Poseidon sent the Athenian soldiers back to Athens with a formal letter for Queen Athena. Annabeth had helped him draft the letter despite protests from his council, but she still wasn't confident the queen would forgive Atlantis for the war. In her experience, Athena was not one to be made a fool of and this war had made her look like one. Unless Poseidon publicly apologised, Annabeth had warned, it was possible that Queen Athena would continue to fight him.
Shortly after the letter was dispatched and the soldiers were sent home behind it, Annabeth learned the real reason for their arrival. Queen Athena had heard about what had happened to her father and after asking around a bit, she had deduced that Annabeth was in Atlantis. The soldiers had come with an ultimatum: return the Athenian princess safely or risk an attack bloodier than any other. They had decided on neither, but the entire council was hoping Athena would accept the proposition they sent her.
As soon as the letter had been sent out, Annabeth was escorted to a new room. She was to be moved out of the servants' quarters and into the royal wing. Her nearest neighbour was Duchess Rachel and while Annabeth doubted this would be a problem, she did feel a little awkward about how they'd met. Rachel had only met her once and Annabeth doubted many royals would adjust to suddenly living next to their old laundry maid.
"You're the Athenian princess!"
Rachel hadn't even waited for Annabeth to get settled in before appearing in her doorway. There were guards posted on either side of her door (though Annabeth assumed this was so Poseidon could prove he was doing his best to protect her), but Rachel was entirely unfazed. She marched right past them and up to Annabeth.
"I heard the news," Rachel said. Annabeth knew she meant rumours, but she didn't say so. "Is it true you're here to end the war?"
"That's-not exactly how I would put it," Annabeth said hesitantly.
Fortunately for Annabeth, Rachel didn't stay long. She made a comment on how she was just a few halls away if Annabeth ever needed anything before leaving. Once the guards closed her door, Annabeth was left alone for the first time in a while. The solitude didn't last long.
Percy walked through her doors only a few minutes after Rachel had left.
He stopped just shy of the doorframe and stared at her. Annabeth didn't say anything right away, but it soon became apparent that Percy hadn't thought far enough ahead to know what to say.
"Can I help you?" she prompted.
Percy's ears turned red and he glanced away before looking back at her.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," he said, pulling his hands behind him. "You probably didn't want the entire court to know who you were, but I guess I ruined that."
Annabeth shrugged half-heartedly. "It was bound to happen. Now is as good a time as any."
"Still."
Annabeth nodded and Percy fell silent for a moment.
"You don't think Queen Athena will accept my father's letter, do you?" Percy asked sceptically. Pursing her lips, Annabeth gave a slight shake of her head. "But you still helped draft the letter."
"She'll be angry that he made a fool of her for so many years," Annabeth told him. She gestured to one of her sitting room chairs and he sat down. "She won't agree to anything until he publically apologises."
Percy snorted. "That won't happen."
Annabeth held back a sigh and took a seat beside Percy. She frowned and stared at the wall in front of her, trying to think of a solution that could help speed along the process.
If Queen Athena demanded an apology before making an agreement but King Poseidon refused, it could make the war worse. At best, they would come to a standstill where no agreement would be made, but no attacks would occur. At worst, Atlantis would be destroyed overnight.
When she voiced her worry, Percy's frown deepened. He propped his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands. Annabeth bit her lip and watched him think.
"How long do we have?" he murmured, glancing up at her.
"How long does it take to deliver a letter to Athens?" she asked in reply.
Percy grimaced. "Two days."
"So we have four days-possibly five-before Athena responds," Annabeth murmured, thinking out loud. "Assuming we can send another letter before the war gets worse, we have a week and a half."
It sounded bad even to Annabeth's ears. The council wouldn't agree to a solution within that time and Annabeth doubted they would accept her input. Granted, she didn't know Queen Athena much better than them, but she did think like her. Even if she had never known her mother very well, she could figure out how she would think because they thought the same.
"Can you find a solution by then?" Percy asked.
Annabeth blinked. He was asking her? This was his kingdom. Between the two of them, Percy had the most power and sway over what the council decided.
"If you figure something out," Percy said, "I'll make sure it gets accepted."
* * * * *
Most of Annabeth's time was spent with Percy. Not only was he her only friend in the palace, but he was determined to help her come up with a way to prevent a much more brutal war. They spent the four days awaiting Queen Athena's together. While Annabeth muttered endless ideas to herself, Percy suggested they go outside or steal a biscuit from the kitchens. Although he wasn't very helpful when it came to finding a solution, he was able to convince Annabeth to take a break.
King Poseidon didn't speak to her, but Annabeth didn't feel the loss. After meals, Percy would arrive and grumble about how it was ridiculous she wasn't eating with them, but Annabeth enjoyed the solitude of her room. Her balcony provided a beautiful view of the coast that the dining hall did not.
"Chiron asked about you," Percy said on day two. Annabeth hummed. "He offered his assistance if you ever need it."
Annabeth glanced up at Percy, but he wasn't looking at her. He was glancing over the papyrus filled with her scattered thoughts.
"That's nice of him," she said, drawing Percy's attention.
He grinned. "Chiron's a nice guy."
With a small smile, Annabeth turned her attention back to her current brainstorming.
On day three, she was summoned to the council. Percy went with her and as they walked in together, Annabeth received a few more stares than she had expected. Every eye was on them from the moment they stepped in, but Percy walked forward completely unfazed.
"Queen Athena still has not responded," a councilman announced haughtily. The door had hardly closed behind them and when he spoke, the accusation in his voice was clear: the council was ready to blame Annabeth for anything that happened.
"It takes two days to deliver a message," Percy pointed out. "The soonest we can expect a response is tomorrow."
"Should we be preparing for war, Princess?" the man asked. He ignored Percy entirely and while Annabeth would have found that strange, she knew what he was trying to do.
"This is hardly the time to try and trick me," Annabeth snapped. "I'm here to help you, not to give you another excuse to destroy my home."
"But there is a risk of a new war," the man said, raising an eyebrow.
The rest of the council looked at her expectantly and Annabeth glanced at Percy. He stayed silent.
"Queen Athena has had her pride wounded by this war," she told the room. "If amends are not made, she'll attack with more fury than before."
"We have to plan our attack then."
"No attack will occur," Poseidon announced, "until Queen Athena makes her move."
Annabeth hadn't even noticed King Poseidon in the council until he'd spoken. His sudden voice had made her jump, but enough of the other council members had jumped as well that no one seemed to have noticed. No one, that is, except Percy who was giving her a sly grin.
"There is no need to fight shamefully," Poseidon told the council firmly. "Queen Athena will decide whether this war continues or not."
On day four, hell broke loose.