PeaceMaker

Justin stared at Antonio blankly for a moment before nodding. "Understood."

"So I take it as she is not that dense at all, is she?" Antonio asked.

"Oh no," Justin waved his hands with a playful smile on his face. "She is dense in stuff like that but isn't completely that blind."

Antonio grinned, understanding Justin's comment. "Ah… so at some point she'll probably be able to tell if I like her…?"

Justin nodded his head. "If not, at once." 

He knew Annabeth for his entire life and basically grew as she did. He knew the way she behaved, the way she looked at things, the way she smiled at people and even the way she showed displeasure. 

This was a lot of things to know about her as she started to cover up herself these past few years after being relatively open to the ones before them. It was still comforting that he understood at least those few things about his sister, but was completely offsetting to realize the amount of grey-area around her that he did not know. She was one of the few people that you either didn't understand or you half understood.

There are some parts to her that are painfully clear and others that are as subtle as the shade of rouge paint she wore on Tuesday and the other on Friday. It was almost impossible to detect. There was no instance in which one could read her entirety, no instance in which they could fully understand why she made that choice in action. The surface of her truth was always the most visible to others. It was impossible to go further.

There was no fully understanding her. 

This fact was completely unnerving when Justin thought back on how many things she knew about him. He couldn't even count, it was impossible. 

Every habit he formed since he was a baby, every movement, every single response he could give to a single question and the most probable one. She knew him like she knew her favorite book. From front to the back, from back to the front, upside down and sideways. She knew his entirety and could predict what could happen to him next. 

She knew how he would be on one day and how his mood would completely switch on the next. It wasn't just him, it was the other offspring in the family. She had been admiring Jena since she was young and although that was cut short a few years ago, she never stopped observing and storing every tingle thing about her. The same went for Maria. No memory went untouched.

She was terrifying in that way, even memorizing her parent's behavior. She was a monster even. She could read through anyone at first glance, tell their intentions and find out the best way to use them and get rid of them if they were bad or how to keep them by her side if they were good. 

Eyes like those have predicted hundreds of times the gazes of people who looked at her lovingly and rejected them before they even got the chance to confess. No heart filled with her left unbroken and no empty heart felt empty when they passed by her. 

She was an angel and devil mixed into one. The good of the world that manipulated the bad into bowing before it. 

Justin cleared his throat quietly as he looked down at Annabeth. 'I wonder what it'll be like when they both notice something similar in their gazes?' Justin asked him. 'Who do you think will win? If they do end up looking straight into each other? Annabeth or Antonio?'

The thought in itself was exciting. Like a movie in progress with two actors that had nearly identical powers but completely different personalities. One with the brightness and another a false beam of sunshine. 

Justin smiled. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted them to be together. It was like a couple made straight from heaven and dipped into the black miserable rivers of hell. 

"Is something funny?" Antonio asked as he looked down at Justin. 

"Nah, of course not," Justin chuckled, "I was just thinking about something that has to do with you and someone else. They…" 

Antonio's eyes wavered from Annabeth to Justin, nervously switching between the two. He let out a deep sigh as he watched Justin speak and jumped right in, interrupting during a break he was taking in his speech. 

"Sorry but I have to be focused on one thing here," Antonio apologized. 

"No need, I was taking up your precious time which you look at Annabeth right? I would have to dampen your vision of her through my words," Justin teased. 

Antonio cocked his head to the left and smiled, a blush forming on his face. "Uhh.. how about no."

"Hmm.. ok then," Justin grinned. He loved teasing Antonio, he especially loved it because Antonio let him have his way. 

Antonio turned back to Annabeth, the blush still on his face. Justin's quietness made it much easier for him to hear her and the words that she said. 

"So what have you prepared for us today?" The king asked. 

Annabeth smiled causing the whole room to pause for a moment. "Whatever you would like me to prepare, your graciousness."

The king, a slight bit confused, tilted his head to the side slightly, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Hm? What do you mean?"

Annabeth lowered her eyes. "I am willing to play whatever theme that his royal family chooses for me to play."

The king stared back at her, still frozen in time. Beside Theodore seated next to him, Dominic grinned. It was just the moment he was waiting for. Something new to happen. Something other than the usual routines. 

"War," Dominic called out. All the eyes in the room turned to his position on the throne, multiple eyes staring at him with curiosity and confusion. "I want you to play a piece about war."

Annabeth froze for a moment, seemingly stuck and bewildered by the young prince's request. 

The king immediately turned to Dominic and in a very soft tone, scolded Dominic. ��War?? Why bring up a theme like that?" he whispered to Dominic over Theodore. "She's a woman, Dominic. You need to understand the fact that such themes like that are not ones that go on in women's minds. It's the complete opposite and tends to deal with love. A theme like that is too harsh."

Dominic looked actually a bit confused at his father's words. "What do you mean by that father?" Dominic asked, "was she not the one who asked the audience for what kind of song she should play for them? Why would she be unable to play a theme when she asked?"

The king stared back at his son in bewilderment. "There are certain assumptions someone should be able to make based on the situation, Dominic. In a situation like this where the moment is trying to be bold, it's better to choose a genre that she's already familiar with so she doesn't have to suffer the consequences of more difficult genres."

"If that was the case then she shouldn't have suggested for us to be able to pick any genre that we want her to play," Domini retorted, "boldness like that should only be used when the player actually has a very good grasp on their instrument and are not weighed down by genres for specific genders. Why should we let her remain in her comfort zone when she chose an approach that takes her out of it?"

The king paused, unable to refute his 13-year-old son. He looked down on the little boy and his small body. His rosy cheeks and pearl smile. It was in moments like this when he realized Dominic was so much more advanced than he needed to be. Moments where he realized that Dominic was maturing. 

"But-" the king began, his voice being cut off by Annabeth's.

"Sorry for the wais, your graciousness," Annabeth smiled looking straight up into the eyes of the king. It wasn't an act of disrespect as her gaze still remained that of a mere lady but rather a show of confidence. "I had no piece specifically prepared for this theme."

The king made a slight 'ah' mutter and turned to Dominic giving him an 'I told you so,' gaze.

"However, I just had to construct a piece in my head using a piece sounding similar to that of the theme or war I practice with. Sorry, it took a while," Annabeth bowed. 

Dominic's eyes lit up at her answer.

"Shall I begin now?" Annabeth asked, a bright smile on her face. 

Dominic nodded and replied in unison with his father. "Yes."

Antonio's eyes were pinned onto her as she walked over to her harp and gracefully took a seat.. He ran back the words she had said earlier and grinned. 'Her voice is so beautiful… wait a minute,' he thought to himself, 'did she say construct a piece?!'