Down in Flames - Rewritten Entirely

Chapter 15

When Percy found Annabeth, she was pacing again. Although she had moved to a different window, she was still moving back and forth as anxiously as she had been before the letter had arrived that morning. She didn't even notice him walk in until the door closed with a loud thunk.

The moment they made eye contact, she stopped pacing and turned to him expectantly.

At first, neither of them said anything. Percy half expected Annabeth to blurt out a million questions, but she didn't. When she didn't even ask how the meeting had gone, he knew she was waiting for him to speak first. It was unfortunate that he seemed to forget everything about the meeting for a moment when she looked at him with wide, panicked eyes.

"It's not, um-It's not good," he muttered after a second, glancing down. "Queen Athena pretty much said exactly what you said she would."

"She wants an apology."

Percy nodded. Annabeth let out a heavy breath and Percy looked back up at her.

"What's the council recommending?" she asked, taking a small step in his direction.

"Alert the army and be ready to defend Atlantis," Percy told her. Annabeth's face twisted like she'd eaten something sour. "My father wants to write another letter."

They had four more days at best. If King Poseidon's letter reached Athens in two days and Queen Athena responded immediately, they would have four days. That was assuming she didn't consider the king's counteroffer, but Percy had the feeling that she wouldn't.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked hesitantly.

Percy hummed, turning to face her. She had started pacing again so her back was to him, but she was still. Even from the angle where he stood, however, he could see her wringing her hands.

"If your father can't agree with Athena, she'll destroy Atlantis," Annabeth said. Percy already knew that, but Annabeth seemed to have something else on her mind. He could see it in the way her shoulders looked stiffer than normal and the way she had been biting her lip seconds before turning her back to him. Whatever she was thinking about, it was worrying her.

"Annabeth?" he asked, hoping to draw her attention back to him.

When Annabeth turned to face him, his stomach twisted. Her bottom lip was red from being chewed and Annabeth looked conflicted. She wouldn't meet his eyes and even though she had stopped wringing her hands, he could tell she was still fighting the urge not to fidget.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, taking a step towards her. Annabeth didn't move. "We can figure this out together, but you'll have to tell me what's wrong."

"What are you willing to do," Annabeth asked, "to save your kingdom?"

Percy blinked in surprise. It was something he'd thought about before, but it suddenly seemed much more real when Annabeth was looking at him with so much concern. Part of him wanted to comfort her even if it did seem futile. Whatever she was about to suggest weighed heavily on her mind, so he took a moment to make sure he answered honestly. Fortunately, he doubted it would really limit what she said.

"Anything," he told her. Annabeth raised a brow in doubt, but Percy swore it. "It's my duty to protect my kingdom. If my father won't, then I will."

Even as Annabeth asked if he was absolutely certain, Percy nodded resolutely.

"Many wars are solved by uniting the two kingdoms," Annabeth said warily. She didn't wring her hands again, but Percy did notice that her nails began to dig sharply into her arms. "You'll be crowned and married very soon. It might be the best and only way to end the conflict with Athena."

It took Percy a handful of seconds to understand what she was trying to tell him. By then, Annabeth's fingernails were digging relentlessly into her arms and she looked ready to race out of the room.

"You're suggesting we get married," he whispered. Annabeth nodded once and didn't look back up at him. "Are you sure that would even work? I thought you said Queen Athena no longer claims you as her daughter."

"She'd be forced to if our engagement was public," Annabeth murmured. Like Chiron and Poseidon, the kingdom would recognise her as Athena's daughter once she made herself known. With her mother's locket in hand, it would be undeniable.

Although Percy didn't hate the idea, he couldn't say it was perfect. His whole life, he'd dreamed of marrying for love as his parents had. He had never thought he'd arrange his own marriage to end a war. For as terrifying as the idea seemed, he could tell that it seemed even more terrifying to Annabeth.

"You don't have to be their princess, Annabeth," Percy said softly. She'd left the palace when she was young; he doubted she fully understood what it meant to be a kingdom's princess. "I will find a solution without dragging you into this."

"I'm not scared," Annabeth snapped, scowling at him, "if that's what you're worried about."

He could see in her eyes that the idea wasn't appealing, but he wasn't going to point it out anymore. Not when she was scowling at him so fiercely.

Deciding to overlook her unease, Percy said, "It's a lot to ask of you."

"And of you."

They stared at each other for several seconds. Even if Percy wanted to argue that she couldn't possibly understand what she was suggesting, he knew that she did. She wouldn't have suggested it carelessly and she'd spent the better half of the last week trying to find a solution. If this was what it came down to, then so be it. Until then, though, Percy didn't want to trap her.

"It can be a last resort," Percy suggested. Annabeth nodded, but she didn't relax. Risking a subject change, Percy asked, "Will you help me send my own letter to Queen Athena?"

Although she looked rightfully confused by the change of subject, Percy saw her shoulders loosen ever so slightly.

"My father will be sending his own letter tonight," he explained, "and if I can send my own along with it, perhaps we can reach an agreement."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "You want to go behind your father's back?"

"I want to save Atlantis," Percy clarified. Annabeth didn't look any less doubtful. "I'll be crowned in a matter of weeks. She might be more open to negotiating with me, but I don't want to say the wrong thing."

All the remaining tension left Annabeth's shoulders as she nodded. Brushing past him, she walked over to where she had a stack of parchment just waiting for her. With a book on her lap and an ink jar to her right, Annabeth flattened out a sheet of parchment and readied her quill. Once she was settled in, she looked up at Percy expectantly.

"I, uh, was hoping that you'd write it," Percy said uselessly.

Annabeth snorted and patted the seat beside her. Being careful not to bump into her or spill her ink, Percy took the offered seat and leaned over her shoulder to watch as she wrote.

Annabeth worked in complete silence. She didn't look up at Percy until she had finished the entire letter and needed him to sign the bottom. When she handed him the quill, he didn't even bother to re-read the letter before signing his name at the bottom.

"You probably should have read that," Annabeth told him, setting the parchment down to dry. "It could have been a trick."

Percy shrugged half-heartedly. "I'd trust you with my life, oh Wise Girl. What more is a little letter?"

What Percy didn't see as he stood up to leave was the way that Annabeth watched him leave.