WINTER WINDS
"Would you care to inform me why you tried to raid my village?"
Annabeth's mother once told her that whenever you had a backup plan, your original plan was less likely to work. Even if Annabeth and her mother didn't agree on anything from a political standpoint, Athena was her mother and they agreed on just about anything knowledge-based. She didn't believe her mother in this scenario.
Why didn't she think of a backup plan? Maybe if she thought of a backup plan, she wouldn't be in this mess? What if the group said no to the plan? Was Apollo the one who ratted them out, jealous of the money they took? Of course, Apollo was bitter! At this point, would he follow through with her plan? Did he even trust her?
She was too careless to realize that her plan could fail. That was coming back to bite her in the butt right about now. The group would have no token from the village, so would they trust her with the rest of her plan? Annabeth wasn't sure anymore. Maybe the point of not coming up with a backup plan was so you wouldn't second guess yourself. Well, that was biting her in the butt too.
Annabeth chuckled, "You see, the kingdoms of Greece haven't treated us right. We've heard so much about your orderly village, we had to see it for ourselves! It's just as amazing as described!"
Boreas tapped his fingers on his leg. He narrowed his eyes at each of them. His thick eyebrows scrunched together, and his whole posture stiffened.
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Why don't you believe me?"
He looked them up and down. "Is it hard not to?"
Annabeth didn't know how to respond to that. She sat back in her chair, biting her lip. She was in a pickle. There wasn't a reasonable exclamation why they were wearing cloaks with hoods that hid their faces as the dark did. If they weren't here to raid the village, why would they have weapons on them?
In all honesty, she agreed with Boreas. If a group of teenagers stumbled into her village with cloaks and weapons, she would want them immediately patted down. She wouldn't want them carrying their weapons around, no matter the reason. Why disturb the peace in her kingdom when you could easily eliminate the problem?
She crossed her arms and shrugged. "We need to protect ourselves in the wild."
"Mhm," Boreas snapped at the guards. "Lock 'em up. Leave their leader out with me. I need to speak with her. She may not have as much to say without her peers."
"Wait, but I'm not their leader-"
Annabeth's sorry attempt at any protest died. The crew resisted with light tugs on their arms where the guards held onto them, but it didn't do much. She could tell by the weak attempts they were making, that they weren't trying all that hard to escape. If anything, Jason rebelled the hardest, rolling his eyes as the guards struggled to drag him out of the room.
Just as the door was about to slam shut, Annabeth's eyes met Percy's. His eyes gleamed in the candlelight, popping out against the dark. His face was expressionless, but Annabeth noticed his set jaw and a little nod. After her obvious rejection the other day, she was surprised he accepted this. Maybe he didn't care as much as she thought he did?
The princess turned back to the village's leader. When she stood, she slammed her hands on the desk.
"Bring them back. They didn't do anything."
Boreas's face shattered into the brink of laughter. His laugh echoed in the room, and Annabeth scooted back slightly. She raised her eyebrow at him, crossing her arms. Boreas did what she did moments ago, and slapped his hand on the table. The candle sitting atop it shook.
He snickered at her. "I can see past your little facade, Princess Annabeth of Athens."
Annabeth sneered. "How did you know?"
"I assumed you'd visit."
She slumped back into her chair, biting her lip. There wasn't any way he knew about her plan; that was impossible. Only her group, Apollo, and her parents knew about her plan. Her crew didn't know about the real part of the plan, but they did know their next stop was Meteora.
Unless the information was somehow shared with Boreas, there was no way he knew. Besides, letter communication went slow, even with the royals. There was a slim chance that her parents were already on their way to Meteora. Judging by the time, she'd have to stall a little bit longer. Maybe this was the way to do it?
"How?"
Boreas waved his hand. "You might have been circling the area for a while. You've been ruthless when it comes to stealing. Why not take a pit stop in a village?"
"I told them we were stealing from you. It's the only way I could get them to agree to my plan." Annabeth crossed her legs, her black boots making her leg heavy. "By now I figured you built a dynasty. I told them you were just as bad as the others. They believed it."
"And why would you need to loot from my people? Why not take a simple rest here?" Boreas stared at her, awaiting a response. His lips were in a deep frown.
She glared at him. He didn't understand how hard this was. The assassins thought they were doing the right thing. While their mindsets were in the right places, their actions were not. They were only making her job harder. They were good people making the wrong choice. By sympathizing and connecting with them, she was doing the same.
She had a mission. Her people came first. Perhaps Boreas didn't understand her, but she understood him. When you have people who back you up, people that stand up for you when times get tough, and people that trust you, you can't screw that up. When suspicious-looking people come stalking into your kingdom, you take action. You do anything to protect your people.
Annabeth felt like she was doing something similar now. Her future depended on what she was doing now. If she didn't succeed and succumbed to the will of the assassins, she was done for. Her people were done for. Right now, she may have only been a princess but she was their hope for a better future.
For a few days, she allowed the rebels to get into her head. It was like they were sweet-talking her into doing their bidding. She didn't like it. From the beginning, she should've been set on her duty; instead, she let measly things distract her. Now that she had someone in mind to fix that problem, she was more concerned about her duty than getting her way.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Please, you do not know anything about the assassins."
"I wouldn't say you know much more."
Again, Boreas was right. She had been with the rebels for a few days now, but she still didn't know them by heart. She didn't know all of their secrets, much like who their boss is. Things like that proved that she couldn't trust them, and she needed to complete her duty. There wasn't another option.
Deciding this was easier when the assassins weren't in the same room as her.
"I still know more than you do," She said. "They need money for motivation. I guarantee if I didn't mention this village, they wouldn't think the journey was worth it."
"Now they're thinking that eh?"
Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him, leaning forward once more. At this point, she needed to be sure of more than one thing. First, she needed to be sure Boreas wasn't going to expose her secret to the rest of the rebels. That wouldn't be good. Her plan would go down the drain.
Secondly, she had to know if Boreas would be kind enough to help her plan. If there was any way that he could stall them here, whether it was for a few more hours or a whole night, it would help her and the rest of the royals greatly.
So far, her plan was working. She couldn't let her plan fail due to someone like Boreas being her downfall. She admired his capability to rule and govern a village on her own, but it would be especially embarrassing if she got exposed by a village governor.
That couldn't happen. Her best bet was to stall him. That way, her whole crew got stalled and her plan had an even higher chance of succeeding.
"Look, you and I, we have to work together." Annabeth gestured between the two of them. "I have a plan, and bringing those assassins here was the only way my plan could work."
Boreas grunted. "You had to bring them into my city?"
"Did I not already tell you? If I told them we camp out in the countryside and wait for the right time to strike, they wouldn't have agreed. They don't like to sit and wait for things to happen; they like to make them happen. Courtesy of being assassins."
"Again, I must ask, how can I trust you? You royals have always been…bipolar."
Annabeth wanted to laugh at his observation. He was right in one way. The royals did anything they could for survival. They blamed others, started wars, anything to keep themselves on the highest pedestal and alive.
Sometimes, when they are like that, they easily have to change their minds. One thing that they are all very stubborn about is how they rule. The rule how they like, and no one can change that. That's all something they can all agree on, and not argue for hours on. Subjects like marriage, economy, and war could be discussed for hours.
It enraged Annabeth at times too. She didn't like how her parents constantly changed their minds. Athena was very adamant about getting Annabeth a husband from the start, not letting anything get in her way. Now, with this entire mission she has to accomplish, Athena let her go. What was it really that Athena valued? Attention or duty?
She understood what Boreas meant. The royals were very self-preserving. She acknowledged that Boreas probably assumed the same thing about her. She was a daughter of a queen and king, after all, born to become a queen. She was an heir to the throne, and whether she liked it or not, people outside of her citizens thought of her as they thought of her family.
"I don't know what I can say to get you to trust me, but I need you to understand one thing. If you help me stall these assassins, I'll make sure they won't bother you again."
Boreas raised an eyebrow. "How do you propose you do this? Tell them to stay away from that village and hope they listen?"
"I plan to lock them up in Meteora. They shouldn't be able to get out of there. The court will decide what to do with them from there."
"What if they decide to let the rebels go."
"They won't," Annabeth chuckled bitterly. "I know those people. I grew up around two of them. They're my family. I know what they will and won't do. It'd be a miracle to see that group of assassins out and about again after I get them into Meteora."
Boreas scratched his chin and stared at her. He was silent for a few seconds before he sighed. "How do you suppose I help you stall?"
Annabeth thought about this. The guards locked up Percy and the others. What was she supposed to do? Boreas couldn't throw her in a cell with them, right? If he did that, it would take a lot longer than overnight to decide what to do with them. They were assassins.
If she was being honest with herself, she didn't know what to do. Sitting here and arguing with the governor was stopping them, but it wouldn't last for much longer. Besides, it had only been a couple of days since they looted Delphi, and it took messages about that long to travel. With luck, her parents were already on their way.
She needed to get held up for a day or two. Who knew how hard that would be? She did not know what to do. Her fingers began to shake, and her heartbeat sped up. Her lungs racked with breaths, feeling as if she was trying to breathe the green fog from back in the woods of Delphi.
Annabeth folded her hands together to get them to stop shaking. "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. This can be completely up to you."
"Hmmm," Boreas smirked. "To think you're the daughter of Frederick and Athena Chase, bound to be queen and heir of Athens. I expect much better from you, Annabeth"
Instead of getting angry like she thought she would, she only let Boreas' words bare her down. He was right. She was already having royal balls in search of a husband. If she couldn't do something as little as come up with an idea to stall assassins, what kind of queen would she become?
She hoped she was just mentally tired from her mission with the assassins. Despite getting a good night's rest the other night, she hasn't gotten a lot of sleep. The cold air that bit at their skin when they climbed the mountain only drained her more. Maybe that is why she wasn't fighting with Boreas but agreeing.
Oh, what a princess she was?
Speaking of the frigid air, a strong gust of wind blew onto the walls, making the ceiling pop. She shivered. Her nerves and anxiety were not settling. Then, she came up with an idea so simple, that it would be hard not to ignore.
She was tired from the trek up the mountain. Even if the assassins were far more trained than her, they had to be tired too! Greece was normally warm all year round, so climbing up a mountain that wasn't exactly hot was something new! If she could convince them that the weather was too bad, they would have to stay the night!
It was dumb, and if the assassins didn't agree, her plan would be over. It would be risky, but if she could get Boreas to help her, it may work.
"Maybe you can set us free?"
"Excuse me?! You tried to raid my village, and steal from my people who work hard for what they get!" His anger was not hidden.
Annabeth shakily stood up, her nerves slowly going away. "After you chatted with me, you've been "convinced" that we weren't here to cause harm. You let us go, but warn us about the weather that has moved in."
As if to help further prove her statement, a cool blast of wind flew through the room, making the two of them shiver. Hopefully, Boreas would be convinced enough to let her plan happen.
"With the weather, there's no way we can do anything. All we need is a place to stay for the night, and maybe a little into the day until the weather passes. Then, we'll be on our way."
For a minute, the look on his face didn't make him look like he agreed.
"I suppose this isn't the worst plan, and seeing that you came up with it on a whim, I guess I could let this pass. Although, are you sure they would listen to you?" He still seemed skeptical. "Just minutes ago we discussed how they may not listen to you."
Annabeth nodded, biting her lip. "Yes, I know. The assassins aren't very used to the cold weather, though. I'm sure they wouldn't mind waiting overnight."
She smiled fondly with a little eye roll as she remembered their complaints.
I'm going to die of hypothermia!
Please, Bethanny! Why did you suggest this misery?
Can I stop here and freeze to death in a very cool pose? I can become a cool-looking ice statue!
"I'm not one to trust you royals, but I'm going to try. If something goes wrong, I'll be sure you and your kingdom pay."
Annabeth nodded tightly. "I understand."
Boreas pushed himself up from his desk, and Annabeth followed. She followed him and his guards out the door, jumping when the door slammed behind her.
She would do anything for her people. Her citizens needed this. They needed her to succeed not only in this part of her mission but her entire mission. She had to complete her duty, or all of her worst nightmares would break loose. She was Annabeth Chase, and she would not fail.
"For now, the name's Bethanny. Remember that, or this plan will fail."
When they arrived at the cell, Annabeth put her head down. She needed to appear as a lesser being, not higher. Here with the assassins, she wasn't more than a peasant who ran away from her family in search of more.
Their boots stomped on the pavement, and Annabeth noticed that one of the patterns wasn't Boreas or her's. She glanced up, and Percy was pacing back and forth, his hood still up. Reyna was leaning against the wall, Jason's head in her lap. Malcolm sat on the lone bench, his legs bouncing up and down. Dakota and Gween sat on the floor and played a game with their fingers.
Even though she knew they were only getting locked up, the sight of seeing them all unharmed was amazing. Relief filled her bones, and her shoulders relaxed. She hadn't even noticed that they were tense before. Her heartbeat sped up, not only with nerves but excitement.
All of the assassins looked up when Boreas and his guards stood up by the bars. She and Percy's eyes met briefly, and she gave him a little smile and nod. His hands grasped the bars, but he didn't struggle or demand freedom from Boreas.
Boreas folded his arms together in front of him. "Lucky for you all, your little leader has opened my mind to your true intentions. I have decided that I shall let you go, but only on one condition."
"What is it? I'll do anything!" Percy's hands tightened around the bars.
Annabeth's heart swelled. Percy's loyalty was something different. She hadn't met one other person with such selflessness and loyalty as him. She's new to the group, but when she got stuck and caught up in Delphi, he ran back for her.
Now, when there was a possibility that there had to be a sacrifice given, he was willing to do it. He couldn't see any of his team members get hurt. Maybe that is why he wasn't always the kindest to her. He knew and trusted his teammates, and was loyal to them first. Although, she was a new friend of his, and he couldn't put her down like that.
Perhaps, that's why the kiss attempt felt out of place. Maybe that is why he ignored her at dinner the other night? Could that be the reason that he acted the way he did around her at the river the other day? Was that who the true Percy was that he couldn't let show any other time?
"Good. Don't come back to my village again. I'm allowing you a one-night stay due to the winds and freezing weather tonight. If you dare show your faces again after tomorrow, there won't be any second chances."
"I, uh, we understand, sir." Percy nodded, clearing his throat.
"I see. Now if I were you, I would take a lot of time and thank your friend. If you didn't have her, you wouldn't see another day."
Annabeth didn't even hear him, but Jason appeared next to Percy at the bars. Just as he was about to say something, Percy put a hand out to stop him. Jason just sneered and the rest of the assassins stood.
"Thank you, sir. If you don't mind, we'd like to take up your offer of a one-night stay." The rest of the assassins protested, calling out to her. She rolled her eyes, chuckling a little to hear them complain. Oh, they were never happy. "Guys, you all acted as if you were dying on the way up. I don't think going down the mountain in this weather will please you anymore."
The assassins groaned and flopped on the beds when they entered the motel. It was in the middle of the village, a large building that was almost like a community home. Many of the members of the village lived there, and the rest of the buildings they saw on their way in were just shops.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and they yanked their hoods down and threw them off. Laying on the floor was a pile of robes and shoes, and Annabeth couldn't help but throw hers off too. As much as an itch nagged her to pick them up and place them neatly on the floor or in the wardrobe, she didn't.
She sat on the edge of one of the beds watching the boys wrestle as the girls cheered on their significant other. Hazel stood on the sidelines with crossed arms and a small smile. Annabeth found herself grinning at the scene, unable to stop herself. It was like she wasn't planning on locking them up in the most confined dungeon in the kingdom in a few days.
"Bethanny!" Gwen called. "Who's gonna win?"
She looked up, seeing Percy and Malcolm fighting, while Jason and Dakota fist-bumped. The two were laughing and grinning at each other. She recalled Hazel mentioning that Percy and Malcolm knew each other before they were in the fifth legion assassin group.
She scoffed. "Percy's got this in the bag!"
Reyna gaped at her. "I know you're new and all but you haven't seen Malcolm. He's got a brain worthy of Athena herself!"
The others nodded and agreed.
"That doesn't mean Percy can't outlast him!" For some reason, she was standing up for a leader of assassins that infuriated her but made her heart jump all at the same time. If that boy wasn't so darn frustrating...
Hazel glanced at her and smirked, while Jason and Reyna looked amongst themselves.
Before she could see anything else, she fell back onto the bed. She spread out her arms like a bird taking off to fly. She couldn't believe this is where she was. Weeks ago, she and her mother were fighting over marriage. Now, she was spying on assassins.
Assassins who saw her as a friend and didn't know that she was about to betray them. She wished that the assassins could've been absolute jerks so she wasn't so conflicted. Half of her didn't want to concoct this plan. That was the side of her that wanted to change the royals, and who wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine.
The other half and more logical part of her brain knew that this is what had to be done. At the end of every day, she always thought about what to do. Each day, she awoke and battled with herself over the right decision. Now, she knew she didn't have any more time for that.
She was leading the assassins to their demise, she knew that much. Except they didn't know it. In the back of her mind, she heard their laughter and Malcolm's cry of victory, and Percy's complaints. She knew in her heart that they were kids just like her, but they weren't cowards and stuck up for what they believed in.
The only difference is that in this situation, they were in the wrong. They shouldn't be taking money from the royals and giving it to their boss. They don't even know who that is! Who knows if he even gives the money back to the peasants! They could be getting lied to and they'd have no idea! They didn't know all the facts, and they didn't have a perfect society.
Rebels or assassins of any kind were seen as a threat. As she heard the carefree laughter of the assassins, she didn't think they were a threat. She also didn't think that they were doing the right thing. She did know that their hearts were in the right place like hers.
Annabeth also knew that she had a mission to accomplish, and no one was going to stop her. She would succeed. Her heart would be the victim of a terrible marriage if she didn't get her way with Connor. Her heart would be the victim of a terrible future and hatred by her people due to Rachel's prophetic words. She wouldn't let it take control, not now.
Annabeth would hold her head high and do what any princess would do; her duty.
Words: 4,166
Oh my gosh, I'm alive! Don't ask what happened to me cause I don't even know. It's been a while. You can blame writers block. I have big plans for this story, and this is frankly a roughly edited story, and is only a first draft. Getting your awesome feedback and votes keeps me going:)
I know I can write so much better, but now, I'm just taking all pressure off of myself and am trying to have fun! Speaking of fun, this is where the story really picks up pace! The action really starts to happen now! We're at the tipping point!
[ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS GO TO RICK RIORDAN]
-Bookworm-2026