Percy wasn't sure how Annabeth did it, but within two days of arriving in Athens, she had fully written and designed a handful of attacks. Where Percy had expected her to present at least a few typical strategies, she provided at least a handful that he would have never thought of. And very few of them relied on the element of surprise.

"They know we're here," she had said, "and they know why. If we try to catch them off guard, we'll only fall into their trap."

It was beyond clever and Percy had made sure to let her know just how much he admired her later that evening.

Unfortunately, it didn't take Percy long to figure out the reason she had so many strategies readily planned. With the majority of her job finished, she was free of meetings which meant she was hoping to go into the city. While Percy was trapped organising both armies with Queen Athena, Annabeth was not.

"You can't leave me with her," Percy whispered urgently.

Despite being alone in their quarters, Percy had the strangest feeling that Queen Athena could still hear them.

Annabeth laughed. "You're doing wonderfully, Percy. You don't need me."

Even though she kissed his brow, Percy was not reassured.

"She's terrifying," he told her, catching her hand when she tried to walk away from him. "It's like she's waiting for me to mess up."

"She probably is," Annabeth said, brushing back his hair. The casual way she said it made Percy narrow his eyes. "It's what she does. Once she learns where your limits lie, she backs off."

"She sounds like she was a wonderful mother," Percy grumbled.

Annabeth's smile was tense and Percy immediately regretted his words.

"I'm sorry." He pressed a kiss to her cheek to prove it. "Go have fun with your friends."

"Thank you."

Someone knocked at their door.

"That'll be Jason," Annabeth told him. She leaned forward and pressed a firm kiss to his lips. "I'll see you for dinner."

Percy almost didn't let her leave, but she pulled away before he could convince himself to stop her. She was looking forward to this and he didn't want to be the one to take it away from her. Even if the thought of her going into the city with only Jason was panic-inducing.

"Don't try and leave him behind, please," Percy said, watching her walk across the room to the door.

"I promise."

She smiled at him then pulled open the door and eagerly grabbed Jason's arm. The door closed firmly behind her, leaving Percy to finish preparing for his meeting alone.

* * * * *

If Percy had tried to send any other guard into town with her, Annabeth would have figured out how to leave them within a matter of minutes. Fortunately for Percy, Jason was good company and didn't treat her as much like royalty as anyone else would. When she suggested they skip the carriage and ride into town on horseback, he'd been the one to acquire the horses and get them past the palace gate.

"I trust you know where you're going," Jason said once they were well past the palace.

"I wrote ahead to Hazel," Annabeth told him. "She'll meet us in the port square."

If Jason didn't like the idea of visiting the port, he didn't say so. Instead, he rode with her in companionable silence until they arrived at their destination.

It was fortunate that Jason was there with her if only to take care of her horse. The moment she spotted Hazel, she leapt from the back of her horse and raced to embrace her friend.

Hazel had brought Frank and Leo with her, a surprise that almost had Annabeth in tears. As she attempted to pull all three of them into a hug at once, Jason chased down her horse that had darted off. By the time he returned, Annabeth was wiping happy tears from her cheeks and laughing at something Frank said.

"Is this your royal guard?" Hazel asked, glancing at Jason as he approached.

Annabeth turned to look at Jason and nodded. "This is Jason. He's more of a friend than a guard."

"How does that work?" Leo asked, eyeing Jason doubtfully. From the few experiences he'd had with the Athenian guards, Annabeth wasn't surprised by his doubt.

"We team up against my husband." She and Jason shared a grin. "He's also rather sneaky if you ever need out of the palace."

"Annabeth!" Hazel gasped. "That's dangerous."

"Oh, relax," Annabeth said, grabbing Hazel's hand reassuringly. "I haven't had the chance to take him up on the offer yet. A friend from Atlantis is the one that told me."

While Hazel still looked wary at the idea of Annabeth sneaking off, Leo seemed much more at ease. It didn't take long before he sidled up to talk with Jason while Annabeth listened to everything Frank and Hazel had to say.

They ended up walking through the streets. Annabeth wasn't sure who had suggested it or when they had decided on it, but eventually she found herself walking down the familiar streets of the port.

Many of the homes and businesses were still damaged from Octavian's attack a few months prior, but they were slowly recovering. Annabeth didn't miss the way that Hazel steered them away from where her father's bakery used to be, but she didn't fight her. She wasn't sure she wanted to see it.

When they arrived at the pier, Annabeth hesitated. She wanted to walk across the docks and see the sea again, but Jason couldn't leave the horses. Frank, although afraid of the large animals, offered to hold them instead, but Jason shook his head.

"Go ahead," he told Annabeth. "You deserve the moment alone."

Annabeth thanked him profusely then grabbed Hazel's arm and tugged her over to the pier. It had been far too long since either of them had taken a moment to walk through the docks and admire the ships that sailed there. While it had been a favourite past time of theirs in their youth, Annabeth couldn't remember the last time they'd done it.

"Tell me about Percy," Hazel said, holding Annabeth's arm as they walked. "Of everyone in the known world, I never would have thought the Prince of Atlantis would end up your husband."

Annabeth laughed. "Me neither."

"Is he good enough for you?" Hazel asked sternly. Annabeth looked at her in amusement but Hazel didn't back down. "Prince or not, he needs to be worthy of you before he earns my approval."

The sentiment made Annabeth's heart warm and she smiled softly. Hazel had been her best friend for years. Leaving her was Annabeth's only regret about living in Atlantis. If she thought Hazel would agree to leave her home, Annabeth would have offered her a place in Atlantis.

"He's wonderful, Hazel," Annabeth murmured, looking out over the water. "I don't think I could have ended up with anyone better."

She and Hazel shared a soft smile.

"I'm happy for you then," Hazel promised. "You deserve it."

They walked to the end of the pier in comfortable silence. The wind pulled at Annabeth's hair and the waves that crashed against the docks splashed her feet, but there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

"I saw Luke the other day," Hazel said, breaking the silence as they arrived at the end of the docks.

Annabeth's head whipped around the look at Hazel, her eyes wide.

"Luke?" she echoed. Hazel nodded. "Why is he back in Athens?"

It had been so long since Luke had disappeared. Along with Hazel, he was one of her oldest friends. She'd been devastated when he told them he was leaving Athens to become a sailor.

"He said he found someone," Hazel told her. She glanced around the docks. "He looked good for a sailor. I think he's been back for a while, actually."

"Do you know where he's at now?" Annabeth asked eagerly. The idea of him being nearby was almost too exciting to bear. She had been sure she would never see him again when he left.

"His ship, most likely," Hazel said, pointing to a large boat on the other side of the docks. "He's been rather successful."

"Let's go," Annabeth exclaimed, pulling Hazel in the direction of the ship.

"I don't know, Annabeth." Hazel looked around uneasily. "He seemed a little off when I talked to him."

"Just once, Hazel," Annabeth nearly begged. "I haven't seen him in years. This may be the only time I can."

It took a little convincing, but eventually Hazel agreed. While Annabeth pulled up her skirt and hurried across the docks, Hazel dragged behind. By the time Annabeth was standing at the bottom of the gang plank onto Luke's ship, Hazel was so far behind she was out of sight.

Annabeth paced in front of the gang plank, waiting anxiously for Hazel to join her before giving up. Hazel knew where to find her.

Wobbling only slightly, Annabeth walked up the gang plank and awkwardly stepped down into the ship. There were a few crew members scattered across the deck that she hadn't noticed before, but as soon as she stepped onto the ship, they turned to her.

"Hello," she said, suddenly very uncomfortable. "I'm looking for Luke. Luke Castellan. Is he here?"

The only response she got was the creaking of the floorboards and the fluttering of the sails.

"Who's asking?"

Annabeth's eyes darted over to the speaker. With his arms crossed and a patch covering one of his eyes, Annabeth worried she'd accidentally stepped aboard a ship of pirates.

"My name is Annabeth," she told him hesitantly. "The baker's daughter. We were friends growing up."

The man's lips twitched ever so slightly before he nodded.

"He's inside," he told her, stepping aside to reveal a door. "He's waiting for you, doll."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, darting towards the door eagerly.

The thought of seeing Luke after so long was so overwhelming she almost missed the way one of the crew members pulled in the gang plank. In fact, she was reaching for the door handle before she fully realised what the man with the eyepatch had said. By then, it was too late.

She whipped around to face the man only to be shoved harshly against the door behind her.

"No way out now, Your Highness" he sneered, turning her around roughly. With one large hand around her wrists, he pushed open the door with the other. "We've been waiting for you."