Archive of Our Own

It had started out simple enough.

A small game of truth and dare to blow off some steam with the other survivors of the wars. It had been a really long week as it was. Annabeth was finishing up one of her temples as Architect of Olympus. Percy was getting settled into an internship at a local marine institute.

No one they knew had died to a monster attack this week. No quests needed to be run off and done for the moment. 

Things were quiet for once.

Things were good.

And since it was the end of the month, that also meant a gathering of some of the veterans of the two wars to commiserate and blow off steam together. Almost always truth or dare because the other common party game of ‘Never Have I Ever’ hadn’t really made it past the first attempt.

(Way to blow off steam or not. After growing up with Gabe, Percy had never been fully comfortable around alcohol. The one time he had tried it, the taste had been repulsive to him.

And apparently it wasn’t a proper ‘Never have I ever’ if not all of them would get drunk. So rather than trying to keep pushing the matter with different types of alcohol that had been dropped from approved games.

If the group wanted to get together and get drunk. Percy was usually absent, and that was just understood as the way things were.)

Things start to go sideways when someone gives him a truth-or-dare about the entire Arch question. And whether or not he really was a listed terrorist at the ripe old age of 12.

Percy can’t help but roll his eyes at the question. It wasn’t like he had wanted to fight the chimera on a tiny platform. But considering his Uncle hadn’t given him much of a choice in the matter, they had ended up with a hole in a monument.

And him having to deal with being a wanted terrorist for the rest of the quest.

(Technically, probably none of that would have happened at all if they hadn’t made a stop at the Arch some part of him knew. But he had always argued that Echidna would most likely have just found them on the train. 

And then he would have been labeled a domestic terrorist for the Chimera blowing up a train if he had to guess. Because the mist really did hate him that much.)

And by the sounds of it, they didn’t even have the whole story. Since there was the whole thing with getting trapped fighting a chimera because of his 

“Truth. Though none of that would have happened if Uncle Zappy hadn’t decided to send Echidna with the Chimera after me in a mortal monument.”

The older he got, the more stupid some of the quest events looked in hindsight. He’s trying to retrieve his Uncle’s lightning bolt, but sure, let's send the mother of monsters and her chimera child after him to cause problems.

Wouldn’t be the last time they had godly interference on a quest. But at least, they usually weren’t causing problems.

No, that had been a problem almost exclusive to Zeus and Ares.

“Which wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t sent Medusa’s head to Olympus.”

“And what were we supposed to do with it? Lugging it across the country would have just gotten us labeled murderers because the mist hates me.”

He still stood by his decision at the time; it was the only one they could make. Even looking back, it was probably stupid, considering his Uncle had already tried to hit him with a bolt twice. So he would definitely give a different reason now than he did six years ago.

But it wasn’t like anyone bothered explaining proper offerings for another year. So even if he hadn’t been angry and fueled by that. He still probably would have ended up doing something sooner.

“Couldn’t you have sacrificed it to someone?” Thalia asked with a confused expression.

“Could have if someone had explained it to me how that actually works. But, like, with a lot of things that summer, I either never got told stuff. Or if I was told it wasn’t nearly enough to be helpful.”

Like sure, he knew sacrifices were a thing. He had been doing that at dinner. But that was the only kind of offerings he knew how to do. Annabeth had never mentioned any others, if he had even been in a mood to entertain the idea at the time.

“And because we ended up at her lair because of Uncle Zappy, I wasn’t in the best mood anyway.”

Clarisse tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean he decided to blow up our bus so we ended up on her trail.”

Which, honestly, he wasn’t sure was one hell of a coincidence. Or just another thing Zeus had tried to get rid of him. Honestly, after the last few years, it wouldn’t surprise him. 

But since it was just another incident of Zeus trying to probably kill him. He isn’t going to linger on it for now. Well, unless another question involving it came up, he guessed.

(He’s so caught up in his thoughts at the moment. That he would miss Clarisse shooting a look at Annabeth that showed something was off. Maybe if he had, he would have been suspicious of what was coming later.

Or maybe he would have still missed it. Because there was a big difference between being a simple liar who had displeased a Goddess. That was something relatively easy to do depending on the God.

And what was about to be found out.)

Anyway, he had answered way more than he needed to about the question anyway. “Thalia, Truth or Dare?”

It goes on for a while longer. There are a few odd questions here and there where someone seems surprised by the answer, especially about one of his old quests. But then again, he had never been really one to talk about the quests.

So he had no clue where they were getting their information from.

He actually isn’t sure what question it is that causes everything to go downhill eventually. Honestly, there were probably a few different questions that, looking back, could have finally triggered the Goddesses’ curse. Since there had been more than a few times that Annabeth had lied during the game, looking back way later at the situation.

But he doesn’t forget the moment after the question. Because the choice to curse his girlfriend would permanently change the course of their lives.

(Also, just how much had his girlfriend been lying during this game for the curse to activate here of all places? It probably was the safest place for it to activate here.

But he’s kinda surprised it doesn’t activate somewhere else.)

But one minute they are trying to have a game. The next Annabeth is apparently cursed by the Goddess of Truth for something she did to her temple when constructing it. 

“Annabeth, what did you do?” He can’t keep the exasperation out of his voice. He can already feel the headache forming. This isn’t the first time he’s had to do damage control over something Annabeth has done. But usually it doesn’t involve her work, thankfully.

Since he isn’t sure how successful the damage control would have been. Since he knows how defensive Annabeth is of her designs. Even if the Gods apparently don’t always like what she comes up with.

Like right now with the Goddess of Truth apparently.

In hindsight, he should have been paying closer attention to what was going on with his girlfriend and her work. So he could nip this in the bud before it became a real problem. But his new internship had kept him so busy recently he hadn’t had time to ask beyond the basic details.

(Had she really not asked any questions about what temple they wanted? He’s not the architect here, but this seemed like a basic thing when temples were so important to the Gods.

Maybe it was because he was the one that had to deal with the sham of a temple that was the Neptune toolshed. Though he didn’t know what Minerva’s looked like. He had a feeling it didn’t look great.

But he wasn’t sure if Annabeth had investigated either of the New Rome temples yet. She had been too focused on making sure Olympus was finished rebuilding before moving on to the city.)

This was not going to be pretty.

Clarisse turned to him to ask. “Percy you’ve got anything you want to ask? I gotta imagine there’s at least something knocking around considering besides Thalia you’re the closest to her.”

Oh there were plenty of questions he had. So many questions he had always wanted to ask after something happened but never had been able to get himself to actually ask them. 

Maybe it was because of his flaw of loyalty. (That was certainly making him struggle with the idea of actually asking Annabeth anything.) Maybe it was because he just didn’t want to know their actual answers. 

Maybe it was a stupid thing to ask about in the overall scheme of everything. But it was something that had always bothered him. He had tried to ignore it over the years as her just being emotional and angry in the moment.

But it had never gone completely away.

Annabeth had known him for nearly four years at that point. And a week out from when he might die she had decided then to call him a coward?

He would have understood it coming from Silena maybe because he had to leave Beckendorf behind. That was something that would have made sense at the time because he was even kicking himself over that even though he knew even now he hadn’t had a choice.

But she had been too busy blaming herself for being used by Luke. To even think about accusing him of being a coward.

It made no sense.

And it wasn’t even a matter of being called a coward that really bothered him. Since Triton had arguably done the same thing the first time they had met in Atlantis. They had eventually worked things out between the two of them after short discussions of both wars and Triton’s own history with previous siblings. They had come to an understanding over it.

He doesn’t think the God will ever apologize for making the comment. Which was normal as far as he knew when dealing with Gods so that was okay. But at least they had cleared up the misunderstanding so time in Atlantis wasn’t awkward at best downright hostile.

He won’t say things are perfect between him and his half brother. But they were better than they were at least.

But Annabeth…he had never been able to understand the comment no matter how much he had turned it in his head. Was it because of his reaction to the prophecy? That felt like the only explanation that had ever made any sense.

And as guilty he felt about even using this to ask this. He also knew that if he didn’t ask it would just three in the back of his mind. Wondering about the overall rather small comment in the overall scheme of things.

(Though if it was a small comment then why was he thinking about it nearly two years later? Why was it still bothering him two years later?

He should have forgotten about this years ago. And yet the not being able to understand her calling him a coward had never really left him.

Because just what had he done wrong to earn that comment?

Was It just because in the middle of a war. Right after he had found out he was about to die. He really hadn’t been ready to have some big romantic moment with her.

It just seemed cruel to get together if he was about to die. But that was a whole other thing probably.)

He had to know.

“Why did you call me a coward right before the Battle of Manhattan? Was this because of me learning about the Great Prophecy and still trying to mentally process it. Or was it something else entirely? Or some weird combination of all the above.”

Clarisse starts. “What the fuck.”

Oh yeah he hadn’t really considered possible comments from the rest of the group. Since he hadn’t really thought about how they might not have heard Annabeth’s comment.

(Even though she had said it kinda loud it felt like.)

Only to be cut off by Annabeth clearly reluctantly giving him her answer. The answer that will send them all reeling and their entire lives unraveling in the matter of a single moment.

Three simple sentences to change everything.

“Because I had been working for the Titan’s Army since before Luke had become Kronos’ host. And after everything I had seen, I had done what I had seen him do. I couldn’t understand your reaction.”

What?

He just stands there frozen for a moment. Trying to process what she had just said and failing entirely. This felt like it had to be a joke. And yet there was no punchline.

Annabeth was cursed to tell the truth. And she had told the truth. He had just never imagined this answer could be an answer.

Well, okay, maybe that was a lie, maybe he had worried a tiny bit when Annabeth was really on her rants about Luke.

But he had never really fully thought that she was working for the enemy. 

He remembered some part of him questioning whether Annabeth could be a spy. He had dismissed it as quickly as he had the idea of course. But with the amount of times she had defended Luke up until the final battle the idea had never really left him. No matter how guilty he had felt about it especially after the war was over. And they seemed to have found all the spies. And Annabeth was clean.

Or that’s what he had thought anyway.

“Well fuck.”

After that particular revelation about Annabeth having been a spy for Luke. Katie had restrained Annabeth from possibly walking off now that the truth was out. While Percy had tried to get up his Dad because at the moment he was the only one who could think of to tell what they just found out.

Only to be told by Thalia to sit back down. Since he wasn’t really in the state to explain what had just happened during their little game.

Which part of him knew that she was right. Since Percy was in shock he was pretty sure. He had never seen this coming in a million years coming into this. Though now with some more thought he could see the warning signs in hindsight but he had really thought they were fine. They had all thought they were fine.

They thought they had managed to sort things out and find the spies. And everyone who had needed to be served justice properly had. No one had ever expected to find another spy.

No one had ever expected it to be Annabeth of all people.

Not until Percy was looking back at all the comments during the second war. All the times she had defended Luke and insisted that they could save him somehow. And wondered that was supposed to be some sort of sign that she was a spy.

And he had never seen it.

How could he be so blind?

“You doing okay?” Thalia asked taking a seat next to him. She hadn’t walked away when he had from the questioning. Continuing to ask Annabeth various questions about the last several years.

“I feel like I should be asking you about that. Not the other way around. Especially since you were the one that stayed to keep asking her things.”

Maybe he was a coward for leaving. He knows he’ll have to face her and this reality soon enough. But at the same time he just can’t right now. 

The curse was on indefinitely anyway probably. So if he really wants to ask her questions he’ll do it later.

“Yeah and I regretted that quickly.” Thalia admitted with a cringe. “I knew she always had an issue letting go of Luke. But I never thought it ran that deep.”

“That makes both of us.”

He had thought they had gotten all the spies. But if Annabeth had managed to slip through the cracks because they had just assumed she was really misguided and stubborn in her beliefs.

Who else had they missed?

“You never had any spies in the hunters right?” Or at the very least if there had been any he had never heard about them.

“We managed to keep spies out of the Hunters. But that’s also because with the lady we take its harder to sneak around for another side.”

That actually made some sense.

“I just feel stupid for missing it.”

“We see what we want to see at times. And besides that it wasn’t like anyone else at camp noticed that she was spying during that whole time.”

“Yeah but you also know how she gets. She’s always been selective of who she makes friends with. So its not like there were many people to get close enough to notice.”

Except for maybe her cabin. But he also isn’t entirely sure how the dynamic with her siblings works.

And there was also Piper. She had to miss this because of some conflict of timing. So she wasn’t there for the big great reveal. He knew the two of them were close. And she had just broken up with Jason.

So she was going to be hit by multiple sides.

The only other person who was around Annabeth enough to maybe have noticed the behavior was his Mom. And she wasn’t around the war nearly enough to know the full extent of Annabeth’s loyalty to Luke was. 

Especially with him not telling her everything that happened each summer. She would implode if she knew that he was pretty sure.

Oh, Mom.

Mom adored Annabeth to the point somehow she had told her about Estelle before Percy. That was something that had stung at the time. And now knowing where Annabeth’s loyalties actually lied stung even more.

How was she going to react to all of this?

His stomach turned in anxiety at the thought of her not taking it well. She was his Mom. He wanted to say everything would be fine. But nothing had been the same since he had come back from the second war.

He already felt like he was being pushed out at times. Even though she had never said anything.

How was she going to handle finding out Annabeth was a spy? The demigod kid that she probably had always wanted since she was so much easier to deal with then a Big 3 kid like him. 

He was going to have to tell her what happened since this was the end of their relationship. But he had no clue how to tell her at the moment.

(His therapist was definitely going to point out the next time they talked. That him being worried about losing his Mom because he lost Annabeth was not healthy. And he already knew that.)

“You okay?” He blinked. He had actually forgotten Thalia was still with him. “You looked like you were really lost in your thoughts there for a second.”

“Just worried how some people are going to react to this, that’s all.”

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he was worried that he might lose his Mom over this. That wasn’t something normal people worried over, he knew that. Normal people turned to their parents for support when things like this happened.

But he had never been normal.

“If someone can’t support us because the other person hurt us. Then we probably shouldn’t be around them.”

“Yeah that’s easier said than done when we’re talking about my Mom. She adores Annabeth. She was so happy when the two of us got together. I don’t know how she’s going to take this news.”

“Oof yeah I forgot for a moment how close those two are. She’s probably not going to take it easy.”

“No.” He agreed.

At least it was just his Mom he would have to worry about he guessed. His Dad was going to be over the moon at the news of them breaking up no one on his Dad’s side had ever approved of their relationship. 

Not so much about spying thing though. 

“Maybe it’s the coward way but I’m staying in the Cabin tonight. I cannot deal with Mom’s reaction on top of everything.”

If she asks why he didn’t come home. He just will say he got busy getting caught up with friends. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. So she wouldn’t think twice about the excuse.

He could only put it off for so long of course. But he had already had one difficult conversation (if you could call it that) for the day. Pardon him for not wanting to have a second one quiet yet.

“Honestly I probably wouldn’t either if I were you.” He’s not sure if that makes him feel better or worse about his choice. “If you want I can cover for you if she calls.”

“I’ll think about it.”

At the very least he needed a few hours if not a night to pull himself together. Before he could give his Mom an explanation that made sense. So letting Thalia field the calls might be his best choice.

He’s not sure who eventually remembers that they need to call the Gods about this. Since they had all kind of gotten wrapped up in the situation at first. But a couple of hours after later they had to explain just what the curse had spilled out.

What could be followed next was chaos.

First like he had predicted his Dad had been happy about the breakup. And then he had gotten angry about finding out that she had been spying for the enemy.

And then after that his Dad had insisted he get seen for a healer. Because despite Percy’s many protest that he was fine. That the only effects from this reveal were mental ones of finding out your girlfriend was a traitor he didn’t believe him.

And he wanted to make sure that Annabeth hadn’t done something they had missed. Which Percy appreciated the thought, really, even if he thought it was over the top. Even if Annabeth had hurt him he had probably long healed from the water. So that just made him want to not do it even more. Since if he got seen by a healer there was no way they weren’t finding out about Gabe.

And he had buried everything with Gabe in the past a long time ago. Gabe was dead, he couldn’t hurt him. People didn’t need to know about Gabe. But his Dad was nothing but insistent about seeing a healer.+

Percy really did think this was overkill and that he didn’t need to do more then give his testimony of what he knew Annabeth had been doing. And that should be the extent of it.

His Dad disagreed on it. Which considering how overprotective he was at times. It was very predictable as annoying as it was.

But he wasn’t ready to talk about what growing up with Gabe was like. Why he really was so opposed to drinking alcohol, not even to the therapist his Dad had gotten him. Even though that had come up in a couple of sessions in the vaguest sense of the terms. He had never gone beyond ‘Mom’s first husband was a shitty person.’.

Percy tended to steer their sessions towards talking about surviving the wars. And everything else he had been put through due to being a demigod. While managing to avoid his childhood for the most part.

(There had to be some irony in the fact that he would rather talk about the two wars he survived. Then the abuse he had endured at his stepfather for years.)

No one knew the truth of what growing up with Gabe had been like. And he hadn’t been sure if he would ever tell people the truth.

But now he didn’t seem to have a choice, or he didn’t have one really truly. He could say no but he knows he will just keep getting pressed until he says yes most likely.

All because one simple question towards Annabeth was now causing everything else to come out.

They needed to know if Annabeth had done something that had hurt him. Which meant a full body check up. Which meant they were going to find out about what his childhood was actually like. 

A secret he had managed to keep for over a decade. A secret that he had managed to keep long after Gabe’s death. A secret that he had managed to keep even as he had worked through the fact his Mom was dating again. And the only other boyfriend he remembered was Gabe. And he knew how well that had turned out.

Despite all of that the secret was about to be spilled.

Percy knows when his Dad finds out about Gabe. Since he almost instantly is out of the infirmary and doesn’t return for several minutes.

It was years too late to do anything of course. Gabe was dead and hopefully rotting in the Fields Of Punishment like he deserved. But it was still nice to know that if his Dad had known he would have done something.

That he had been right about this one thing growing up.

“I knew he was an unpleasant man. But I did not know the extent of that. Or else you’re mother and I would been having words.”

“She was just trying to protect me.”

By putting him in direct reach of a different kind of monster. But he wasn’t going to point that out at this point. He’s pretty sure that’s the unspoken elephant in the room.

“And just how long did you have to deal with this man for?”

“She married him when I was seven.”

Which knowing what he does now he has to wonder if it was connected to Thalia being turned into a tree. He’s not sure how she would have found out about it though…But the timing just felt too coincidental to not be connected to him.

“He wasn’t bad when they first got together. Not the nicest guy but bearable at least. But after he moved in and they got married he had no reason to hide what he was really like around either of us. It wasn’t that bad.” 

He tries to downplay while knowing just how bad growing up with Gabe had been. Even though he knows that is pretty much a futile effort. He still feels the need to protect his Mom from his Dad’s incoming wrath.

“I just had to avoid him which was easy enough when I attended boarding school.” 

Never mind that had gotten harder as he had gotten older. And was harder to do during the dead of winter when he was back from school. “Besides Mom had it worse she lived with him constantly for the next five years.”

After all she was the one that was married to Gabe all those years. Just so she could keep him by her side safely.

(Never mind that it had never been safe for either of them. The amount of threats Gabe used to make against him growing up…The amount of times he had worried that Gabe might go through with it.

Their place had never been safe until Gabe was a statue. And even then it had taken a while for it to feel safe. Because Percy was so used to it not being so that it was a shift in things for him.

His Dad was right as much as he hated to admit it. He should have been sent to camper way sooner then he had. It would have been safer for everyone involved.)

“Your mother having to endure that man’s abuse does not negate what you went through.” His Dad said softly. “Did she know about him being abusive to you??”

“No,” Percy said with a head shake. “With Gabe’s gambling habits she was always working long hours. And so it was always easy to hide it from her.”

Sometimes a little too easy. He does wonder if she had ever known if she would have had a different opinion on sending him to camp. But there was no way to know because he was never going to tell her the truth about what had happened.

He noticed a frown cross his Dad’s face at that comment. But whatever is bothering him he doesn’t actually say. And Percy is too tired at this point to ask.

Especially since he has a feeling whatever it is he isn’t going to like.

“Anyway he’s dead now so it’s not like he can hurt me anymore.”

“He is but that doesn’t mean I can’t pay him some attention in the Underworld.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

It would be nice to know that someone else made Gabe pay for what he had done. But his Dad was a busy God and already had taken plenty of time to address the issue. 

He probably didn’t really have the time for this.

“No I don’t have to.” His Dad agreed. “But this is something I want to do. No one messes with my child and fails to pay the consequences.”

And that was the end of it. Or at least as far as Gabe went and discoveries involving Percy.

As for everything else…they were just getting started.

Annabeth had lied about the quests.

That shouldn’t have really come as a surprise. After all if she was lying about what she was doing during the wars. Of course she would be lying about the quests.

And it was only now that he was finding out about quest reports for the first time. Because he had never been told they were a thing. Even after he had lead one Chiron had always gotten the reports from Annabeth.

(It would make him question Chiron’s supposed truths even more a couple of weeks later. Had he really just bought into what had happened from her? Even when there were other people he could have asked about the quest.

Even if he didn’t know Annabeth was a spy.

Was he really all that innocent in all of this?)

So he got to watch his Dad find out about some things in real time for the first time. The chimera attack, (His Dad had been ready to step out and strangle his Uncle over that one. So maybe that being left out wasn’t the worst choice.) the sportoi, the entire sphinx incident.

Annabeth had spent years crafting an image of him. A loose cannon. Someone who never would consider other people. Sometimes something she had done had been blamed on him. Or sometimes it had been left out entirely.

The entire point was to try and make Olympus not trust him. So he would feel secretly pushed in the direction of the Titan’s Army.

Annabeth just had never accounted for how loyal he was. Despite knowing each other for as long as they had. It seemed like she never had really known him.

And maybe that was for the best.

Because he’s not sure what she would have done if she had.

Sparring with Triton was always a good way to get things off of his chest. Without feeling like for the most part he would be judged for his feelings on certain subjects.

(Triton wasn’t his therapist. His therapist was someone actually trained to handle this kind of shit. But talking to Triton sometimes helped and Triton didn’t seem to mind him venting too much so that’s how they ended up in these conversations.)

Or if Triton did decide to be judgy on a subject. He tended to be point blank about things that often times Percy needed to hear. It was just something he didn’t realize sooner. 

So other than that debacle that was their first meeting. Things were okay between them. And he had a working relationship with his Dad’s family. Something that he had thought was impossible a few years ago.

“I just feel like a failure for not noticing it sooner.”

It’s a conversation he kept having. Because he still had a hard time wrapping his head around. How had he missed the fact that Annabeth was a spy? How had he never realized that she had always been loyal to Luke?

The warning signs had been there of course. But apparently he had never thought she would pick Luke over everyone else.

Which was stupid in hindsight they had known each other for five almost six years now. They had been dating for almost two of them. He should have been the first one to realize his girlfriend had been spying.

And yet he had missed it the whole time.

“It’s easier to miss things when you are so involved in the situation sometimes. What should be abnormal at times just flies under the radar.”

Not for the first time Percy got the impression that Triton was talking about a very particular experience. But Triton also tended to be cagey about certain topics. So Percy had never asked for an explanation.

Someday he was going to find a demigod friendly book about Triton. And read up on what probably was causing these responses from Triton. But for now he just had to take the advice without the context.

“True.”

“Have you told your mother yet? I know you said before they were close.”

“No. I don’t know how to break the news to her that ‘Oh yeah the girl I’m dating and you basically consider your own daughter really was a traitor the whole time.’ So I’ve been kind of avoiding it.”

He thinks his Mom knows something is up. But because its actually attached to the Greek world she hasn’t asked him about it yet. Though if he doesn’t say anything she probably will eventually.

If nothing else the fact that Annabeth was no longer coming to visit. Would be a dead giveaway that something had changed.

He guesses he could just keep it simple and say they broke up and that’s why she’s no longer visiting. But with how close the two are there is no way he can keep it just at that.

“I’ll have to tell her eventually of course. And its probably stupid but I’m worried how she’s going to take it.”

“And to think none of this would have even started if we hadn’t asked her why she accused me of being a coward before the Battle of Manhattan.”

He wonders what his life looks like in that time line. Would it have been easier to just never know? But then all the people who she had hurt with spying would never have seen justice. So no as much as it hurt.

It was probably for the best someone had finally asked about that.

“Why did she accuse you of that anyway? I know why I personally thought that. But with the amount of time you spent around the camp that year from what you told me the comment seems…odd.”

He didn’t understand girls at the best of times. And he apparently had understood Annabeth even less then he thought was possible.

Which was even more ironic to think about knowing that she had been spying for Luke the whole time. She really was trying to play both sides it seems.

“She apparently wanted some big romantic kiss I guess before we rode off into battle. And she thought saying that might get it I guess.”

It was so cliche and yet he had never thought that’s what it had been about. Until she told him that was apparently part of the reason for the comment 

“I just had found out that apparently I was going to die in a week. Yeah not in right mental head space is the tamest way of describing that. But she I guess didn’t remember even though she had known it for six years I had only been told the partial amount she had decided was appropriate when we were both 13.”

That had always bothered him.

Even before all this had come out she had known he had never known the full details of the prophecy. And that was part of her responsibility because apparently she had known the whole thing since she was 10. And then lied about knowing the full thing when they were 13.

Like he would have understood if she had told him that she had been forbidden from telling him the whole thing. That would have been a decision that would have actually made sense. But he knows Chiron has a tendency to not punish his favorites.

And Annabeth had always been one of his favorites. 

He hadn’t even seen the centaur since the fateful game. Apparently he was going to be interrogated separated to see what he had known about Annabeth’s spying, if he had known anything.

Percy’s hoping that it’s nothing. He’s not sure how well camp will handle losing not one but two major pillars like that if Chiron was also working for the Titans.

(The implications alone of what he could have been doing without any of them realizing…How easily they could have lost the war if Chiron was a traitor…)

“Your camp is nothing but resilient. I am sure even if it will be difficult. You will bounce back again.”

Percy managed to avoid telling his Mom about what was happening for an impressive while. Almost until Annabeth’s trial date.

But eventually he has to say something. He can’t keep avoiding it forever. And with the trial fast approaching he couldn’t just keep avoiding her because if he didn’t tell Mom about what had happened. Then it was going to be bothering him during the entire trial and he wouldn’t be able to focus on what was going on.

“So Annabeth and I aren’t together anymore.”

His Mom got a concerned look on her face. “Did something happen to her? Is she dead?”

Okay maybe should have lead with a better start in hindsight. Considering they were both demigods assuming that Ananbeth was possibly dead in a monster attack wasn’t much of a stretch. 

(Though admittedly depending on what was found out. She might end up dead by the end of the trial just for working for the enemy depending on what exactly she did.

She had sided with the enemy and Gods ad smited people for less reasons. Than siding with the enemy. The only reason he thinks she is still is alive and not already smited by some God angry over her involvement in the war.

Is the intel she can probably provide.

She had been close to Luke. Luke had been the host of Kronos. She would probably know things the other surviving demigods never had.)

And there was probably something to be said about the fact. That his Mom’s first thought wasn’t to think they hadn’t broken up with each other. Which to be fair he had thought their relationship was solid before the game.

Now he’s questioning just how much truly he understood her let alone their relationship. If she had been able to hide this for so long.

“No. She’s alive. But something came up that made staying together kinda impossible.”

Well more then kinda. But part of him was still processing the entire situation. And the fact that this was how their relationship ended up dissolving out of all ways.

His Mom’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What do you mean by impossible if she is still alive?”

Percy hesitated for a second longer. Still trying to think of the best way to put this into words. But there probably wasn’t any easy way to do this other than to just be blunt. “Annabeth confessed to the fact that she was spying on us for the enemy during the first war.”

Two days before Annabeth’s trial. Percy manages to finally convince enough people to let him see her one last time with a mostly private audience.

He had to have an escort of course. Since while she was technically disarmed. It was just an extra safety measure his Dad insisted on.

(Which actually considering what had happened with the sirens. Probably wasn’t an over the top insistence. And also considering how much she had managed to hide from all of them.

Yeah the escort was a good idea all around. Even it stings as another reminder of how much he can’t trust Annabeth. How much he never really should have trusted her.

How much everything was built on a lie.)

There’s really a multitude of questions he had on her choices. But there was only one that he really needed answered. Only one that definitely wouldn’t be asked during the trial because it was a personal question.

“Did you ever actually care for me or was the whole thing for show?”

The question had been lingering in the background of his mind since the revelation had happened. Had Annabeth actually ever had any feelings for him? Or had she just viewed him as a trophy for surviving the war?

Had all the dates and romantic feelings been entirely one sided? And if they had why was she so interested in it? What was the entire point of it? Was it just because she wanted some kind of prize?

He almost hadn’t asked the question because he had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer. But he had to have some kind of answer to it. Or else it was going to bother him for the rest of his existence.

Luke had tried to kill him multiple times over. Had tried to kill her several times as well (that time on the boat, making her hold up the sky). And Percy had tried to be the best friend and then later boyfriend possible.

And yet she had still sided with Luke.

“I cared!”

If it weren’t for the curse that she still had cast on her. He would have thought she was lying about the statement since it seemed like she said it a bit too fast.

But the curse was still in place. So she must at least believe it in part. And he hadn’t exactly missed the fact she had said it in past tense.

Cared.

Not care.

Which meant at some point something had changed. At some point she had stopped caring. Part of him wants to ask what happened. What incident it had been over the years. 

(He has several guesses on the subject.)

But he can’t bring himself to actually ask.

Anything else can just come out in the trial. He doesn’t need to know more about what Annabeth thinks.

The last thing before Annabeth’s trial. Is Chiron being brought into questioning if he ever knew about where Annabeth’s actual loyalties were.

There had been a lot of people coming in and out of Olympus over the past few days. Questioning what they did and didn’t know about Annabeth’s actual involvement in spying on them.

A lot more then Percy ever being involved in other traitor demigods. But he guesses it makes sense. Annabeth had not only managed to hide it from all of them but had been rewarded by the Olympians.

This had to be some sort of insult to them at the very least.

(They were camp leaders. Or they were supposed to be anyway. Half the time leading up to the Battle of Manhattan Percy hadn’t felt like he actually was.

That he only got handed the title out of expectancy. Not because he was the right person for the job.

Partly because half the time he never seemed to know really what was going on. Which made more sense knowing that Annabeth was never actually really loyal to their side.

Just fooling them this whole time.)

And to be honest, while he was hoping that he was wrong. He hadn’t been lying when he had told Triton that he was worried about how much Chiron actually knew about her activities. He was expecting camp to get turned upside down by all of this.

And yet somehow Chiron walked free.

Chiron somehow hadn’t known.

It seemed too convenient. But with the magic that was involved with the questioning it was more then a bit difficult to lie. So he had to be telling the truth, right?

But it was just…Annabeth had been his favorite. He had been her father figure since she had run away from home. He had done things like tell the Great Prophecy to her when he really shouldn’t have.

And yet he somehow didn’t know Annabeth had been working for Kronos this entire time?

Something didn’t add up.

But the trial wasn’t about Chiron and his actions in the war. It was about Annabeth and what she had chosen to do. So the pestering question would have to wait until another time.

No matter how much they were bothering him right now.

There hadn’t really been trials for the others. Most of the others had either been banished or pardoned. Annabeth’s situation was a bit unique in that they were holding a whole trial.

And he guesses it probably has something to do with the fact she was formally the Architect of Olympus. And her mother was Athena. Since he doesn’t think without either of those things she would have been afforded anything beyond an instant banishment.

Not with how trigger happy some members of the family were anyway.

Percy knows technically he didn’t have to attend the trial. His part in the whole thing was done. And the question that he had really needed answered was done.

But he needs to know how this ends. Or at least try to because this wasn’t going to be easy to watch. Since he was about to find out how much just everything he thought he knew about Annabeth was built on lies.

“Two accounts of conspiracy to prevent ascension of a being.”

Two accounts? Percy frowned at that in confusion. He knew about how the promise had messed apparently with his own ascension now. But he wasn’t sure who else she had messed with or conspired with apparently.

Probably one of the other campers that had survived the war or maybe Thalia? But he hadn’t had a chance to talk to any of them since that faithful night. 

They really did need to have a talk he thought as he caught sight of her sitting next to Artemis. He doesn’t know if any of the upcoming charges have anything to do with her.

But if anyone can understand what he’s feeling right now. It would be Thalia. 

“One account of attempt to directly prevent ascension of a being.”

He frowns looking up at his Dad. “What’s the difference?”

Since apparently Annabeth was only be charged with one account for this. Versus the two accounts of the other.

“Conspiracy means she was working with someone else to plan it. Attempting means she actually made choices that would have prevented an ascension. For example making you promise to never use your poison abilities.”

Oh.

That made sense.

“Whose the other person she conspired about?”

“Your satyr friend and Lord of the Wild, Grover Underwood.”

Well he feels stupid for not thinking of Grover earlier. But in his defense with how busy they had been recently he wouldn’t have been around him to notice that he might be ascending.

But it makes sense. If he’s ascending Grover would be ascending too. Between being Pan’s heir and them having a empathy link. This would be something that they would impact each other.

“Is Grover okay?” He feels like he would know if something had happened. But then he missed his friend starting to ascend so maybe not.

“He is fine. Dionysus making him Lord of the World along with his status as Pan’s heir. Provided him some protections that you did not have.”

“Good.”

He’ll have to catch up with Grover after this. Since if he was reeling over what Annabeth had done he can’t imagine Grover’s having a much easier time. They had known each other for longer after all.

Besides it had been way too long since the two of them had just hung out.

“Multiple accounts of attempted murder of a Hero of Olympus.”

That he wasn’t sure where to start with. Looking back after having seeing Apollo’s file he gets where the charges are coming from. But it was still hard to wrap his head around.

And then there had been the potion reveal.

He knew Annabeth had struggled with his powers. But he had never realized how much. She had been so good at hiding everything from them.

But still hearing how she had tried to kill him. It was still a hard thing to process. The ones he knew for definite sure about.

(Like the judo flipping incident didn’t look so innocent in hindsight. That had been a calculated attempt only stopped by the Little Tiber. Which was more of an accident then anything else.

No one had known Annabeth was a spy then.)

“Multiple attempts to murder demigods to prevent ascension."

Percy frowns at that. This was the first time hearing that he wasn’t the only demigod in his generation bound for Godhood. It made sense of course after all the shit they had been through.

But he had to wonder how Annabeth had managed to figure it out. Who else did they not know had never been on their side truly and wanted them gone?

Who else had he nearly lost because he hadn’t been paying closer attention to his ex?

“Perseus.” He looks up at his Dad. “One thing you’re going to have realize is even as a God there is no way you can know everything. No matter how much you wish you could.”

He had a feeling he wasn’t just talking about Annabeth’s spying then.

“You not missing what she was doing is not your fault to shoulder entirely. There are other people who should have caught it. Chief among them her mortal family from what I know.”

“Two accounts of helping set up the deaths of demigods marked for ascension."

That maybe hurt more then the last one. To know Annabeth had actually succeeded with someone. That they had friends who weren’t supposed to be dead. And she had managed to help cut their strings short.

Two people maybe not a lot of people in the overall scheme of things he guesses. But it was still two people too many in his opinion.

“Multiple accounts of treason against Olympus.”

But then again how well had he actually known her? Not that well apparently if she had spied for years and he had never picked up on it. 

How differently would have things played out if Chiron hadn’t pushed the two of them together? How much of Annabeth spying was successful because of what Chiron had done?

(Again how had Chiron never known? It just seemed so far fetched. But if Chiron had passed the questioning then he really didn’t know, right?)

Maybe he is going crazy and overthinking this. But he has to say something at least. “Dad?”

“Hm?”

“Is there a way for Chiron to be questioned about his loyalty. While leaving out whether or not he knew if Annabeth was a spy?”

“I just-. Something feels off about everything involving Chiron ever since he got questioned. And I can’t explain why.”

Maybe it was his potential domains coming into play? After all Apollo had said considering how strong his loyalty was him inheriting it wasn’t a stretch. He doesn’t want to really think about it but if Chiron wasn’t truly loyal like he was claiming.

Then maybe that is what he is picking up on?

“Maybe I’m reading too much into this.”

“Perseus you were at the center of this more then even us Gods. You would know better in the moment if Chiron has done something suspect. If you feel he needs a second questioning, then trust your gut.”

“Okay, then I really think we need to talk to Chiron again.”

Percy doesn’t make it through the whole trial and having to listen to Annabeth try and fail to come up with defenses. Maybe it’s the cowardly thing to do. To dip out after a certain point in the questioning. After hearing Annabeth defend herself and Luke for the Gods’ knows how many time.

But he can’t stay.

He can’t listen to her reveal just how much of their relationship was actually a lie. How long she had really been with Luke on his side. How she had been convinced for so long that if she just did something right he would come to his senses.

Which well part of that tracked with her behavior after that one winter solstice admittedly.

Even though he knows that Thalia had talked about the fact that Luke had been railing against the Gods long before Kronos became a whisper in his mind. That Luke had been arguably long gone before they even entered camp.

It had just taken her time to realize that.

Apparently Annabeth had never fully realized it. And had been faking it the whole time.

(Which hurt in its own way. He thought she might be finally understanding when Silena had died. As horrible and tragic as it was that was the moment that brought her clarity.

But apparently she had been acting the whole time.)

Something about her never realizing it. About never fully accepting the situation or understanding that Luke was wrong breaks something in him.

He probably should keep watching to know just how much she played him for the last seven years of their lives. But it was already bad and they hadn’t gotten to the some more personal stuff she had done to him.

The things he knew that his Dad had insisted on pressing.

But he can’t keep watching another part of his life crumble away.

Maybe he really is a coward like Annabeth accused him of all those years ago. But just this once he’s fine being the coward.

Rebuilding after the trial was…difficult.

Something about Annabeth’s trial had been a reality check. One that his therapist had been coaxing him slowly towards before then. But walking out of the court room after Annabeth had tried to explain her choice again had brought it into clarity.

The fact Annabeth was a spy should be devastating to him. She was his now ex girlfriend. They had been close for seven years ago. Or at least he thought they had.

Losing someone like this would be devastating. It would have been easier to lose her in the wars in a way.

And then Chiron- that was a whole other thing.

But eventually they ended up finding out Percy was right. Chiron had been loyal to the Titans. He had just managed to pass questioning the first time. Because he hadn’t known that Annabeth was a traitor as well.

They had been doing different things and reporting to different people. So it hadn’t been a lie that Chiron didn’t know Annabeth was a spy.

Chiron’s trial had been almost worse then Annabeth’s. Annabeth’s had been personal. And in a way so had Chiron’s, but with Chiron he had done so much damage long before the war had begun. So much no one had ever known about.

He had been plotting Olympus’ downfall longer than anyone had known. He just had never had the means until Kronos had begun to rise again.

Things with his Mom were…difficult. She had always seen Annabeth as another child. So to learn what she had done. Well Percy lost a girlfriend and a friend in a swoop. His Mom lost another child. And that would definitely sting for the rest of her life.

It was the beginning of a change with the two of them. And Percy wasn’t entirely sure where it was going to go from here. Especially as during the same checkup his Dad had found out about Gabe. Especially now with Percy being on a path to ascension.

And Percy wasn’t sure where things were going to go from there. He hadn’t entirely missed the fact his Mom had started pulling away more and more from the Greek world after the first war.

(Which was her choice. But it made things difficult the more entangled he became with it. And now with him on the path to Godhood he would always be a part of the world.)

So he can’t imagine she’s going to take the news of his ascension when he eventually broke it all that great. He just hopes he doesn’t lose her entirely. He does want her for as long as he can have her. However long that ends up being.

Finding out he wasn’t the only ascending demigod had helped things. Since it meant things wouldn’t be so lonely. Since he loved his immortal family but sometimes he needed more company.

(He had no plans on finding someone to date anytime soon after he had realized how much of a disaster his relationship with Annabeth had actually been. Friendships were good, friendships were nice. He didn’t need anything more right now.)

So things should be okay.

Eventually.

Just like with a lot of things it was going to take time.