previously. . .

"I was not kidnapped," Annabeth said clearly. "I left of my own accord."

Rachel hummed. "I see. Do you not like your castle?"

"On the contrary. I live in a beautifully crafted structure." Annabeth thought about the swooping arches in the gardens, the high ceilings one could never touch, the walls and walls of books in the library. "My leaving has absolutely nothing to do with the location, I assure you."

"You don't live there any longer," Rachel said.

Percy gave her a sharp look.

"What? She said 'live.' It's 'lived' now--past tense, isn't it?" Rachel gave her friend a defiant look. "I'm not wrong."

"No, only insensitive." Percy stood and gave Annabeth a softer look. "Finish eating, princess. There's something I want to show you."

__________________♕_________________

"This is Beckendorf."

Annabeth took the man's outheld hand and shook it politely. His hands were rough with what she could guess were years of hard work. "I'm Annabeth."

"Wouldn't have guessed," Beckendorf said good-naturedly, winking. He gave a short bow and salute to Percy before retreating back to whatever he'd been working on before he was called over.

Annabeth stepped back beside Percy, Rachel on his other side. She glanced up at him. "So this is it? You wanted to show me your friends?"

"Did you not want to meet them?"

"They're lovely, Perseus." Annabeth settled her clasped hands in front of her. "You have good friends. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Percy," he supplied. "And yes, I'm satisfied. They're lovely people, are they not?"

Annabeth could feel Rachel's eyes on the side of her head, as if daring her to say otherwise. "I agree. From what I've seen so far."

She wasn't lying, even if saying otherwise would have been a stupid move. She'd already shaken hands with two gardeners, a few blacksmiths, three self-proclaimed artists (four if she counted Rachel), and even a few children. Percy seemed proud of his company, so she had gone along with it.

"Good. Now." Percy offered her a hand, looking down expectedly. "Walk with me."

She stared at his hand as it brushed against her side. What now? Annabeth met his eyes and found herself locked in place by the whimsical green once more. She clenched her fist.

"Where do you plan to whisk me off to now? I do have a runaway to return to."

He laughed, reaching down to grab her hand himself instead of waiting. "This won't be long. Trust me, you'll want to see this."

Rachel waved them off, her eyebrow raised. "Good luck, princess."

. . .Good luck?

__________________♕_________________

"Do you remember how I mentioned the raids, earlier?"

Annabeth most definitely did. It hadn't sat well with her since they'd eaten supper. She nodded, her eyes refusing to leave their hands. He hadn't let go, even though she was perfectly capable of walking on her own.

"The people who do not agree with your family's rule chose to make that clear from the very beginning," Percy said, as if she didn't already know. "I understand you experience these terrors even in the castle, from what you said before. Your friend. . .was it recent? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Annabeth didn't like remembering the day. Thalia's loss had long ago scarred over for her, but scars still left a mark. "It wasn't recent, no. Not in most people's eyes."

"For you, though?" Percy looked down. "Is it recent for you?"

Annabeth looked anywhere but his eyes. It felt like admitting to a weakness. Why did she want to say it? She'd never been able to open up about it with her family members. Not even with Luke. Why did this man--this stranger--seem to understand her better than anyone else could? Than anyone else had ever been able to?

"Yes," she whispered. "It feels like yesterday some days."

"I lost my mother in an attack," Percy said. His voice was steady and strong, but she knew it was something that had left him with a scar as relevant as hers. "I do get it. You don't simply recover from losses like that."

Annabeth looked away.

"Unfortunately, the attacks have grown worse in recent years," Percy continued.

"I'm aware."

"Are you aware of the aftermath, though?"

Annabeth stopped walking. She heard the challenge in his voice. "Excuse me?"

Percy released her hand and turned so he was facing her. "The people you see here have lost everything, Annabeth. They found us when they were at their lowest. Families, homes. . .even limbs. There's nothing for them to go back to in the kingdom. Everyone here had come close to giving up; is still on the verge of it. They needed help."

He gestured around with his arm. Annabeth wished she didn't look around.

It was bad before, when she'd first come down here. But now with the implication, that this was because of her own family? It was a reminder of her lack of power. These people were dirty, lost, and forgotten.

"This is what we are, princess."

An awful, unidentifiable feeling curled in her gut.

Annabeth looked down. Of course he hadn't just helped her by chance. He'd wanted her to come here, to see this. Her escaping was just the kind of opportunity he'd needed to bring her into these conditions to prove something. Annabeth hated that because, despite requiring armed guards behind her every two steps, she knew what was happening down here.

And she was running away from it all.

It wasn't fair to be mad at Percy. Because Unlike her, he had only good, selfless intentions. But she felt a pang of betrayal in her heart because, for some reason, she felt that he understood her unlike anyone else had. He could've turned her in, asked for a good sum of money and gone on with his life. He still could. But he didn't.

Luke would've brought her back against her will. Even Thalia.

But Percy hadn't, and Annabeth fell for that without a second thought.

Stupid.

"I don't blame anyone for this," Percy said. "But I do believe there needs to be change. I believe we need a leader who can do something about this. Someone who can bring an end to the suffering. . .A queen willing to do what it takes because she knows it matters."

Annabeth looked up to his find his eyes intently on her. She swallowed, and it felt like poison running down her throat.

"I ran away," she said. Her voice was just barely over a whisper, but he heard it. "I made that choice after I knew about this, Perseus. Do you understand? I can't help you. That's why I'm here."

Percy's brows drew together. "Everyone can make a difference, Annabeth. You--"

"Percy! Percy, there's a fire at a house just above ground! They need assistance!"

He cursed beneath his breath, something about timing. Then he leaned forward and clasped both of her arms. "Think about it, princess. Please."

Annabeth willed the dampness to stay in her eyes as he left her there. Why this? Why now?

What do I do?

__________________♕_________________

a/n

i hate that i keep updating this within like four-week intervals so everyone's like 😃??

but here it is! i kinda regret starting this because i had no idea where it was going and now it's five parts long lol. i think part 6 will be the last one.

if the quality of these oneshots seems iffy, it's probably due to the fact that my motivation for this book has been zip for months. it's sad, but i often have to take long breaks from fandoms (and pray i'll be back into them afterwards), especially when i've been in them for years. i have an awesome pjo project in the works too, so let's hope i can get back into it.

thank you for your continued support. i can't believe a lot of you here have been here for so long. this book did way better than i ever thought it would, and that still amazes me! 

okay bye lol.

yours in demigodishness and all that,

~ grace 💙🍪💙🍪💙🍪💙