Chapter 10: A Royal Proposal

The next two days went much the same with a series of dates. Everything was happening so fast, almost like a round of speed dating. The only difference was that she was only talking to one man. She and Luke had gone on three dates during the last 48 hours, per Piper's instructions. The first date had been at the beach. The second was a stroll in the palace gardens the day after. The third was playing tennis at the palace court this morning. Another date was planned for that evening: they were to meet in the palace square for a simpler "low-key" date. Having been a princess for so long, Annabeth knew it would hardly be "low-key" considering the press always found them.

Annabeth was dressed in a pale gray satin dress that went just below her knee along with a cropped white sweater and matching pumps. It was a little more formal than she had been for any of the other dates, which was strange since it was supposed to be simpler, but she didn't think anything of it.

She made her way to the square where she'd be meeting Luke. When she arrived, Luke was already sitting on a bench, waiting for her. He was focused on one of his pockets, patting it, then checking his watch nervously, so he didn't see Annabeth approach.

"Did you lose something?" Annabeth asked.

Luke was startled before realizing who was talking to him. He registered what she had asked and replied "Oh, no, it's nothing." He did a once-over of Annabeth, making her hold her breath. "You-uh...you look...incredible," he stuttered. She could see the pink dusting his face.

She smiled and thanked him before she sat down next to him. He was also dressed more formally, donning a full suit rather than just trousers and a button-down shirt. As she predicted, there were several reporters crowded around the fence of the square. Annabeth would never understand how they always knew her family's every move, even something as impromptu as this date. Even Annabeth hadn't known about it until that morning.

That's what she was thinking about when Luke said he had brought something for her and pulled out a small velvet box from his suit pocket. She studied the box for a few seconds before realizing it was a ring box. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Is that-" she broke off, not trusting herself to speak. There was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions going through her at the moment and she didn't even know what to say.

"It was my mother's and my grandmother's before that," Luke said as he opened the box. "I thought it might be appropriate for us as well. Maybe bring us some good luck." The ring was beautiful; its diamond was sparkling even without a bright light surrounding it.

"It's-" she started, staring at it in awe. "It's beautiful." She could hear the faint sound of cameras clicking, but she hardly noticed it over her pounding head.

"I understand that this may not have been the way you imagined getting married," he said while placing the box in her hands and taking her hands in his. "But I want to become the one for you." He looked into her eyes intently. His brows then furrowed in concern. "I hope I didn't spring this on you out of the blue."

"No, no," Annabeth said, rushing her words. "I mean...I knew this was the eventual outcome, of course, but...it all just happened so fast." She glanced down at their hands, eyebrows pulling together. She looked up again at Luke. "You're at fault for anything, Luke. I just don't know-" She cut herself off, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again a second later, she plastered a smile on her face and asked, "Do I have to put the ring on myself?"

Luke returned the grin and said, "No, no, I can do that." He slid the ring onto her left ring finger. Immediately, she heard the clicking of cameras and the murmuring of the media. He glanced toward the noise and then at her with a little pity, then he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her hand.

They mingled some more, engaging in mildly tense conversation before retiring to their own places. The entire time, all Annabeth could think about was the weight of the ring on her finger. She had to control herself from fidgeting with it so it wouldn't seem to Luke like she was unhappy. Her little outburst earlier was enough.

Besides, she barely had anything to be unhappy about. Luke was hardly an unpleasant man. He was attractive, respectful, and very qualified to make a good ruler alongside her one day. In the long run, this would work out incredibly. She'd also grown fond of Luke's company, so really, how bad could it be?

But you're not looking for fondness, are you, Annabeth? She told her brain to shut up, trying to cleanse her mind of those thoughts. She would one day inherit the throne and this was what had to be done. She would not let her country down and especially would not let her mother down over something as petty as this.

Word Count: 885

A/N - this is another short chapter but the next one will hopefully be longer and maybe more interesting. I've also decided to make luke good for my own sanity after rereading pjo