³Kingdom Come, heroes of olympus

003.

KINGDOM COME
━━ chapter three

━━ ANNABETH FELT LIKE she didn't have a choice when Reyna asked to speak with her. It didn't even feel like a question, it didn't feel like a suggestion either; Reyna said, "I'd like a few words with Annabeth," but it was a command, not an offer. She almost didn't hear Reyna either, too busy watching her friends split apart and go their separate ways. She made sure to watch them, in case something went haywire. She was on edge, her mind working a thousand miles per hour as she went over every possible escape plan she could think of. She kept an eye on the ones she made it here with—Piper and Jason were heading to the right, and Elisa and Percy were sitting at the table as they talked between themselves. Annabeth prided herself on reading others, and especially her friends. They were easy to read, and she easily could tell Elisa wanted an escape route from her feelings ( see in: an escape route from Percy. If there was one thing Elisa and Annabeth shared, it was bad regulations of emotions. )

               The minute Elisa stood up, telling Percy one last thing—Annabeth tried reading Elisa's lips; it was something like "Let's see if they keep something from me"—and she watched the two carefully. Percy stared after his girlfriend as she stormed after Jason and Piper, his arms crossed on the table as he brooded. That hadn't changed about him—Percy's always had this brooding look to him. Annabeth scanned him, looking for anything else that changed about him; she was looking for else the Romans had changed. He still had that grey streak of hair, and Annabeth had long learned they—she, Percy, and Elisa—would never get rid of them. No amount of hair growth; no amount of hair dye would remove their physical reminder. He had grown, and Annabeth was realizing there would be no doubt he was taller than her now. She could no longer stealthily stand on her tiptoes and claim she was taller than him. It caused this horrible pain in her chest—Percy was still Percy, even though he had changed. He was still her brother, and they still shared all those horrible quests and the battles they went through together. No amount of memory wipes and amnesia could change that. But ... he wasn't the same—not entirely. He was not the same twelve-year-old boy she met. And neither was she. Annabeth had changed, too. Even Elisa was different; the daughter of Dionysus was far different from how she was when she was thirteen and attending Westover Hall.

               Annabeth was so distracted by her rambling thoughts that she barely heard Reyna's second time offering—or ordering, really—as the praetor stood up, her brows pinched together. Her second time repeating the offer, Reyna's tone and words were clipping with annoyance that she was being ignored. Annabeth didn't need to be some genius at reading people to come to that assessment.

               She was startled, sitting up in her cushioned poof straighter. She glanced at Percy, who was stopped scowling to blink at Reyna. He seemed as stunned by the order as Annabeth was. Why would Reyna want to talk to Annabeth? But then her pride whispered: Why wouldn't she? You're you. You're Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena. She watched Reyna for a second, her fingers digging in the groove of the wooden table. She tried reading the girl, but it was hard. The best she could gather was that she and Reyna were much alike. Reyna must've seen the same thing. That must've been why she wanted to speak with Annabeth, and not to Jason, Percy, Elisa, or Piper.

               Annabeth took another glance around the massive dining hall. She saw Elisa stalling at the door, clearly having heard Reyna's question too. Jason and Piper were idling outside, frowning at Elisa and waving at her to hurry up. She didn't want to be that friend, and usually, she wasn't. She knew if she asked, Elisa and Percy would both stop and stay with Annabeth. But she didn't want to ask Percy and Elisa to be on standby as she tried to work up the nerve to share a conversation with a Roman demigod that looked like she wanted to gut Annabeth. She also wanted them to help, but her pride ...