Down in Flames - Rewritten Entirely

Chapter 17

Percy had half a mind to shout at his father and half a mind to leave Atlantis entirely. The council met regularly to discuss plans for dealing with Athens, but not once was Tartarus mentioned. When Percy had tried to bring it up, he had been removed from the council room and forbidden to mention Prince Kronos ever again. With only two days until Queen Athena's reply would arrive, it had been a very frustrating event.

Fortunately, Annabeth seemed to have an endless supply of good ideas and solutions for dealing with the royal council. Even though most of his concerns revolved around the continuing war and his father's inaction, Annabeth was still able to convince him to pause and take a breath. That was usually followed by a walk through the gardens where she helped him work through his frustrations by meticulously picking his brain. Sometimes, he thought she could read his mind. Other times, he knew she was simply reading his face.

Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, they had developed the habit of going on walks in the morning, shortly after lunch, and around sunset. Percy argued that this was because she was good to talk to after council meetings, but he'd been skipping a few just to walk with her.

"If I was king," Percy grumbled, staring down at the garden path, "we wouldn't have so many useless council meetings."

"I know," Annabeth hummed, patting his arm softly. "You would have attacked Tartarus without a second thought."

"It's the only logical plan!" Percy exclaimed, pulling his arm from hers. "The longer we wait, the more advantage they have."

"Your father has a lot to balance," Annabeth said. She gently grabbed his arm again and Percy sighed. "You'll be king soon enough. You'll have to balance it all then."

"I'll do it better."

Annabeth laughed as Percy continued to grumble under his breath. It only took a second before Percy was too distracted by her to continue grumbling, though.

"Face it: you have seaweed in your brain," Annabeth teased, leaning against him. "You'll need someone exceptional to help you rule."

"That's why I've got you, Wise Girl."

Percy froze as the words tumbled out of his mouth. He could feel the tips of his ears beginning to heat up in embarrassment, but he didn't take it back. Maybe she wouldn't read into it. If he didn't say anything, she wouldn't notice, right?

"You think I'm going to stick around forever?" Annabeth asked, grinning up at him teasingly.

Dumbly, Percy nodded once. Annabeth's grin slowly slipped away and they came to a stop behind a row of hedges.

"Do you want me to stick around forever?" she asked. The teasing tone she'd used with him earlier had disappeared.

"I do," Percy said softly. "At least, I think I do."

Annabeth's lips twitched into a soft smile and Percy felt the tips of his ears start to burn again.

"You're smart," he told her. Annabeth's grin widened. "From what little I remember about us as children, we got along well and we get along well even now."

"Well, that's only from your perspective," Annabeth said matter-of-factly. "You haven't asked my opinion on the matter."

"Should I?"

Annabeth's jaw dropped and Percy chuckled. As she tried to pull her hands from his arm, he caught them and pulled her back, effectively stopping her from hitting him.

"It's not fair to you," Percy said, holding her arms firmly as she attempted yet again to swat him, "but you're the only one I trust to help me fix this war."