A Crown of Golden Leaves: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Caput XI: Crossing the Threshold

"Too many of us are not living our dreams, because we are living our fears." ~Les Brown

Caput XI: Crossing the Threshold

"ANNABETH?"

Annabeth looked over her shoulder and met Piper's multi-colored gaze. Unconsciously, she sat up straighter, unsure as to whether or not her best friend would blame her as well. She still didn't understand exactly what she had done to cause the others to ignore her. 

Well, she did let Bianca die.

A pang of guilt made her stomach clench and she wrung her hands together. Nico, she understood. The others, however, she did not. Why didn't they rescue Bianca themselves? She knew they could if they wanted to badly enough.

"What is it, Piper?"

"I just wanted to say "thank you.'"

She stared. Of all the things she could say, that was the least likely. "What? Why would you thank me?"

"You stopped Nico and the others from doing something stupid. If they had gone through with their foolhardy plan, the Caesar would have punished them." Piper sat on the edge of the bed, by Percy's feet. Their gazes fell on his pale, drawn face. "Perhaps worse than he punished Lord Perseus. How is he?"

"Not getting better," she answered. "He woke up that night, but hasn't since. He's running a fever, but Meg said that's normal. Something about fighting infection."

"I'm sorry we caused you to choose like that."

Annabeth shrugged. "What I don't understand is why everyone has alienated me. Well, Nico, I do. But not Luke or Thalia."

Piper's eyes caught hers, and they seemed to cut into her like a knife. "Really?" She shook her head. "Sometimes, you can be absolutely brilliant one moment, Annabeth- and then the next your naivety astounds me." Before she could ask what that meant, Piper went on. "Luke's not use to taking orders from a woman, especially you, and Thalia is used to tradition. Two sunrises ago, you took charge like an emperor would, or a general; and in that moment, you weren't an Athenian woman, but you weren't a Roman woman either.  Don't worry, they'll come around eventually. All of them."

Annabeth stared at her hands. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How come you're not... I don't know, scared or something?"

She risked a peek at Piper's face, which had split into a wide smile. "Because I know you. You've never been one to stick to the rules; bend them, yes, but never adhere to them. You're not a regular mortal; you're a child of Athena. That's why I'm not scared of you. I'm not even surprised."

She smiled a little. "Thanks, Piper."

Evidentially satisfied that their conversation was complete, Piper stood and placed the tray of food —porridge, was it?— on the table.

"Eat some food and get some rest, Annabeth. His condition is stable and he's not going to recover overnight."

_________________

"Annabeth?"

A light hand touched her shoulder, rousing her from her state of fitful rest. The woman praetor, who she didn't recognize for a moment as Reyna, stood in front of her with a concerned expression etched so deeply into her face that it physically made her chest tighten.

"What?" She frowned; her voice was raspy for some reason. Reyna grabbed the pitcher of water and poured the clear liquid into a glass, which Annabeth took gratefully. There was a horrible pounding in her temples, and her body ached.