The ballroom was full of hundreds of people and newcomers were still flooding the gates. There were counters on the outskirts of the room loaded with food, as well as ten round tables for people to sit at. The middle of the room was just a space that was considered the dance floor. Kids were running around, teens were dancing, and adults were chatting away.

I got swept away in the crowd and found myself talking to a tall, scrawny man named Ethan. He had messy black hair and brown eyes, although one was covered with an eyepatch. He was wearing slacks and a black button-up shirt with patched up elbows.

"I'm really glad that the castle is open door during balls like this," he told me.

I nodded, smiling a little. "I feel the same. I love seeing all the village people in the castle. Just hanging around nobles gets boring rather quickly."

He grinned crookedly at me. "I take it you don't love the life of a princess?"

I shrugged, glancing at the floor. "I would like it a lot more if I was taken seriously. Nobody considers my ideas because I'm just a young princess. It's not very pleasant in that regard, but I am grateful for the place to live and the food I am served."

Ethan nodded slowly. The quick music changed to a slow-paced ballad, and the man held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

I smiled and took his hand. We swayed to the beat, my hands on his shoulders and his on my waist. About halfway through the song, Ethan asked me a question.

"Have you ever wished to run away?"

I blinked, loosening my grip on his shoulders. "Run away?" I repeated.

He nodded. "Leave the life of a princess behind, leave the tyrants to rule, and live your own life."

I frowned. "No, I've only ever wanted to make things better. I wouldn't run away from my problems. When I become queen, I am going to ensure that my children are taken seriously, as well as their children and all the descendants to follow."

"But what about all the other problems?" he continued. "What about the starving peasants, the uneducated village people, the enslaved children? Are you going to fix those problems?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Of course I am."

"Are you sure the council will let you?"

I took my hands off of Ethan and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but please excuse me."

He shook his head, his black hair flopping about. "No, listen to me. No long term change has ever resulted from a king or queen's decision. Everyone who tries ends up failing. The council is rotten and won't allow the kingdom to live peacefully. They keep everyone afraid and hurting so that they can be controlled. To get rid of your people's problems, you need to get rid of the council."

I stared into Ethan's eye, almost speechless. Everything he was saying made sense, and I hated it. "You're sounding like an Insurgent."

He smirked. "Is that such a bad thing?"

I gasped. "Get out of my castle, you traitor. Leave now and I won't call for any guards. Ever come back and you'll regret it."

He bowed his head. "I understand. I enjoyed our evening, malady. Think about what I said."

"Leave," I growled, pointing at the exit for emphasis.

Ethan stalked off through the crowd and left through the main entrance. I rushed off in the opposite direction, through the hallway that led to the dining room. A guard tried to stop me, but I kept on running until I found myself panting in the back gardens of the castle.

I was scared. The Insurgents were awful, cruel people. They killed my mother, and Nico's sister, and hundreds of more people. But their beliefs weren't so ludicrous. I found myself understanding what Ethan had told me and even agreeing with him. The council was a restrictive group of dictators who didn't want any change to happen for the better. They needed to be taken care of, just not through murder.

Maybe when I was the queen I could destroy the council and transfer Olympus over to democracy. But how would I manage that? Every decision made by a king or queen had to be approved by the council. It almost seemed like a complete revolution was the only answer.

I continued to walk through the gardens until I was in front of the horse stable. Deciding that going for a late-night ride could help clear my head, I walked inside and made my way straight for my horse, Porkpie.

Opening up the door to his stall woke the animal up. I brushed my hand through his mane before saddling him up and hopping on top.

Once we were out of the stables, I pushed Porkpie into a steady trot. After a few minutes, we were amidst the trees in the forest behind the castle. Deciding to keep going onward, I pressed my feet into Porkpie's side and he began to canter.

I heard a noise that made me pull the reigns tight. I looked around me, not seeing anything peculiar in the darkly lit woods. A twig snap caused me to jump, as well as Porkpie. He reared up on his hind legs, and I slid straight off. My crown fell off of my head beside me as I landed on the ground with a thud. I watched my horse gallop off in the direction of the castle.