A Crown of Golden Leaves: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Caput VIII: An Example of Humanity

"Human nature is not black and white but black and grey." -Graham Greene

Caput VIII: An Example of Humanity

SOMETIMES, Annabeth wondered what she had done to make the gods hate her so much. She really did.

She wondered why they had gifted her with a sharp tongue, quite often in fact. It would be so much easier if she was compliant like some of the other aristocracy of the poleis— like Princess Sophia from Somos.* Then she would be perfectly fine with marrying some random Heir Apparent that she had never even met before. Although, she was very lucky when it came to Percy...

In fact, she wondered why Athena had ever given her the wonderful gift of forever wanting more knowledge about the world around her. But, alas, she couldn't read Aristotle or Plato or Euclid or Archimedes or any of the rest because her pateras had forbidden her from learning how to write in Greek or Latin. In fact, it was only by luck that she had been able to listen to the adventures of the great hero Odysseus when she had been a little girl. Back then, it hadn't been considered improper for her to intermingle with the common-born children.

That, along with the so-called great destiny to be some kind of 'Champion of Olympus' when she was really just a guinea pig for the gods to slaughter. 

Actually, she wished she wasn't a lady. She was still miffed her pateras had forced her to marry Percy. Though, she had to admit, Annabeth was incredibly lucky when it came to the fact that he was her husband and not some creep...

But that didn't change the fact that she had had no choice about it.

Suddenly, there was a slight sound, like the creak of a foot walking up the wooden stairs. Annabeth blinked and looked up quickly, realizing with a bit of a start that she had been glowering at the arena for quite some time, but hadn't actually seen it. When had the slaves had been brought back?

It was Percy.

His face was pale and drawn though, as though he hadn't slept properly last night, though that was silly. Annabeth hadn't heard any indication that he was awake, seeing as she knew that it was impossible for him to keep still for some reason. Perhaps he had a great shock? Or maybe he had injured himself and was steadily losing blood?

But there was no blood...

"Percy?" she asked as he sat down next to her, promptly leaning over and propping his forehead in his palms. She placed a hand on his bare shoulder and rubbed it like her pateras used to when she was stressed over something. His body relaxed and he looked up at her with those big green eyes. They looked scary though; they looked more the sea when it was storming outside. Rough, untamable, and dangerous.

"What's wrong?"

His eyebrows joined together in a frown, and he opened his mouth to reply. "I talked to the—"

"Perseus, Annabeth!"

Percy instantly straightened his back at the Caesar's voice, and Annabeth quickly placed her hand back where it belonged and glanced over his shoulder.

The Caesar was looking at them with an almost predatory gleam in his eyes.

"This is not the time to be making grandbabies, Heir Apparents."

Annabeth frowned in confusion, not getting what he was implying until Percy began stuttering. Her ears suddenly felt hot. She quickly scooted away from her husband while Artorius smiled at her with a mixture of amusement and sympathy.

"We're not—pater—of course not now!"

The Caesar sat down on the right side of Percy, and Annabeth grimaced and quickly turned to Artorius. She had started to realize that the Caesar had a rather... perverse sense of imagination. That made her blush quite a bit, especially when images started to pop into her head...