Summary: After an eventful summer, Annabeth Chase is on her way to boarding school for the first time. With her friends Thalia and Percy close by, she's looking forward to spending the year in New York. But soon, she finds herself dealing with unfathomable dreams, tangled plots, and a mysterious necklace that keeps finding its way back to her. Worse still, her father wants her to move to the most dangerous city in the country. The choices Annabeth faces this year will have her questioning the meaning of friendship, loyalty, and family. And most of all, just what it means to keep a promise. An alternate PoV retelling of Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse. Part 3 of the Daughter of Wisdom series.

A/N: I'm really excited to start on this fic! Titan's Curse is my favourite in the PJO series. It was the book that really hooked me in the series, and I loved how the foundation for Percy/Annabeth got laid down there. (Although sneaky RR got in a kiss in SoM that I never realised until I wrote TGF!) Some of you have mentioned that you were wondering how I would possibly manage to spin out this book considering Annabeth's official appearance is basically oops, I'm kidnapped, sky is heavy, oh hello Percy! Well, I think you probably know me well enough by now to know that I'm rubbing my hands gleefully at all the wiggle room this gives me. I'm indulging my loves of boarding schools and friendships and plot and mystery and backstory and subtle themes and mixed mythologies and good ol' UST (man, I've waited so long to get to that!) And this kicks off at least a two-part in the series (the Annabeth version of BotL follows closely, and I've been working on both drafts close together so that I can keep the continuity). So yeah … this is a long project, and I'm enjoying it immensely! So I really hope you won't be disappointed. Anyway, let me know what you think—you know how much I love to hear from you guys!

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Chapter 1: I Attend A War Tribunal

My dream started like this.

I was standing under a threatening ceiling of sky. Around me, slabs of black marble fell in a haphazard circle. They made a loose ring around a central agora like the amphitheatre at my summer camp. An audience sat on the chipped boulders and cracked rock, their eyes fixed upon a semi-circle of seats in the centre of the ruins. They were a motley group of twelve: from the tiny brunette with soft, glowing eyes on the far right, whose feet barely scraped the ground, to the bearded man near the middle with a rough, sun-kissed face and wrinkles around his sea-green eyes. They were the same shape and shade as my best friend, Percy Jackson's, and nearly as alluring.

Dead centre of the group sat a handsome, bronze-skinned man in a chiton woven of pure gold. The lady next to him wore a dress of rich, peacock blue and a stern expression under her crown of dark hair. Their seats were raised just slightly above the others'.

Zeus and Hera, king and queen of Olympus. And the remaining ten seats were filled with the rest of the Olympian council.

They were all looking towards the western horizon. We must have been high in the mountains because the constellations were sinking down to us, like the world was being compressed by sky. An undercurrent of nervous anticipation flowed among the audience—a crowd holding its collective breath as they waited for a wrestler to deliver a death blow.

The howl was so loud, I nearly jumped a foot in the air. It was a roar of outrage and helplessness, echoing through the stars.

The sky jerked like it had been caught mid-fall, and retreated, rising back to a normal level. The sensation of being trapped in a shrinking box dissipated.

'It is done,' boomed Zeus. 'Bring the next supplicants forward.'

I took a seat on a marble slab next to a pretty girl with wavy, honey-blond tresses that made me think of Silena Beauregard, the camp counsellor for cabin ten. She was biting her fingernails as she leaned forward, watching the two bulky guards who now led a group of six girls towards the council.

I did a double-take. The guards had over fifty hands apiece, maybe even a hundred! Only a few of their hands were holding their prisoners; the others were fidgeting, playing with little objects, and even braiding the wispy tufts of hair that sprouted from their heads.

As far as I knew, no one had seen a Hekatonkheire—a hundred-handed giant—for two thousand years, let alone two of them.

'Daughters of Atlas,' Zeus addressed the prisoners. Five of the girls were dark-haired with maple skin. They moved with a fluid grace that made me think of the nymphs at Camp Half-Blood. They made it seem like they were dancing with the Hekatonkheires, instead of being marched to a tribunal.

The last girl was pale, with syrupy curls that fell loosely around her shoulders. She was the only one bound in chains, which held her hands behind her back and dragged from her feet. Her loose, white chiton was dirty and torn, its vine-like sash hanging crookedly around her waist.

'Your father has been punished for his crimes,' Zeus said. 'What have you to say for yourselves?'

'We played no part in the war,' said one of the sisters. She tossed her long, black braid over her shoulder in a proud, almost defiant manner.

'It is true, Father,' said an auburn-haired goddess three seats to Zeus's right. She looked no older than twelve, but she spoke with the confidence of an adult.

Of course, Artemis wasn't really twelve. She could choose to look any age she wished. Why she'd picked a twelve-year-old's appearance was beyond me. Nobody took you seriously at that age. I should know. I'd been twelve only two years ago, and I'd had the toughest time convincing people—namely my mentor, Chiron—that I was old enough for a quest.

'These maidens remained neutral despite their father's … unsavoury behaviour,' Artemis said. 'They have done nothing to merit punishment.

'They're his kids!' bellowed a beefy god with a skinhead, and tattoos running along his enormous biceps. Possibly my least favourite of the gods, Ares was the only one clad in Greek armour. He had a spear on him as well, which he was now using to dig dirt from under his fingernails. 'Throw them in the lock-up with him. Or better yet, chuck them in a pit of vipers! Let's have a battle to the death!'

My mother, Athena—though judging from the time frame of the dream, this was way before I was born—gave him a withering look.

'Punishment dealt without cause is not justice,' she told Ares sternly. Her gaze rove over the five maidens, who stood straight-backed and tall. I didn't think I'd be that calm if I were standing trial before a bunch of all-powerful Greek gods, but the sisters' faces bore no trace of anxiety. 'Father, if they had indeed done nothing, it would behove us to be fair.'

'Athena is right.' Zeus's glare quelled a grumble from Ares. 'We will not punish the children for the misdeeds of their parents.'

'Daddy's pet.' Even when muttering under his breath, Ares's voice was loud enough to carry across a football field.

'Precautions should nonetheless be taken,' Zeus continued. 'Neutral though the Hesperides have been, I insist that they prove their loyalty.'

Hera snapped her fingers. 'I have it, husband. Place them in my garden.'

'Your garden?' Hermes, thin and gangly in his brown chiton and winged sandals, scratched his head in confusion. My heart swooped when his face turned towards me. His slanted, impish eyes were very much like his future son's—Luke, who had been my friend, until … until he'd changed.

'My wedding gift from Grandmother,' Hera said.

'Wait, isn't that, like, at the edge of western civilisation?' Apollo's golden garb was even brighter than Zeus's, strategically draped to show off his finely chiselled body. 'You want to prove their loyalty by keeping them near their dad? Is that, er, wise?' He glanced at Athena.

'It is, actually.' Athena made a steeple with her fingers. 'No one can relieve Atlas's burden without chaining themselves in his place. There is little risk that his daughters would release him. It would crush them if they tried. The garden will serve as yet another barrier between him and anyone who seeks to help him. To prove their loyalty, the Hesperides can report to us anyone who approaches their father. And their proximity to him will remind them daily of the punishments that await those who dare to oppose the gods.'

'Very well, Hesperides,' Zeus announced, 'your sentence is as follows: to guard the garden of Hera on the border of the world-ocean, next to the Mountain of Despair.'

With this pronouncement, the Hekatonkheires led the four nymphs away, leaving the last, caramel-haired girl in chains. Next to me, the fingernail-biter resumed her nail-chewing in earnest.

'As for this sorceress,' Zeus said, and the magnanimous look he had adopted for the Hesperides now sharpened into a hostile glare, 'she was not neutral in the war. Calypso, daughter of Atlas, you are charged with conspiring with the Titans under the leadership of your father, applying sorcery to undermine the gods, and deploying magical servants in open warfare. How do you plead?'

Calypso straightened as much as her heavy chains would allow. 'I do not deny these charges. But Lord Zeus, I beseech you to be merciful. I have merely the misfortune of being caught on the wrong side of a war. Filial piety would have me obey the commands of my father and general.'

'Filial piety,' Ares snorted. 'Like you didn't enjoy summoning those air spirits to badger Dad.'

Calypso glared at him. 'What would you know about it? You weren't even born yet.' She turned back to Zeus. 'Have I not shown my repentance during the postbellum amnesty? Have I not tended your gardens and babysat your children?'

She looked like she had refrained from adding a none-too-complimentary adjective before children. This was probably wise, given that said children were currently sitting on her jury.

My honey-haired, nail-biting neighbour covered her face. Beneath her pale hands, her cheeks were a dull pink. Maybe she had been one of Calypso's babysitting charges. I didn't recognise her, but the gods had a lot of kids.

Zeus frowned. 'The fact remains that you fought against us in the war. All the Titans and their supporters have finally been punished. To let one of their army off scot-free would set an ugly precedent.'

'Father, she is only a maiden,' Artemis said. 'She is young—'

'Geez, sis, she's not one of your Hunters. She's older than us,' Apollo pointed out.

Artemis gave him a withering look. 'Young compared to her parents. She did as she was told.'

'If we did as we were told,' Poseidon reminded her, 'we'd still be living in the belly of our father.'

'She has had ten years' reprieve while we sorted out our lives after our victory,' Hera agreed. 'It is time to mete out punishment.'

'I would not see a maiden cast into Tartarus!'

Tartarus! The marble seat beneath me felt like ice as I thought of the pit where Kronos and the other Titans resided. I could almost sense its dark, sucking breath, like I had the one time I'd come close to its edge. The girl next to me shivered, as though she, too, sensed its dark pull.

'I will not throw her into Tartarus,' Zeus conceded. 'There must, however, be punishment. Solitary confinement, perhaps. A prison.' He looked at Calypso and the hard lines on his face softened slightly. 'I do not forget your services, sorceress. It will not be a harsh prison. But a prison it must be.'

He pointed at Hephaestus, the only god on the male side of the semicircle who hadn't yet spoken. 'You're the inventor. Invent a place to hold her.'

Across the semicircle, in the seat facing Hephaestus's, the most stunningly beautiful goddess rose to her feet and clapped her hands together in excitement. Aphrodite's eyes gleamed as she said, 'I have a better idea—doesn't she come from a desert island? It'd be perfect! Just think of all the twists you could invent with a lonely maiden, pining away in solitude …'

Zeus shrugged. 'Just see to it. And the sprites she summoned in the war—make sure they're all destroyed.'

'I'll do it!' Ares was cheerful again at the prospect of destroying something.

Calypso's face went white. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. After a moment, she closed it, looking pained and helpless. I guess she realised she was in no position to bargain, not when her own sentence had already been lightened.

Zeus called the session to a close and dismissed the council. Most of the Olympians took their leave in typical godly fashion—that is to say, vanishing in a supernova. Only Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Hermes were left, putting their heads together to discuss Calypso's imprisonment. Murmurs rose among the watching crowd as they began to debate the trial and the verdicts.

My nail-biting seatmate got to her feet and ran forward to the three remaining Olympians. They were speaking in low voices, so I could only hear snatches of their conversation—'… house arrest … phantom island … once every thousand years …'

Aphrodite waved her hands in excitement, interjecting with phrases like, 'dramatic twist,' and 'entertainment of the century!' In my previous encounter with the goddess of love, she'd waxed poetic over the opportunities my love life (not that it existed then or now) could present for entertainment. I didn't think Calypso was going to enjoy whatever Aphrodite had in store for her.

The gods didn't turn my honey-haired neighbour away when she approached, so I figured she must be a minor goddess or something. Aphrodite put her arm around Honey-hair's shoulder and whispered something in her ear that made her blanch and pull away. Hephaestus waved his hand towards Calypso. Honey-hair went to her and led her away, chains and all.

Curious, I followed them down a crooked path that led to the bottom of the mountain. It brought us to a sheltered cove lined by eucalyptus trees. The sea stretched out before us, wild and empty. On the rough sand in the cove lay a little raft. Calypso looked to her companion with hopeful eyes.

'Are you going to spring me?'

Honey-hair shook her head. 'I can't. They told me to wait here with you. Hermes will come in a minute.'

Calypso pouted as she reassessed the raft. 'Were we not friends once, Nia?'

Nia chewed on her fingernails. She must have bitten them to shreds by now. 'We were—we are! Callie, you know I don't want this. But what can I do? Zeus commanded your imprisonment. You did fight on the wrong side. What can you expect?'

'He was my father. How could I go against his wishes?'

'And my father's orders are to enforce your imprisonment. Do you expect me to go against his wishes?'

'Your father,' Calypso said bitterly. 'Right. You know, one day you'll learn your parents aren't all you make them out to be, either.'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

Calypso shook her head. 'Never mind. You say you're my friend. Will you do one thing for me?'

'I can't free—'

'I know.' Calypso cast her eyes back up the mountain. She pursed her lips and made a little bird call, somewhere between a whistle and a song.

A round, red ball rolled out of the bushes and came to a stop at Calypso's feet. It uncurled into a tiny fox-like creature, no bigger than my palm. It tiptoed to Nia and sniffed at her ankles.

'Please take her,' Calypso said.

Nia bent to pick up the fox, who immediately nuzzled her with its protruding nose. Nia stroked its silky, reddish-brown fur. Her finger trailed its long, bushy tail. 'What is she?'

'A fox spirit.'

'What do you want me to do with her?'

Calypso glanced quickly up the mountain again, as though afraid the gods at the peak would see. 'Hide her. I can't let her be sentenced with me. Or worse—' She sighed. 'It wasn't their fault, you know. I summoned them. I can't save all my sprites, but her … look, I promise she won't do anything to the gods. You won't get into trouble, I swear on the Styx. Just take her. Keep her safe.'

Nia stared at the fox, who was now trying to burrow into the crook of her arm. It was so cute, the thought of putting it to death made a lump rise in my throat. Evidently, Nia agreed. She tucked the fox into the folds of her chiton.

Hermes came strolling into the cove a moment later, accompanied by Aphrodite. The latter beamed at Calypso, which was a strange thing to do when you were about to send someone away to life imprisonment.

'It won't be so bad, love,' Aphrodite said. 'You're going home, after all. And if you're good—'

'I get parole?'

Aphrodite laughed. 'We could see about some visitors. In fact, I have just the idea.'

Hermes rolled his eyes. 'Ready?'

Calypso didn't bother to answer him. Hermes led her to the raft. Her chains clanged as she hopped on and he pushed it out to sea.

I watched her sail off into the distance. Oddly, the clanging noise didn't stop even after the raft carried Calypso away. In fact, it was growing louder, more insistent, like someone was banging on a frying pan close by …

I woke with a jerk. The dream was so vivid, it was a while before I adjusted to my surroundings—the soft sheets of my bed and the blanket I'd thrown off while I tossed in my sleep; my bedroom, smelling of the essential oils my stepmother used in the house; the dagger on my nightstand, its celestial bronze blade glowing faithfully.

And the clanging that wasn't part of my dream after all, but someone banging on my window.

I got out of bed and hurried to it.

Outside, her face illuminated by the bright moonlight, was my friend, Thalia.

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A/N: Yes, I know, I ripped off the structure from the opening chapter of SoM. *sheepish look* And I totally fudged with the timeline for the original Titan war because … well, it's not like any of the Greek myths make chronological sense. So I'm claiming artistic license. Let's just say the gods took a nice long party before getting to the punishment and sentencing bits. I mean, they had a ten-year war that is so sparse on detail (seriously, try digging up material on what actually went on in the ten years of the Titanomachy!) But all that aside, I hope it made sense anyway. I know it's starting slow, but I promise there will be more action in the next chapter! As always, the plan is a chapter every weekend, and if I have random shorts aside from this story, I'll do them on an ad hoc basis.

Let's play a game of 'How many Greek mythological folk can you spot?' The ones who actually got lines are probably really obvious, but did you catch any more hiding in there? And no, I'm not going to tell you who will be important, later. Isn't most of the fun trying to guess what's coming up? :)

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A few replies to those of you without PM functions:

CupcakeQueen816, I really liked your analysis of the differences between Percy and Jason! And I definitely agree that they are very different. I've never actually seen them as similar, although I know they are often compared as leaders of their respective camps. And while a sort of parallel is drawn between them based on their similar roles, I think that's a very different thing from them having parallel characterisation. Even if they are both leaders, they lead in completely different ways, that I think showcases their Greek vs. Roman heritage (yeah, I know Jason renounces the Roman ways and chooses Greek eventually, but he behaves Roman throughout the series, IMO). Percy's an understated sort of leader; he just acts and people follow because his courage and charisma comes through his actions. Jason, I see as more of an orator. He is probably charismatic in his own way—I'm guessing he held his own against Octavian. But we can see clearly from his battle with Porphyrion in TLH. I mean, 'I'm the son of Jupiter, yada yada yada …' It's the 'hero' version of the classic villain monologue. When have we ever seen Percy go off on a self-promoting spiel like that?

And if we dig further into their upbringing and training, we can probably see why. Jason was treated like camp royalty since he was three years old. Yes, that's a lot of pressure and expectation and probably comes with the whole perfectionist complex, but I'm guessing he never doubted his abilities or his position and worth. His issue is that he's tired of being handed stuff on a silver platter. He joined the fifth cohort and hung out with the least popular kids because he wanted a challenge. Percy on the other hand, got beat up on first by Smelly Gabe, and then the school system, basically being told by everyone but Sally that he was worthless. Even when he got claimed, a lot of that didn't really change; Chiron essentially spent two years sighing about how he hoped Percy wasn't really the prophecy child (seriously, that guy must have been in denial or something, the number of times he said that). Percy defended the bullied and picked on kids because he knew what it was like to be one. So even in behaviours that might have been similar, their trajectories to their actions were VERY different.

You make a great point about their romantic choices diverging and how it showcases their fatal 'flaws' (well, Percy's anyway; I can't remember if Jason's is actually stated) vs. their characterisation—which in itself shows the difference between the two. I don't think there's anything wrong with your statement that Jason would sacrifice a friend for the world—essentially that was Frank's role in BoO; keeping Percy from going after Leo. Jason—ostensibly Leo's best friend—was able to let him go up there. Percy was probably the least close to Leo of the lot of them, especially thanks to the Calypso triangle. So yeah, I see Percy's loyalty as the central component of his character. Jason … not so much. Take his reaction to his mother's return in BoO. He's upset because she's back, because he'd rather have the certainty that she's a deadbeat liar than have to revise the story of his life. Percy on the other hand, has a history of forgiving and feeling sorry for people who have treated him badly, and giving them second chances (Gabe is probably an exception, but hey, the jerk earned it).

So Jason and Percy parallels? Nope, don't see it.

Here's the thing though. We may see clearly how the two of them differ. I would bet anything that Annabeth doesn't see them as alike at all, and neither would anyone who knows Percy well. But Reyna? She's had a week of interaction with Percy before he went off on the Argo II. All she really knows about the guy is that he's really powerful, and has gained the admiration of the legion. She hasn't been around him long enough to see his deeper qualities. On the surface, it's easy to see the two of them as similar—just like we might if we didn't dig deeper. I like to think that in time, these friendships will deepen, but when writing, there's always the question of, at this point, for this story, how does one character view the others? That's the fun part of writing. I might see a character in a certain way, but does my PoV character? I personally believe that Percy is way more powerful than Jason, even if he never flaunts it, but if I'm going to write from, say, Piper's point of view, i'm going to have to downplay that. I think that's how you can really take an existing story and turn it on its head without altering the essential plotline, and the challenge is showcasing this very different, but very valid point of view without contradicting the original. And I guess that's the goal now, with the DoW fics. (Got to bring us back to this story, right?)

And whoa, has this got long. Sorry to throw a whole essay at you! I hope you'll still keep your thoughts coming. As you can see, I love this sort of discussion, and I have so few people to chat with about it! (People in RL's eyes sort of glaze over whenever I start going on about fictional characters.)

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Hello, I'm so glad you like to chat about the characters and you're willing to talk about them with me! Yes, that's exactly how I see Annabeth. I mean, she behaves like a storm sometimes, too, just sweeping in and charging towards her goals. And she probably doesn't realise it, because she's so focused on the end point—just like a strategist. You're right, pretty much every first impression from the new HoO characters was that they were intimated by her. My favourite is probably Leo, reassessing his stereotypes about blond girls upon meeting Annabeth!

Hope this chapter has lifted the suspense from the sneak peak I posted—you were almost right. Ancient Greece, yes, but not exactly Mount Olympus, though I'm not sure if I made that clear enough. I guess you'll let me know?

Thanks for asking about the other fics. I'm glad there's interest in them; I'll work on the cross-posting! Although they're hanging around on one platform or another, I'm definitely happy to share them in the medium you guys most like to read in. :)

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To the guest who left me an amazing review on The Silent Goddess: I don't know if you'll see this, but I wish FFnet had a function to reply to anonymous reviews because I really want to say thank you. I'm so flattered and also it bolstered my confidence a lot because I was so worried about that fic. I do see writing fanfic as a great avenue for exploring character and answering questions that are left hanging at the end of canon, so it means so much to hear that someone appreciates that and feels like a story I wrote has tackled these issues!