The Arranged Marriage (Percy Jackson Fanfiction)

Twenty-Nine

Percy sat numbly, staring at the incoming news from Athens. He closed his eyes, wanting to rid the words from his thoughts for a moment, but they were imprinted on the backs of his eyelids, indefinitely.

"Your Majesty?"

"Not right now," he murmured to the page.

"But its news from Olympia. About Princess Thalia?" The page's voice was quiet, quivering slightly as he held his ground.

Percy opened his eyes and let the page come in, if not a bit hesitantly. His office was a mess of papers, books and scrolls, all attempts at scouring through Athens' history to find some other loophole, but it was all to no avail — he didn't even know how Annabeth found the voting option. It seemed that she had already exhausted her one chance at freeing herself, and besides, she knew her city-state better than Percy knew it.

"Okay, what's the news?" Percy asked the page, rubbing his temples as he propped his elbows up on his desk.

"We just received word that the princess arrived in Olympia four days ago, and her parents have since announced that she woke up too. Ambassadors di Angelo and Solace plan on setting off to return and update you fully on her health and the trip soon."

"That is great news," Percy admitted, happy he let the page talk. "Thank you so much for informing me, and I apologize for being short."

"Apology not necessary," the page replied automatically. "And you are sincerely welcome."

With those words, he slipped out of the room, leaving Percy to his thoughts once more. His head spun with all of the information battling inside it. He already had received an ear full from his father and he assumed a second one was coming considering he lacked any sort of fiancée at that time.

Despite his father retiring, he seemed to think that it was his eternal duty to criticize Percy for everyone inaccuracy or slip up. Especially one as major as this.

Standing, Percy pushed back from his desk, bustling out of his study before his head exploded. He would have to make a royal announcement soon enough declaring the break between Praetor Reyna and himself, his lack of a Queen, and, not to mention, Princess Thalia's state.

He raised his hand to rub at the kink in his neck, letting loose a long exhalation of breath. The palace was suspiciously quiet — Percy had been expecting his father to swarm him immediately following the announcement of Athens' choice to instill Octavian as King. However, Percy was met with eerie silence. The only sound in the hall was the echo of his footsteps on the marble floor, and then —

Crying? It couldn't be.

But sure enough, as Percy rounded the corner — nearly passing right by her — he spotted Rachel entangled in her silvery dress, shoved up against the corner and window, hiding behind the foliage of an olive tree. Percy's heart constricted for multiple reasons.

"Rachel?" Percy whispered, not wishing to startle her.

Rachel made a gasping sniffle and immediately wiped furiously at her cheeks and eyes, smiling, her lips quivering still. "Oh, Percy! I didn't hear you. How are you?"

Her act of happiness was almost fooling — if Percy had not been positive that she had been crying a moment earlier, he would have believed her to be fine. Her red curls were flying carelessly around her face; her smile was bright as ever; and, her eyes were the sparkling green that normally greeted him. But the slight tremble to her hands as she clutched at her shaw, dragging it back around her shoulders, was telling.

"Rachel, tell me what's wrong."

"Oh, it's really nothing. You have so much on your plate and I'm – "