Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait but this was a tough one, there was just so much that I wanted to fit into this chapter and I kept rewriting Thalia's portion numerous times. The next one might take even longer because I have never written a proper one-on-one fight-scene before.

Just a heads up in case it isn't clear enough, I have not read the Percy Jackson-books and if I get anything wrong about any of the characters then I apologize. I am trying to read up the best that I can but sometimes changes will have to happen in order to make the story work. That is just kind of the nature of fanfiction.

I will also say that I can not believe that over 100 people has decided to follow this story! I humbly thank every single one of you and all the people who has left their kind reviews. It means a lot when I am still trying to find my footing as a writer.

With that said, enjoy your read!

Everything was spinning.

Annabeth barely comprehended the two arms who pulled her into a strong embrace or the hand that was stroking her hair.

Everything that she had worked for. Everything she had accomplished. Everything that she had hoped to achieve.

All based on a lie. A lie that had destroyed so much for so many.

Her vision was blurry from the tears that was now flowing down her cheeks, slowly forming a puddle on the icy floor. Soft comforting murmurs from the monarch that held her close tried to soothe her broken spirit and with every sob she took, she felt light snow drift down on her hair.

"I didn't know anything until I was brought into the trial chamber that day." His voice was soft and slightly distant.

She didn't resist the gentle pull that gestured for her to sit down beside him as he sat back on his throne. She listened attentively as he allowed her head to rest in his lap.

"I had been out in the training-fields, practicing my stances, when something struck me from behind. I awoke in a cell and was then led to a room full of voices who accused me of something horrible. I wasn't allowed to speak at all, nobody wanted to hear my side of the story. All they wanted was to see me punished."

He sighed deeply, his voice worn and tired.

"All this time I have always wondered how it all spiraled downwards so fast. How it came that every single person that I knew turned against me in the matter of a few weeks."

He looked down at the girl by his side with inquiring eyes.

"Perhaps you can shed at least some light on this question, Annabeth."

The young goddess frowned, trying as best as she could to answer the question that she had been given.

"It is a bit complicated but I will try."

"I ask of nothing more."

His patient tone eased her a bit and as such she begun to tell him what she knew.

"I am not entirely sure when exactly it started but meanspirited rumors about you had been flying for quite a while before I got pulled into Davos's group. I originally did so with the intention of putting a stop to it, but something about him drew me in. His words got stuck in my head and after a while I...started to believe them."

Anna's voice trembled for a moment, ashamed of her failure to resist his allure, but she kept going.

"Most of these rumors were relatively harmless in the beginning. Stuff about how you read dirty magazines in secret and that he had once caught you watch some kind of messed up porno-flick. A bit humiliating and weird considering that you were the guy in question but then again, you weren't the first. Every guy on camp has had their fair share of experiences with that particular side of their biology so nobody really thought that much of it. In fact, I remember some of our friends telling him off for spreading that kind of stuff to other people without your permission."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Percy's face, but it faded when he saw the look in her eyes.

"From there, things just got worse and worse. He spoke of your perverted fantasies, how you were attracted towards the forbidden. As if you were some kind of hideous monster or werewolf underneath your human skin. He spoke so dramatically about it, made it sound like some kind of horror-story. He told us girls to watch our backs otherwise we might be your first victims once your control over your urges snapped."

She felt his body tense and heard him clench his fists so tightly that it would have probably drawn blood, if he had been alive that is. She continued.

"When we heard about what almost happened to Naomi, we never stopped to ask if it was true. It just...made sense. This was what Davos had warned us about all this time. I saw that look of shock on your face that day and a part of me wanted to believe that you were innocent, but the verdict had fallen and there was nothing that could be done to change it. So I decided to just accept it and move on with my life."

Percy gently put his finger under her chin and tilted it up so that their eyes met, his held an acceptance and a glimmer of warmth.

"There was nothing else you could have done, Anna. Perhaps moving on was the wisest decision. But in spite of that, you still came here. Why?"

Anna frowned slightly.

"After I ascended to goddess, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. No matter how hard I tried to push it out of my head, that nagging feeling kept coming back. Something told me that I wasn't going to get the answer that I was looking for on Olympus so I decided to seek out the one person who could give it to me."

Nodding, Percy leaned back on his throne as he processed the information that he had been given. Anna's story provided many answers but far from all of them. He still had yet to figure out Davos's motive and his intuition told him that there was something far bigger going on than it first seemed...

-line-

That was it.

They couldn't wait any longer, they had to get the survivors out of there now.

Thalia has never felt more frustrated in her life; two of their most powerful warriors has run straight into the enemy stronghold, their ships are incased in ice and they have no chance to fight off their attackers on their own. Several had nasty injuries and desperately needed medical attention, especially considering the low temperature. Thankfully, the battle seemed to have calmed down slightly and the hunters were allowed to catch their breath.

Perhaps the Lich King thought that they were such a pitiful sight that he decided to let his forces go easy on them for the time being. They must look utterly pathetic right now...

The undead occasional stared in their direction but they had otherwise ceased their assault, apparently they were satisfied with the blows that they had dealt them so far. Either that, or Davos had saved them a heap of trouble by leaving the battlefield as he had been the one who had drawn their ire to begin with.

One of the knights suddenly broke from the rest of the group and leasurely walked up to them, he didn't seem to come with the intent of of causing further bloodshed but the remaining hunters tensed up regardless. Nobody could blame them, they were kind of defenseless at the moment.

The knight cleared his throat and then adressed them in a formal and surprisingly clear tone in spite of his decaying vocalcords.

"Hunters of Artemis, this battle's conclusion is forgone and I think that you know this as well. Normally this would result in the snow being painted with your blood...but our merciful king is willing to let you leave in peace. Under one condition."

Thalia took a deep breath. Bargaining with the enemy was usually not only dangerous and risky but humilitating as well, but they had no other choice if they wanted to escape alive. She swallowed her pride and stepped forward.

"We are listening."

The response was not what she expected.

"Lady Annabeth Chase is not to be harmed regardless of what you may learn. And take Davos Callighan with you while you are at it."

Thalia was a bit confounded by the terms laid out before her. She looked towards the rest of her team who all nodded in her direction. She smiled to herself.

'I guess he still cares about her even now...'

"Lady Annabeth is one of us, regardless of strong wind or high water. I will not allow her to come to harm and neither will the rest of my comrades. And as for Davos, we will drag him back kicking and screaming if we have to after the mess that he has caused."

The knight looked them over for any sign of deception and then nodded, gesturing for Thalia to follow.

"She awaits in my king's throneroom and your other friend seems to be heading there as well, I will lead you."

Thalia somewhat reluctantly followed the decrepit warrior into the intimidating structure, aware of the risk of being led into the dungeon or a torture-chamber. But she had no other guide and she didn't have any time to waste.

She followed the knight through the winding corridors and up a flight of stairs when loud shouts from the lower floors caused her to jump, she recognized that that voice...

A figure suddenly ran into the corridor from a doorhole that was attached to a staircase that led further downwards and Thalia didn't recognize it at first. Then it stepped into the light of a nearby torch and Thalia gasped as her eyes now rested on a very battered and wounded Davos, his body covered in wounds and blood of two different colors dripping from his blade. She walked forward, flinching as she surveyed his injuries. No doubt the battle he fought was a long and challenging one.

"Davos, can you keep walking? I am going to get Annabeth out of here, according to my guide it is not that much left until we reach the Lich King's throne room."

The God of Champions gritted his teeth but nodded, using his tunic to clean his blade before sheathing it. Before they started to walk, Thalia turned towards her peer with a question on her lips.

"What happened to you anyway? You look like you just went a few rounds with Ares."

The words slipped out fast, almost suspiciously so.

"Just finished off a giant bug that was a lot tougher than it should have been, that's all."

He then continued to walk without another word, followed by the other two. Thalia gave her fellow halfblood some very questioning glances, she felt like there was something that he wasn't telling her. She would have to talk to him about it later, their first priority was getting out everyone alive.

After what felt like a much longer walk than it most likely was, they finally stood before the ornamental doors that led to the inner sanctum. Upon merely touching the elaborate carvings, the knight proceeded to open the door for them only to step back rather than follow them inside.

Thalia understood, it had completed its task by leading them there but it was not allowed to go any further. They were on their own now.

"Thank you for your help."

The knight nodded and walked back from where it came, she took a deep breath and stepped into the inner sanctum before her.

Never before had she felt so small.

One part because of the sheer size of the chamber she was entering.

The second because of the intimidating armored king that was looking down at her from his throne of ice with the coldest eyes she had ever seen. The helmet had been placed on one of the armrests and in spite of the constant exposure to the freezing cold and the lack of lifeblood that flowed through the empty veins, the weathered face was still highly recognizable. Annabeth looked like a delicate porcelain-doll next to this behemoth of a man.

And yet he so fondly stroked her hair as she sat by his side, she looked at ease in his presence. No signs of distress or hidden discomfort.

Thalia let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, her friend was okay. Everything was going to be alright.

Now all that they had to do was get out of here without invoking the King's ire.

"Release Goddess Annabeth immediately, you monster!"

Damn it...

-line-

Percy couldn't decide whether he was amused or not as his halfbrother put on his tough guy-act, in spite of his wounds and fatigue being visible for all to see.

On one hand, it was kind of funny to see a guy who barely reached up to his chest act like he actually stood a chance against him. Size wasn't what determined the outcome of a fight, there were far more other factors that were in Percy's favour, but it did make for a funny image nonetheless. On the other, it spoke of how far removed Davos was from reality. He actually thought that he could win against him here in his domain. That he had any sort of say here in his fortress.

Perhaps it was time to take the winds out of his sails.

But before anything else...

"Annabeth, go with them. You don't belong here amongst us damned, you have a much higher calling."

She gave him a slightly startled look but complied with his request. She walked slowly but steadily over to her comrades, getting embraced by Thalia upon reaching the duo.

He turned his attention to his brother, still in a fighting-stance but now confused and suspicious regarding his actions. He rose from his throne as he placed his helmet over his head once again, it was time to finally teach this pompous brat a lesson or two.

Davos shied back a few steps as the size-difference between them got even more pronounced, yet still stood his ground. Though whether his shaking knees was from fear or the cold was a bit of a question.

He fixed the demigod in his gaze, fully intending to teach Davos a few things about proper manners.

"Do you truly think that you have any power to make demands? Especially since your people were the ones who drew your blades first?"

Davos tried to swallow his anxiety as the unquestionable ruler of the frozen fortress walked towards him, powerful magic gathering in his hands.

"Let me make one thing clear, the only reason why I am realising Annabeth into your care is that a goddess of her stature should not stay here amongst the cursed. She has done nothing to earn my wrath and as such, I agreed to grant her request of letting your people retreat in peace."

The temperature continued to drop as the king's power resonated through the air.

"And yet you and you alone continue to test my patience. Are you so desperate to flex your muscles that you are willing to put the lives of all of your comrades at risk to do it?"

Davos once more felt burning glares sear into his back but he paid them no heed. His focus was on the Goliath in front of him.

"I already took care of your pest-problem down in the basement. They weren't that tough, can't imagine that you would be any tougher."

Now that got Percy's attention, he put a finger to his temple and wordlessly communicated with the guardians of the crypt.

The sounds of his deep chuckles made everyone present jump slightly.

"Is that so? In that case, would you like to explain why there is not a single dead body down in the catacombs?"

Davos froze up and tripped over his words in a desperate attempt to explain himself, only to go silent at Thalia's viscous glare. Percy wouldn't deny that he felt an incredible sense of satisfaction seeing his treacherous brother squirm.

"Have you forgotten that I am connected to every soul in my army? I can hear their voices no matter how large the distance between us may be. And from what I can see, the only reason you got away was because of a fancy little light-trick. Quite fitting for a false hero like yourself."

Rage bubbles up inside of his brother and Davos lashed out in fury.

"Be quiet! The only false hero here is you! The vile monster who dared to lay hand on Naomi!"

The temperature plummeted and ice-crystals started to form around the Lich King's feet, Davos felt the cold sink into his bones and his fingers going numb. Two massive blades of ice formed in the ruler's hands, each one slightly longer than his forearm. His voice was much like the swords he wielded, cold and sharp like a razor's edge.

"Keep spouting lies while you can, they will come to light soon enough. You have boasted about your power long enough."

He raised one blade and pointed it towards his brother, the young hero rapidly paling and shivering in terror.

"Show it to me."