The Glory That Is Rome (a Percy Jackson AU)

A Tale of Two Monarchs

    Annabeth was nursing her son when it happened. Luke had told her she should hire a milk nurse, but Annabeth had decided to feed her baby herself. It allowed her more time with her son. Luke had named him Lucius after himself, but Annabeth worried that he would notice Lucius's resemblance to Percy.

    His eyes had changed from blue to sea green since birth. Annabeth was grateful that her mother had had dark hair, but she worried that Lucius would resemble Percy even more as he grew up. What would Luke do to him then? Would Lucius remain his heir or would he be exiled or even killed? Annabeth's decision to couple with Percy had given her more than just a child: it had given her worries that she had never had before.

    Another thing worried Annabeth. If Lucius should die ⁠— and that thought made her feel like she was walking through Tartarus ⁠— then she would be expected to give Luke another child. Lucius's resemblance to Percy was proof in Annabeth's mind that Luke was not capable of fathering a child. After all, how many nights had he failed when Percy succeeded in one attempt? 

      Annabeth's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden tug at her abdomen. If she had not been nursing Lucius, she would have been able to fight back. She had recovered from the birth with the help of physicians so quickly that Luke had sacrificed a ram to Apollo. 

      "Annabeth, keep quiet," someone said. "Your child will be fine, but you're coming with us."

     Annabeth wanted to spit a withering response at her captors, but her mouth was covered by a strip of cloth. She satisfied herself by glaring at them. Her captors quickly wrapped her up and one of them took away her baby. She changed her expression from her normal death glare to her "I'm going to dismember you and throw each of the pieces into Tartarus" glare.

    Her captors didn't seem concerned as they fled the palace. Annabeth hoped that one of the slaves or servants would notice her, but by the time her captors were placing her in the back of a wagon, she gave up hope. Lucius and her were doomed. Why had they captured Lucius and her instead of Luke and what were they going to do with them?   

    She heard a shout and she looked up. Percy was charging towards the wagon. He had no weapons, but he still looked formidable. She struggled to free herself as Percy ran towards the wagon. Before he could reach it, though, he crumpled.

   Annabeth shrieked beneath her gag. 

   "Let's pick him up," one of her captors, a tall blonde man, said. "We can't have him telling the palace what happened and I don't want to kill a slave in cold blood."

    "Alright," her other captor, the girl who had been carrying her baby said.

    She had been the one who had used the slingshot that had injured Percy. Annabeth glared at the brunette as she lifted Percy and secured him into the cart. The brunette settled down in the back and picked up Lucius, stroking his head. The entire cart ride, Annabeth glared at her captors, but Medusa's gaze was more powerful than Annabeth's would ever be.