Chapter 49
Percy had never been in the dungeons before. He wasn't completely sure why they had been left off the tour he had been given of the castle. He supposed it had to do with how dark and depressing the area was. Not exactly something that screamed: Hey! Give up your life to come live in this place, it'll be super fun!
Whatever the reason, he was getting a very close and personal look now. After the brief conversation with his friend, the guard had been quick to lead him through a side door in the castle, and down the stairs to the cells. The other prisoners had been clamoring like crazy, asking if they had caught the boy who escaped, offering information on the accomplis if they were let go, just trying to bribe the guard into letting them go too, no one would even notice. The guard had simply ignored them, removing the belt from Percy's wrists, before shoving him roughly into an empty cell.
Which was where Percy had stayed for the rest of the night, and well into the next day. For the first time since he'd come to the castle he was allowed to sleep in as late as he wanted. Unfortunately the stone floor did let to make him comfortable, and the clanging of people around him woke him up earlier then he would have liked given there was nothing to do anyway. The first thing he had done was glance at the other cells, trying to get a good look at the people inside of them.
Jason and Leo didn't appear to be in any of them, which made Percy relax a little. It was no guarantee, there were some cells he couldn't see into or they could be somewhere else, but it was something at least. And he needed to believe they had gotten away. That would make whatever his father was going to do worth it.
It wasn't until what Percy had to guess was well into the afternoon, that guards finally came to his cell. The captain was among them. As soon as they approached, Percy took a deep breath and pushed himself up, doing his best to appear as princely as possible despite his clothes and likely disheveled hair.
"Captain," Percy nodded, focusing his attention on him rather than the guards on either side. "Things finally calm down enough to warrant telling my father about my little adventure last night?"
"Seems so." He had always been a man of few words. Instead of saying anything else, he just nodded towards the door, and one of the guards moved to unlock it. "Come on, the king wants to speak with you, your highness."
When the door opened, the captain stepped back, and without prompting Percy walked out, not bothering to argue as the guards took up spots on either side of him. He wasn't going to try and run, what would be the point? It wasn't like he could just avoid the king forever.
The other prisoners were busy offering up information again, but as the guard had done earlier, the captain ignored them as they made their way out of the dungeons and back up into the main part of the castle. He didn't say anything as he lead the way through the halls, and Percy was slightly relieved with that. His nerves were higher than he wanted to admit, and his brain was busy worrying about what would happen to focus on a conversation right now.
Despite the distance the king's study was from the dungeons, it felt like they were there in an instant. Taking a deep breath, Percy looked up at the door, watching as it was opened to let the captain in, but stayed where he was in the hallway. It wasn't until the captain exited, that the door was held open for him to enter.
Poseidon was standing with his back to Percy, looking out the window. His hands were clasped behind his back, shoulders square, the picture of a perfect king. As always. Percy naturally made his way into the room and to the spot near the center where he usually stood as he waited. If he wasn't so nervous he may have been surprised to find that he naturally took the same stance as the king.
For a moment they just stood there, the room feeling almost frozen. Finally Poseidon spoke without turning around, "This is the first free moment I have had all day. I suggest you don't test my patients by lying."
Percy didn't answer. He knew what was coming, but he didn't want to speak early and give something away. He only had to wait a moment before Poseidon turned to face him "Did you have anything to do with the druid boy escaping last night?"
"Leo was the one who escaped?" Percy said, doing his best to sound surprised by it, before shrugging, "No, I had nothing to do with it."
"You expect me to believe that you happened to decide to sneak out on the same night that someone helped a prisoner escape from the dungeons?" Poseidon replied, and though he was keeping his composure, Percy could hear the frustration in his voice. "A prisoner you specifically requested I release."
"I've been sneaking in and out of the castle for months. It's not my fault that this was the first time the guards have noticed," Percy replied, looking up to meet his father's eyes as he spoke. He had decided last night that he wouldn't back down. He had no idea how Poseidon would respond to the information, but he found he didn't care.
"And where exactly have you been going on these- outings." If he wasn't so focused on keeping his kingly appearance, Percy was sure Poseidon would have been outright glaring at him now.
"To visit my mother, and occasionally my friends," Percy could feel his nerves building but he fought to keep his voice calm and his face neutral. He wouldn't be ashamed of what he had done. And he wouldn't be scared of what Poseidon might do. The secret was out. So be it. There was honesty some relief at finally getting it out in the open. "You can go ask her if you like. She will assure you that I was at her home last night."
"You disobeyed me, snuck out of the castle, and distracted one of the guards, leaving a gate unguarded, and giving a prisoner an escape route," Poseidon stated, staring down at Percy, who refused to look away "And now you stand there, acting as if you simply stole an extra helping of dessert."
"On the contrary, I assure you that I am taking this very seriously," Percy replied, glad that he had taken the time to practice this the night before "I just don't think I've done anything wrong."
"What?" That surprised Poseidon, and for a moment his composure slipped, and Percy held his breath as he waited "You disobeyed me, and you are possibly partially responsible for the escape of a prisoner."
"I only disobeyed you because you didn't follow through on your promise," Percy replied evenly, slight anger starting to build up now, but he tried to push it down. "When I agreed to this you told me I would be allowed to see my mother. It's been seven months, and you reject the idea every time I ask. I decided to take matters into my own hands."
"You are not a commoner anymore Perseus, you are a prince. You can't just do whatever you want. You're decisions have consequences, ones that could impact the safety and stability of an entire kingdom." There was a rise in Poseidon's voice, frustration clear.
"Visiting my mother does not put the country in danger," Percy replied evenly, his voice rising with Poseidon's.
"You may have left a gate unguarded for a dangerous criminal escape through," Poseidon sounded more angry now, though frustration was still the main emotion.
"Leo isn't dangerous. He's a kid, younger than I am," Percy's hands had fallen to his side at some point, and he found himself clenching them a bit now "I didn't help him escape but I can't bring myself to be disappointed that he did. You shouldn't have been holding him to start with."
"There are things you don't understand. You're still new to all of this."
"I understand perfectly," Percy replied, and he was fairly sure he was glaring at this point "Just like I understand that when you sent me to watch guards murder people in the woods it had nothing to do with them trespassing on your land."
"Being king comes with making hard decisions, and sometimes those decisions end with people dying," Poseidon's eyes were stormy, but unlike when Annabeth's got that way, it was clearly because of anger rather than thinking. Like a sea about to capsize a boat. "It is something you'll have to get used to."
"You didn't send soldiers off on a failed mission, or accidentally send a ship off in a storm," Percy couldn't believe how unphased he appeared by this. As if what had happened really didn't bother him. "You sent guards to kill innocent people. It wasn't a bad decision, it was an attack on defenseless people."
"That's part of being king."
"That's not the kind of king I am going to be."
The words left Percy's mouth before he could even think about them, but he found he didn't regret it. They were true. He wasn't going to rule the way Poseidon did, and for the first time he found he didn't care what Poseidon thought about it. If he didn't like it, to bad. It was also the first time he had said he would be king and not felt a twinge of doubt about it.
The comment seemed to give Poseidon pause, and for a long moment they just stood there. Percy took deep breaths, still refusing to break his eyes away from the king, sure at any moment that he was going to call the guards back in to escort him out of the castle. That he was going to be told this experiment was over and sent home. So be it. Until that happened, he would be a prince and act accordingly.
Finally Poseidon took a deep breath, straightening his back. The anger and frustration had mostly left his face, and there was another look there, one that Percy didn't recognize. The calm before the storm. Any second the guards would be ordered in again to show him out. Percy's hands relaxed and he squared his shoulders again, head high as he waited for it.
"You are free to return to your room."
The words were remarkably calm, especially after what had just occurred. Surprised, Percy didn't move, waiting for Poseidon to add something about gathering his things to leave. Instead the man just finished the thought with "Or I believe Princess Piper is in the garden if you wish to join her. Your lessons were canceled for the day, so spend it as you wish. I will see you at dinner."
And just like that it was over. There was still tension in the room, but not nearly as much as there had been before. Percy was still a prince, and Poseidon was merely waiting for him to leave. He wasn't even being confined to his chambers like he had been expecting. He was just free to go.
Percy looked over at the king for one more moment, before nodding "I will see you at dinner."
Then he turned on his heel, and walked out of the room, past the guards. It wasn't until he was several hallways away that he finally felt himself starting to relax.
