Book 3: Chapter 61: Annabeth

Book 3: Chapter 61: Annabeth
Annabeth

The meeting was off to a strong start. Austin hadn't been able to corner me before we began, and I was grateful to see so many familiar faces. Though, it saddened me a little to know Ethan Green was no longer with us. He had died several years ago in a battle. Now, his wife was sitting in his place. She was nice, but she was colder, and a little more distant than Ethan had ever been. Alex had left the meeting room a little while ago to handle some urgent matter, but everyone seemed to be on their best behaviors. That is until someone brought up our lack of effort to get the pieces of the Allasigh stone back. 
"We aren't not trying to get the Allasigh stone back..." Lexy said, looking around in confusion. "We've been looking for years. We've found multiple pieces." 
My mouth hung open in the most un-princess like way ever. What was she talking about? 
"Lexy-" Alex tried, but she shook her head, the confusion not leaving her eyes. 
"Annabeth is currently wearing her piece. We know of another piece's location, but haven't taken it. Alex holds two pieces. Vivian has the one she found before we knew what she was doing, and she has the piece that I lost. That's six pieces of what we assume is an 8 to 10 pieces that we think make it up." 
Everyone stared at her in shock. We had never talked that indepthly about the Allasigh stone, how did she know so much about it? And since when did Alex have 2 pieces? And since when did we know how many pieces there were? Or at least have a guess? 
"Why does Vivian have your piece?" One person demanded, Carla. 
"Why did you say it like you own it?" Someone else shouted. 
"I didn't." Lexy said, trying to sound calm, but I could tell she was taken aback. "It's not mine. It was just in my possession..." 
"Your possession? Why?" 
"Because I found it, and hadn't been able to get it back to Alex yet..." 
"And you got caught?" 
"Well, there's a lot more to the story," She said, looking a little nervous. "But essentially, yes." 
"What happened when you were gone?!" Someone else interrogated. 
"Yea! And why are you here now?" 
I should have known they would ask that question. Lexy had warned me. But knowing did nothing to prevent the red hue that brightened Lexy’s face at the question.   
“That is a fair question,” She answered as the blush started to fade, but her voice was shaking slightly. “But I am not comfortable disclosing that information right now.”   
“Are you hiding something?” Somebody else asked. “I mean you only just came back.”   
Everyone was staring.      
“No,” She stuttered. “Just a lot has gone on in my absence.” 
This wasn't the Lexy that I had come to expect. She was clearly frazzled. Much like she used to get during school presentations when our lives were normal. It made me think she had something to hide... That I had been right that she deserved to be banished the whole time.  
"What could have possibly been more important than the stone, Alexandra?" Austin demanded. "The details of your absence haven't been shared." 
My heart sank at Austin's cold voice. Putting her on trial was his way of getting back at me for 'blindsiding' him about the stone that the werewolves had. 
Mistrust was growing by the second, but I couldn't say it was misplaced. What had happened while she was gone? 
“I can’t…” She stuttered again, her face bright red as her eyes scanned the room ferociously. I looked down at my wrist as it burned for the first time in a while to see it as a bright teal, meaning she was panicking. “You have no idea-”   
“Tell us the truth!” Someone yelled.   
“Or go back to where you came from!” 
A chorus of yea's filled the tent as Alex strutted back in, and roared, "ENOUGH!" 
A hush fell over everyone, and I felt my heart tense. 
His voice softened as he looked at my best friend who was barely holding it together. "Go take a walk." He waited until she was gone before turning back to everyone else. "If you are not a part of my household, get out. Portal from here, now." 
"Alex-" I tried to argue with him. 
"Don't." Was all he said as he opened an anywhere portal and people slowly rose in shock to walk through it. 
I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms. That had been so unnecessary. Yea, Lexy was uncomfortable, but if she only could have given the answers that everyone was asking for, it wouldn't have escalated like that. 
When the final person disappeared through the portal, Alex whirled on us. "How fucking dare you!" 
His glare was enough to send chills down my spine. I felt like a child being scolded for spilled milk. 
"Alex, she didn't want to-" 
"To answer your questions?" Alex cut me off. "You thought if other people did it, you would finally get the answers you were looking for Annabeth? A reason to excuse why you banished her? Did you ever think that asking her those questions might bring back terrible memories? Did you think that maybe just maybe if you had asked her outright instead of in a room full of people who hate her, she might have been a bit more receptive? No. Of course not because your timeline was more important!"  
"Alex-" Jake tried when nobody said anything.  
“What the hell is wrong with you idiots? You just let your friend get attacked like that? You are supposed to defend her! You’re supposed to be her friends! Get it together before you get us all fucking killed.” He growled angrily before turning around, I assumed, to go find her.  
"That's not fair!" I snapped out of my stupor to defend myself and my friends. "She could have answered the questions and none of this would have happened!"  
"Answered the questions? Are you kidding me, Annabeth? You wanted her to relive the worst nights of her life because you were nosy? Fine, let me tell you."