Spies-in-Training: A Royal Problem | Percabeth AU

Chapter 15: Resolve

A/N: Please watch the video above! Honestly, it is so touching and has such a beautiful message that we are enough and not to compare ourselves to others. Plus, it's a great song. Please watch it!

This chapter is dedicated to @milla20072007pamuk for being so supportive and commenting so often for me to update, or to tell me that you liked the chapter. It really makes my day, and it's so nice to hear that you enjoy my story so much!

Percy's POV:
As I exited the throne room, feeling dejected, I started climbing the staircase to my room to mope on my bed. My little sister (adopted, sure, but I loved her all the same) was missing, and no one knew where she could be! I could have prevented this. Maybe if I had been with her. Maybe if I had taken the time, I would have noticed if there was something wrong that could lead to her missing. Maybe if—

My sulking was interrupted by a loud bang as my door slammed open. Tyson and Zoë were standing there with concerned expressions.

"Are you all right, brother?" Tyson spoke first.

I tried for a smile, although it probably looked more like a grimace. "I'm fine, big guy. Just stressed, is all," I tried to assure him, but he didn't look convinced. Zoë came over to sit on the bed next to me, and Tyson came over on my other side.

"Percy, we know you're not fine. You're worried about Evelyn, aren't you?" Zoë asked knowingly. She was nine years old, but sometimes she could be so smart, it was like she had lived for a thousand years. (*wink wink*)

Looking up at them, I couldn't lie to her or Tyson. I cracked. "Yeah," I managed. "I'm not fine. Evelyn is missing, and I have no idea where she is or if she's hurt!" I choked back tears.

Tyson grabbed me and pulled me into one of his famous bear hugs. If anyone else had tried, I wouldn't have let them, but it was literally impossible to escape Tyson's bear hugs. Once he released me, I noticed that he also had tears in his eyes.

"Hey," Zoë said, "I know Evelyn is gone and everything seems pretty hopeless right now, but you know Mom and Dad won't stop at anything until we get her back. They'll do everything they can to find her and bring her home safe and sound. We can't give up hope. That's what makes us human."

I looked at her with wide eyes. Who knew a nine-year-old could give such good pep talks?

"Thanks, Zoë," I said. "I feel much better now." I pulled her in for a hug, and after a while, Tyson joined in too, just us siblings, hugging and trying to reassure each other.

After a while, I pulled back and smiled at Zoë and Tyson. This time, it wasn't a forced smile. It was a real, genuine, grateful smile, that conveyed all my gratitude for having such amazing siblings.

They understood, and each sent me a smile in return.

"Well," Tyson said, "We better get going now, the Council Meeting is probably over by now. We should ask Mom and Dad what they decided."

"How long has it been?" I asked, surprised. Had it really been that long?

"It's been half an hour," Tyson informed me.

"Yeah, hurry up, I want to see if the meeting's over!" Zoë exclaimed impatiently.

"Half an hour already? We better hurry!" I bolted up from my position on my bed. Laughing at the expression on my face, Tyson and Zoë led the way to the throne room with me eagerly following. We peeked into the throne room, but they weren't there.

"Maybe the meeting's not over yet. Let's go wait outside the meeting room," Zoë suggested.

They ran off, but before I could follow them, I heard something from the throne room. I inched back towards the door to the throne room, and heard it again. Hushed whispers. A little closer, and I could hear what they were saying. When I heard the first voice, I almost gasped. Because I recognized it.

"—kidnapped," I heard. "We have to get her back before the Council or the Royal Guard do something stupid and get her killed!" It was Piper's voice.

"We will," I heard a second voice. Annabeth. "I promised Sally that I would do everything in my power to get Evelyn back, and I always keep my promises." There was a pause, before she added, "But we can't discuss this now. Someone might notice that we're missing. We'll discuss everything at the Cave tonight, and we can contact SEA then, too."

"Alright," Jason piped up. "Let's hurry then, before someone misses us."

I heard their footsteps coming towards where I was waiting just outside the door, so I quickly hurried away around the corner to process everything I'd just heard.

What was going on? Just a second ago, I had looked in the room and it was empty. I knew for a fact that there was only one entrance to the throne room, and I was standing right outside it, so they would have had to pass me to get in. But they hadn't. It was as if they had just popped into the throne room by magic.

And what had they been talking about? Who was kidnapped? I knew it was a girl, because Piper had said she, but who? Could it be Evelyn? And if so, how did they know that she was kidnapped? What was the Cave? And who, or what, was SEA?

I didn't know the answers to these questions, but I did know one thing. The gang was hiding something. And I would find out tonight.

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry that it's been so long since I've updated! I've been really swamped lately and I hardly have any time to update. But I'm trying to update whenever I can.