he had the body of a horse. A Cent Tower, Arthur had called them, or something like that, and this was their leader. Behind him were seven mortals, who Suzy recognized as the seven she had met outside the Front Door in that big city with the park.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you lot want?"

"We wish to speak with the New Architect," said the man horse in a deep, wise voice. "It is urgent that we speak with him, please, young one."

"Actually, I'm a couple thousand years old," Suzy corrected. She turned to Art, who had now ceased his conversation and was staring at the door.

"Who is it, Miss Blue?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"It's the gods' posse," Suzy replied. "Should I let 'em in?"

Art hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then he nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"In you go," Suzy instructed, stepping aside to let them pass. This they did, though at different paces. The man horse strode in perfectly, exactly as he should have. He showed a strong front, to show that he wasn't too cowardly or meek, but at the same time he knew he was a supplicant, and so did not appear too haughty.

The seven teenagers walked much slower, looking around the room with uncomfortable glances. At their head, trying to look confident, was a blonde boy and a boy with really dark hair and green eyes. The rest followed right behind, sticking to a group. There was a large boy with a purple cloak, a small girl with dark skin and caramel hair, a taller girl with dark hair and a pretty face, a girl with grey eyes and bright hair, and a runty boy with curly hair and a devilish expression. Suzy noticed that they would not look in the direction of Suzy and her friends, not would Reyna, Nico, or Rachel meet their eyes.

Suzy scoffed. She was glad that she never had to put up with people like that. Especially since they took her top hat.

"What can I do for you, Chiron?" Art asked, voice emotionless and icy.

"We have something to ask of you," the man horse, Chiron, replied in a soft voice. "Please, just hear our plea."

"Our?" Art scoffed. "Chiron, it is only because of your presence that I am even listening at all. I know what these seven did, they procured the Nothing from the Void and used it to poke holes in the House! If it wasn't for the deal I made with Miss Ramirez-Arellano, Mr. di Angelo, and Miss Dare, I'd be prosecuting them, too!"

"We didn't know," said the blonde boy softly. His voice broke, and his confidence was non-existent.

"Didn't know?" Art seethed. "You could have destroyed the whole Universe and everything in it! You decided to deal in something you know nothing of because those heathen gods told you to do so!"

Jason and the others remained silent, each of them carrying a guilty face. The girl with the dark skin even looked like she was about to start crying.

"Art, please," Reyna said softly.

Art took a deep breath, and nodded.

"Please excuse my lack of composure," he continued, much calmer. "What is your request, centaur?"

"My request…" Chiron trailed off. "I know that the gods have committed grave sins. They are hardly perfect—"

"Hardly perfect doesn't describe it," Art interjected quietly.

"Anyway," said Chiron. "I humbly ask that you grant them mercy, on behalf of all of the good things I have done for Earth."

Art spread his hands, clearly indicating what his answer was. "How can I grant such a request?"

"It seems he is asking for a deal," Sunday pointed out.

"I am," Chiron confirmed. "I am not asking that the gods completely escape punishment, I am asking merely that their punishment not be too harsh."

"Their punishment shall fit whatever crimes they are found guilty of," Art replied simply. "They will not be destroyed, if that's what you fear."

"Please," Chiron insisted, begged even. "I will have them plead guilty of all crimes if you lessen their sentence."

Suzy looked at him. His face was calm and serene, but she could clearly see the desperation in his eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking, it was one of the things she was good at. She could tell that he knew that certain gods had a high chance of being guilty, and wanted to get out of the trial by making a deal.

She had also worked with Art for a long time, and knew how to get his attention. With a small, unnoticeable flick of the head, Suzy signaled Art, whose eyes flicked toward her. In that instant, Suzy shook her head slowly. Art nodded in reply.

"No deal," Art said softly. "This matter will go to trial."

Chiron looked slightly defeated, but drew up to a respectable height. "Very well," he said softly. "You should know that the gods have commanded me to be their trial lawyer, and I have accepted."

"And therein lies the difference between the gods and us," Art replied. "I never command anyone to do anything, unless they chose to accept my command out of free will. I'll see you in court."

Chiron clipped out of the room, the seven demigods following him looking quite upset, and still guilty. Suzy closed the door behind them.

"Well," she said, "that was a doozy."

"Tell me about it," Art muttered. "Why did you advise me to refuse?"

"Coz I knew what he was doing," Suzy replied casually. "He was trying to squiggle his way out of a trial, coz he knew the gods would be found guilty."

"Chiron is smart," Rachel warned suddenly. "I could see him being a good trial lawyer."

"It doesn't matter," Art replied confidently. "The evidence against them is overwhelming. And I happen to be smart too, Miss Dare."

Rachel blushed, mumbling a hurried apology.

"I believe it is time to fetch out papers for the trial," said Sunday. "We'll see you in the courtroom, Art." He and the other Morrow Days left the room.

"Boy," Arthur said once they were gone. "You really chewed them out, didn't you, Art."

Art sighed. "Yes, perhaps unwisely."

"They deserved it," said Nico with venom. His eyes suddenly were afire with anger. "They've acted worse than scum lately."

"Nico!" Rachel exclaimed. "They were your friends, once."

"Maybe," Nico replied quietly. Then he looked Rachel in the eye. "Did you know Annabeth stabbed me in the calf, Rachel? With no remorse at all, she just did it. And Percy…" his voice broke. "Percy just stood over me, and then left me there."

Rachel's face turned to horror. "I—I didn't know."

"And that other kid," Leaf spat, "the one with the curly hair. He tricked me, tricked me cold, into getting captured by Hephaestus, who nearly killed me!"

"Not to mention their actions nearly got all of us killed," Arthur pointed out. "Especially me."

Suzy didn't speak, but she saw Reyna get increasingly uncomfortable.

"Enough," said a surprising voice. It was not Reyna, nor Rachel, but Art, the one who gave the demigods the toughest rebuke of all.

"You don't think they did bad things?" Suzy asked him.

"Of course I do," Art replied. "They did awful things, but it wasn't their fault, truly. They were so loyal to the gods, so attached. I know what they'd been through, they risked their lives for the gods aboard a floating ship. They were the main heroes of the gods, and were so entrenched in them. That led to their blind loyalty, and willingness to do whatever they wanted."

"How do you know all that?" Reyna asked quietly, slightly in shock.

"I watched them," Art replied. "I watched the entire war with that earth monster, Gaea, the one my predecessor raised to godhood. What those seven went through turned them into what they are. They are slightly at fault for bad judgement, but who can truly blame them for their attachment to the gods?"

Everyone remained silent, pondering that statement. Deep within, Suzy felt a sense of pride. She was never blindingly loyal, she had never followed commands just because they were commands. She did whatever she wanted, whatever she felt was right. That had always been her style, and it felt good to hear Art praise that kind of thinking.

"Also," Art continued slowly, "it's why I decided not to choose them, in the end."

A wave of confusion passed over the group. "What?" asked Fred, the usually silent Fred.

Art smiled. "Why do you think I watched the war with Gaea? I needed some of the demigods to join the campaign against the gods, as they had knowledge that would prove crucial to the arrest of the Olympians. So I looked, and searched, trying to find the bravest, strongest, most capable demigods I could get.

"My eye initially landed on those seven. They seemed like the stuff of mythological legend, flying aboard a magic ship, fighting monsters daily to save the world from destruction. I thought that they were the perfect ones, the shining heroes in golden armor, ready to fight for justice.

"But then I noticed what I see clearly in them now, blind faithfulness to the Olympians. I was about to choose them, was about to transform one of their objects into a Transfer Plate that would send them up to the House, but then I stopped. I didn't want blind loyalty to the gods. Strength and bravery were great, but they could be found in many. What I needed were clear minds, ones that would do what is truly right, ones that would fight to do good for the world, not just for the gods."

Art turned toward Rachel, Reyna, and Nico. "I found you three. Reyna, with her unwavering sense of justice. Nico, who had been through so much struggle and wanted to see some change in the world. Rachel, with her pure, good heart. That was what I wanted, I realized. Your strength and bravery were just an added bonus. It was your independence, and goodness, that truly made you the right choice."

By the end of Art's little speech, Reyna, Nico, and Rachel's jaws had dropped. They were in complete shock at the honor Art had shown them, at the immense praise that had been bestowed upon them.

"And how could I forget the long-time friends of the House?" Art said through a smile. "Arthur, Suzy, Leaf, and Fred, I thank you for your continued support."

"Your welcome," Suzy replied immediately, causing everyone to laugh.

"Art," Reyna spoke up. "Thank you, for everything,"

"For what?" Art asked, curious.

"For helping me find my place," Reyna replied. "For helping us find our place. We thought we had it before, but you showed us the true path."

"Agreed," said Rachel with a grin. Nico nodded as well.

"I'm glad I could do so," Art replied softly.

"Alright," said Suzy. "I've had enough thanks for one day. Can we get this trial over with?"

"Yes," said Art firmly. "You seven have worked hard, and now it is time for you to see the fruits of your labor. It is time to bring these gods to the justice they deserve. Let the trial begin."