Percy intended to seek Annabeth out first thing in the morning. Before his father could reach her, he wanted to apologise and warn her. A visit from the king was frightening for anyone, but as an Athenian, he knew it would be even more so for her.
Before Percy could escape the dining room, however, both he and his father were pulled into a council meeting. If Percy could find one good thing about that, it was that his father was also kept from seeking out Annabeth. Unfortunately, the council brought news that Athens had not surrendered. It was quite on the contrary. Rather than raise her arms and admit defeat, Queen Athena was preparing all of her troops and the council was willing to bet she'd dispatch them shortly.
"Our spies report that they are training harder and readying ships," a councilman said. A murmur rippled around the room and Percy frowned.
"There are rumours, too," another chimed in. "They're talking about their princess for the first time since before the war."
Percy frowned and the murmur grew louder. Queen Athena had a daughter? As far as Percy had ever known, the queen had never married. He hadn't heard of a princess before, yet suddenly the council sounded concerned. Across the room, his father's frown was deepest.
"What are they saying?" Poseidon asked. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to the second councilman. He swallowed nervously.
"Nothing specific," he said. He wrung his hands under the table and said, "But they're saying she isn't dead. It's possible she was kept hidden for her safety, but all we have are rumours."
"Get me information," Poseidon ordered. His eyes met Percy's and narrowed. "And someone bring me Chiron."
* * * * *
As soon as the meeting was dismissed, Percy left. He shot out of the room before his father could order him to stay. Without thinking, his feet carried him down to the servants' quarters and he found himself standing just outside of Chiron's private chamber. Despite knowing the old man wouldn't be inside, he raised his fist and knocked.
As expected, no answer came. Percy knocked again, but the room was just as silent as before. After a third try, Percy turned and went in search of someone who would know where Chiron was. Percy doubted he'd find the man before his father did, though. Poseidon had many servants out and ready to bring Chiron before him. Percy was just one man.
Suddenly, a new idea crossed his mind. With his father interested in finding Chiron now, Percy could seek out Annabeth without worrying about his father finding them both.
Turning away from Chiron's door, Percy walked towards the nearest room to see if anyone knew where he could find Annabeth. It took him several tries before he found Argus, the head chef, but when he did, the man was able to point him in the right direction.
"With Duchess Rachel."
Percy nodded and thanked him before darting back upstairs to where Rachel's chambers were. He wasn't necessarily sure why Annabeth would be there, but it was worth checking. Next to Chiron, Argus knew everything about the palace. If he said Annabeth was with Rachel, then she probably was or at least had been sometime recently.
Standing outside of Rachel's room, Percy paused. If Annabeth was in there, how was he supposed to pull her away? He was the Crown Prince, but Rachel was not too afraid of him to ask questions. If she wanted to know where he had taken Annabeth or why he had come for her in the first place, she was going to ask. Of course, if Annabeth wasn't there, there was the question of what he was supposed to say. Why would he show up at Rachel's door asking after a maid in the first place?
Before he could decide what to do, the door was pulled open and Annabeth stepped out. She nearly collided with him, but he stumbled back and out of her way before she did.
"Your Highness!" She dropped down into a curtsey, wobbling slightly at the suddenness of it. Evidently, he'd caught her off guard.
"There's no need for that," he muttered, pulling her back up. "And you can call me Percy."
"I'd rather stick with Your Highness," she admitted.
Percy glanced behind her and caught Rachel's eyes. Before Rachel could come to the door though, he reached behind Annabeth and pulled it shut.
"Would you walk with me?" he asked, offering her his arm. Hesitantly, she nodded and accepted his arm.
Percy didn't say another thing until they were out in the gardens. Annabeth didn't either, but as soon as they were hidden by a tall hedge and a rose bush, she pulled away from him.
"What's this about, Your Highness?" she asked. Unlike the other servants, she met his eye when she spoke to him and held her chin up. "I have work and training."
"I know and I'm sorry," Percy said hastily. "I just—I guess I just want to apologise again about your home."
"Apology accepted," Annabeth said. "Anything else?"
"I also wanted to be your friend."
Annabeth blinked and Percy felt his face heat up. While he hadn't intended to say that, he did mean it.
Scratching the back of his head, Percy glanced away and muttered, "That's not how I meant to say that."
"Do you think it would be wise to be friends with me?" Annabeth asked sharply. Percy looked back up at her, but she didn't look angry. "I am from Athens, Your Highness. The best thing for you to do is to ignore me."
"Why? Is it so bad that I want to be your friend?" Percy asked. He was a little offended that Annabeth didn't seem to like him, but he tried to understand. After all, he had destroyed her home and brought her to Atlantis without really giving her time to think about it.
"It's not a wise idea," Annabeth said, looking away from him in favour of looking at the rose bushes nearby.
"If you're such a wise girl," Percy said, "then tell me why we can't be friends."
Annabeth's eyes narrowed but she didn't rise to the bait. He waited, hoping that she would respond eventually, but she didn't. After several seconds of no response, he decided to try another angle.
"My father knows you."
This time, Annabeth reacted. Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. She whipped away from the rose bushes and turned to face him, surprising Percy with how worried she looked for a moment. He hadn't really thought she'd react in such a way. He hadn't even been sure that he'd interrupted his father's reaction correctly the evening before. Now, though, he was. Whatever his father knew about her, Annabeth was clearly worried about it.
In one quick move, she stepped forward and grabbed the lapels of his tunic, pulling him down to meet her eyes.
"What has he said?" she demanded.
Surprised by Annabeth's sudden change in demeanour, Percy's mind went blank. What had his father said? Had he said something about her at all? Maybe he'd forgotten. Maybe if he thought harder, he'd remember. It certainly wasn't easy to think with Annabeth's grey eyes piercing into him. Perhaps his father had said something about her eyes. They were certainly striking enough to merit conversation, but Percy doubted that was something his father would be interested in.
"Tell me," Annabeth demanded, pulling him down further.
"Nothing!" Percy blurted, his eyes widening. "He hasn't said anything!"
Annabeth let him go and Percy straightened up. Well, that had certainly been something.
"How does he know me?" Annabeth asked. Her eyes never left his face and while he'd admired her courage earlier, it was unsettling now.
"I don't know," Percy replied. He knew it was a poor answer, so he tried to explain. "But he does. I mentioned your name at dinner and he seemed to recognise you. Chiron, too. He recognised you, didn't he?"
"That's none of your concern," she told him sharply.
Percy was pretty sure it was, but she didn't look like she wanted to argue about it. In fact, the only thing it looked like she wanted to do was to pick his brain for answers and maybe hit him. Percy certainly hoped she did neither. She seemed like the type of person who could get the answer she wanted and with eyes like hers, Percy doubted he'd be able to lie. Based on the strength she'd demonstrated earlier when she had grabbed him, Percy also wasn't sure he wanted to be hit.
"What's your story?" Percy asked, frowning slightly.
"None of your concern," she repeated. "Stop asking."
And although she turned away with a scowl and returned to the palace, Percy didn't think he'd seen anyone more impressive in his life.