unattainable | solangelo royalty au

Chapter TwentySix

A/N: reading the comments for the last chapter, I was gonna say "why are you all so violent?" but then I remembered that most of you have read my other fics and it's probably partially my own fault...

WPOV:

"I'll need your help." Thalia tells me. "You're the only one who can get near Annabeth."
"Annabeth? What has she got against my mother?"
"Your mom imprisoned her boyfriend."
"Why?"
"He was a stable hand, and he stole one of the horses which was being abused."
"Well, that's kind of fair, since he stole something." I object, despite feeling bad for saying it. I know he had a good reason, but that doesn't change the fact that he committed a crime.

Thalia shrugs.
"Whatever. The point is, they'll both be happy to help. You'll have to break Percy out first, of course. Annabeth will only help you if you help him, and he's necessary to this plan."
"Why?" I ask.
"He'll be a great distraction, and if he's caught he can fight well enough to keep the distraction up for long enough." Thalia tells me. "Annabeth can help you break him free."

"Okay, who else is there?" I ask.
"I know two girls who'll be happy to help as along as they gain something from it." Thalia says.
"Money?" I presume. She nods.
"You probably won't even have to pay them, though. They'll just steal something from your palace while they're at it. I don't think money will be an issue for you, anyway." She adds.

"Okay, one more thing." I say. She looks at me expectantly. "Nobody is killed, and we avoid injuring people if possible." I say. "I don't care how much some of them hate my mother. This is to break Nico out, not a revenge mission." I tell Thalia. She makes a worryingly indifferent noise in response.
"I can't make any promises on their behalves." She says, only slightly apologetic.

We make our plans, then I leave, worried that my parents will have noticed my absence. Fortunately, they haven't, clearly convinced that being watched for a few days has somehow stopped me from going against their wishes. I almost laugh out loud. If only they knew...