Queen of Atlantis - Rewritten Entirely

Chapter 7

If Percy wasn't sitting, he probably would have collapsed. His heart hadn't stopped pounding since Malcolm had walked in with the news about Jason's return and he'd been searching the docks for hours. The sun was beginning to set and so were Percy's hopes of finding Annabeth.

He hadn't seen Jason since he left the palace. As angry as he'd been then, there was no one else he wanted at his side. It would take a while before Percy ever trusted Annabeth's safety in his hands again, but Jason was still his best friend. 

Sometime during his frantic search of the city, he had stumbled upon Hazel. If she hadn't approached him, he would have never encountered her. Despite often hearing about Annabeth's friend, he hadn't known what the girl looked like until she was stopping his horse with tear-stained cheeks and a wrinkled dress.

She'd told him what had happened and it was only then that Percy had realised he didn't know anything about Annabeth's disappearance. She took him to the pier and showed him the empty dock where she said Annabeth had gone.

"It was my fault," Hazel had said, sniffling. "I thought it was our friend Luke's ship and she wanted to see him. Between here and the other side of the dock, we got separated."

"Did you see who took her?" Percy had asked.

Hazel had shrugged and said she couldn't be sure. She hadn't recognised the crew and by the time she reached the dock, the ship had already started towards the sea.

"I imagine they started sailing as soon as she stepped on board."

Which meant whoever had taken her had been prepared to do so.

The hours following his conversation with Hazel had not been fruitful. He'd been so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he ended up walking around the docks until the church bell rang seven times.

He took his time returning to the palace. Although he knew he needed to ask Queen Athena for a ship in order to try and follow the one Hazel had called Princess Andromeda, he was not in a rush.

It was no surprise when Jason didn't meet him at the stables. Instead, his third in command arrived to take his horse and report what the rest of the soldiers had found in the search. Just like Percy, they hadn't had any success.

"She's on a ship," Percy muttered as soon as the soldier fell silent. "The Princess Andromeda."

"Your Highness?"

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Send a messenger to the rest of the army. Anyone with sailing experience should report to the docks tomorrow at sunrise."

"Yessir."

The man left without further comment.

Percy glanced towards the palace, letting out another long sigh before beginning the long walk uphill. The hill seemed to stretch for miles upon miles until suddenly he was standing in front of the dining hall doors.

Percy blinked. Looking behind himself, he was surprised to discover he was inside. The last thing he remembered was starting the long journey uphill. He couldn't even be sure he'd entered through the front palace doors.

The soldiers on either side of the hall pulled open the dining hall doors before Percy could tell them otherwise. Unfortunately, the noise drew the attention of Queen Athena who was just finishing her evening meal.

"You didn't find her, then," she said, glancing up at him.

Percy's eyes hardened. As if he had lost her, Percy thought bitterly.

"She was taken on a ship," Percy managed to say. To his own surprise, his voice came out tired instead of irate. "The Princess Andromeda. They left shortly before noon."

"I suppose you'll need a ship," Queen Athena hummed. 

Percy didn't have the energy to bite back a response.

"I'll send my navy with you," Queen Athena informed him. "While you search the sea, I will dispatch our military on land."

Nodding numbly, Percy hardly cared to argue. The military was well strategised and prepared for an attack anyway. His sudden disappearance would not upset their plans, but Queen Athena's reassurance was still welcome.

"You'll have 600 men at your disposal," Queen Athena said, causing Percy to blink in surprise. She merely raised an eyebrow. "My navy is one of the best in all of Greece for a reason, Your Highness. Try not to be too shocked."

Percy stumbled through an apology and was glad when Queen Athena didn't seem to take notice.

Softening ever so slightly, Queen Athena told him, "You should sleep, Perseus. In the morning, there will be much to do and the sea can be unforgiving. Get your rest while you can."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Percy murmured, bowing his head.

At Queen Athena's dismissal, Percy left for his empty quarters.

* * * * *

After spending an entire night alone and worrying, Percy was angry. While he'd been stressed and terrified the evening before, now he was furious and willing to act. Someone had taken Annabeth right from under his nose and he wasn't going to let them get far. He went from sulking to shouting orders, preparing Queen Athena's ships for a battle and scowling at the open sea.

Hazel's words churned in his head. Whoever had stolen Annabeth from him had once been her friend. While there was no way to be sure they had known who Annabeth was, Percy was willing to bet they did. He was also willing to bet they were apart of Prince Kronos's army.

Unlike the evening before, Percy's thoughts spurned him forward and forced him to move quicker. Within an hour of arriving at the ships' docks, they were setting out to sea. He wasn't sure where the Princess Andromeda would head, but he had a map of camps that Annabeth had drawn up.

Even if her memory hadn't been clear and she wasn't confident in what she had heard, she'd taken the time to draw him a map of everywhere she'd heard about Kronos. At the time, Percy had thought it would be good for planning a land invasion. Now, he was glad they had inside knowledge about where she could have been taken.

Although Queen Athena's ships were fast, they weren't fast enough. They only made it to an outlying island before night set in and they were forced to anchor the ship. Restless and impatient, Percy didn't eat dinner.

When morning came, Percy was awake minutes before the sun began to rise over the horizon. Around him, the crew pulled in the anchor and they set sail towards their first destination. If the wind favoured them and Percy's map was to scale, they would reach land by late that afternoon.

Despite being right, no good news was reported.

"The docks are empty, Your Highness," a soldier informed him. "The only ships are local fishing boats."

"Has anyone seen the Princess Andromeda?"

"They said she was headed east."

They didn't have enough time in the day to follow, so after much grumbling, Percy docked the ship and locked himself away in the captain's quarters. Their next destination was two days away and their best bet. Kronos didn't have many camps on the sea despite rumours of a great navy. If the Princess Andromeda wasn't at the next port, they'd be left to search without a guide.