long may i reign

b l o o d

Crown Prince Frank of Sparta was sleepy. He wanted to go back to his chambers but of course one of the courtiers brought it upon himself to announce every single little thing that was going on every single day.

  "And recently, the Lady Reyna ran away from Olympia and returned to Romania. Queen Hylla stepped down and became Queen of the Amazons. Also-"

  "SHUT UP!" King Ares hurled his knife at the courtier. It hurled past his head and landed inches from him.

  "You're lucky I didn't aim for your head," Ares growled. "Now you're annoying me. Get out! You're no Spartan! Go to Olympia or somewhere. Anywhere but here!"

  The courtier shook. "But- but, your maje-"

  "OUT!"

  Frank flinched. Sometimes he wished he didn't have such a violent father.

  The courtier scurried out of the hall.

  "GOOD." He turned to Frank. "Now, were you listening to anything he was saying?"

  "Other than the stuff about Lady Reyna, there's going to be a ball." Frank said. He wasn't afraid of his father. As violent as he was, he was a good dad.

  Ares did a double take. "A ball? Like the place where everyone dresses up and dances and has too much fun? Or the ball you throw around?"

  "Dancing."

  Ares looked thoughtful. "Who are you getting married to again?"

  Frank sighed, dejectedly. "Princess Piper of Corinth."

  "Isn't her mother Queen Aphrodite? She's not that bad-looking."

  "Uh dad," Frank looked uncomfortably around the court and met eyes with his sister, Clarisse. She rolled her eyes. "If I get married to Piper, Aphrodite will technically be my mom, so.." he trailed off.

  "Oh," said Ares, dumbly.

  "Yeah. Oh. But I don't have to get married if you don't want me too!" Frank said a little too enthusiastically.

  Ares eyes his son cautiously. "Have you been meeting someone in private?"

  He blushed as a certain golden-eyed girl flashed in his mind. "Um, why are we having this conversation here?"

  "No one's going to make fun of you, you're a prince of Sparta for crying out loud."

  Frank turned redder. "I gotta go." He hopped off his throne, steadied his crown, and hurried away.

  When he got to the stables, he slowed down. He went over to his horse, named Emily after his late mother. "Hey, girl," he whispered.

  He heard footsteps behind him and turned and saw Clarisse. "Hey."

  He nodded in acknowledgement.

  "So..." She trailed off.

  Frank turned to her. "What?"

  She straightened the crown on her head and shrugged. "Are you meeting up with someone?"

  Frank blushed. So much for cooling down. "No."

  She turned his shoulders towards her so he would have to look at her. "You're lying."

  He turned away. "No I'm not."

  She turned towards her own horse, a male, Hedge. "Is is Piper?"

  Frank shook his head. Clarisse was his sister. There's no reason why he couldn't tell her.

  "Annabeth?"

  "Anna- no. I don't know her well."

  "Umm, how about Katie?"

  "Princess Katie of Eleusis? Where'd you get her from?"

  Clarisse shrugged. "Just naming random princesses." She stroked Hedge's muzzle. "Who is it, Frank?"

  Frank closed his and whispered, "Hazel." Her face appeared into his head again and he pushed it away. "We're just friends."

  Clarisse was silent for a moment and then said, "The princess of Pluton?"

  He nodded.

  "But there's a rule there remember? Nobody touches the princess."

  "I know," Frank replied. "I haven't. I won't. There's a fence that separates us anyway. We just talk."

  "Oh." Clarisse sighed. "I wish I had a best friend. Someone I could talk to."

  "It's okay. You'll find someone. Maybe even at the ball."

  "Oh right. It's next week isn't it?" Clarisse asked. "August 18 to August 23."

  "Uh, huh."

  "We'll have to wear dresses."

  "I'm not wearing a dress, stupid. I'm wearing a toga."

  "Same thing."

  They laughed.