PeaceMaker

"Do you understand your position in this family, Annabeth? DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR TITLE?! For you to speak up to your mother like this, do you think it is in the range of your power? Because let me remind you, it isn't," Mrs. Crowly stuttered, clenching her trembling fist, "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BELITTLE ME?! I UNDERSTAND I MESSED UP, BUT MUST I BE BELITTLED?! Yes, I haven't been doing my job, but I am still the Madam of the house. I was born decades before you and seen more than you imagine. What makes you think you can treat your own mother like this?"

"Then why can't you see? You talk about years of experience, then why don't you use it? You are the madam of the house but you don't know how to act like one, you have the title but don't deserve it," Annabeth muttered, her face twisting in anger, "I know my place and though you know yours, you don't know how to act. Don't act so surprised when I do the exact same that you do."

"Annabeth… how dare you?" Mrs. Crowly hissed. 

"How dare you?" Annabeth spat, "Is that what you were going to say?"

Mrs. Crowly took a step back and then pressed her lips into a thin line, "If you know what I'm going to say, then why don't you stop yourself before I have to say it."

"Because stopping for them isn't worth it," Annabeth retorted, "why are you even asking me that mother?"

"Why can I not ask you that? Do you think you're above everyone?" Mrs. Crowly shot back, trying to find confidence in her words as she said them. 

"The words you're saying are out of guilt, mother. Don't find a way to retort me when you can't find a way to deal with the truths I say because that just makes you more sad to look at. But you're right, mother. This wasn't in my place to do and I was wrong," Annabeth chuckled, her voice choking up, "then maybe I should just wait for your hypocritical words to finally find the right words-"

Annabeth looked up at her mother with crestfallen eyes, "-right?"

"I-" Mrs. Crowly began.

"You're right. That's why I'll leave the rest to you. Is that ok?" Annabeth smiled, wiping her tears off her face, "all I know is that, somewhere in that mind of yours, one that is so bent on making yourself feel better despite every word I say being a truth, I hope that you can put an end to this mess. If you're not able to do it… no. When you're not able to do it, please make sure you put back that pride of yours mother, you need to lose a bit of yourself to make a family, and don't worry, you have enough pride to spare."

"Annabeth-"

"Kalmin and Alice will never be touched in this house ever again. The moment you do, news of the trash that goes down in this household will be released to the kingdom," Annabeth threatened.

"Annabeth, you will not-" Mr. Crowly finally spoke up.

"There's no point in you speaking up anymore, father. The things you should have spoken up about were the things you chose to keep quiet, and now you think you can input on this situation what was half your fault? You must have lost your speech skills after spending most of your days with your eyes glued on those papers," Annabeth's head snapped to her father, then turned back to her siblings, "and don't worry, they'll believe me. I'm the reason why we're even going to the palace aren't I?"

Annabeth turned back to Kalmin and Alice, "If you don't mind mother, I will be making them my personal slaves now."

"An-"

"It won't be long 'til I have more of those anyway, right?" Annabeth chuckled. She ran her hand through her hair and turned to Kalmin, "you will be moved to the cell closest to my room by the end of today and will be suspended from your duties as a slave for the next two days in which you will use as resting days."

Annabeth's eyes fell on Alice and she resisted the urge to look away. "Report to me immediately if something happens to you, Alice. Don't let him touch you."

Alice looked up at Annabeth for a moment before nodding, "Yes ma'am."

"I'll be taking my leave now mother," Annie bowed.

"Annabeth, you will stay here," Mrs. Crowly commanded.

"Use that tone on your other children, it's about time it came out," Annie continued out of the room. 

"Annabeth," Mrs. Crowly muttered. She wanted to move, chase after her daughter and get out the words she wanted out of her system to her, yet her feet stayed planted in the ground. 'Ah…' she muttered, 'I am a hypocrite aren't I?'

She let her leave, she had no right to make her stay. At least, not yet.

She turned to the slaves who were staring up at the situation in awe and confusion. She hated the fact that the first was not why they looked at her. She hated the fact that she felt the same frustration Annabeth did. 

She turned to her children and eyed them up and down. Her kids. 'Were th-' she stopped herself before she asked a question that would ruin the way she saw them and resisted thinking the same about her husband. When she thought she had had enough of looking at them, she turned around and left the room, almost bumping into the kitchen maid. The maid immediately bowed her head and flinched, as if she was preparing to be hit, waiting for the strike to hit her. 

Mrs. Crowly felt the need to throw up because, at that moment, her hand had almost twitched. She turned around and looked at her husband for a moment. He was looking at her hand, she flinched when they locked eyes. He had noticed her mistake and only his eyes were needed to make her regret it. She turned away and stormed down the halls.

She hated it. She hated it so much. Why she was the only one who knew last, she was the only one who had to suffer the most, the only one that seemed to regret the most. Whenever they ignored something, they should have felt the guilt from doing it, they should have felt guilty, they should have hated it, why did it seem like she was the only one getting prosecuted? 'Why were his eyes so clear? Like he didn't care… like he didn't even remember… why did his eyes only seem to judge me. I'm not the one that should be judged. Not a single hint of remorse..'

'Like he forgot… no like he got so used to saying no that he forced himself to think that he was right,' Mrs. Crowly hid back a tear, 'like he forgot that snowy night he opened the door to a stained building.' In the midst of her world tumbling down on top of her, Mrs. Crowly regretted that she hadn't taken the time to address another issue that had been weighing on her shoulder for years as the same thing always repeated itself each year. You see, there were more issues in this family than Annabeth had addressed. 

'Why couldn't she hold it longer? I did that. I held it in! Is this how it's going to pan out if I say what's on my mind? Is this what's going to happen if I finally speak up? Will I be blamed again? I don't want to… I don't want to speak…' Mrs. Crowly's walk broke into a sprint as she ran into the master bedroom and slammed the door shut. She threw herself unto the bed and continued to wallow in her tears. 'Why didn't she keep it in for longer? Why didn't she wait until I was ready to say something? I don't want to bear these heavyweights on me… I don't want to only stand and watch.' 

More than she hated her family at this moment, more than she hated her husband, she hated herself more.