Percy's POV:

By the time the boat docks in Archeon at the western bank and we're back on land, night has fallen. The city seems to brighten while the rest of the world goes dark. Fireworks crackle overhead, raining light down on the Bridge, and atop Whitefire, a red-and-black flag rises. The king is back on this throne.

Thankfully there are no more pageants to suffer through; we are greeted by armored transports to take us up from the docks. Annabeth and I share a transport with Maven and Mareena, joined by only two Sentinels. Both Maven and Annabeth take turns pointing out landmarks as we pass, explaining what seems like every statue and street corner. Maven even mentions his favorite bakery, though it sits on the other side of the river.

"As you probably already know, the Bridge and East Archeon are for civilians, Reds who can afford to live here and the common Silvers, though many are richer than some nobles. Meanwhile, West Archeon is for the court of the king," Annabeth explains. The Empire State building looms in the distance, across the river in East Archeon. We pass a street lined with lovely stone houses and pruned, flowering trees. "All the High Houses keep residences here, to be close to the king and government. In fact, the entire country can be controlled from this cliff, if the need should arise."

That explains the location. The western bank is sharply sloped, with the palace and the other government buildings sitting at the crest of a hill overlooking the Bridge. Another wall surrounds the hilltop, fencing in the heart of the country. I try not to gawk when we pass through the gate, revealing a tiled square the size of an arena. Maven calls it Caesar's Square, after the first king of his dynasty. Julian mentioned King Caesar before, but fleetingly; our lessons never got much further than the First Divide, when red and silver became much more than colors.

Whitefire Palace occupies the southern side of the Square, while the courts, treasury, and administrative centers take up the rest. There's even a military barracks, judging by the troops drilling in the walled yard. They are Cal's Shadow Legion, who traveled ahead of us to the city. A comfort to the nobles, Maven called them. Soldiers within the walls, to protect us if another attack should come.

Despite the hour, the Square bustles with activity as people rush toward a severe-looking structure next to the barracks. Red-and-black flags, emblazoned with the sword symbol of the army, hang from its columns. I can just see a little stage set up in front of the building, with a podium surrounded by bright spotlights and a growing crowd.

Luckily we keep driving, moving through an archway to a small courtyard, but then we pull to a stop. "What's this?" I hear Mareena whisper, grabbing on to Maven. It's the first time I've seen her show any signs of fear.

Maven sighs heavily, more annoyed than anything. "Father must be giving a speech. Just some saber-rattling to keep the masses happy. The people love nothing more than a leader promising victory."

Maven steps out, pulling Mareena with him. I quickly follow suit, offering a hand to Annabeth. Despite my makeup and my clothes, I feel suddenly very bare. This is for a broadcast. Thousands, millions, will see this.

"Don't worry, we just have to stand and look stern," Annabeth mutters in my ear.

"I think Cal has that covered." I nod my head to where the crown prince broods, still attached at the hip to Evangeline.

Annabeth snickers to herself. "He thinks speeches are a waste of time. Cal likes actions, not words."

A bustling secretary beckons us. His clothes are blue and gray, the colors of House Macanthos. He doesn't spare a glance at us when we fall into place behind Maven and Mareena, who stand behind Cal and Evangeline, with the king and queen at the head. Strangely, Evangeline is not her usual cool self; I can see her hands shaking. She's afraid. She wanted the spotlight, she wanted to be Cal's bride, and yet she's scared of it. How can that be?

And then we're moving, walking into a building with too many Sentinels and attendants to count. Inside, the structure is built for function, with maps and offices and council rooms instead of paintings or salons. People in gray uniforms busy themselves in the hall, though they stop to let us pass. Most of the doors are closed, but I manage to catch a glimpse inside a few. Officers and soldiers look down at maps of the war front, arguing over the placement of legions. Another room seems to hold a hundred video screens, each one operated by a soldier in battle uniform. They speak into headsets, barking orders to faraway people and places. The words differ, but the meaning is the same.

"Hold the line."

Cal lingers before the door to the video room, craning his neck to get a better look, but it suddenly slams in his face. He bristles but doesn't protest, falling back into line with Evangeline. She mutters to him quietly, but he shakes her off.

Suddenly we step back out into blinding lights on the front steps of the structure. A bronze plaque next to the door has something written on it, but I don't have enough time to try and decipher what it says. Cameras flash, blinding my sight. When I flinch, I hear a voice inside my head.

The secretary presses a paper in my hand. One glance at it, and I almost scream. Now I know what I was saved for.

Earn your keep, Elara's voice whispers in my head. She glances at me from her place beside the king, doing her best not to grin.

Annabeth follows her wretched gaze and notes the paper in my hands. "Elara does know that I'm dyslexic, right?" I whisper to Annabeth.

"I don't think she cares." Unfortunately, I don't have a choice, I have to try to read the speech.

~oOo~

"My heart grieves for the lives lost, but know that they were not lost in vain. Their blood will fuel our resolve and drive us to overcome the difficulties ahead. We are a nation at war, we have been for nearly a century, and we are not unaccustomed to obstacles in the path to victory. These people will be found, these people will be punished, and this disease they call rebellion will never take hold in my country."

The video screen is about as useful as a bottomless boat, playing the king's speech from last night in a nauseating loop. By now I can recite the whole thing word for word, but I can't stop watching. Because I know who comes next.

My face looks strange on the screen, too pale, too cold. Despite the fact that it took me a while to get through the speech, I managed to keep a straight face through the whole thing. When I step up to the podium, taking the king's place, I don't even tremble.

"I was raised by Reds. I believed I was one. And I saw firsthand the grace of His Majesty the king, the just ways of our Silver lords, and the great privilege they gave us. The right to work, to serve our country, to live and live well. Now I know I am Silver born, a lord of House of Osanos, and one day, a prince of Norta. My eyes have been opened. A world I never dreamed of exists, and it is invincible. It is merciful. And these terrorists, murderers of the most evil kind, are trying to destroy the bedrock of our nation. This we cannot allow." Obviously, the person who wrote this speech isn't a demigod, because if they were, they would not be calling the Scarlet Guard 'murderers of the most evil kind.'

In the safety of my room, I heave a ragged breath. The worst is coming.

"In his wisdom, King Tiberias has drafted the Measures, to root out this sickness of rebellion, and to protect the good citizens of our nation. They are as follows: As of today, a sunset curfew is in effect for all Reds. Security will be doubled in every Red village and town. New outposts will be built on the roads and manned to full capacity. All Red crimes, including breaking curfew, will be punished by execution. And"―at this, my voice falters for the first time for something other than my dyslexia―"the conscription age has been lowered, to the age of fifteen. Anyone who provides information leading to capture of Scarlet Guard operatives or the prevention of Scarlet Guard actions will be awarded conscription waivers, releasing up to five members of the same family from military service."

It's a brilliant, and terrible, maneuver. Reds will tear each other apart for such waivers.

"The Measures are to be upheld at all costs until the disease known as the Scarlet Guard is destroyed." I stare into my own eyes on-screen, watching as I stop myself from choking on my speech. My eyes are wide, hoping my people know what I'm trying to say. Words can lie. "Long live the king."

Anger ripples through me as I turn the screen off, replacing my face with a black void. But I can still see each new order in my mind. More officers patrolling, more bodies hanging from the gallows, and more mothers weeping for their stolen children. We killed a dozen of theirs, and they kill a thousand of ours. Part of me knows these blows will drive some Reds to the side of the Guard, but many more will side with the king. For their lives, for their children's lives, they will give up what little freedom they had left.

I thought being their puppet would be easy compared to everything else. I was so wrong. But I cannot let them break me, not now. Not even when my own doom lingers on the horizon.

At least my window faces the river, looking south toward the sea. When I stare at the water, I can ignore my fading future. My eyes trail from the swiftly moving current to the dark smudge on the horizon. While the rest of the sky is clear, dark clouds hover in the south, never moving from the forbidden land at the coast. The Ruined City. Radiation and fire consumed the city once and never let it go. Now it's nothing but a black ghost sitting just out of reach, a relic of the old world.

The sound of hooves against marble snaps me out of my thoughts.

Hey, boss, a familiar voice says in my head. Thankfully it wasn't Elara's. Nice room!

"Blackjack," I sigh, stepping out onto my balcony. "What are you―"

Then I see who's riding on his back, and I know my day is about to get a lot more complicated.

"'Sup, Percy."

Charles Beckendorf, senior counselor for the Hephaestus cabin and twin brother of Thomas Beckendorf, would make most monsters cry for their mommies. He was huge, with ripped muscles from working in the forges every summer. He was two years older than me and one of camp's best armor-smiths. He made some seriously ingenious mechanical stuff. A month before, he'd rigged a Greek fire bomb in the bathroom of a tour bus that was carrying a bunch of monsters across the country. The explosion took out a whole legion of Kronos's evil meanies as soon as the first harpy went flush.

Beckendorf is dressed for combat. He wears a bronze breastplate and war helm with black camo pants and a sword strapped to his side. His explosives bag is slung over his shoulder.

"Time?" I ask.

He nods grimly.

A lump forms in my throat. I knew this was coming. We've been planning it for weeks, but I'd half hoped it would never happen.

"I should probably leave a note for Annabeth," I say. "Just so she knows where I am."

I quickly run back inside and grab a pen and paper.

Πηγαίνετε για να ανατινάξετε την πριγκίπισσα Ανδρομέδα. Θα σε γνωρίσω στο στρατόπεδο. (Translation: Off to go blow up the Princess Andromeda. Meet you at camp.)

-Percy

Once I've finished writing the note, I give it to one of my butlers and have him deliver it to Annabeth. Then I climb onto Blackjack's back with Beckendorf and together we soar out over the Atlantic.

A/N:

Hey guys, so this update is probably a lot earlier than most updates will be during the school year. I'm going to take a break from updating for a while so that I can reread The Last Olympian and the last fourth that I have left of Red Queen and decide what parts I want to include in the story. I also have to write three pieces of flash fiction and one short story for my fiction unit in creative writing.

In case you missed it, I posted an announcement on my profile page with a google form that has the design options I created for a new cover, if you guys could go check that out, it would be greatly appreciated (I would include the link here, but I don't you would be able to click on it).

Hope y'all are having a good day/night. I'm tired of staring at a computer screen for a long time, so I'm going to go continue reading The Dark Prophecy (please DON'T spoil Tower of Nero in the comments).

XOXO, HamiltonFanGirl1508