Queen Athena's letter arrived before Percy had a chance to speak with Annabeth. It was in the middle of breakfast when the royal messenger burst into the dining hall, hastily taking a letter to Poseidon before slipping Percy one on his way out. Unfortunately for Percy, it didn't matter how sneaky the messenger was because Queen Athena had clearly mentioned his letter in her reply to King Poseidon. Percy had barely opened his letter before his father snapped his name.

"Yes?" Percy replied. He tucked the letter in his tunic and looked up to see a scowl forming on his father's face.

"You wrote to Queen Athena?" Poseidon demanded. To Percy's right, Tyson paused in his eating to look between their father and Percy. "You went behind my back and wrote her your own letter."

Percy hesitated and Tyson quickly looked back down at his plate.

"I thought it was best," Percy began hesitantly, "to speak to her myself. As I will be king in a matter of weeks, I should be the one making an agreement with her in the first place."

"You are not king yet," Poseidon reminded him sharply. Percy bit his tongue and Poseidon's face softened. "This war will destroy you, son," Poseidon said softer. "I wish that you would wait to take the throne until it has passed."

"I should take the throne sooner," Percy argued. His father's face hardened once again and Percy rushed on to say, "Queen Athena is angry with you. She will never let this war die so long as you remain apart of it. With me on the throne, there is a chance for forgiveness. A chance to start over."

Percy held his breath as he waited for his father to react. Beside him, Tyson slowly resumed eating and the clinking sounds of his utensils filled the room. Across the long table, Poseidon stared at Percy until he was worried he'd pass out from holding his breath.

"Queen Athena has agreed to speak with you," his father said. Percy gasped as he finally breathed again and Poseidon raised a brow at him but did not comment. "She believes you will make a fine king and from here on, she wishes to only correspond with you."

"What does that mean?" Percy asked.

"It means," his father said slowly, "that we will be moving your coronation."

* * * * *

Percy had almost been expecting his coronation and subsequent marriage to be moved back because of the war. He had not expected it to be moved forward. If it had happened two weeks earlier, he would have felt unprepared and unsettled by the sudden change in plans. Now, however, the flurry of the council didn't bother him as he stood to the right of his father.

"The Prince has not even found a bride yet!" a councilman protested loudly. He gestured to Percy but addressed Poseidon as he said, "How can we move the dates if he is still unprepared?"

"My son has informed me that he has found a bride," Poseidon replied. Many of the councilmen grew quiet and turned to Percy with curious looks, but Percy remained silent just as his father had advised.

"Well, boy?" someone demanded. "Who is the girl?"

After a slight nod from his father, Percy raised his chin and addressed the council.

"Before I say," Percy said, "I expect this council to agree to certain conditions."

He hadn't had the chance to speak with Annabeth since breakfast, but he had the feeling he knew what she would want him to do. They'd been careful with Queen Athena thus far. If the sudden change to his coronation ruined what they had set up, he would never forgive himself.

"What conditions?"

"We wait two days before announcing any change," Percy said. A few whispers spurred, but he carried on. "Outside of this room, no one will know about the change in plans at least until then."

"You can't expect us to lose two days and still hold a coronation!" a duke-Rachel's father, Percy realised-exclaimed. "There is too much to adjust. The wedding alone will need at least several weeks."

"My statement remains," Percy told them all. He glanced at his father and Poseidon tipped his head encouragingly. "Failure to agree will result in suspension from your council seat."

It had been his father's idea, but Percy hadn't been too against it. If anyone on the council wanted to object to his one and only condition, then they had no place on his council in the future. In his father's own words: It was better to know who posed a potential problem before he committed. Once he had chosen his new council, it would be difficult to change his mind.

After a few moments of murmuring, no one objected to what Percy had asked. It was still nerve-wracking to stand in front of them all and agree to move his coronation date forward by four weeks. It was even more so when he finally had to reveal that it was Annabeth he would be marrying.

For a split second, Percy considered not telling the council. They could wait to find out with the rest of the kingdom. His father had warned him what that would lead to, though, and Percy did not want to put Annabeth through the stress that the council often caused.

"To further promote an alliance with Athens," he began, "I have agreed to wed the Princess Annabeth, daughter of Queen Athena-"

He had hardly started saying her name before protests began to erupt. By the time he had finished speaking, the sound in the room was nearly deafening and his voice had been drowned out. Turning to his father for advice on what to do, he was surprised to see him sitting in his chair with his eyes closed. All around them, the councilmen shared their thoughts and shouted their protest, but Percy didn't heed them.

"Father?" he murmured, shaking his shoulder.

Poseidon opened one eye then sat up and turned his attention to Percy.

"There is little I can do when they get like this," he informed him. His eyes flickered over the group of men then back to Percy. "I find it's best to let them wear themselves out."

Percy frowned. "How long does that normally take?"

* * * * *

It was hours before Percy found Annabeth for the first time that day. To his surprise, she wasn't alone when he arrived.

If he had known that Rachel would be with her, he wouldn't have walked in without knocking. They hadn't been indecent and they weren't doing anything more than having a conversation, but it was still uncomfortable to walk into Annabeth's chambers when someone else was there.

"You look worried," Annabeth stated, looking away from Rachel to address him. "Has Athena written back?"

Digging into his tunic, Percy pulled out the folded letter that he had only recently been able to read. Annabeth was on her feet a moment later and taking the letter from him. Rachel remained at ease on the sofa with a sheet of parchment posed on top of a book and a block of coal in her hand.

"She'll get coal all over your sofa, you know," Percy murmured. He glanced down at Annabeth who was still at his side, but she was too engrossed in the letter to respond. Rachel, however, smirked at him from across the room.

"It's your palace, Percy," Rachel reminded him. "It's not her problem to worry about for another five weeks."

"One week, actually," Percy corrected.

Rachel's eyes grew and Annabeth's head snapped up from the letter. Suddenly much more uncomfortable than before, Percy glanced down at his feet.

"Did you, uh, finish the letter?" He nodded at the letter in Annabeth's hands.

"What did you say?" she asked in reply. Percy grimaced.

"My father feels it would be best to move my coronation forward," he told her. "Unfortunately, that includes my marriage."

"It moved to next week?"

She sounded like she'd just had the wind knocked out of her.

"Hey, breathe," Percy said, frowning as her face paled. She didn't appear to be breathing and although she looked worried, Percy figured that should be his first concern.

"Who changed the date?" Rachel demanded from across the room.

In front of him, Annabeth gasped for air and Percy's shoulder sagged in relief. When he asked if she was alright though, she just repeated Rachel's question.

"My father," he answered. He hadn't had any control over what the new date would be, but that didn't appear to reassure her.

"Athena will be furious," Annabeth warned, looking up at him nervously.

"The change won't be announced for another two days," Percy promised. "We can write her now and she'll learn the news when everyone else does. Will that help?"

Annabeth paused for a moment then nodded. "It's better that she hear it from you than the townspeople."

"Help me write the letter?" Percy asked, hoping it would help ease her into the idea better.

Annabeth glanced at Rachel.

"I'll go," Rachel decided. She gathered her parchment and her coal then stood up. "Come find me later if you need."

With a scowl at Percy and an encouraging smile at Annabeth, Rachel left the room.

"I really am sorry," Percy murmured once they were alone. "I did what I could."

"I know," Annabeth replied just as softly. "While I write the letter though, you'll tell me exactly what happened."