Chapter III

The Treachery

"Perseus Jackson, you are SO grounded!" His mother screamed at him as they arrived home. Percy was forced to sit in the dining hall while his parents looked at him with disapproval. His mother just had to tell this to Father. His father was always so happy and laid back with his gentle sea green eyes and calming smile but today, he wasn't by any means. He looked at Percy with angry eyes and a frown behind his black-grayish beard and gold crown.

"Is this what you've been doing all this time, Percy? Sneaking out, disguising yourself as a peasant, and running away from your duties as a prince?" King Poseidon's voice boomed in the silent dining hall.

"Yes…" Percy squeaked. Percy managed to muster some courage to speak against Lady Hera but this was different. This was his FATHER. He wasn't spiteful without reason. Percy couldn't look his father in his eyes; he only looked at his legs and hated what he saw. His mother forced him to put on his royalty attire again. No matter how much Percy tried to avoid it, his dreadful identity always surfaced somehow.

"I can't believe it!" His mother spoke up again. "I'm so disappointed in you—!"

"Sally," Poseidon's voice was full of patience. "Might I talk to my son alone?"

"Of course…" Sally sighed. "I will talk to you later." She whispered in Percy's ear before she left the dining hall. Percy shivered. Two lectures at different times. Today was his unlucky day it seemed like. First he gets shot with an arrow, almost is forced to marry one of Lady Hera's daughters, and now getting yelled at by both of his parents.

There was silence for a long time before his father spoke. Percy saw from the corner of his eye, his father pacing around. His father always tried to think before he spoke. Something he and Sally always pressed upon Percy. Just by that action alone, Percy felt less of a man. Percy always was so impulsive, never took a minute to think. Even today, he shouldn't have spoken those things to Annabeth. He knew that a royal couldn't marry a peasant but his feelings got the better of him. Why couldn't I be born to a nice merchant family? Percy thought to himself.

"I have to say, I am very frustrated with you." Poseidon began. "You are a young adult, Percy. The people look to you for guidance. I know it is a tremendous weight, but in life, we need to accept responsibility. How can the people look to you in you're not there? Tell me, Percy. How does your disguise help anybody? How does running away from your responsibility help anyone?" Poseidon looked down to his son with arms crossed.

"It doesn't, sir…" Percy tried to hide his face more to avoid his father's piercing look.

"Head held high, my son." Poseidon grabbed Percy's chin and pushed it upwards rather forcefully. They were staring eye to eye now. Percy tried to look at something else. The table, the chair, or a banner, anything other than his father's eyes. But everything he tried that Poseidon would jerk his head so they were staring at each other. Percy was reminded of Annabeth, her stormy gray eyes revealed she was strong and looked Percy in the eye; Percy could never do that in this situation. After a moment of silence from them, Percy finally mustered some courage:

"I'm sorry, Father." Percy finally said.

"What for?" Poseidon released Percy's chin and stood in front of his son with arms crossed, waiting patiently for an answer.

"I still act like a child." Percy admitted. "I know I am avoiding my responsibility. I know I shouldn't disguise myself as a peasant but this is all so stressful." Percy ran fingers through his hair and sighed. "I just felt like I needed a break."

"I understand, but you worried us. Sneaking off like that, especially of what happened to my brother. We cannot afford not knowing where you are. You are the heir to the throne, Percy. You need to remind yourself that. Your life is much more valuable than the common man."

Percy's fingers rolled into a fist "Why is it? What have I've done? I shouldn't be less extendable than any other person in this kingdom."

"You just proved it, Percy." Poseidon's frown curled into a familiar smile.

"What?"

"A great king is humble. They think themselves as equals. They do not think of themselves as high and mighty individuals. When their peoples' lives are on the line, they will consider the options more carefully than someone who thinks they have supreme power just because. They are someone to respect, not to fear. This is the way to a great monarch, my son."

"Guess I have a lot to work on then…" Percy mumbled.

King Poseidon sighed "Anyway, before we get to your punishment, I need to inform you on the situation involving the assassination of my brother."

"Does anyone know where Prince Jason is?" Percy asked worriedly. He remembered Thalia shrugging him off when he mentioned her brother. But Jason was his best friend. The only prince that actually wasn't so hubris and never really wanted to be prince like Percy.

"No," Poseidon shook his head. "When the assassination occurred he was supposedly in his room, but when the guards finally secured the castle again, he was gone. The only thing left was a bloody sword and some strands of rope."

"So whoever did this, managed to kidnap him." Percy deduced.

Poseidon nodded solemnly "Thalia is somewhat still in denial about it. Prince Castellan revealed to us he used to be part of this organization that assassinated my brother. They are called the Titans. They used to stand for enlightenment of the monarchs which means they wanted the monarch to have less power, the monarch to rule wisely, and treat his people with upmost respect. Prince Castellan was a huge supporter of this movement of the organization but he soon realized that their movement was much more radical and extreme than he anticipated…"

"And when he finally realized that—"

"It was too late."

This was a lot to swallow at once. Percy couldn't help but think this was a very eventful day. First, he gets shot with an arrow. Next, he learns one of the greatest monarchs was assassinated. Then, he falls for a housemaid. Finally, he's here, grounded and learning of the assassin was not working alone, kidnapped his best friend, and they were probably others maybe targeting his father and maybe Percy or Tyson too. This was all making his brain spin. He needed to focus on one thing at a time. He needed to focus on the Titans and their motivation behind all this.

"What else did Prince Castellan say?" Percy rested his chin on his hand, trying to concentrate.

"Not much, he mostly was apologizing for being so foolish. I needed to organize the castle together so I dismissed him. Oh, that reminds me. You are forbidden from leaving this castle without permission," Poseidon looked at Percy sternly. "We cannot afford you or Tyson to go anywhere without someone else's knowledge. If I lose you b-both…" Poseidon looked away from his son, blinking rapidly.

"Understood." Percy nodded sullenly. That was another thing he respected about his father. The scolding wasn't out of hate, it was love and worry.

"Thank you. Can I ask one more thing of you, Percy?"

"Yes, father?"

"Don't be reckless." His father returned his gaze to Percy, deadly serious.

…

"You useless child!" Lady Hera raised her hand to strike. Rachel shut her eyes tight, expecting the sheer pain of her mother's slender palm slap her across the cheek. Rachel made her mother look foolish in front of a guest. And worst of all, she stood up for her dirty stepsister. She should feel regret. But she didn't regret anything. She was just getting sick of the mistreatment of Annabeth when obviously she has done absolutely nothing wrong. Rachel was willing to take her punishment. She just wanted it to be over with.

But it never came.

"What are you doing, Annie?!" Lady Hera screeched. Rachel crept open one eye to see her stepsister with her back turned and arms wide in front of her. Lady Hera's face was in utter shock that quickly turned back to a look of scorn.

"I'm not allowing you to hit my sister." Annabeth strongly said. Rachel was surprised; Annabeth has never spoken up before. Maybe she doesn't find Lady Hera that terrifying after the man's broad show to her mother. Rachel tried not to think about him. He seemed so familiar somehow. But he was handsome. But this wasn't the time to daydream.

"Why you—!" Lady Hera raised her hand again but then dropped it. A devious smile slid its way onto her lips. "Fine, I have a better idea. Your chores are doubled. No, tripled. No, quadrupled! Don't expect any dinner either. And you," Lady Hera glared at Rachel. "You think you're so high and mighty? Well, you can live like Annie until you show me you learned your lesson. I've always sensed a rebel inside you but I thought I suppressed it long ago. I guess I was wrong. I cannot believe you embarrassed me. You're the scion of the family! Drew, will you do the honors?"

"Yes, mother." Drew curtseyed and made her way to Rachel. Annabeth was too shocked at Lady Hera's disclaiming basically to do anything. Drew stood in front of Rachel now with a deep scowl on her face. Rachel gulped. What was her sister going to do to her?

"I can't believe what you did to mother. It's disgraceful."

"Disgraceful? Everything that man said was right! We are mistreating Annabeth! I have no regrets. Come on, she's our family, not some slave. We practically walk right over her as we live in luxury using every drop of wealth her father left to us!" Rachel argued.

"Now you're saying I'm a gold digger?" Lady Hera scoffed. "I loved Fred with—"

"Fredrick." Annabeth corrected. "His name was Fredrick. He hated being called Fred."

"No breakfast either." Lady Hera scowled at her.

"My point proved." Rachel mumbled.

Drew made a sound like she was vomiting "You ungraceful sister! You don't deserve anything!" Drew did something Rachel did not expect, she grabbed Rachel's shoulder and ripped the collar of her dress. Rachel screamed, she loved this dress and her sister ripped it. Rachel tried to push her away but Drew already did more damage, she tore the sleeve off. Rachel was boiling mad, she grabbed her sister's hair and yanked it, pulling black strands out. Drew yelped and shredded the entire backside of her dress off. At that point, Rachel's eyes were streaming tears as she punched Drew in the gut to make her stop. Drew was about to fall to the floor but before she did that, she grabbed Rachel's pearl necklace and the force snapped it in half. That necklace, it was something special to her. Something inside her snapped as she charged to Drew but something stopped her.

"Rachel, stop." At first she thought it was his voice but then those slender fingers that grasped her now bare forearm were none other than her own stepsister, telling her to calm down.

"I-I…" Rachel's knees buckled as she collapsed on the marble floor. Annabeth followed her and put a soothing hand on her back. Rachel looked up in desperate eyes to her own mother. She just observed this whole situation with that devious smirk. Rachel whole world shattered at that moment. Her own mother didn't care about her. She screamed in frustration and let the tears stream down her face.

"Come, Drew darling. We need to get you cleaned up. Why not we go shopping to cheer you up?" Lady Hera said in a condescending voice as she wrapped her arm around Drew. And just like that, they walked away. Leaving Rachel in a bereaved state with her dress in tatters and Annabeth there, starving. They left, just like that. She cried out like a wounded animal. Annabeth took Rachel and shared a comforting hug to the now broken Rachel.

Ah! Lady Hera, why you so evil? So anyway, so chapter's so short but I wanted to leave it at that scene. So, who are the Titans? Is there anything Luke is hiding? Who's this fellow that Rachel keeps mentioning? So many questions! They will be answered in time, my friends!