Book 3: Chapter 69: Annabeth

Book 3: Chapter 69: Annabeth
Annabeth

I walked out of the meeting with Jake at my side, neither of us speaking about what had just transpired. It had me reeling a bit. Wondering what strings Lexy had to pull to get audiences with such high caliber people. 
I froze as the world in front of me dissipated, and a new scene formed in front of me.  
“Mom?” Lexy called out uneasily. 
“I’m right here, dear,” Mrs. Marks answered, but her voice was not very gentle. I knew she was on the other side of the bars to Lexy's cell door. 
“You turned me in.” Lexy opened her eyes to look at her, her voice shaking. “That day I came to save Calynn and Annabeth. You turned me in.”  
I could see Lexy now laying on the dirt floor in nothing more than the black dress I had seen her in at the meeting she had run out of, and my stomach clenched.   
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Her mother’s voice was cool. “You’re supposed to be changed into what they want you to wear.”   
“You’re a they, Mom.” Lexy said, sounding resigned but didn’t move from her spot on the ground. “And you do remember that day. You just don’t wanna admit it. You let them torture me for years. You were with them. You and Dad. You turned a blind eye to me. We’re family. You’re not supposed to turn your back on family.” Her voice sounded weak.   
“If we were family, you would have stood by us,” Viviana walked in the room stating in a cold voice, carrying something that looked very hot. “Now, someone help young Miss. Marks change, so we can get started. And you will relinquish your bonds.”  

“Beth?” It was Jake, “Are you okay?”   
“Oh, uh, yea, just had a vision. Do you know where Lexy went?” I asked as we exited the tent. 
I had so many feelings. I was so angry at her. What did she mean when she came for me and Calynn? I had no recollection of her coming... Or her being there at all. And she sounded so freaking broken. 
"I don't know..." He answered hesitantly. "But I'm sure she isn't far. What did you see?" 
"Something I wasn't supposed to." I answered. 
He furrowed his brows in confusion, but it was then that I saw her. She wasn’t in her pink dress anymore. She wasn’t wearing hardly anything despite a chill being in the air, just a pair of black capri leggings and a sports bra. She had a clipboard in her hand and was signing papers that people of Gala kept giving her.   
“Sorry, you’ll have to give that one to Princess Annabeth to get signed.” She said, but her voice sounded far away, and suddenly my vision changed. It wasn’t a new image completely. All the same people were there, but Lexy’s Mydem had been pulled away. Her back was to us, and it was all black and blue with red marks intermixed. I felt sick. Blood was dripping from her shoulder, but she looked totally unbothered.   
“Oh my god,” I stated in shock as a sudden overwhelming pain shot through me as though I was going to throw up.   
“Beth, what’s wrong?” Jake demanded as I doubled over and was looking at our shoes.   
“Look at Lexy,” I muttered, forcing myself to stand up since we were surrounded by people.  
“What about me?” Lexy said in a concerned voice as she approached.   
She looked fine. She looked normal. Except her eyes. They screamed of her pain and exhaustion. 
“Lexy!” I gasped. 
“Are you okay?” She asked, her eyes filling with worry. 
“I should be asking you that.” I snapped. 
She raised her hand almost immediately to her shoulder, it was a subconscious movement, but she looked horrified when she realized what she’d just shown.   
“Annie, I’m fine,” She said slowly. “Come on, we have training.”   
I felt as though training was a terrible idea, but it didn’t matter. Lexy was determined. Her hand took mine and led me toward an open part of the field where there were a couple hundred soldiers standing in formation. 
“Annabeth,” She said in a calm voice. “This is company, 757, these are the best of the best soldiers. They follow you and only you. This is your company.”   
Surprise ran through me, and I looked at her in alarm, pulling her to the side. “Lex, this is crazy. I can’t run my own company!”   
She looked at me in confusion. “What do you mean? Yes, you can.”   
“These people. They won’t respect me.” I stated in a hushed voice. 
“Annie,” Lexy said in an exasperated tone. “These people need you. You are their princess. Be their princess.” She paused, looking at me carefully. “If you really want, I guess you could choose someone to take over, but everyone already has a placement already. And I think this sort of thing is best only kept in people you really truly trust. But I could work on it...”   
I looked at her carefully. Her expression was guarded. But I could tell her mind was racing.   
“No, um it’s fine. I just I don’t know how to do this.” I answered hesitantly. She was tired. She didn’t need me bailing on something she was also doing. She didn't need me bailing on her ever again. 
“Respect goes a long way. And so does do things with, vs telling people what to do. A leader is someone who walks with you, not in front of you.” She said encouragingly. 
I nodded nervously as someone else approached.   
“Miss. Marks, we could really use you.” A young lady approached with urgency in her voice. 
Lexy looked at her, and I realized she was debating which was more important.   
“Go, you don’t have to babysit me,” I blurted out, knowing that Jake was with me and when he had to leave, Aiden or Matt would take his place. 
Her eyes met mine in surprise. 
“I didn’t think that was what I was doing… You said you didn’t want to do this. I was just trying to help.” She said softly, but there was no mistaking the hurt in her voice, as she stepped back on to the small platform that sat in front of everyone. 
“Lexy, that’s not what I-“ 
But she just waved me off, and I felt sick. 
“Ladies and gentleman, for the time-being, Princess Annabeth McAlister is your General and will personally oversee your training. I expect that you will show her the same respects that you have shown me, and that you will train just as hard for her as you did for me, if not harder.”   
There was a large applause as I moved onto the tiny platform, and she moved off it. I didn’t have a speech prepared. I wasn’t dressed for training. But Lexy was already off to the next task.   
So, I yelled, “Drop and give me twenty.” Because it was the first thing I could think of. And they all dropped, and so did I. And that gave me about 30 seconds to think of what else to say and do. And I did what I had to. But to my surprise, I actually enjoyed it.