The Glory That Is Rome (a Percy Jackson AU)

It's Just a Marriage

     "I don't want to, pater!" Annabeth said.

      "I'm your pater," Frederick said testily. "I am the one who decides whom you will marry."

     Annabeth's shoulders slumped. It was true. As the head of the household, her father controlled her. Even after she married, her father could force her to divorce and remarry if he wanted to. Annabeth felt like a tunic that could be discarded at any moment. She dearly wished that she could become an architect, but even with her education, she knew that was only a dream.

    She was a woman after all and in Rome, there were few options for women. If she wanted power, she would have to hope that her husband was powerful and that she could influence him. Otherwise, her only option for power was to become a mistress to a wealthy man and Annabeth would sooner marry and receive the benefits of marriage. 

     Annabeth straightened her shoulders. There was another option. She could birth three children and gain some rights. She worried, though. Her mother, Athena, had only born her. After years of trying to conceive a son, her father turned to a slave woman named Helen who gave him two heirs: Matthew and Bobby. What if Annabeth was barren? She had her monthly moonblood, but she knew that was no guarantee that she would become pregnant.

      "You're right, pater," Annabeth said, the words sticking to her throat. "I will not protest about marriage anymore."

     Frederick raised one eyebrow. Annabeth was as spirited as her mother. It was not like her to give in quickly. He had expected more resistance and suspected that she had a plan cooking in her head.

    "I am proud of you for such obedience," Frederick told his daughter. "Your marriage is next week. Luke Castellan will be happy to have you as his bride. Take Thalia and buy something for yourself."

    He gave her some coins and Annabeth's face lit up like Apollo's sun chariot. She found Thalia and the two left the house. Normally, they headed towards the markets, but today Annabeth led Thalia to the part of town where the Egpytians lived. Foreigners sometimes decided to live in Rome, despite not having full rights, and they often opened shops and sold goods from the homelands. 

     "Why do you want to buy Egyptian goods?" Thalia asked. 

     Thalia  had been purchased by Frederick as a child. No one knew who her parents were because she had been exposed at birth. She thanked Jupiter every night for the life she had, as hard as it was.

       "I'm hoping for help," Annabeth said, weaving through the people crowding the streets.

     She ducked inside one of the shops. A heady scent permeated the air and Annabeth breathed in the sweet scent of kyphi. The shop was jammed with goods, foods, and plants. She saw bolts of linen, papyrus, and exotic goods that she had never seen before.

     "Are you looking for anything?" a woman asked her.

     Annabeth looked up to see a woman who introduced herself as Zia. Her husband, Carter, owned the shop. Annabeth was amazed by Zia. She had lustrous, black hair and chiseled features. She wore a linen sheath, beads in her hair, and malachite on her eyes. 

    "Is there anything here to help me conceive?" Annabeth asked.

    She had heard that Egyptian women were the most fertile in the world. Zia showed her an array of goods. In the end, Annabeth ended up buying mandrake and honey. She even bought a small statue of the Egpytian goddess Hathor. The shopkeeper, Carter, was pleasant and meticulousness. When he realized that he had overcharged her, he not only gave her a refund, but he thew in a bolt of linen.

      Annabeth quieted Thalia's protests by spending her last few coins on some fried peas. The two enjoyed the crunchy snack while Annabeth told Thalia about her upcoming marriage.

     "You're lucky," Thalia said.

       Annabeth opened her mouth to protest, but Thalia continued, "He's only seven years older than you. You could have been stuck with a man older than your father. He's a senator and I heard he's handsome."

     Annabeth shrugged. She didn't care how handsome Luke was. She didn't want to marry him. If only she could have been a Vestal Virgin. When the fried peas were gone, however, she returned home instead of running away.