Chapter 26 || Frank

                                    

                                          
Frank never thought he'd describe a palace as scary. But this castle was scary. With all the fire burning around him, it was like walking into a pit of death. He had no other choice. This was mandatory. Making sure his hand was on his weapon's hilt, he ascended the stairs. Guards were stationed outside the doors.
                          
"Excuse me... We're here to see your king."
                          
"Our king?" A guard raised their eyebrow.
                          
"Yes," Annabeth cut in. "We have an urgent matter we want to discuss with him."
                          
"The king doesn't take new visitors," the guard replied gruffly.
                          
"Sir, we're not just random new visitors," Frank blurted out before he could stop himself.
                          
"We're... We're officials sent to study the architecture of the palace," Annabeth helped him out.
                          
The guards turned to each other. "Very well. But you must swear you will not harm the king."
                          
"We swear," Nico, Annabeth, and Frank all said in unison.
                          
Entering the palace, the rush of the air conditioning hit them like a wave of mercy. The air was humid and hot, making beads of sweat cover Frank's body like scales. The insides of the palace were shimmering with gold, hints of red and orange placed all over as decor. Frank didn't even dare touch anything.
                          
Everything looked like it could break with a light touch. Twenty-four karat gold hung from the ceilings as waiters moved around, carrying dishes on golden platters, the fire torches lighting up the halls. Annabeth stepped tentatively to a waitress.
                          
"Uhm... Miss? Excuse me, do you know where the king is? We're architectural officials."
                          
The waitress said nothing, merely, she nodded her head to the left, where a large stairwell was placed behind a golden door. Nodding their heads in approval, they approached the golden door.
                          
"Let's go," Nico sighed, starting first up the stairs.
                          
The stairway was twisty and shiny, blinding Frank with each bounce of sunlight hitting off the golden steps. By the time the last step came, Frank's legs were ready to collapse. But they were in front of the throne room's hall.
                          
"You know what to say?" Annabeth asked, looking at the two of them.
                          
"Yeah." Frank nodded.
                          
Taking a deep breath, he opened the doors. What he saw was something he didn't expect. A beautiful bird was sitting on a perch. Golden, red, and orange feathers spread out like a fan of luxurious fabric. His eyes were a deep orange and the tiniest crown sat upon the bird's head. The phoenix's talons were painted and decorated with gold and gems.
                          
Frank jumped backwards when the bird burst into flames and a man was there in golden cape, red and orange dotting his suit. His crown was glittering with crimson and pumpkin-colored gems.
                          
"Who are you and what have you come for?" he boomed.
                          
"Well, sir, we have come to plead for a phoenix feather--" Annabeth started but he interrupted.
                          
"No. Be on your way."
                          
"Please, sir..." Frank said. "Our friend is dying and your feather is part of the remedy we need to save him!"
                          
"I don't care about your friend."
                          
"His name is Percy Jackson and he's the best Olympian spy in history--"
                          
At the mention of 'Olympian,' King Phoenix hissed in distaste. "The fact that you help the Olympians is a crime on its own. They are sexual abusers and people who have no regard to the wellness of human life! Zeus kidnapped my sister and practically forced her into sexual enslavement! I don't even know where she is!"
                          
"Sir, we need it! Please!" Annabeth was down on her knees.
                          
The king was nose to nose with her. "Little girl, when things are needed, they're not always given. I needed my sister and she was never given back, was she? And is she happy? No. Life isn't a fairytale. If your friend is dying, he will die. Simple."
                          
"It's not simple..." Frank found himself turning angry. "Sir, we are in need of him! Who cares if he serves the Olympians? He is loyal. He is kind. He is the most humble person with the most amazing heart! Surely, you care about the very few good people in this world!"
                          
King Phoenix turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Yes... Yes, I do care about the few people who have shown they are very great people. I watch over them... But I have no reason to provide help to... 'Percy.'"
                          
"Sir..." Annabeth had her 'hypothesis' face on. "The phoenix feather is something we want the most. I'd do anything to get him back... Anything, sir!"
                          
The king stared at her, sizing her up and down. Tears were streaming down Annabeth's face.
                          
"You love him, don't you?" he asked after a long silence.
                          
"Yes, sir..." Annabeth whispered. "I love him more than anything in the world. Surely you know that love with someone in your life..."
                          
"All my brothers are dead," the king said flatly.
                          
"But you loved them, didn't you?" Nico asked.
                          
"Eh, they were all annoying and didn't understand me," Phoenix scoffed. "I didn't really love them as much as 'Miss Sob-My-Heart-Out' over here."
                          
"Sir, she loves him," Frank pleaded once more. "We all do! We all love him to pieces and it'd tear us apart if he was taken away from us. You can meet him when he's all healed! He's literally the best friend, the best brother, the best--"
                          
"I don't give a shit about his well-being!" Phoenix hissed. "I don't care! He's dealing with his own issues and I can deal with mine! He hasn't helped me and you haven't helped me so I won't help you!"
                          
Frank hesitated, looking at the king. "What are those... issues?" he asked cautiously.
                          
"You take a guess, Asian boy. You claim to love this 'Percy' fellow a lot. A love like that exists in everyone's life. What do you think?"
                          
"Your issue is that you miss your sister..." Annabeth whispered.
                          
"Correct, little girl." The king smirked. "So I'll make a deal with you. If you can find my sister and bring her back to me, I'll give you the feather. I swear it on the River Styx." Thunder rumbled as he said those words. "But if you can't find my sister, no feather. Deal?"
                          
"Deal," Frank said.
                          
"You're brave," the king chuckled. "I've searched for her for the past millennia. Not a trace. If your friend really is dying... There's almost no chance he'll be saved."