"I know you won't. Now, go on, get dressed!" She kissed Thalia’s forehead one last time and sent the princess hurrying out of the room. It suddenly felt a lot quieter without her daughter and she sighed, realizing that this is how it would be from now on. Thalia was ready to take her place in the world as queen, and that meant she would no longer need her parents the way she did when she was a child. Their whole lives were about to change, and she wasn't sure she was ready for it. Her ladies all had dreams that they had been patiently waiting to follow, but her only dream had been to be a wife and mother. Now that she had achieved both, she found herself at a loose end, and it wasn't an appealing place to be.

"Mari?" Marius’s voice called her back from the gloomy place her thoughts had taken her to. She spun to face him, startled, as he said, "I wanted to let you know that I hired Thalia's favorite band to play at the party."