When We Were 'Us'

More Screaming- Annabeth POV

I walked to the middle of the Throne Room, stopping and looking up at Zeus.

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. I was not aware that you were involved in this."

"Rachel Dare has asked me to make her case." I nodded.

"It doesn't bother you that your former lover wants another?" Aphrodite swooned on her throne. "What a painful experience, you poor dear-"

"I'm very happy with Luke." Annabeth interrupted her flatly. "And it stands to reason that Percy should find that same happiness, given the fact that I was his significant other before this."

"Miss Chase, you are aware that Rachel cannot pursue a relationship, aren't you?" Apollo leaned forward in his throne.

"Well that is what we're here to talk about." I nodded, clearing my throat and taking a step towards him. "Lord Apollo, what was your... intention with having your Oracle be a maiden?"

He scoffed loudly as if the answer was obvious, but I just watched him and waited for a response. 

"Well the purpose of a maiden Oracle is of course to keep the Oracle's vessel from getting distracted by other things."

I nodded slowly, tilting my head a little. "And you are aware of how Rachel and the Oracle... interact, as it were?"

Apollo huffed and leaned back in his seat. "Yes, Miss Chase, I am fully aware of how my Oracle interacts with its host."

"Good. Then you know that when the Oracle comes to Rachel and takes over, she doesn't have a choice."

"Yes that is part of the deal. That is generally how it works."

"Mhm." I looked back to Rachel and Percy, silently watching me. Their hands were still entwined, and they were standing close enough that most of their arms were touching. "Rachel, you would agree with this?"

"Yep." She nodded.

"So then, how would her being distracted be a problem?"

There was silence for a few moments, then Apollo spluttered, sounding upset. "Well- that isn't the only reason!"

I nodded, making a motion for him to continue.

"Well she can't have kids- we don't know what effect the Oracle would have on the children!"

"I don't want kids." Rachel spoke up.

"But if you change your mind." Apollo waved her off.

"I don't want kids." She said again, louder.

Zeus leaned forward, a menacing twinkle in his eye. "And if Perseus wants them?"

Percy cleared his throat. "Percy. And if we were to get together and Rachel said she didn't want kids, we wouldn't have kids."

Apollo stood up, waving his hand. "The fact of the matter is that the Oracle has to be a maiden, it has been that way since the Oracle's beginning."

"There is another point." I crossed my arms. "The most basic definition of maidenhood is to not have sex. Rachel and I discussed this at length, and she has said sex is not overly appealing to her anyway, so that issue would easily be bypassed."

"Say we do take your arguments into consideration, Miss Chase, what would be the reason that we give the two this chance?" Hera raised her eyebrows, looking smug.

I bristled, glaring at her. Hera had always been my least favorite, and the expression on her face was plenty more than infuriating.

"Because you owe it to Percy." I snapped.

"And what do you mean by that?"

I straightened up. "As a child, he was attacked by a snake. By various mythical creatures. He was kicked out of schools. His mother married a horrible, abusive man to try and keep him safe because all of you cannot keep to yourselves.

"At the age of twelve, his mother was kidnapped, and you made your first open attempt on his life. He fought Ares on a beach.

"He went to the Sea of Monsters a year later to try and help you keep your thrones. He traveled across the country to rescue me from Kronos, he was attacked by any and every mythical creature in his path.

"He risked his life in the Labyrinth, and at sixteen he fought in a full war for you and you took credit for it."

I stalked between the thrones, pointing to them as I spoke. "Hera erased his memories, sent him across the country. He almost drowned in Alaska, restoring the Legion's honor. We went to Greece and he and I fell into Tartarus. Then when we got back we were thrown into another war and you still did not care."

With every sentence I felt my anger rising, and my voice with it. "You owe it to Percy Jackson because he has done nothing but fight for you, do your work, and be scorned and ignored for it! 

"You owe it to him as proper thanks for everything he has done, if anything, if you unfeeling bastards could ever do anything good in your immortal lives you would give him this!"

[A/N This story is almost done... a thank you to the Luke to my Annabeth for giving me the idea as well as helping me when I needed to do dialogue work]