A/N: Happy Labor Day, more commonly referred to as a sign for hell to start! (Ik it's not technically Labor Day until 12am, but shhh. That's hardly 15 min. away, same thing~)

I'll tell you how I feel about school, Jerry: it's a waste of time. Bunch of people runnin' around bumpin' into each other, got a guy up front says, '2+2,' and the people in the back say, '4.' Then the bell rings and they give you a carton of milk and a piece of paper that says you can go take a dump or somethin'. I mean, it's not a place for smart people, Jerry. I know that's not a popular opinion, but that's my two cents on the issue.

(If you get that reference, I love you XP)

My school starts on the 3rd. Someone kill me now, pls. *throws a tomato at my "peers"*

Disclaimer: All rights remain.

Annabeth

"Our first order of business to win this war is a proper strategy. I believe I know what we must do first," Annabeth began, scouring the eyes of her peers, attracting their attention. She took a deep breath and she was dimly aware of Reyna glancing at her in a mixture of confusion and concern. She braced herself for the uproar.

"We have to assassinate Queen Medusa of Thasite," the blonde announced.

There was a beat of silence and then—

Chaos unleashed in front of the campfire. Women and men as well, no matter how much fewer, were yelling on top of each other, arguing, agreeing, panicking, bloodthirsty. It was insane. Fortunately, Reyna always seemed to have a handle on things.

"Silence!" the General hissed, and the crowd fell dead silent, the only sound being the flickering and crackling of the fire swallowing the tower of logs. "Let her speak," Reyna demanded, controlling the room with ease. Artemis cocked her head and the blonde felt her eyes on her, making her sweaty and nervous. Wiping the palms of her hands on herself, she took a deep breath.

"King Luke Castellan Calbourne," she continued, and his name made a shiver go down her back. She had never really healed, she supposed. The wound of his backstab felt as fresh as the day they stood there in the dark, in that courtyard, consulting Reyna.

Looking across the sea of faces, she spotted Jason and met his gaze. He nodded in understanding; they'd talk later. Next to him was Piper, a girl Annabeth had never been particularly close with, her being a Raya and everything, but she did help her and Percy escape that wretched castle. She would talk to her later as well, she'd decided.

Someone jeered at the mention of the King, but Reyna looked in their direction for a split second, and they jerked backwards, blending back into the crowd.

"Everyone fears him," Annabeth explained, her hand trembling at her side. Even talking about him made her feel all weird inside. "But the main culprit of the death of people is the woman behind him," she articulated. "Queen Medusa is vicious, but she controls his every move." It made her question how much of Luke she had really known. When he showed he had cared about her, how much of it had been an act, and how much of it had been Medusa telling him what to do? There had to be more to it, there just had to—

"Annabeth," Thalia reminded her. Oh, right. She'd been talking.

"If we take away his whisperer, his source of power, his main strategist, he will be weaker. We cannot forget that he is just a boy."

"The Boy King," Thalia sneered. Even Reyna's fist tightened around her spear, her knuckles turning white.

Annabeth licked her lips nervously. "He's smart, don't get me wrong. I was… blindsided by him." Her face felt warm, exposed here in front of the Amazons and the Canadians. They all knew of her story, of course, Luke had broadcasted her and Percy in a bad light constantly, making him seem like the perfect King and Medusa, a mere weeping widow. "He's a master manipulator. But nobody out-does his mother, that snake," she spit, fuming. All she felt was empty, unable to match the anger of her fellow Amazonians. "He will still be difficult to beat alone, but unless we exterminate the Queen, we will never win. With just him… he will slip up in the future. Nobody can tell how long it will be till he makes a mistake, but he will be sloppier, and eventually, that will be his downfall."

Artemis tilted her chin up. "So how do you suggest we go about this, Annabeth?" Her long, dark eyelashes made Annabeth swallow hard.

"A questing group of four," she proposed. "Two Amazons and two Canadians. First, we'll go to Epresh. I have some materials there I'd like to collect to use for our advantage."

There were murmurs among the crowd. It would be extremely dangerous, and not to mention, painful to return to a place that was once home, a place haunted by memories of her childhood and her family and her old life, but it was necessary.

"And then we sneak into Thasite. I have been to the castle a few times, so I know where Medusa lounges. We will arrive in the dark of the night and kill her in her sleep," Annabeth reported, her voice dwindling near the end of her plan. "She is too well guarded in the day. It's our only shot."

"How long do you expect this mission to take?" Artemis queried.

"One or two days, Lady Artemis." Her voice was hoarse.

"I approve," said the Queen after a moment of silence. "Council?"

The Canadian council looked at each other, silently voting with hand signals. "We approve, also," a redhead girl in the middle declared.

"General?" The Queen turned to Reyna. Reyna shared a look with Thalia.

Reyna cleared her throat. "We approve, also."

"Excellent," Artemis sat back in her seat. Her flesh was pale and the fire made dangerous shadows dance on her cheekbones. "Who's going?"

"I plan to go," Annabeth told her. "I have to. I'm the only one familiar with both castles, and I'm the only one who knows what I need from the Ashington castle. I would suggest bringing the Prince along as well." Artemis' eyes felt cold on her, curious, yet unyielding. "But I am aware that his trial is tomorrow and that he will most likely not be allowed on the mission, despite his extensive knowledge of Thasite and its castle." Percy would've been perfect. "I suppose the other three members will be volunteer-based."

Nobody looked eager to go. It would be dangerous, far more dangerous than fighting in the damn war. If they were captured, interrogation was sure to follow in suit, and they would have to die painfully to keep Amazonian secrets private.

"Who wishes to accompany me from the Amazons?" Annabeth requested, looking from face to face. Many looked down, not meeting her eyes. The crickets chirped in the grass around them. And then—

"I volunteer."

Almost simultaneously, everyone slowly spun to look where the small voice had come from. The crowd parted to reveal the familiar brunette. Princess Piper McLean Raya. The Queen narrowed her eyes on the poor girl, but Piper didn't seem to wilt under her gaze nearly as much as others.

"I have been to the Thasite castle as well, though probably far less times than you," Piper said, summoning her courage, or at least, that's what Annabeth assumed. "I, too, know the ways of royalty."

"Perfect," Annabeth accepted the brunette easily. She might've been a Raya, but she was here, was she not? Drew was one person, but perhaps Piper wasn't as bad as she seemed.

"And for the Canadians?"

"I'll go." The redhead who'd confirmed the Canadian support earlier stood up, not hesitating to volunteer. It was a surprise after the dead silence the blonde had been met with after requesting for another Amazonian. She approached Annabeth and though she had been raised not to trust easily, something about her warm smile felt genuine. It was a relief.

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," the girl introduced herself, outstretching her pale hand, sprinkled with elegant freckles. Her nails were squared off and short in a way that made Annabeth suspect she was some type of artist, whether it was painting or musical instruments. "I'm part of the Canadian council, but you could probably already deduce that."

Annabeth shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she managed to answer, but it sounded so… foreignly royal in her mouth, only reminding her of who she'd been and where she was going. Her stomach turned over itself, and she swallowed down bile.

"I'd like to volunteer as well." Annabeth met the gaze of golden eyes. She was petite, but ethereal with the eyes of a CGI wolf and fierce coils of hair. The blonde was dimly aware that except for Piper, they were all curly-haired warriors. It was weirdly reassuring, like they had meant to be on this team together, even though she was well aware that thought was irrational and unrealistic.

"Annabeth Chase Ashington." She shook the smaller girl's hand.

"Hazel Levesque," she replied, calmly. Annabeth found that Hazel's voice was incredibly soothing. "I'm a former military officer for Canada, but I gave up the position after a couple of years, regardless of how fulfilling, to support the movement." Her voice was small, like her, but something inside Annabeth warned her not to doubt Hazel. She was probably ridiculously impressive with a weapon in her hands, a jack of all trades, or at the very least, Hazel could most likely land a solid punch and kick combo. The perfect addition to the team. She seemed young, too, reminding Annabeth all too well of Nico, a boy she would do anything for to keep safe after indirectly playing a hand in his sister's death. Though Hazel seemed kinder and more open than the Pevanshire son, the resemblance was uncanny. Annabeth looked away before it haunted her some more.

"With your blessing, I plan to leave tomorrow morning, at dawn to reach Epresh early enough."

Artemis granted her wish, turning her attention to Reyna. The General was reporting the next order of business, rattling off statistics, deaths, numbers, squad numbers, and so much more, but Annabeth wasn't really listening. She left the center quietly, dreading what was awaiting her in Epresh, a home away from home now. She was hardly aware of Thalia's supportive squeeze of her shoulder as she filed through the crowd, looking for a place to sit.

"Annabeth."

She turned to meet her fellow blond best friend and former royal guard. It felt like she hadn't seen him in ages.

"Jason," she breathed, a reluctant smile finding its way on her face. It seemed that he could always cheer her up, no matter the situation. She slid onto the bench with him and Piper, and a few other people who weren't paying them any attention, looking at Reyna in the front instead.

He reached for her, enveloping her in a warm hug. Here, no one could judge. Here, there were no royal mothers to chastise her for playing with her reputation. Here, no one could tell her no, that she couldn't love him and talk to him and respect him. Here, there were no limits for her affection, however small she wore it.

Jason smelled like everything good and comforting and homely. He smelled of the wind, and fresh air, and jets shooting through the sky, and big, fluffy, cream clouds.

"How— when did you get here?" Annabeth inquired. "Thalia told me you were here, but I hadn't gotten a chance to see you yet, and I had no idea what had happened to you."

"I'm okay," he promised. "The people here are awfully nice." He beamed, and Annabeth remembered why she had always liked him in the first place. Jason, once you got past his intimidating demeanor, was a soft, cuddly puppy: happy, loyal, and energetic. "Thalia put me in a cage." He laughed.

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Relax," Jason assured her. "She thought it was funny. I didn't even know she was alive, Annabeth," he whisper-yelled, his sky blue eyes gleaming with happiness. "I haven't seen her since I was a toddler, and I just— I've missed her so much. To have a sibling… it's irreplaceable, no matter of a pain in the butt she is, sometimes." Of course he wouldn't even say 'ass,' ever the gentleman.

Annabeth was reminded of Malcolm at his description. "I agree," said the blonde, softly.

Jason hesitated, taking time to understand. "That was insensitive of me. I'm sorry about your brother," he whispered, squeezing her hand tightly. Annabeth held on for dear life. It had been so long since she had truly leaned on someone for support, and Jason was one of the few she could entirely trust like this. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.

"It's not like he's dead," she murmured, trying to console herself, and him, also. "And don't apologize. You haven't had your sister all your life. I'm happy for you." And she was. With a guy like Jason, jealousy shouldn't have touched him and his pure soul. The Grace brother rubbed soothing circles on the inside of her wrist, a habit not many knew soothed her. Only Jason and Malcolm, and now… only Jason given the circumstances.

"Love you," Jason whispered. Annabeth knew it was his way of apologizing after she'd said no need for apologies. He had always been comfortable with using the L-word, something that Annabeth suffered severely from, given her stiff upbringing and royal lifestyle. It had taken her years to be comfortable using it with him.

"Love you, too," she disclosed. "Now— I'm not stupid. I've seen you make eyes at that pretty brunette over there." She discreetly pointed to Piper on his other side, who was fully engrossed in whatever Reyna was still saying. "Want to introduce me or are you going to continue to play dumb?"

Jason grinned, his cheeks flushing rose. "I don't like you."

"Liar. You just said you love me, your best friend in the entire world," she accused, smirking.

"Shush," he chastised, much to her amusement, as he turned to get Piper's attention. Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest. Jason grew up like an orphan: fatherless and motherless, but loved by her. She'd grown up in a cold and uncaring world, but loved by him. He might not have had a mother, but he was damn stupid if he thought she wasn't going to grill Piper to make sure she was good enough for him. And Piper would have to work extra hard, being a sneaky Raya and all that.

She smothered down a smile, politely shaking Piper's hand as Jason went on and on about his poorly-concealed crush. She was content to see him happy.

Victories were small around here; she would take whatever she could get.

Drew

"I like your dress."

Drew looked up in surprise. She had thought she was alone, and most people knocked before entering a room, even if the door was open. Her eyes landed on the small ginger girl she'd met a short while ago. Koehn of House Langen.

"Thank you," Drew graciously accepted the compliment.

Cecily tilted her head at the sage green gown she was wearing. "That would look gorgeous with gold earrings." She still hadn't entered the room, just standing outside. Cecily, Drew had decided, was so polite it made her wonder if she was really even related to Octavian or any of those bloodthirsty Langen asshats.

"You can come in, you know," Drew found herself saying before she could stop herself.

Cecily walked into the room, her pale hands folded together in a nervous gesture. Drew decided to take pity on her, sitting down in front of her vanity to not seem so intimidating.

"It's been a while since someone around here likes fashion," said the Princess, glancing up at Cecily, opening a velvet purple box. Inside were two gold earrings, two of many, many pairs, surely. "Silena and Piper have no fashion sense, especially Piper, my mother is too busy, and I haven't been to Paris in a month or two." Drew held up a delicate earring, holding it up to her dress to see how the shades of color interacted. It had a rosebud at the very top, and then it was a long line that dangled an inch or two. The rosebud was adorned with diamonds around the petals.

"I'm not a fashion icon or anything," Cecily murmured gently, smiling kindly. "So please don't expect too much."

Drew showed the earring to Cecily, who nodded a little. Drew put them in, searching through endless boxes for a ring in mind. "That's alright," she said in return. "It's just nice to have a—"

She cut herself off, swallowing hard. Cecily couldn't be friends with her. Octavian was a psychopathic bastard and Drew would be damned if she had anything more to do with that family if she could avoid it.

Cecily pretended she hadn't heard her. The Langen Duchess was a gentler kind of pretty, Drew decided. She didn't dress bold, but with her ginger hair, and delicate freckles, one was drawn to her regardless, even if she wasn't the first person one looked at in a room, like Drew.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think you're very pretty," Cecily complimented, her voice barely a whisper.

Drew slipped an intricately laurel design gold ring over her finger, freezing at Cecily's kindness. It was just so… foreign. Her heart squeezed inside her chest. She felt compelled to protect this girl from harm's way, to keep her from all these rude people. Drew was good with weapons. She would fight for it if she had to, and she wasn't sure why she felt as strongly about it as she did, but she did. She still remembered wiping out Annabeth in that training arena, only for both Calbourne brothers to fuss over her. Percy had always been too compassionate. She was pretty and deadly: an unstoppable combo, and she took pride in it. Her knives at her hips only made her more attractive and sleek, however terrifying.

Lady Tanaka stood to her full height, scouring her vanity for the necklace she'd just put down. Her neck felt naked when everything else was accessorized so well.

"Do you want to borrow some of my gold jewelry?" She dug her fingernails into the flesh of her palm; she had never shared or done anything like this before. But Drew found that Cecily had drawn her in with her shy personality and small frame. "I have this gorgeous rose gold hummingbird piece that curls around the cartilage of your ears."

Cecily offered a small smile. "That's very kind of you, thank you."

Something in Drew's stomach knotted. She was so out of her element.

Percy

"Let the trial commence." The Queen didn't look at him, instead watching her higher rank Amazons rule in. Among the advisors and unfamiliar faces were Reyna and Thalia, a General and a Lieutenant, as it should've been. Annabeth was standing somewhere among them and he found himself looking for her familiar face despite himself.

Percy was shackled in thick golden chains to opposite walls, forced to kneel before the throne. He held his head up, the rebellious side inside of him acting up.

He was expecting a dose of pain today, ever the pessimist, or as he liked to refer to himself, a realist. The most painful thing so far had been solitude, nothing more, nothing less, but there had to be more. The Amazons weren't feared for no damn reason. He had a feeling they could get rather creative if they wanted.

All of his gruesome imaginings were cut short because all of a sudden he saw her and Percy kind of wanted to sink to his knees and cry because seriously, she was quite a sight for sore eyes. She looked at him, holding his eye contact for a couple moments. In all honesty it was the most reassuring thing he'd encountered in a while and if they were going to kill him right now, he would be okay with it.

"I propose an interrogation first, Queen Artemis," Thalia voiced loudly. "He's an ex-Prince who's sat in on too many council meetings to not have information on what the royals are planning."

The spectators looked at him like he was a cockroach invading their space, small and disgusting on their ground. There had to be hundreds of people in this damn room, most angrily dressed in flashy gold and staring him down, some multicolored, some men, most women. It was intimidating, but he wouldn't let them push him to fear that easily. He schooled his expression, trying extra hard because he'd never been as good at hiding his feelings as Luke or Medusa.

Annabeth looked pale. He wished she'd quit biting her lip and looking all nervous; he was fine.

"I support that approach," Artemis agreed, her tone cool. He stiffened, setting his jaw. He wouldn't crack under their pressure.

"I second that request," said a fully-armed girl who he earlier learned went by the name of Gwen.

Artemis peered at him and he felt weak under her icy gaze. Her eyes reminded him all too much of a brother who didn't exist anymore. A stab of pain pierced his heart and he found himself catching his breath.

"All those in favor, say aye," the Artemis declared. A chorus of approval echoed in the cold room, like knives in his gut. He didn't look at Annabeth, not wanting to know what she'd said, and instead hold the Queen's testy eye contact.

"Gwen," Artemis instructed.

"With pleasure." Gwen drew her longsword, approaching him slowly, like a predator approached a prey.

Percy steeled himself for their questions. He knew rationally that if he showed cooperation, he had a better chance of survival, and making Annabeth's ridiculous case to save him easier, but on the other hand, he found he really didn't care if he lived or died too much, and he would never sell his soul to these people. As much as Annabeth adored the Amazons, he couldn't find that same love inside of him. For all the people his men had killed, the Amazons had killed too, only Annabeth was too blind to see it.

"Your brother, that foolish Boy King, he's allied himself with the royals," Thalia said, stepping forward and taking her place next to Gwen. "The Calbournes, the Pevanshires, the Rayas, and the Ashingtons." Annabeth looked down in the background. "As you know, they're working together to defeat our army, allied with the Canadians."

Percy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It didn't hardly matter what he said; they would find a reason to maim him anyways. It was payback for his own cruelty. Fair enough.

"Everyone knows, however, that Medusa's a snake," Thalia hissed. "She controls his every move despite the crown on his head and she's vicious. Recently, that bitch wiped out part of our underground arsenal collection. We're not stupid; I'm sure Luke did some digging and found out this information, conveying it to her, just like she asked him to, but what other information does she have on us?"

Percy stared at her blankly. He did, in fact, know that Luke had stolen information from the Amazons, but only because he'd overheard his brother relaying information to his military as a newfound guard while he, himself, had been locked up in a prison adjacent to Annabeth's hell. Once Luke had become King, he'd been thrown away like trash, so all the events following his father's death were unclear to him. Did Thalia honestly think he knew anything of us regarding those incidents?

The ex-Prince sighed in resignation to his fate. Thalia knew: he could see it on her fucking face that she knew he didn't know the answer. She had posed the question with the sole purpose of finding a reason to beat him. This was her revenge and so he remained silent. He would not allow her the pleasure of watching him stammer over his words.

The first blow hit him like a fucking train.

He tasted blood on his lips and was mildly aware of a couple scattered cheers throughout the crowd. Percy spit, the red liquid splattering across the marble.

"How about now?" Thalia asked, feigning sweetness. Gwen slowly drew the blade down his temple, along his hairline, and down the side of his face. Percy screwed his eyes shut.

There was something so terrible about acknowledging the pain. To him, it was akin to admitting defeat and he was never one to portray himself so weak, not without the intention to fool his adversary and only then defeat them.

So he sunk his teeth into his own tongue, biting down his howls forcefully by distracting himself with self-inflicted pain. Should so much as a pitiful groan fall from his lips, he would castrate himself before his opponent dared to take the chance.

In many ways, he resembled the feisty blonde. Both held their heads high with pride, whether there was a crown upon it or a blade pressed against their necks. And Annabeth, she always fought hard to have the last word, her pride above her own safety. In fact, he reckoned Miss Chase would outlive God trying to have the last word.

Gwen struck him in the abdomen and he keeled over, blood trickling down the side of his mouth and out of his nose.

Thalia pushed his forehead back with her pointer finger, kicking him hard with the sharp metal toes of her boots. Percy's grip on his chains tightened in surprise as he crumpled at her feet.

"Let's try an easier question," she suggested with a lilt in her voice. "Why are you here?"

This one Percy could answer, but something in him refused to answer, no matter the punishment he'd get. He just couldn't bear to give her anything, any semblance of victory. His vision was blurry with reaction tears from his nose getting bludgeoned.

"It's an easy question, Thalia coaxed, cooing mockingly. She sneered down at him. "Did you really think you'd get solace here?"

Percy was frankly fed up with her attitude. "I don't want your fucking solace," he spat, his chest heaving. He glared at her, fire in his veins, and ice in his heart.

"He talks!" Thalia laughed gleefully. "Well, that's good. Because I'm not offering it." She smiled wryly. "So what brings you to an Amazonian base? Perhaps it's your blonde toy?" She winked at Annabeth, who, Percy could see it on her face, was practically steaming with anger.

"I'm not his fucking toy, Thals," Annabeth reminded her stiffly.

"My bad." She didn't sound sorry. "He's the toy. You played him so good in that ballroom." She grinned. "Remember that, your Highness?" Thalia jeered. "You should've seen your own face. Annabeth was all like yeah… I'm an Amazon and you were like oh shit, how can I marry an Amazon? My psychopathic brother would never approve. Too bad daddy's dead and can't come to the wedding."

Percy's jaw tensed.

"Does that hit a little too close to home, little Prince?" Thalia teased, slamming the butt of her spear into his chest. Percy gasped for breath, momentarily winded. "Look, Annie! You still take his breath away!" Thalia laughed at her own joke.

"I told you not to call me that," Annabeth bit back, cross with her.

"Artemis," Thalia addressed the Queen, herself. "It looks like he's not going to talk, and though I've certainly had my fun—" Artemis remained stony-faced "—it doesn't look like he'll be talking anytime soon."

Artemis raised her chin off her fist. "Not at all?"

"No, ma'am," Reyna cut in. "It looks like we're just wasting our time."

"Is he not useful, then?" Artemis inquired, looking to her advisors. Reyna slowly shook her head.

"If he's not going to talk, he's virtually useless," Thalia affirmed.

"So kill me," Percy suggested.

Thalia whipped around to glare at him. "The time for talking is over, seeing as we've closed the interrogation. If you talk again, I'll make sure you can't talk anymore," she threatened.

Percy summoned his courage, offering a dark smile. He nodded his head forward, gesturing for her to continue. "Of course, lieutenant. My apologies. What was your plan, then?" he queried, smug.

"I—" Thalia sputtered. "To kill him, my Queen," she told Artemis, pissed at him. Even with a busted lip, Percy managed a small smile of satisfaction. His beating could not take away the smartass in him.

"Fair enough." Artemis rose from her seat, and though she was petite, Percy felt that he should have very good reason to fear her. "Any objections?"

The room was dead silent. If Annabeth could just stay quiet for once, he could die and she'd get what she wanted, and it was perfect—

"Yes."

The entire courtroom swiveled to stare at her, the blonde ex-Princess who all of a sudden looked so small. If Percy could have smacked her, he would've. She had this whole heroine-complex thing going for her and honestly if she could quit trying to save him that would be simply fantastic.

"You object?" Artemis raised an eyebrow and Percy wanted to slam his head into a wall. Repeatedly.

"I do." Annabeth swallowed hard. She was quick-witted, but she was way out of her comfort zone here, in front of these people whose favor she'd tried so hard to earn. Percy dully contemplated killing himself first.

"He cannot seriously be expected to talk right now," Annabeth began, shakily. Percy wanted to hide for her. "Not with Thalia asking unreasonable questions—"

"—excuse me?" Thalia interrupted, only to be swiftly ignored by the ex-Princess.

"—and with Gwen smashing him to bits on command."

"That's what an interrogation is," some girl among the crowd explained patiently.

"No, it's not," Annabeth contradicted, and the room fell silent, a few sucking in sharp breaths. Reyna looked at the floor out of the corner of his eye. Smart girl. "Interrogations shouldn't be based out of revenge." She looked at Thalia slowly, pacing around the room with leisure, taking control of the room. "You cannot expect answers to questions that the opponent will clearly not know, hit them, and then expect them to crush their pride only to be hit again. It is rare, I have found, for someone to be utterly and completely prideless. In that case, you might as well just pin him to a tree and have a go at him to release your anger."

Percy glanced between the Queen and Annabeth. Artemis had eyes only for her.

Annabeth pointed to him, pursing her lips, and looking up at the Queen, schooling her expression carefully. "He will not talk like this. No royal would, not even me. We are taught pride and honor above all else. It is the very first lesson drilled into our minds. We uphold our family name and our rank because without it, we are nothing."

Percy felt an irrational stab of pride at her lecture. Only she could command a room like that, only she could make her case against hundreds of opinions and win.

"If you're not stupid—"

People began to murmur under their breath, but Percy was completely calm. Annabeth always had a plan; that was what it meant to be an Ashington.

"—you'll spare him. Thalia is correct by saying that he has sat in endless council meetings. He's a fucking General of his own right, for god's sake. He has enough mental strength to sit here and let you whale at him until he dies, and you will get nowhere by using this approach." She looked around the room, avoiding his gaze.

"However, if we stop this nonsense with chains and prisons and just let him be, maybe he'll choose our cause on his own. Did you ever even consider that? Did you consider that maybe he could've fled anywhere else from his kingdom, that perhaps he has other distant family that would shelter him, but he chose this base of all the places because he supports our cause to a certain extent? That perhaps, like me, he has his own reservations with the monarchy and would like to see some change of his own?"

Thalia's mouth parted in surprise.

"No, of course you didn't consider that. We admonish the reigning monarchs for their narrow minds, but then we turn around and do the same to our enemies. We are hypocrites. And if you don't agree with me, you are delusional and ignorant," Annabeth concluded. Her hand obediently dropped to her side.

Artemis' eyes glittered dangerously.

"That's quite the talk from a royal!" someone commented in the crowd. Percy scanned the people, but couldn't find the face who'd said it.

"Exactly! If he flees, he has all our info!" another protested.

"What are we supposed to do? Wait for him to kill us?" a woman with hazelnut hair piped up.

"We already trusted the stupid Boy King, and look what he did to us!" The Canadian man with mocha skin glared.

The room exploded in commotion at the mention of Luke and the Queen watched, silent and curious. Annabeth looked so small, and so out of her element. Percy remained stony and silent. There was nothing she could do and he wished she would realize that before it was too late and she paid his price.

"I agree with her!" The room fell dead silent, so much so that one could hear a pin drop.

On the left of General Reyna, a girl stepped out into the spotlight. She had curly red hair, like fire, and emerald eyes. Her fair skin was scarcely covered with freckles, and her clothes were splattered with dried paint of various hues. She wasn't dressed in gold, so Percy could only assume that she was most likely a Canadian.

"Rachel," Artemis acknowledged, dipping her head in respect. "You're on the Canadian council. A penny for your thoughts?"

Oh, right. The Canadians were a democracy, complete with a council and everything. Rachel piqued Percy's interest.

The redhead approached Annabeth's side cautiously. "I agree with Annabeth," she began. "The ex-Prince knew he would be put on trial and quite possibly murdered in cold blood just by showing his face here. The Calbournes have won enough wars that I trust he has reason behind this."

Despite Rachel being a mere stranger, Percy felt a surge of pride in his chest. He had been the General in many of the later battles.

"Do not be so foolish as to throw away such a valuable weapon all for a little fear," Rachel proclaimed, boldly.

"I second that." Another boy stood up, taking a place next to Rachel. He had black hair and fair skin, and though he didn't look entirely foreign, Percy suspected that he was partially Asian of some sort.

"Frank," Rachel acknowledged, beaming at him. He offered a polite smile in return.

"He's only agreeing because he's a frontrunner of a peace activist group," Gwen pointed out.

"But he still has status," Reyna reminded Gwen, placing her hand on Gwen's shoulder. Reyna had a certain grace to her that Percy admired. It reminded him of his soldiers back in Thasite, something he dearly missed. Gwen obediently, though reluctantly, dropped the subject, stepping back into the line of people.

"I agree with Annabeth and Rachel as well." A cocoa-skinned girl took her place by Frank's side. She had wild, cinnamon brown, curly hair, and startling gold eyes. She put her small hand on Frank's forearm in assurance, in a way that made Percy feel like they were together. At least someone was happy.

"Officer Levesque," Rachel thanked her for her support.

Officer? Percy did a double-take. It wasn't that he doubted Ms. Levesque in any way, but she was so petite with such a slight frame that he felt that even the wind could knock her over if the current was too strong. Before he could give Ms. Levesque's military status too much thought, Artemis interrupted.

"I suppose it's settled then. Annabeth has made a strong argument to spare the boy, supported by two council members and a former military officer. I am in agreement with Ms. Chase's claim, but I'd like to hear from you." The Queen gazed over the crowd, settling on the Canadians in a line next to her. "Councilmembers? All those in favor of Perseus Jackson Calbourne's liberation, please say aye." A chorus of acceptance echoed around the room, including Rachel and Frank's votes.

"General Ramírez-Arellano?" Artemis inquired.

Reyna steeled her expression, glancing over him once. Percy stayed quiet, showing respect from one General to another. "I am in agreement with you," she revealed. "And Lieutenant Thalia, no matter how reluctant, will grow to understand as well," said Reyna. Thalia scowled, but dared not question the General.

"Very well," Artemis decided. "Unlock the boy." She squinted at him and all of a sudden, Percy felt small. The Queen cocked an eyebrow at him, hinting at the unspoken part of the agreement as well. The ex-Prince barely registered Amazonian guards fiddling with his metal, freeing him of his restrains and letting the chains fall to the floor. He slumped onto his knees, uncomfortable under Artemis' cool stare.

With just one look, the Queen could convey so much. Percy chewed on the inside of his cheek.

Once you're no longer useful, you're dead.

Malcolm

"Lord Ashington!"

The Crown Prince spun around in haste at the panicked voice. "Sir?" His eyebrows pinched together at his royal guard. The anxiety on the young man's face was clear as day.

"The Lady and Lord demand your presence at once," said the guard, breathless. He gasped like a fish, his face pale with a few drops of perspiration dampening his hairline. "It's an emergency," he hissed, eyes wide like saucers.

Malcolm stood up, following his guard, the both of them running down the corridor.

"Mom?" the blond King-to-be breathed, crashing through the throne room doors. They had returned to Epresh only recently after Bianca's funeral. The Calbournes had momentarily returned to Thasite as well, as had the Pevanshires and the Rayas to their respective homes. This war against the Canadian-Amazon alliance was eating them all alive and though the four houses were working together to preserve their heritage, they were killing at the same rate that their enemies killed them.

Athena's head snapped up to look at her son, but the name still felt unfamiliar in his mouth. He hadn't referred to her as anything as a Queen since around the age of six.

"Sir!" Malcolm was flanked by four or five guards as he looked up at his father expectantly. King Frederick was pale, barking out orders to other guards of higher statuses. People were hurrying in and out of the throne room like they were revolving doors. Malcolm felt sick all of a sudden.

"What's happening?" he demanded, Athena shoving marked-up maps to Frederick. He could only assume that her infamous strategist self had drawn up more plans, but why was everyone panicking? The war against the Canadian-Amazon team had plateaued. It wasn't time to panic, at least, not as far as he knew.

"The Boy King," Athena hissed, drumming her fingers on her throne armchair.

Malcolm paled. "Luke?"

"And his snake mother," Athena confirmed. "They've declared war."

Malcolm's stomach dropped. "On whom? On us?"

"Medusa surely dictated for him to do it. She's always in his brain, feeding lies, manipulating him to do her bidding for her." The Queen of Epresh slammed her hand against the silver table between them. A goblet on the edge wobbled, falling off the edge and shattering to the ground. Maids rushed to her side, cleaning up quickly and quietly, but his mother didn't take her steely gaze off him.

The Crown Prince's face scrunched up in anger. He had always known not to trust Luke or the Calbournes, but this was betrayal at its peak. First Perseus' demise, and now this.

"What have the other houses said?" he asked, keeping his head screwed on right. The Ashingtons were too calm and intelligent to cause a ruckus even as chaos skyrocketed around them.

"The Rayas are in on it. They are also waging war against us," Frederick announced before Athena could say anymore, holding up a piece of parchment that must have just arrived. Malcolm gritted his teeth together; those bastards. Luke had shown his true colors a while back, in the blond's opinion, but with his mother, leading them to victory, it made the situation so much more dangerous. Medusa was, quite frankly, one of the most dangerous women of all time, besides, perhaps, Aphrodite, though that was all merely speculation. Malcolm didn't truly know the extent of Aphrodite's devious side.

"Have you evacuated North Epresh yet?" Malcolm countered, making it sound more like an order rather than a question. "The Northern border is far too dangerous right now."

"We're on it right now, Sir." A guard on his right ran out of the throne room, followed by another two.

"We're losing resources too quickly," Athena snarled, frustrated. "We've invested so much energy into the twisted Amazons and those bastard Canadians."

"That's their damn plan!" Malcolm cursed. He rarely swore, the calmer of both siblings, but he was unbelievably furious. "Sir." He turned to his father. "Have you alerted the Pevanshires yet?"

"King Hades is on his way," Frederick assured him, leaving the throne room with an array of guards after one handed him some more pieces of parchment. Malcolm could only assume they were more updates on this surprise attack.

"The Pevanshires will ally with us nicely, balancing out this shortage of arsenal," Malcolm said, assuring himself more than anyone else.

"It's an excellent strategy," Athena agreed. "Except there's one loophole."

Malcolm frowned. "Your Highness?"

"The Amazons and Canadians are still fighting this war against all of us. With a divided team, we fall short once more. Together, they deplete our resources, as we additionally deplete our own."

"They're worthy adversaries," Malcolm permitted, scowling out the window at the clouded sky. He would have to run out there soon, give orders to troops, but first and foremost was family. And Athena, as good as she was, was looking for the same reassurance he, too, sought. "But even with our former opponents, it can be done."

It was only now that Malcolm realized how skinny his mother had become through the years, her roots stained with the occasional grey hair. He swallowed hard. She was a battered heroine, and she seemed so frail.

"Mother," he began, and the acknowledgement of her maternal side felt so natural then. Athena accepted various envelopes on a silver tray from an approaching maid, but she didn't look away from her son. Surely, those pieces of parchment only contained more bad news, but Malcolm had this fire inside of him, all of a sudden. This piece of Annabeth that he'd always wished to possess, this determination that everything would work out perfectly fine, and that they would win.

"We're Ashingtons, mother. Brain over brawn; it's just what we do."

Unnamed

"It failed again, sir."

"Again?" He pursed his lips in displeasure even though he full well knew that the man on the other end of the line could not see him. "What trial is this?"

"Trial number 96, sir."

"I see." He was silent, and he could practically see the other man sweating profusely. His silence was threatening enough and he reveled in the way they scurried around like mice, fearing him and all he was capable of.

"I'll order for more tests to be run?" the man suggested, albeit warily.

He hesitated, just to keep him on edge. "Sure," he finally agreed in return. "Anything else?"

"There's been a whisper of monsters in town," the man stated.

Suddenly on edge, he shot up in his seat, looking out his window. "Excuse me? Which country?"

"Epresh, sir."

He scowled. "Any sightings of the reporters?"

"One of my men said he saw two people entering the woods a couple days ago. A blonde girl and a dark-haired boy. We didn't get a good look at their faces, but they were dressed in the common peasant clothes; they're probably nobody," the man reasoned, trying to keep his boss cool.

He stewed quietly. A blonde girl and a black-haired boy? It couldn't possibly be a coincidence; it had to be that Princess he'd heard so much about and the Prince, the traitorous murderer of his very own blood. He hadn't had anything against them, not before this, but if they were peeking in corners they shouldn't have been… let's just say that his enemy list had recently been cleared and had new openings.

"Do you have the slightest idea where they went otherwise?"

"No, sir," he replied, honestly. "My men simply said they looked like they were in a hurry."

He peered the clear glass down below at the hasty townspeople. "I see."

"And there was one more report. Two girls in the center town of Epresh have been spreading the word of monsters they saw. They must've wandered a bit too much."

His expression darkened. "They're telling people?" It seemed like for once, these regular peasants were more troublesome than the royal pair. Of course he would eliminate them too, but they would have to wait for him to take care of this situation.

"Yes, sir. It's most unsettling."

"I'm sure." He paused, walking into his closet and surveying his row of dark capes. "Meet me in the town at 10, alone. I'll bring my own guards. We have to nip this in the bud while we still can."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't be late," he admonished.

"Yes, sir."

He hung up, toying with a black cape before finally pulling it off the shelf. "Oliver!" He waited, slipping it around his neck and buttoning it up with a satisfying snap.

A meek lad came in with mousy brown hair and thin-framed spectacles perched precariously on the bridge of his nose. calling for Oliver to prepare his horse.

"Sir," he greeted. He bowed low to the ground, awkwardly pushing up his glasses with his shoulder. "May I assist you with your wardrobe?" he offered in a small voice.

"No, thank you, Oliver. Fetch me my longsword, however. It should be back in my room." He indifferently looked away, searching for his taller, sturdier black boots.

"Yes, sir." Oliver dipped his head, nervously watching him search for his shoes. "They're on the left, sir," he added, before slipping out of the room.

He buttoned up his long coat when Oliver reentered, a sheathed sword held tightly in his two hands. Standing up, he allowed Oliver to finish buttoning his heavy jacket up and unsheathed the sword cleanly.

"Is my horse ready?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good, Oliver. Expect me in around an hour and tell my mother not to wait up."

"Yes, sir."

"Are my bodyguards' horses prepared as well?"

"Yes, sir. Philip took care of it all and mounted the saddles for all three steeds, sir."

"Excellent. Escort me down, won't you?"

"Yes, sir." Oliver walked next to him, jogging lightly to keep up with his long strides. He was a little awkward, he'd decided a while back. Oliver didn't quite understand how to let royals decide the pace, but he was hardly fourteen yet and he could excuse it; he was a hard worker and he'd learn as he got a bit older.

He mounted his chocolate horse, easing her into a slow trot as he left the stables.

"One more thing, Oliver." He rounded back, towering over his lackey boy.

"Sir?"

"Tell Claudia to draw a tub of soaking water. Make sure it's warm and strong by the time I'm back," he ordered.

"Oh, I can have it soaking by the time you get back, sir. What clothing item would you like me to take care of for you?" Oliver tilted his head at him.

He shook his head. "I'll need it when I get back, Oliver."

Oliver swallowed, seemingly starting to understand. "Any particular strength you'd like?" He shrunk back.

"Something that can lift blood."

Oliver's dark brown eyes widened a little. "I'll get on that right away. Have a safe journey, sir."

He turned his horse back towards the castle gates, riding off into the pitch black of night, his bodyguards somewhere close behind him.

…

"You." He pointed a skinny white finger at the blonde girl. What a shame that she seemed almost sweet. "I've heard you and your little friend have been seeing monsters." His lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Yes, sir! Have you seen them too?" she asked, earnestly. Her friend's large green eyes were laced with fear, and she was quieter, too. Smart girl.

"They don't exist," he said dryly.

She parted her lips in surprise. "They do, sir! I've seen them with my very own eyes! I was sort of hoping that you'd try to get rid of them, that you already knew," she explained.

He looked at his right hand man, who had just as instructed, arrived alone. Good man. They looked at each other and a plan hatched in his mind almost immediately. Walking deliberately slowly towards the blonde young maiden, his eyes darkening in thinly veiled anger. He carelessly looked between her and her friend.

"You are going to listen to me very carefully," he instructed.

The brunette swallowed harshly and her blonde friend reached for her, looking for comfort. Good that they were scared. He had done his job well, then. The brunette nodded slowly, terrified down to her bone.

"You're going to go back to town and tell them that the White Hospital will be reopening." He was dimly aware of his right hand man silently pulling an arrow out his quiver. Both girls' gazes were trained on him instead of his henchman, just as he wanted.

"The White Hospital?" The blonde's eyes got real wide. "So people were thrown in there for telling the truth!" she cried, horrified. "I'm just telling the truth, don't put me in there, no, please," she pleaded, fat tears welling in the corners of her eyes. The brunette paled, standing there in quiet panic.

"You are telling lies," he hissed through clenched teeth. "The monsters aren't real and you should not know about them. You should absolutely not go poking your nose in business that does not concern you."

"I didn't mean to!" she gasped. "I won't say any more, I promise, sir. Please, sir, have mercy," she begged. Her friend's knuckles turned white as she pulled away from her friend in stiff fear. The blonde, on the other hand, was practically paralyzed. "I don't want to go there!" She was sobbing now, big, ugly heaves.

"Don't worry, you won't," he promised. Mercy didn't exist. In what world did this delusional girl live in? The corners of his mouth tugged up in dark amusement and his irises sparkled.

"Oh, thank you, sir!" She sunk to her knees, her eyes rimmed red. The brunette didn't seem nearly as grateful because she was smarter, he suspected, she understood that this was nothing to celebrate.

He didn't reply. He turned to his own man, dressed head to toe in the black of night to blend in. In his hands was a nifty crossbow, fully loaded with an arrow by now, the perfect cherry on top of a sundae of control and power and fear— the best kind.

"Julius," he snapped, his predatory gaze still trained carefully on the town girls.

"Sir?" His gloved hand traced the precise steel of the weapon with admiration.

"How many does it take to carry a message?" He grinned nastily.

Julius smiled wickedly in return. "Only one." And he raised his bow, letting the arrow fly.

A/N: Totally got Katniss Everdeen vibes from Piper there lol. (I volunteer as tribute). Sorry there was no Solangelo. ;-; I love them w every fiber in me lol, but this chapter was getting too long, and I didn't want to take even longer to post it.

Ok so I've recently invested myself in Wattpad and it took me a solid couple Google searches to remember that Wattpad is not a predominantly fanfic platform, and there's a section for those, so dedicatedly searching character names in the search bar won't make a book series/novel pop up in the results.

Now I'm like, disappointed lmao. That means there's no wonderfully crazy fandom, fuckkkk XD And now I have all these feelings and theories that I don't know what to do with. Damn lol.

Until next time~

Fangirl xx

Stars to Ami: Thank you for understanding; it eases my anxiety revolving around letting y'all down. :)

Mitsuha Miyamizi: XD That makes me so proud! I always like to finish my chapters strong. I'm pretty someone once told me that line somewhere, and I thought it suited the situation as a strong ending, so I'm glad you liked it. Solangelo is too much for my nonexistent hearttttt. Sorry I couldn't get it in this chapter XP Also, I liked your pun lol.

Crazypetlovergur: I'm glad I'm doing a decent job at portraying Solangelo :) Thanks for the feedback!

Chocolate: Well, he didn't die, soooo, I haven't killed him. So far lmao. Yes! I'm very excited for the mission to Epresh and Thasite; Piper and Annabeth will get to bond a lot. I managed to add a little Frazel in this chapter! Just a snippet, and they won't be a prominent thing, but it was nice to see them show up. I'm not sure if I can put Percy's birthday in the FF, given that I'm not even sure what season it is lmao. Bad planning on my part haha. If I can figure out the month and build an accurate timeline, perhaps we can get some birthdays in, even if it's not necessarily Percy's. :)

Reader: Sassy Percabeth gives me life. Actually, sassy anyone gets me going haha. I hope you'll keep an open mind with Drew, even if most people aren't big fans of the canon Tanaka. I think you'll find there's a lot more to her in this story than just the typical bitchy girl XP Yes! Solangelo was totally my favorite part of that chapter, and I'm so disappointed I couldn't add them in this chapter lol. I'll be sure to squeeze their development in the next chapter~

Oh, I wish. I made it all up XD I'm so sorry, but I'm allergic to like— life. The only thing I know about plants in detail is which types give me the most adverse reactions lmao. Annabeth is definitely slowly starting to grow into her Amazon ways. She's growing her confidence and her case in front of the Amazon Queen was a nice start to more character development, at least, that's what I think. Hopefully our girl will grow into herself a little more as time goes on and won't get as nervous or easily intimidated to share what goes on inside her big, beautiful Ashington brain.

I so don't need extra stress. Thank you for being so understanding! I was stressing over the fact that you guys would be disappointed, so that kinda backfired on my less-stress plan XP, but all of your comments that y'all understand really helped ease that.

Butterflies765: Thank you!