A/N: Hey everyone! I'll keep this authors note short, but I just want to say two things.

First, thank you so much to everyone who followed/favourited this story/myself. I really appreciate it! Also, a special thank you to LEOFLAMINGVALDEZ for writing a review (awesome pen name by the way).

Second, I want to explain that a marquess is a nobleman ranked lower than a duke, but higher than an earl. A marquess rules over a "march," which is essentially an earldom located along a country's border (border earldoms or "marches" typically see more conflict than regular earldoms, so marquesses are given a higher status). This information will become relevant in the second part of this chapter.

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Last Chapter:

The king cleared his throat before announcing, "So, my son. We are here to discuss your marriage."

"My marriage?!" Percy was so shocked that he choked on air, but neither of the other two men seemed concerned. They were smiling broadly at him.

"Yes," Poseidon confirmed, "you are now engaged to the Duke of Attica's daughter, Lady Annabeth."

Percy's green eyes went wide as he stared at his father in shock, but King Poseidon just laughed.

"See, Duke?" The king gestured to his son. "He's speechless."

Percy was speechless, but more out of shock than pleasure. He shook his head, as if to clear it, but when his eyes refocused, his father and the Duke were still staring at him expectantly. That meant what he'd heard was real, not part of an odd dream.

"My marriage?!" Percy repeated, but this time his voice sounded strained. The duke seemed to notice, because his smile faltered.

"Does this arrangement not please you?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Poseidon cut in before Percy could answer. "Prince Perseus is overcome with joy."

The king sent his son a meaningful look, so Percy forced a smile onto his face. "The king is correct. Of course I am pleased, Duke. It would be an honour to marry your daughter. Please forgive my lapse in manners, and know that it was surprise, not displeasure, that kept me from saying so sooner."

The words rolled off his tongue with surprising ease; Percy was not usually so eloquent. Nevertheless, he had obviously said the right thing, because his father and the duke both nodded their approval.

"Excellent." The king clapped his hands together, effectively returning the men's attention to him. "Now, let's move on to the details. Perseus, you will meet Lady Annabeth at the spring tournament in two days' time. Your engagement will be announced publicly then, and the wedding will take place forty days afterward."

Percy's head was swimming, but he nodded his approval. Forty days was not an unusual engagement period. He could use that time to adjust to the idea of getting married. He was nineteen, so he should have reconciled himself to it years ago. As the crown prince of Atlantis, it was his duty to marry, so that he could produce a legitimate heir.

The fact that he had never met Lady Annabeth before did not matter. Many royals met their spouses for the first time on their wedding day. At least Percy could meet Annabeth at the tournament first.

A loud knock drew the prince out of his thoughts. He turned his neck to the right just in time to see the chamber door open. A fully armoured guard stepped into the room. When he spoke, he addressed Poseidon.

"The Duke of Titania has arrived for the Privy Council meeting. Is he permitted to enter, or shall I tell him to wait?"

Rather than answer the guard immediately, Poseidon looked to the Duke of Attica. "Are you pleased with these arrangements, in addition to the terms we agreed upon earlier for the dowry and your status at court?"

The blond noble nodded. "Yes, your highness."

"Good." Poseidon turned to the guard. "Then our business is concluded. The duke may enter."

Underneath his breath, the king added for Percy's ears alone, "I will tell you more details after the council meeting."

Percy nodded slightly to show that he heard, just as a new figure entered the room.

The Duke of Titania took two brisk steps into the chamber before stopping abruptly. He was an unusually tall man with graying black hair, who might have been handsome if he ever bothered to smile. Court gossip suggested that the duke was born with a frown on his face, and he had worn it ever since. Nevertheless, Percy knew that the rumour wasn't true—every once in a while, the duke exchanged his frown for a sneer.

In fact, the duke did so at that moment. Then he lifted one pale finger and pointed at the Duke of Attica.

"What," he spat, "is he doing here."

The Duke of Attica barely reacted. He didn't appear surprised at the other duke's cold greeting, but managed to maintain a calm façade. Only the slight twitch in his jaw betrayed the blond duke's anger.

King Poseidon did not bother to hide his own irritation. "The Duke of Attica has been restored to favour at court. He is here because I invited him, and he will serve as the council's newest member."

"What?!" The Duke of Titania spluttered, "But—is that wise? His family led the rebellion against your father!"

The king jumped up from his chair and slammed both his hands on the table before him. "Do notquestion my wisdom!"

The room went silent. No one dared risk the king's wrath by speaking.

Eventually, Poseidon took a deep breath and spoke in a lower decibel. "I am your king, and this is my council. I may appoint any man I choose. It is not your place to question me."

The Duke of Titania paled. He gave a shallow bow before speaking, "Forgive me, your highness. I did not intend to question you, or your wisdom. I merely meant to advise you, according to my duty as a council member."

Poseidon accepted the apology with a sharp nod, and then he returned to his seat. Unfortunately, the duke was not done speaking.

"I must say though—I'm curious about why you restored the Duke of Attica to favour." The Duke of Titania frowned even deeper than usual, as though he was greatly troubled. "Is it the provinces? Has our situation there become so dire, that you would turn to a known traitor for help?"

Percy felt his brow furrow. What was happening in the provinces? He looked to his father for an explanation, and noticed that the king's face was an unusual shade of red. The duke had hit a nerve.

"Sit down, Duke," Poseidon spoke in a clipped voice, "lest you find that there is no seat left for you on this council."

The implied threat was enough to ensure the Duke of Titania's compliance. He crossed the room quickly and sat in the chair next to Percy. The prince was momentarily surprised—the duke normally sat across from him, in the third highest chair of honour—but then he realized the reason for the tension in the room. The Dukedom of Attica was the oldest, largest, and most powerful dukedom in Atlantis. That meant that the Duke of Attica had just supplanted the Duke of Titania as the most powerful nobleman on the council, and the latter man was not pleased.

The Duke of Titania was barely seated before he opened his mouth to speak once more.

"I suppose," he began in a callous tone," that I should congratulate you for your sudden change in fortune, Frederick."

The Duke of Attica clenched his jaw at the other man's disrespect. "I do not mind if you avoid the pretense of my title, Kronos, as long as long as I may do the same with you."

Kronos sneered. "Perhaps we should stick to 'Duke,' then."

Frederick agreed, and the silence resumed. This time, it was not broken until several minutes later, when more Privy Councillors arrived. The new councillors raised their eyebrows upon noticing Frederick, but wisely kept their surprise to themselves.

Once all the councillors were present and seated, Poseidon cleared his throat. All the men's attention turned to him, and the king began with his regular greeting.

"Welcome, councillors. Thank you for coming. Now let's attend to business." The king drew a deep breath before gesturing to Frederick. "We have a new member. The Duke of Attica is a welcome addition to the council, and he is here at my invitation. I trust you will all treat him accordingly."

Each of the council members gave an obligatory nod, but Percy noticed that a select few were frowning. They didn't appear to like the duke's return to favour any more than Kronos did. No one voiced their concern, however, so the meeting moved on. All of the councillors were high-ranking nobles from different areas of the country, so they spent the rest of the meeting updating the king on the events happening in their domains. The Duke of Attica began the discussion, but he was the only one to give an entirely positive report. The other nobles' accounts were troubling; Lord Ares reported that small raiding parties were disturbing the borders of his march, Lord Hephaestus described food shortages in his earldom (despite having a plentiful harvest the year before), and Lord Hermes explained that the storehouses and barns in his march kept catching on fire in the night. The worst news, however, was brought by Lord Apollo, who announced that the plague had returned to the largest market town in his earldom. Not all of the nobles had delivered their reports, but Poseidon interrupted after Lord Apollo's speech.

"I have heard enough." The king's expression was grim as he looked around his circle of advisors. "Our situation is grave, my friends."

Percy, who had remained silent throughout the reports, chose that moment to speak.

"This many incidents occurring at once cannot be a matter of chance."

The entire council turned to look at him. Some of the men wore surprised expressions—the prince rarely spoke during their meetings—while others appeared mildly impressed with his observation.

Frederick was the first to voice his agreement. "Prince Perseus is right. It seems highly improbable that these events are all independent of each other. Something, or someone, is causing all this trouble."

"Who would do such a thing?" Lord Hermes questioned.

Kronos frowned as he responded. "I may know the answer. Some of your stories suggest that a higher power is responsible—who else could control the plague, or make food disappear into thin air? No man is capable of such feats."

Half of the councillors nodded along to Kronos's speech, but the other half wore skeptical frowns. Kronos read their expressions, and then continued to argue his case. "That is not all. I have not had the chance to give my report yet, but I'll deliver it now. There are rumours circulating in Titania. Travelling merchants have told the people about Atlantis's troubles, and some people believe that witches are to blame."

A grave silence settled over the room at those words. None of the men in that meeting had ever met a witch, but they'd all heard terrible stories about them. Witches were immoral women who sold their souls to the devil in exchange for magical powers. They delighted in wreaking havoc for good Christian men and women, and they were considered responsible for all the unexplainable tragedies that befell Christian kingdoms. Unfortunately, witches' craftiness meant that they were exceptionally difficult to identify. The only conclusive proof of their guilt was an indelible mark on their skin, which was left by the devil to seal their bargain. The mark could resemble a mole, birthmark, or other blemish to avoid suspicion, but experts—called inquisitors—claimed that they could tell the difference between a natural mark and an unnatural one.

"God help us."

It was King Poseidon who spoke, but the other men quickly murmured their assent. Only one man remained silent.

The Duke of Attica was unusually pale when he spoke, "Do we have proof that witches are at fault?"

"The plague has returned!" Kronos countered, "What other proof do we need?"

"Solid proof." Frederick responded. "We need actual evidence that witches are to blame before we draw any conclusions. Word of Atlantis's troubles is spreading throughout the country, and soon, the people will demand answers. If we tell them that witches are to blame, it will cause a panic and spark unsanctioned witch hunts. Law and order will break down as people turn on their neighbours, and we will have a disaster on our hands."

Kronos opened his mouth to argue, but Poseidon lifted a hand to silence him.

"The Duke of Attica is correct," the king sighed wearily, "the mere mention of witches will cause panic in the provinces. We must crush these rumours before they spread any further, and investigate the matter discretely. We will not make any announcements about the cause or correlation of Atlantis's troubles until we've determined whether or not witches are involved."

Percy thought that his father's idea was wise, but many of the councillors were frowning.

"How can we crush the rumours?" Lord Apollo questioned, "Gossip like this spreads quickly."

The king did not hesitate before answering. "Arrest any man or woman discussing the matter. Announce that the rumours are false, and charge the gossipers with 'inciting panic in the populace.' That will stop the word from spreading."

Most councillors nodded approvingly at the king's idea. Poseidon glanced at them each in turn, then began to speak once more.

"Good. Then the matter is settled, so I will draw this meeting to a close. You may go, but I expect to see you all at the spring tournament in two days."

Despite the somber mood of the room, King Poseidon winked at his son. Percy felt his face warm, but he refused to acknowledge the nobles' curious stares. He was still trying to wrap his head around everything he'd just learned—including his engagement and the problems in the provinces—so he needed time to speak with the king in private. Telling the nobles of his engagement would just delay their departure. Also, Lord Ares would probably begin sharing crude jokes, and Percy had enough to think about without the marquess planting thoughts in his head.

The prince loitered until the nobles, including the Duke of Attica, left the council chamber. Then, he turned to look at his father.

The king raised his eyebrows at his son. "I'm sure you have questions."

Percy nodded. He had so many questions, in fact, that he hardly knew where to begin. "Tell me everything."

Poseidon laughed, but he agreed. "Alright, son. I guess I owe you that."

The king paused, and his expression grew somber as he began his explanation. "Atlantis is in a dire situation. You learned that much from the meeting. What you don't know is that many of the peasants blame me. I have spies all across this country, in both noble and peasant households. Some spies have reported that the peasants are growing discontent. They've heard about the raiding parties, the unexplained fires, and the plague from travelling merchants. They're afraid, and they believe that I am to blame for their troubles."

"You?" Percy shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. You can't control the plague, and why would you send raiding parties against your own nobles?"

"They don't believe that I'm orchestrating the events," Poseidon corrected, "but they think that my failure to stop these tragedies is proof that I'm an unfit king. I'm afraid that if our situation doesn't improve soon, the peasants' discontent will inspire them to revolt."

A grim frown crossed the king's face. He knew what destruction a rebellion could bring.

"If a rebellion occurs," the king continued, "I will need my nobles' support to survive it. That is why I returned the Duke of Attica to favour. He is a powerful ally, and your marriage to his daughter will secure his support."

Percy's brow furrowed as he tried to digest everything that his father had told him. "Why didn't you tell the councillors about all this? If a rebellion is coming, they will need time to prepare."

"How could I tell them without mentioning the spies that gave me this information?" Poseidon shook his head. "It is best not to warn them until I've consolidated my position, anyways. Nobles are always grasping for power. If I warned them that a rebellion was coming, and they thought that the movement would succeed, they might rally peasants themselves."

Percy knew that what the king said was true. A royal was as vulnerable as he was powerful, and the greatest threat to his life was the ambition of his nobles.

"Anyways," Poseidon changed the subject with a wave of his hand, "I know that I surprised you earlier with your engagement, but you handled it maturely. This marriage is important for the stability of the realm. I'm glad you understand that."

"I do understand." Percy confirmed, but his voice waivered as he spoke. The king noticed his hesitation and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I know that the prospect of marrying a stranger seems daunting right now. I felt the same way when I learned of my engagement to your mother, but the queen and I grew to love each other in time. I'm sure that you and Lady Annabeth will do the same." Poseidon hesitated, then continued, "I am proud of you son. It is not easy to put the kingdom's needs before your own, but your willingness to do so tells me that you'll be a great king someday."

Percy went red at his father's words. The king didn't praise him often, so he treasured the few compliments he received.

"Thank you, Father."

Percy was still smiling when he left the council chamber several minutes later. He would marry a hag if it made his father proud.

Then again, he'd never met Lady Annabeth before, so it was possible that he would have to do just that.

So, that's Chapter 2! There wasn't much action in this chapter, but a lot of the information mentioned above will become important later on. You also got a quick glimpse into the father-son relationship between Percy and Poseidon.

Some of you mind find it odd that Percy accepted his arranged marriage so easily. That's because we're used to being able to choose our own partners, and to marry for love. Nevertheless, arranged marriages were the norm for medieval royals. They married for political reasons (like Percy and Annabeth), and they were expected to learn to love one another. As mentioned in the story, many royals didn't even meet their spouses until their wedding ceremony! That may seem crazy to us, but it's just the way things were for royals back then. I'm doing my best to be historically accurate, so I won't be imposing modern values about marriage on the characters in this story. That's why Percy accepts his engagement so easily.

Also, as a small historical note, everything I mentioned about witches (and witches' marks) was true. Moles, birthmarks, scars, and other blemishes were considered "proof" that the owner was a practicing witch/warlock. Expert "inquisitors" claimed that they could tell a natural blemish from a witches mark, but realistically, if someone accused of witchcraft was found to have one of the blemishes listed above, they were usually condemned and tortured. Knowing this makes me VERY glad that I don't live in medieval times, because I'm covered in moles, have a scar on my forehead, and have a birthmark on my leg. If anyone accused me of witchcraft, I'd have been condemned for sure.

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would really appreciate reviews.

(Also, we'll meet Annabeth next chapter).