Trigger warning: mention of suicide/self harm and rape.
The day passed agonisingly slowly for Annabeth. Will came and checked on her now and then, and Nico was often with him. Despite them trying to cheer her up, she remained nervous for the upcoming evening. She wondered what would happen when she saw Rory. What would she say?
When evening did finally fall, Mr D snuck quietly into her room. "Are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded shakily. He handed her a pair of crutches and helped her climb out of the bed. Her heart hammered in her chest. This was it. She didn't know what would happen if they were caught. Would they punished with Rory? She pushed the thoughts aside as Mr D transported them to Olympus.
"Walk straight down there. She's right at the end. Good luck." Mr D handed her a key and began making his way towards where the Olympians were meeting.
The crutches dug into her forearms but she moved as fast as she could despite the pain. Her ribs ached as her breathing became laboured. When she saw Rory in the cell, her breath caught in her throat. A tray of uneaten food had been pushed to the side of the cell. A cup of water laid on its side, the water sprayed around it.
Rory herself had dark circles under eyes. Her gore covered clothes hung loose around her frame. Her body had been reduced to skin and bone. She was sat leaning against the wall opposite the good and water. What had they done to her?
Annabeth took a step forward. Stirred by the noise, Rory weakly lifted her head. Tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes. She took unsteady steps towards the bars. She reached out, her thin arms easily slipping through the gaps. Her hand was cold against Annabeth's cheek.
Annabeth took the key and slid it into the lock. Silently, the door swung open. Dropping the crutches, Annabeth took Rory into her arms. Together, they fell to the floor. Rory ran her hands all.over Annabeth, searching, making sure she was really there. Annabeth let the tears spilled freely from her eyes.
"I thought you were dead," Rory whispered. "You weren't breathing and you were dead." She buried her face in Annabeth's chest. "I didn't know what to do, you were dead."
"I know, I know. I'm here now, it's okay." She stroked her hair. "I'm here now, I'm alive."
"What happened to you? What happened to your leg?" Rory's voice was barely audible.
"That doesn't matter," replied Annabeth as she kissed the top of Rory's head. "None of that matters."
Annabeth's eyes finally landed on the scabs that covered most of Rory's body. They were fresh, some of them still bleeding slightly.
"These aren't from the fight. What..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
"I didn't...they were gonna kill me and I didn't care. I didn't want...I wasn't gonna let them choose how...I didn't care anymore." Annabeth wanted to make it all go away. She wished that she could do something.
"It's okay now, I'm not going to let them hurt you. You're safe now." She kept saying it over and over again, just telling her that she was safe.
Rory whispered something, but it was so quiet Annabeth couldn't understand.
"What?" she asked.
"I'm sorry."
Annabeth brought Rory's face up so that their eyes locked.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" she asked incredulous.
Rory shrugged. "I got you wrapped up in this. I-"
Annabeth cut her off with a quick kiss to her lips. "You didn't do anything. I'm choosing to get involved with this. I'm not going to sit by and let you take the fall for something that isn't your fault!" Rory nodded silently and buried her face in her shoulder. Annabeth kissed the top of her head.
The peace was broken by huried footsteps coming fast towards the cell. Hepheastus. His surprise at seeing Annabeth quickly faded to concern.
"They've decided." He spoke grimly and his voice was choked with emotion. "They want to see you."
Rory's face was stoney. She nodded and stood. Annabeth picked up her crutches and pushed herself off the floor.
"I'm coming," she said firmly. No-one argued with her. Together they walked towards the temple. Annabeth's heart was pounding in her chest, and she couldn't imagine how Rory was feeling.
Their footsteps echoed on the cold marble floor. Around them sat eleven of the twelve Olympians. Hestia sat by the hearth.
"What are you doing here, Chase?" Zeus' voice boomed.
"I came to see Rory," she said, her voice small. Zeus waved a hand to dismiss it. All eyes were on Rory. Some looked on with pity, others with disdain. It made Annabeth's blood boil.
"As it was pointed out to us repeatedly," Zeus said glaring at Hepheastus, "there is no written law that you must not kill a God." Hope swelled in Annabeth's chest.
"However, I was able to find a law that stated that any act of offense towards the Gods is punishable by however they see fit." Zeus looked smugly around the room. Rory bowed her head in defeat. The hope died.
"And?" Rory asked, almost impatiently.
The Olympians shifted uncomfortably in their seats, but Annabeth could have sworn she saw she saw Hestia and Mr D smirk.
"So," Zeus continued, "we must make a decision. How best to punish you for your crimes."
Annabeth wanted to wake up. She wanted to sit up in bed and realise all.of it was a bad dream. She wanted to rewind all the way back to the morning after the spin the bottle game and have none of it happen. She cast a quick glance at Rory, who was keeping her eyes locked with Zeus.
"I'm going to assume that you've already decided on said punishment," she said darkly, raising one eyebrow.
"Akhyl's domain is currently unchecked and it will grow out of control. We cannot exactly replace a God with anyone, they need to have earned it." Zeus was growing excited. "I was stuck between two choices, and I struggled for a while trying to figure out which would be more...well, painful for you, I guess is the only way to put it."
The other Gods shared scared looks. Hestia had stopped tending the fire and was now looking directly at Zeus who payed her no heed.
"My two options were," he continued, practically bouncing up and down in his seat, "to either have you take over Akhyl's domain, or, to have you carry the child that would then grow up to take the place of the God you hated and killed."
The room burst into shouting. Hepheastus stood up and started yelling at Zeus, but nothing he said could be made out over the chaos. Mr D was also shouting and pointing. Annabeth stared at Rory to gage her reaction, but her face betrayed nothing but mild surprise. Zeus held up a hand for silence, and shockingly everyone regained their composure.
"I have decided on the second." No one said anything. Annebth felt like her chest was being crushed. The room felt like it was spinning.
"And who, may I ask, would father this child?" Hera asked, glaring daggers at her husband.
"I had not decided that yet, Hera. I thought that perhaps as a Council we should decide."
"What!? Decide who is going to rape her!?" Artemis exclaimed, waving a disgusted hand in his direction. Hestia stayed silent but nodded in agreement.
"She is barely even of age!" Hepheastus yelled.
"A crime is a crime and a punisent is a punishment," Zeus said nonchalant. "She must suffer for what she did."
Hestia made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. Everyone turned to face her, to see what she would do next, but she remained by the fire, facing away from Zeus.
"Care to elaborate, sister?" he asked pointedly.
"I think I've myself perfectly clear, brother," she spat back. "You have done many things that would normally deserve punishment, yet here you sit on your throne built from the victims of your rule." Hera looked like she was resisting laughing.
"I have had to make tough decisions, Hestia," he hissed, leaning forward in his throne.
"Was it a tough decision deciding to trick and rape one of my lieutenants?" Artemis asked in a mocking tone. "A hard decision, ha!" Annabeth looked wildly around the room, trying to figure what she was going to do next. Eventually the conversation would end and Rory would be given her sentence.
"I am your father!" Zeus shouted, slamming fist on the arm rest for emphasis. "Do not disrespect me!"
Artemis was standing now, Apollo too. A fight was brewing.
"Enough!" Poseidon roared. "We are not here to discuss the actions of the past, we are here to discuss the punishment of this Demi-God." He gestured at Rory.
"Oh, and you'd just love to ignore actions of the past, wouldn't you!" Athena barked.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" he growled.
"Don't you remember Medusa? Cursed because of your lust! She was one of my most devoted priestesses!"
Poseidon suddenly seemed small.
"That's what I thought," Athena said smugly. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand, she was protecting herself, was she not? And the rest of camp. She was protecting your children. Our children."
Zeus opened and closed his mouth, stunned, lost for words. The tension was building. The air felt thick.
Rory's eyes were darting back and forth between the God's faces. What had she started?