Empress (a Percy Jackson AU)

The Kindness of Strangers

     Annabeth was still numb with shock and grief as she rode a swift mare out of the city. A man named Carter and his sister, Sadie, had given Annabeth and her companions the horses free of charge. When Annabeth had asked them why they would help two strangers, Sadie had simply said that, "The goddess Isis hears the pleas of all: slaves and queens alike."

Despite Christianity being the official religion of the empire, not all followed it. Some people still worshipped the old gods, though their temples were closed, and the cult of Isis was one of the most popular.

     They had managed to escape the palace by wearing disguises. Annabeth had remembered from her studies how the hero Odysseus returned to Ithaca disguised as a beggar. When she voiced the idea, Piper offered to dress as a decoy.

     They had left separately and though they were now out of Constantinople, Annabeth didn't feel any relief. She kept replaying the bloody scenes in her head. "Empress Annabeth," Percy said. "We're turning right ahead."

     She nodded. "On this journey, call me Anna. I do not know if Helen has sent out soldiers to capture and kill me."

     She didn't wait for a reply, but simply guided her horse to the right and stared ahead. The wind blew against her face and she shivered despite the wool tunica of a servant she was wearing. Somewhere else, Piper and Jason were taking a similar journey, but going north instead of west. They would meet up in a village outside of Athens where Percy had grown up.

       "We need to stop sometime to rest," Percy said.

      "I don't need rest," Annabeth said dully.

      It was untrue. After another night of little sleep and much grief, she felt like closing her eyes and never waking up and that scared her. It was better to stay awake than give that part of her a chance to win.

"We'll stop at sundown," Percy decided.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said, thinking of the first thing to come to mind.

Percy blinked. "Alright, Wise Girl."

Was that his idea of an insult? Annabeth fumed over it because it was easier to be upset about something non-consequential than thinking about the night before. It felt better to feel angry than to feel the choking numbness of grief.

They rode all day and stopped at a roadside inn. The owner was a red-faced man named Dionysus. For a single coin, he gave them a room and dinner. Annabeth's stomach churned as she ate, but she made herself finish the plate and gulp down some watered-down wine.

The room was small and there was one bed. "You should sleep on it," Percy said. "I'll take the floor."

Annabeth was too tired to argue. She settled into the bed which was harder than the one at home and much lumpier. She pulled the blankets over her so that they swaddled her as if she was a newborn. Then, she closed her eyes and let sleep claim her.