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Annabeth Chase was many things. She was proud, charismatic, highly intelligent, and ambitious. One thing she could never be accused of however is uncaring.
The queen of Athens loved with all her heart. She did not love easily, but when she did, she would do anything to hold that love close. Whether it be her people, her family, or her lover, Percy Jackson.
She loved Percy with all her heart, so much so that despite her entire council opposing their relationship, she refused to listen.
Granted, she wasn’t married to him. However much she would have liked it, their stations didn’t allow them to. She was a queen, and he was the captain of her guard, but that didn’t stop her. She wasn’t about to leave him. Not with how deeply she loved him. Not with how deeply he loved her.
She refused to leave him even as she was set to marry. They’d wanted to cement the alliance with Sparta by having her marry the princess, Hazel Levesque. Her first instinct had been to refuse. Why would she want to bind herself to a princess she’d never met from a nation she’d been at war with for as long as she could remember?
And yet, it was her love for her people that pushed her to agree. This war had been devastating to the people of Athens. It had been decades of nothing but suffering for all of them, with the threat of death being turned into an expectation. Food was scarce and water was difficult to get, multiple sieges had seen to that. Children were born into this war, so much so that they don’t even know what a moment of peace feels like. She had been one of those children, and she was tired. Tired of the fighting, tired of the war. Tired of waking up every day wondering if today was the day she’d finally die.
So she agreed to the marriage. This would end the war and bring forth an era of peace for all of them, which she was going to strive to maintain for as long as she was able.
And yet, she’d refused to give up Percy. It didn’t matter how many times her advisors tried to convince her, she would refuse time and time again. She was not going to give Percy up no matter what.
And besides, ruling monarchs rarely stayed exclusive to their spouses, so it wasn’t like she was doing anything new here.
And so, she was set to meet the Spartan Princess today as they discussed the terms of their marriage. This meeting would decide the fate of their people.
The meeting went well enough. Typical demands were made: trade offers, military support should the need arise, asylum in case of troubled times, exchange of hostages, and all the others.
Then came time for Annabeth’s main term. “I’m sure you know about my lover, Percy Jackson.”
Hazel nodded. It wasn’t that she flaunted her relationship with Percy, very few people knew about him in fact, but given she was set to marry Hazel, she had the princess informed ahead of time.
“I am well aware of him.” Hazel gave her a loaded look. “I will not ask that you cut ties with him completely, but I will ask that you keep your… liaisons secret.”
Annabeth stared at Hazel for a moment, who simply gave her a wry smile. “I am well aware of royal concubines, Your Majesty. I was not expecting you to be rid of one of yours for this marriage.”
Annabeth shook her head. “If that’s the case, Princess Hazel, then I do believe we have reached an accord.”
Hazel nodded and the preparations were done. Soon, they would be wed and all this would be behind them. She only hoped that this peace would hold.
Percy would be lying if he said he was completely alright with Annabeth’s upcoming wedding. He did understand the need for it of course, but that didn’t mean he was happy with it.
It didn’t help that her bride-to-be, Hazel, was genuinely kind. It made being angry with her so much harder.
She’d gone out of her way to tell him she did not expect his and Annabeth’s relationship to end after their marriage was official. When she told him that, it took all of his training to remain composed and not show his shock.
He did appreciate her approval though. While he would not give up Annabeth for anything, the fact that Hazel would not raise a fuss regarding this did alleviate some headaches.
That being said, it was the cause of a few other headaches in and of itself. The wedding itself was irritating, with Percy needing to manage the increased security required for such an event. Then he had to coordinate with the Spartan guard head, Nico di Angelo, to make sure all went well.
That being said, the wedding itself was fine enough. He and Nico had managed to strike up a tentative level of comradery during this short time. He was Hazel’s escort to Athens, and he would be going back to Sparta as soon as the wedding ended, so it wasn’t like the two could truly become close.
Seeing Annabeth married to another did hurt a bit, but not as much as he’d thought. He found that it didn’t matter all that much. Annabeth loved him and that was the end of it.
The few weeks that followed were odd. Instead of spending most of his time guarding Annabeth, he’d spent it guarding Hazel. With Hazel being new and from Sparta, there were many who might wish her harm. As such, it only made sense that the most skilled guard would be the one to protect her. That meant Percy found himself more often than not escorting her around the city.
During these trips, she made it her mission to try and get Percy to break and laugh. It wasn’t an easy task for her. Not that Percy was particularly cold with her, he saw no point in that. Percy had simply honed his stoicism to a point where nothing could break it.
Well, almost nothing could break it. Annabeth was always able to break through his shell. So far, she had been the only one able to make him smile when he was at his post. It was how the two had begun their friendship that evolved into more.
And it was this exact process that Hazel seemed to be trying to employ. And yet, it didn’t seem forced from her. She seemed to genuinely want to get closer to him for some reason, and he found himself not minding all that much.
One day, the two found themselves on the run from some would-be assassins. Had he been alone, Percy could have easily cut through them, but he had Hazel’s safety to worry about. They ran from alleyway to alleyway, ducking and hiding where they could in hopes that they would finally lose them.
It took some time, but eventually, they made it to safety. Hazel had been slightly shaken but other than that she was fine. On their way back to the keep, she turned to him.
“You know, we were running for quite some time.”
“And?” He wasn’t sure where she was going with this.
“And you’ve been hard at work the whole day.”
“Yes, I have. Where are you going with this?” His tone was curious, not unkind.
She simply smiled. “Well, with your stamina, I see why Annabeth appointed you to such a demanding position.”
Her tone was innocent enough, but Percy couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him. Hazel simply smiled wider, her mission a success.
He shook his head and guided her back to the palace. Perhaps he could actually be friends with his love’s new wife.
Annabeth had settled into a new routine after her wedding. She’d wake up with Percy as he got ready to take his post before breaking her fast with Hazel. She and Percy rarely managed to spend much time together in the mornings even before she’d gotten married.
After that, she and Hazel would spend some time managing the kingdom together before they split for their daily activities.
Hazel would spend most of her time then in the city, meeting its people and getting to know them. Annabeth had made sure Percy was the one guarding her. For one, he was the best swordsman in either kingdom, with few even coming close to his level of skill. He would be the best suited to make sure that Hazel was kept safe.
And she’d also hoped the two might become friends as a result. The time she spent with Hazel was fruitful, and she’d found herself growing closer to her wife. As a result, she’d hoped that she and Percy would also grow close, or at the very least form an amicable relationship.
For weeks, she’d lay in bed with Percy as he’d recount his day to her. For weeks, it had been standard. He’d escort Hazel through the city as she tried to get him to break his stoic mask, a commendable effort Annabeth would have to admit, before coming back to her as they spent their night together.
That was until one day, he entered her chambers with a smile on his face.
“You look happy,” his smile grew even wider at that.
He tucked a curl behind her ear and cupped her face gently. “Seems your little plan succeeded.”
She smiled and leaned into his palm. “When did you find out?”
He pulled back and began stripping off his armor. She kept her eyes on him as his toned physique made its appearance. “Around the second day. You might be subtle, but you’re not that subtle.”
She ignored the jab in favor of prodding him for answers. And so, he explained what happened that day. She had gotten concerned when Percy explained about the assassins, worrying they might still be out there, but Percy explained that he sent his men after them to find their entire operation. They would be dealt with soon enough.
“She’s quite the person, that wife of yours.” He smiled gently and she couldn’t help but mirror it.
As he took off his last piece of armor, he sat at the edge of the bed. “Do you have anything important left to finish, love?”
She didn’t. And she knew what he was asking for.
In a few short steps, she found herself in his arms, right where she wanted to be.
After the assassination attempt, Hazel found herself in a new situation.
For one, she and Annabeth spent much more time together as they tried to find the ones responsible for the attack. During that time, they grew closer than they were before.
Hazel found herself admiring her wife more and more as time went on. Her dedication, her grace, her focus. Hazel could not help but fall for her deeper and deeper as time went on.
And yet, she wasn’t the only one who caught Hazel’s affection. Her guard, Percy, had become one of her closest friends as the months passed. He was charming, funny, and kind, as well as a good listener. Granted, it helped that he didn’t talk much, but she chalked that up to his job demanding he be a silent guard.
She found herself falling for him as well. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. At first, she’d tried to ignore her feelings. Nothing good would come from them she’d told herself. This was for the best.
That did not work, and the jealousy came quickly after. She tried not to let it show, but it was difficult knowing that both the people she’d fallen for had found love in each other while she was pining from afar. At least in terms of how it felt.
It wasn’t until one day, when she’d turned completely cold towards Percy on their trip did any of them confront her. She’d been prepared for anger, biting words, and a fight that would ruin whatever they had together. She hadn’t been prepared to find herself in Annabeth’s chambers with her wife looking at her with nothing but concern as Percy sat on the bed without his armor.
“What’s wrong, Hazel?” Annabeth’s voice promised nothing but support. That alone nearly brought Hazel to tears.
Percy surprised her next by speaking up. “We won’t think less of you no matter what, Hazel. I promise.”
And with that, the dam broke and she told them everything. Her feelings, her jealousy, her regret. She left nothing out.
They quickly came to hold her and she let herself fall apart in their embrace. As she calmed down, Percy was the one who spoke up. “You know, I think we can make this work.”
Hazel didn’t know what he meant, but Annabeth seemed to have understood. “If you want Hazel, the three of us can figure out where we can go from here.”
She looked at the two of them, seeing nothing but care in their eyes.
Annabeth was the first to lean in. Hazel met her halfway, and unlike their kiss at their wedding, this one was filled with affection. As they split apart, Percy leaned in as well. She found herself losing the ability to think as he brought a strong hand to her back, bringing her closer.
As they split apart, Hazel couldn’t help but feel hopeful for their future. And as the three of them lay in bed entangled in each other, she found herself thankful for this marriage.