Chapter VI

Bittersweet News

The announcement of their arranged marriage was going to be made when Percy gave his speech the next day. Percy was not a very happy camper. He remained his calm composure during meeting Piper which thankfully didn't last very long after that. Let's just say if Thalia ever came out of her room at all, Percy would consider to request her to shoot his father. Percy knew it might happen eventually but not now. Not when he just met Annabeth. Percy was so upset he didn't even come down to supper.

"Percy, can I come in?" A familiar voice knocked on the door.

"Come in…" Percy sighed. He was sitting on his oversized bed, mostly to maintain his growing anger. The door opened to reveal his mother, carrying a tray of food. She donned an apologetic smile on her face.

"You missed supper, sweetie." The Queen came into the room with caution. "I thought you might be hungry. I managed to get the chef to make you blue cookies." She sat the silver tray filled with a bountiful food onto the table at the foot of the bed.

"Thank you." Percy cracked a smile. Usually he would be head over heels for blue cookies but today, it seemed like a bribe.

"Oh, sweetheart…" Sally sat down next to Percy. She put her son's head on her shoulder and caressed his hair. Percy remembered she used to do this when he had a nightmare or when he used to be really nervous to go out in public. "I know this is hard for you. But I was talking to Piper. She seems like a very nice and gentle lady. You could get married to someone a lot worse, trust me."

"I don't want to…" Percy dug into his mother's shoulders like a weeping child. His mother smelled like sugary sweets and as she stroked his hair, it somewhat soothed him. But however, no matter how Percy tried to ignore current events by his mother's comforting company, it was still there.

"Do you want to know something?" Sally took her son's cheeks so he would look at her blue eyes. "I didn't want to marry your father either."

"What?" Percy's eyes widened. His parents seemed to be totally infatuated with each other. They were the perfect couple.

Sally chuckled at her son's expression and released him "Yes, I know it's hard to believe. I still remember the first time my parents introduced me to him. He was just like you in his earlier years. He was a man for action, reckless and confident of himself. I was repulsed by him. But… as the date of the wedding got closer… and we were forced to spend more time together… your father and I became closer. I saw another side of him I completely missed the first time I met him. We eventually did fall in love, wedded, and had you."

"But… why can't I meet someone without it being… an arranged marriage?" Percy pleaded with his mother. "The only reason the princess will marry me is to help her kingdom. But I don't want her to be trapped in a life with me. Nor do I want—"

"I know, I know. But France needs a king. A queen cannot rule unless they are a widow. King Zeus realized this and Queen Aphrodite made a deal. France barely has anything to offer at this moment so the only logical thing to do was offer marriage. King Zeus would not only have rule of his vast kingdom but France as well. Queen Aphrodite is desperate, she needs France to get back on her feet. And the only solution is an alliance by Princess Piper marrying a prince from a successful kingdom."

Percy ran a hand through his hair "But… isn't there something else we could do to prove an alliance?" But Percy knew the answer to that question. Once both monarchs make a deal on how the alliance is to be formed, there is no going back. Since of King Zeus's passing and Olympus is in disarray, King Poseidon, his brother, had to be the substitute since France's condition is in dire need but also now it seems Olympus is as well. What a day.

"Percy?" Sally brought her son back to reality. "Here, you need to eat something. Your supper's going to get cold." Sally got the tray and put it on Percy's lap. Percy couldn't ignore his stomach anymore as the main course was a huge chicken breast and drumsticks just waiting to be eaten with a huge bowl of onion soup and some blue cookies as a desert.

"See your appetite hasn't left you." His mother commented as he dug in. She got up from the bed. Right now, Sally was not dressed in her usual queen attire but a nightgown and a silk robe. Percy wished she dressed in more subtle clothes like she was wearing but that was never going to happen. No matter how much Percy wished, his family is royalty.

"Get some rest, alright?" His mother smiled sweetly. "You have a big day tomorrow."

…

"You are going to get blue swatches at the tailor's today." Lady Hera gave Annabeth a task to go out since she did not want to go out, risking herself in the panic. So, here Annabeth traveled to the tailor's on foot. Rachel couldn't come because of her doubled chores and mostly since Lady Hera didn't trust her anymore. Annabeth never thought she would see the day that her stepmother would hate someone more than her. But she felt bad for Rachel. She managed to sneak Rachel two rolls for breakfast and hopefully some for dinner and supper.

However, she might not be back in time. A day has only past of the news of Zeus's assassination and the majority of the village surrounded the gallows for more information regarding the assassination. Annabeth had to snake her way through the crowd of people to the tailor's. The tailor's was a small shop with three display windows showing extravagate dresses on cloth manikins. Annabeth could see barely anyone was in it, hence the crowd outside. She entered the door, a bell ringing that she entered.

"Welcome!" A woman greeted Annabeth. She was around Annabeth's age with curly cinnamon hair and brown skin. "I'm Hazel. How can I help you today? Need a new dress?"

"Oh no," Annabeth smiled thinking if only she could. "I need some blue swatches."

Hazel nodded "Of course, I'm guessing for the location change of the ball?"

"I guess, it's for my sister." Annabeth explained as Hazel shuffled through boxes for blue swatches.

"Well, I'm guessing your sister wants to impress Prince Perseus. That's his favorite color. Is your sister out there? Prince Perseus is supposed to give a speech today." Hazel dug out multiple blue swatches.

"About the assassination, I presume?" Annabeth received the blue swatches. Who knew there were so many variations of blue?

"Yes… I'm afraid so…" Hazel said solemnly.

"Well, thank you." Annabeth said before there was an awkward silence. She was about to leave so she could go back to the chateau before Lady Hera complained she was late but there was immense shuffling and shouting outside. Before long there was the roar of trumpets.

"The Prince must be here." Hazel commented, as she hurried to the front window to get a glimpse. Annabeth was going to leave but a mass of people blocked the exit, so she was mostly stuck. Annabeth had no choice to listen to what this prince had to say. She saw everyone gathering in a huge circle around the gallows. A carriage was at the end of the raised platform, it was probably the most expensive thing Annabeth has ever seen besides the castle. It was a blue and gold carriage with carving of mermaids and the ocean within it. It was drawn by at least eight white horses and leading the horses was a black horse, Annabeth could've sworn she seen that horse before.

"People of Atlantis!" A somewhat familiar but muffled voice echoed through the glass. Annabeth could barely see anything given that the tailor's was right in front of the gallows, so everyone surrounded it, obstructing her view. (A/N: Hahaha, see what I'm trying to do here?) She did see the royal guards in their uniforms of gold and blue. Many surrounded the gallows, to protect the Prince. Annabeth saw a tuft of black hair, standing on the platform of the gallows over a rather large and tall man in front of the shop window.

"As you have heard, my uncle, King Zeus of Olympus has been assassinated." The prince stated. Annabeth could've sworn that voice sounded so familiar but she could barely hear over the glass and the wall that muffled his voice. "And regrettably, it is fact." He told his audience to their surprise. It is now official. The town crier, although fairly reliable could have misinterpreted the news in some way. But this was from a noble among one of the relatives in Zeus's family. The town all looked solemn now.

"The once great King has been assassinated by a terrorist group known as the Titans. They have not only slain my uncle but have kidnapped his oldest son, Prince Jason. We do not exactly know the Titan's motives to capture the Prince or their whereabouts." Annabeth could see murmurs and panic spread throughout the crowd. This was heavy news but it confirmed Annabeth's suspicions. The assassin could not possibly be working alone. But then there was a new mystery to solve, what did the Titans want with Prince Jason? Didn't Prince Jason have an older sister? Was she kidnapped too?

"These words should not be taken lightly." The Prince spoke up again. Annabeth could see his clothing, he was dressed in dark blue and gold stripes. His shirt was decorated in sashes and medals with gold fabric shoulder pads with stings of wrapped yarn tied together, hanging off the ends. But as quickly as she got a glimpse, another person stood in her way to get a complete view.

"We are trying everything we possibly can to end the threat of these Titans. But there is one crucial element, we must all be united. The Titans want us to be in panic. They want us to be in a state of anarchy to make it easier for them to continue their terror." The crowd cheered for the sake of unity. Annabeth understood what exactly the Prince was trying to accomplish. He was trying to ease their nerves. The government was going to find who was responsible for this terror but could that really be done?

"Speaking of… unity…" The Prince's voice didn't seem so confident. "Kingdoms must stand together in this dire time. This is Princess Piper McLean of France." The audience awed as someone stepped onto the platform on cue. Annabeth could step over to see the Princess make her way next to Prince Perseus. She was absolutely beautiful in a natural way. She wore a stunning coral colored ballroom dress with a v-neck with sleeves that drooped at the sides. The Princess had naturally tan skin with brown hair taken to hang at the side. How could Percy call her beautiful when a woman like that walks the earth? Annabeth could barely see but she saw the Prince's arms extending to be arm-in-arm. The movements were awkward like they barely done this before.

"We are both… getting married." The Prince slowly said. When he mentioned marriage, the whole crowd burst into cheers. Annabeth felt happy for the Prince. Although he delivered grave news, at least something joyful came out of it. The Princess looked gorgeous and kind-hearted for a Prince she heard that has a good sense of humor and very kind-hearted himself.

"I heard France is in a desperate state." Hazel gossiped. "They are suffering a famine."

"So is it an arranged marriage then?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel shrugged "Possibly. Frank always told me the Prince wasn't someone who was worried about marriage. He is a free spirit."

"Who's Frank?"

"Oh, sorry." Hazel giggled. "Guess a lot don't know. He's one of the Prince's personal guards and my boyfriend."

"Well, it was nice talking to you." Annabeth concluded the conversation as the crowd became to dwindle as everyone left excited to see their Prince getting married. The Prince and Princess were already in the carriage, ready to return to the castle. If only Annabeth could live in a castle and don't have to worry about Lady Hera ever again. But then she ran into someone.

…

Everything was official now. There was no turning back. Percy had to marry Piper now, his people would expect it of him. At least he managed to dwindle the panic by focusing the townspeople's attention on something else. But here he was, engaged to a complete stranger. To be nice, he helped Piper off the platform and into the carriage. But before he himself made his way into the carriage, he spotted a familiar face. A face that turned his whole day opposite down.

"Where are you going?" Piper asked, seeing his attention spin somewhere else.

"Be back. I need to see a friend." Percy closed the door of the carriage.

"Uh-uh." Frank tsked, next to him. "If it's the friend I think you're seeing, then no."

"Come on, Frank." Percy groaned, unlatching Blackjack from the lead.

"No, you need to go back to the castle. Do you want your mother to slit my throat?"

"I'll go with him." Piper spoke up, in the carriage.

Percy raised an eyebrow "What?"

"My fiancé promised me to give me a tour of the town." Piper explained, through innocent eyes. "I imagine it won't take that long." She jumped out of the carriage, taking Percy's arm.

"I don't think—" Frank started but quickly interrupted.

"Wouldn't the town like to see the future newlyweds together? To the people, we are merely a forced engagement."

"But that's exactly—"

"Frank, is it? I think you wouldn't want to disappoint your future queen. My mother is known to be vicious when it comes to revenge but me? I still have room to mature. I could surely use some practice."

Percy was about to burst out laughing "So, can I show Piper around or not?"

"Fine," Frank sighed, not bearing to look at Piper's eyes anymore. "Be back by nightfall. And Perce, you owe me a cake from the kitchen."

"So, who is this friend? And why do you need to steal clothes?" Piper asked as she watched Percy pull some peasant clothes from a clothesline. She turned so he could strip down to his underclothes and change.

"Long story, but why did you help me convince Frank to let me go?" Percy threw on a blue shirt held together by the seams and raggedy brown pants. He took off his shoes for good measure.

"Because… since I have to… marry you, my mother is making go through etiquette classes at the castle when I have free time. It is a living nightmare. Sit on a horse a certain way, eat a certain way, present yourself a certain way, talk a certain way, walk a certain way with a book on your head, and the list goes on and on." Piper explained, taking a seat on Blackjack.

"I'm sorry…" Percy apologized, looking at her with concern. "For all it's worth, I don't think you need them. You have this… grace and beauty when you walk into a room."

Piper blushed, crossing her arms "Well, if you could say that to my mother I'd be most grateful."

"Sure I will since you helped me. I'll be right back." Percy stuffed his fancy prince clothes in his saddlebag. He was more than happy to get rid of them. He made sure he was out of sight from Annabeth when he changed. He just hoped she didn't see him making that announcement but knowing Annabeth she would've stormed up that platform. Percy saw she was still lingering around in the town square as she was finding her way through the crowd of people. Percy hurried after her, leaving Piper in the dust.

…

"Excuse me, beautiful maiden." A familiar handsome voice spoke behind Annabeth. "I was wondering if it hurt when you fell from heaven."

"You have to work on your material… Seaweed Brain." Annabeth turned around almost have a heart attack from her heart fluttering so much. She remained calm as she messed with him, giving him a wacky nickname on the spot. But he looked even more handsome as he was well now from his injury.

"Blue swatches, hm?" Percy pointed to what Annabeth was carrying.

Annabeth rolled her eyes "Yes… Lady Hera and Drew are worried about the stupid ball since Drew's dress is purple but Prince Perseus's favorite color is blue and blah-blah-blah."

"You're not looking to impress the Prince, I presume?" Percy's expression was unreadable.

"No." Annabeth laughed. "I doubt I'm even allowed to go to the ball. And why do I need to impress the Prince? He's getting married."

Percy laughter was tense "Yeah, that's a relief. Now, I know you're not looking at anybody but me."

"Don't compliment yourself."

"Your words hurt, they really do." Percy pouted. The face he made was adorable.

Annabeth giggled "Get used to it."

"So, you aren't going to the ball?" He asked with curious eyes. Annabeth could get lost in those sea-green eyes anytime. But she had to leave soon or Lady Hera would have her plastered on a wall above the mantle before supper.

"No, Lady Hera would never let me or even buy me a dress. I guess I could wear one of my mother's but they are so outdated—"

"I could buy you one!" Percy said excitedly. Oh no, Annabeth could never ask him of that. Especially since Percy was a peasant and could probably not afford have of the dresses Hazel, the only tailor for miles, offers. But why would Percy offer if he couldn't?

"No, no, I could never—"

"It is the least I could do since you did save my life." Percy smiled sweetly.

That reminded Annabeth of something "Percy, I've been meaning to ask you. How exactly did you get that wound?"

"Stop trying to avoid the topic, Annabeth." Percy's smile faded. "Money's not an issue. Trust me. I can buy you a dress."

"There's no way I would ever let you buy me a dress. You need that money for other things, Percy. I don't have to go to the ball."

"You deserve at least that, Annabeth. You have to deal with that old hag and her terrible daughters every day. Why not enjoy yourself for a couple of hours?"

"But once Lady Hera sees me—"

"It'll be a masquerade ball." Percy said as if he came up with the idea on the spot.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Although the gesture was sweet, there was no way Annabeth could accept such a gift. Her father always told her do not be in debt to someone and with Percy giving her such an expensive gift such as a dress, she could not possibly pay it off. Also, Percy should know better. He has a mother to feed and food to put on the table. Judging from his clothes, Percy would be in bankruptcy if he bought a dress for her.

"No, no… Percy, you barely know me. I could never accept such a gift." Annabeth adjusted the blue swatches in her hands.

Percy sighed, defeat in his eyes "Annabeth, I need to tell you something…"

"What is it?"

"I'm—"

Percy was interrupted by a scream. They both turned their attention towards the town square. On the platform of the gallows, stood a man with his sword drawn. He had a few followers around him. They did not look friendly. They all dressed in hooded black clocks. And they held hostages as the man slaughtered them innocent by innocent. People started to circle around them in terror.

"People of Atlantis!" The man with his sword drawn lowered his cowl. He was a middle-aged man with pepper black hair with some amount of facial hair. Although he looked absolutely crazy, he held an aura of formality. "Some might call me a terrorist but my real name is Atlas. I'm here on the order of my brother Kronos, who is the leader of the Titans."

"The Titans?" Annabeth gasped. Now was probably a good time to leave. Let the military handle it. But fear gripped her to her stance. Time stopped itself. If these Titans saw her leaving, they might capture her and probably in bigger trouble then she is watching this.

"We have to move closer." Percy whispered to her.

"What? Why?" Before Annabeth could even try to stop him, he rushed towards the gallows. Annabeth followed suit but unfortunately there was a huge difference of running in a dress than pants and while carrying a bunch of things too. Before she could completely catch up with Percy, the town became in mass panic again. Everyone ran and screamed to get far away from this man. Eventually in all the chaos, the blue swatches fell out of Annabeth's hands as a fat woman pushed her to the ground in an effort to find safety.

"Ha! Run little mortals! Run!" Atlas's amusement surfaced out of the mass panic.

"PERCY!" Annabeth screamed as she got to her feet again. Nevermind the blue swatches. Where was Percy? They both need to get out of here and let the military handle this.

"What are you doing?" A hand forced Annabeth up from the ground with ease. "Get out of here before you are hurt!"

Annabeth stared at the person that helped her. She was wearing a guard uniform. That is odd. Women aren't usually put into combat positions. This woman in peculiar looked fierce. She had a permanent frown etched upon her face with cold metallic eyes. Her raven hair was kept in a tight ponytail and she proudly wore many medals on her uniform.

"My friend—" Annabeth tried to explain.

"The royal army is coming with reinforcements. Your friend will be fine." Oddly enough the woman did have a female voice with a very authoritative tone. Annabeth had no choice but to follow this mysterious woman amongst the panic as she tried to gain control and calm everyone down. Annabeth prayed that Percy was somehow safe. This was happening so fast. She didn't even notice when the woman lead her far into the outskirts of the village near Lady Hera's.

"My name is Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. I am the Lieutenant of the Royal Army and the commander of Prince Perseus's Secret Service. Might I ask why he was with you?" Reyna stopped in her tracks.

What? Annabeth didn't understand. "The Prince left with the Princess. I've never met him nor do I have the authority to even talk to him."

Reyna raised an eyebrow "Wow, you're dense."

"Excuse me?!" Annabeth's eye twitched.

Reyna barely even noticed Annabeth's growing anger, she looked towards the gallows as if her mind was on something else.

"Are you even paying attention to me?" This lady, despite her rank, was really getting on her nerves.

"I advise you to return home. The Prince is engaging a fight with the terrorists, I must help."