Empress (a Percy Jackson AU)

The Woman and the Legend

           After word of Silena's marriage spread, Annabeth had more visitors than ever. Ethan said he had never had so many Churchgoers — not even during Christmas or Easter — and the revenues from them would prove useful. Unfortunately, Helen's guard's continued to payroll the Hagia Sophia and they had started harassing visitors and demanding bribes.

Annabeth used the situation to paint Helen as a heretic. She focused her attacks on her step-mother instead of the emperor, her step-brother, because she knew people were more likely to accept an attack against a woman. The game she was playing was a dangerous one and Annabeth did her best to portray herself as a Madonna figure — avenging her slain son — and avoid being seen as a Jezebel.

That was all put to the test when the marriage proposals started. First, it was a young man who didn't like the match his parents had arranged for them. Annabeth gave her best counsel, but declined his hand. He was a stranger!

Then, it was an ex-priest from Greece. Then, the proposals started coming so often that a good part of Annabeth's time and patience was spent politely rejecting men. She was met with ridicule for spurning the men and criticism for apparently "encouraging their lust." Perhaps that's why she had such a short temper lately.

It happened that one Sabbath after the morning Mass, Annabeth was working on the blueprint for the Church she longed to build in Greece. Annabeth had always wanted to leave behind a great legacy and what better way than to build a monument that would last a thousand years? She was in the middle of sketching out a dome to rival that of the Hagia Sophia when there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Percy," Percy answered.

Annabeth sighed. "Come in."

The door opened and Percy made his way over to her. "A man is requesting to speak to you," he said.

"It's not time yet!" Annabeth snapped.

She gave herself a precious hour of alone time each day after Mass. Some days, it was the only thing keeping her together. Percy didn't drop his gaze. "You might want to make an exception. He's a powerful government official."

Annabeth stood up, her cheeks reddening. "I don't care if it was Jesus himself asking for my hand in marriage! It's another no."

Percy bobbed his head up and down and then his face split into a crooked grin. "You wouldn't marry the Son himself? You, my lady, have high standards."

Annabeth gazed back at him and thought, clearly not high enough. "You may go," she instructed. "I will hear petitions at my designated time and no earlier."

"As you wish, Wise Girl," Percy said.

He left and Annabeth couldn't help wishing she had been a little kinder towards him. She picked up the ink again and began sketching. She tried to focus on her blueprint, but all she could think about was that the only two men she would ever wish to marry she could never have. One was her dead husband and the other was the greatest of Seaweed Brains.