Empress (a Percy Jackson AU)

Life by the Sea

In the weeks that followed, Annabeth grew accustomed to her new routine. It was strange what one could learn to settle for when the circumstances changed. Long days spent bent over boiling pots, washing laundry by the sea shore, working the soil, and hauling water from the well had changed her. Annabeth's arms and legs grew taut with muscle and her skin stopped burning and instead turned bronze. Her hair lightened in the sun and her skin grew rougher — more like grains of sand than the stones worn smooth by the sea.

     One evening while they were making dinner, Juniper handed Annabeth a clay amphora filled with olive oil. "Put some on your hands. It will make them soft and help with the dryness."

     Annabeth set the wooden spoon she was using to stir the stew down and spread some olive oil over her hands. Her skin drank up the moisture like dry earth after a rainfall. "Thank you for being so welcoming. Not everyone would take take a stranger — let alone a disposed empress — into their household. Why did you do it? You have nothing to gain by showing me kindness."

Juniper grabbed the wooden spoon and began stirring. The air was fragrant with the smells of barley, basil, and rosemary. "Percy is Grover's friend," Juniper said after a moment. "Mine too and so are you."

Annabeth was touched. She had rarely heard such kindness in the cut-throat political climate that defined her father's court. "We are taught that Jesus preached that you should love your neighbor as yourself, but it doesn't seem like everyone does that."

Juniper smiled, but her eyes were sad. "And we are taught the importance of xenia or hospitality, but some mistreat strangers."

Annabeth felt touched. Despite their different religious upbringings and beliefs, they both shared some important values. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

"The soup smells good," Grover said as he pushed the door to the hut open.

Juniper laughed and a smile lit up her face as she turned to face her husband. "Serve yourself. We're eating outside."

Due to the climate and the small size of their hut, Juniper and Grover ate outside most of the year. Annabeth had grown to enjoy eating with a gentle sea breeze cooling her brow. The stew was delicious in a unassumingly hearty way. It was nothing like the honey-glazed thrushes or roasted flamingos that Annabeth had eaten at palace feasts, but it was filling and fragrant with spices.

There was a disturbance and they all looked up from their bowls to see two figures riding horseback. Their steeds were kicking up dust and drumming the earth with their hooves. Annabeth felt her heart fighting to flee her chest. Had soldiers been sent to hunt down and execute them? Percy stood up and squared his shoulders. Annabeth set down her bowl in case she needed to flee. The figures grew close enough for them to make out.

It was Jason and Piper.