Stormy Seas (a Percabeth AU)

You Can't Just Do That

Rachel, Percy, and Annabeth ended up sleeping in the temple of Aphrodite overnight. They took turns keeping watch to keep an eye on Octavian and Rachel's father. In the morning, Percy woke up (he had taken the first watch) to see Octavian and Rachel's father were still there, sprawled out on the ground with their cloaks wrapped around them for warmth He tensed; Rachel was still in danger.

Percy shivered slightly. The temple of Aphrodite might be beautiful, but it wasn't the comfiest place to sleep. Without his usual woolen blanket, he had been cold during the night and he imagined that Annabeth and Rachel felt the same. His mind was buzzing with worry like a swarm of bees. Octavian and Rachel's father were both well-connected and powerful men. If Rachel was going to remain unharmed, they needed more help.

He heard a yawn and turned over to see Annabeth sitting up and stretching her arms towards the sky. She smiled slightly as she saw Percy. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I'm worried about the whole situation," Percy confessed. "I'm afraid that either you or Rachel will be hurt."

Annabeth smiled slightly. "You're cute when you're worried, but there's no need to be. We'll be fine."

Her voice was calm, but Percy suspected she wasn't as confident as she sounded. He'd come to realize she often put up a brave front. It pained him to see how hard it was for her to be vulnerable. "I think we should get more help," Percy said, keeping his voice low as to not wake up the others. "Is there anyone whom might be able to help us in Sestos?"

      Annabeth knit her brows and her eyes took on the same intense quality as the sky during a thunderstorm. Percy often thought that Annabeth looked like a princess with her soft hair and pretty features, but her gaze reminded him on a queen: regal, unwavering, intelligent, and determined. "Chiron," she said. "If Rachel is accepted as a supplicant of the town as a whole. . ."

    She trailed off. "Oh gods, we cannot do that. It might lead to a war between Sestos and Abydos."

      "A war?" Rachel echoed.

     Percy looked at her, surprised to her awake. She was using her hairbrush to untangle the knots from her tangled hair. Annabeth's eyes flickered to outside and then to Rachel. "We could ask Chiron to grant you sanctuary, but that might cause tensions between our cities."

      Rachel's face crumpled. "You're right. I need to think about these things. There is more than just my wishes at stake. I'll speak with my father."

    She made to stand up and Percy did the same, his heart hammering in his throat. He blocked her way, spreading his arms wide. Rachel's expression turned furious. "Move, Percy."

      "Tell me what you're planning first," Percy said.

       "That's not your business!" Rachel exclaimed.

         "You're my friend," Percy said. "I don't want to se you stuck in an unhappy marriage. My mother was in one and it was so hard on her. She always put on a smile, but even as a kid, I could tell when it was fake. She feared Gabe; you shouldn't have to fear the one you wed."

      Rachel was crying now. "I know, Percy, but this is about so much more than me. I don't want to be the cause of a war. I don't want to be another Helen or Briseis."

     "Please, Rachel," Percy said. "You don't have to do this."

      "He's right," Annabeth said. "We'll protect you. As a priestess of Aphrodite, it is my sworn duty to aid her suppliants."

Rachel took a deep breath. "Look, just let me speak with my father. I'll stay within the confines of the temple."

Percy looked to Annabeth and when she nodded, he let his arms fall to his side and stepped aside. He couldn't help admiring Rachel's courage as she made her ways to the steps of the temple. She stood there, in the early morning sun, the gusty winds snatching at her hair.

Her father noticed her. "Are you ready to accept the marriage?" he asked.

"I'm ready to talk," Rachel told him.

A look of frustration passed over his features, but Octavian leaned over and whispered something in his ear that caused him to sigh and then nod reluctantly. "Alright, daughter. What are you here to speak of?"

"The marriage," Rachel said.

"You know you cannot speak your way out of it," her father replied. "It will happen whether you want it to or not."

Rachel pressed her lips together. "Do you want everyone to gossip about how you forced your daughter into an unhappy marriage?"

"Plenty of women deal with it," her father grumbled.

"But I would make a big fuss about it," Rachel said. "I might even let a few things slip at the wedding like your thoughts on Dionysus or how you always spend every third afternoon with a female slave who came from my mother's household."

Her father's face turned red. "You wouldn't dare. We'd cut you off!"

"And lose ties with Octavian?" Rachel asked.

She turned her gaze to Octavian. "Would you like that?"

Octavian's eyes narrowed. "I would not."

Rachel threw a triumphant smile in her father's direction. "It doesn't have to be that way, however."

"I'm not losing that alliance with Octavian!" her father shouted. "We're going to establish a colony in Sicily!"

Rachel said nothing as her father continued to rage, keeping her expression neutral. When he finished she said, "I would consent to the marriage."

"Yes, you will," her father said.

Rachel's green eyes flashed. "No, I said I would. It's conditional."

Octavian, who had been watching father and daughter bicker with a vacantly amused expression, smiled. "Conditional on what?"

"The marriage contract," Rachel said. "Let me help write it. I won't consent to the marriage unless I approve of it. I need a sufficient dowry and grounds for divorce in case of abuse or neglect."

Her father's face was now the color of Rachel's chiton. "You can't just dictate the terms of your marriage."

"That's where you're wrong," Annabeth said. "She already has."