Sorry chapter one is short! Don't worry there will be more to come!
Also credit goes to Rick Riordan. Except for the plot and character which I made up.
ENJOY and please COMMENT
chapter one
It was a beautiful afternoon in May. The sun was out, the flowers in bloom, and the birds singing. And Princess Annabeth Chase of Olympia would have given anything to be outside in the glorious weather.
The princess was 16 years old - young, rebellious, and eager to go out and explore the world. She was beautiful as well, blessed with golden curly hair and alluring grey eyes. However, her royal status made it challenging for her to leave the palace grounds, to go dancing in the village or swimming in the ocean - things she longed to do.
Instead, she was trapped inside the palace with her tutors, who were tirelessly reviewing Latin and calculus. Annabeth loved to learn, but she hated being cramped inside. And frankly she had already known about derivatives, continuous functions, and Latin grammar since she was eleven.
As Annabeth sat at her intricately-carved desk, drearily reciting the meanings of Latin roots, she was already planning her escape. In two minutes she would excuse herself to go to the bathroom and sneak out the window, climbing down the terrace overgrown with vines. The royal gardeners would be grooming the west end's bushes (Annabeth had memorized their routines) so no one would see her dash to the horse stables, where she kept a satchel and change of clothes. Then Annabeth, disguised in a pair of old torn jeans that were much more her style and black scarf to cover her blonde tresses, took off on her horse, a huge brown Clydesdale named Serendipity.
Her plan was pulled off perfectly without a sinch, and the teenage girl laughed as she ripped off her head scarf, letting the wind send her hair flying behind her as Serendipity galloped down the dirt trail through the green meadows surrounding the palace gates. The princess preferred horseback riding to driving anyday. Annabeth felt like she was on the top of the world. She gripped the reins with one hand and threw her other arm into the sky, enjoying the elated feeling of soaring in the saddle of such a massive horse.
The pair rode until they reached the top of a hill with a tree overlooking the surrounding fields. There weren't any people around for miles, so she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing or taking her picture. Annabeth patted the side of Serendipity's flank as she slowed to a stop, and swung her feet over to hop out of the saddle. She pulled a bundle of carrots out of her satchel and offered them to her horse while petting her soft muzzle. Serendipity may have been a giant, but she was as gentle as a lamb and was loyal to Annabeth. So loyal that the princess allowed the Clydesdale to roam around grazing freely without worrying about whether or not the horse would return.
Annabeth sat beneath the tree all afternoon, reading novels and writing in her journal. When she got bored or her back was stiff, she would cartwheel down the hill or climb to the top of the tree and take in the amazing views - she could see the palace grounds in the distance and reveled in the fact that she wasn't there. To the north, she could see a small village and made a vow to herself that she would go there some time, the next time she could run away from the castle. In the meadow, Annabeth allowed herself to daydream and imagine a life for herself where she wasn't a princess, but a writer, or maybe an equestrian, living a simple ordinary life.
Annabeth had a bad habit of losing track of time, and soon the sun was setting and she quickly realized that she had been away for too long. She stuffed her things into her leather bag and ran down the hill, "Serendipity!"
The horse came trotting toward her. Annabeth jumped on as quickly as she could and they began their return to the castle. She unsaddled Serendipity in the royal stable, got redressed into her silk dress, and then ran to the back entrance of the palace.
"Annabeth! Where in heaven's name have you been all day? The duchess was looking for you! She's more infuriated than I've ever seen!" Annabeth's housemaid, Selena, a kind and beautiful middle-aged woman who was as close as a mother figure in the princess's life (her real mother had passed away when Annabeth was 8), called after her in the halls and effectively stopping her mad dash to her suite.
Annabeth turned around slowly, a little out of breath, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Selena. I was just reading and got caught up and lost track of time."
The maid sighed and looked at the young girl, "I know you don't like staying inside Annabeth, but you must stop disappearing. Everyone gets so worried," she looked Annabeth up and down, "And your nice dress, all wrinkled! What will the Duchess say?"
I don't care what the Duchess says, Annabeth huffed to herself. The lousy woman was just after her father, the king, for his wealth and position. She didn't care one bit about Annabeth's happiness and only bothered about her appearance and finding her a husband.
A young servant came rushing down the hall, "Your Majesty! Princess Annabeth! There you are! The Duchess and the King request your presence in the throne room immediately."
Annabeth huffed, knowing she would have to go listen to another one of the Duchess's hour long spiels about how she was a disappointment, failure of a princess and selling the King lies about how she shouldn't be able to leave the castle or do anything un-royal like or enjoyable at all.
"Yes, of course. I will be there momentarily," Annabeth said with a sigh. Selena pulled at Annabeth's gown in an attempt to straighten it up as they walked through the palace.
"You must be nice and polite, Annabeth," Selena said in a chastising tone.
"What? I am always polite and kind!" Annabeth responded.
Selena raised her eyebrows at her in a look of warning.
"It's not my fault that I don't agree with the Duchess's ridiculous ideas. I should be allowed to voice my opinions. Especially if I'm supposed to run this nation one day. Honestly, I don't know what all the crap she makes up about me being ladylike is even about. Being ladylike and quiet isn't going to help me win a debate with Parliament…" Annabeth's voice raised as she continued her rant and Selena coughed as they approached the throne room, where the workers were staring at the princess with looks of disapproval.
Duchess Carmila, an older stingy lady who still wore ridiculous amounts of makeup and impeccable dresses and heels on the daily for the sole purpose of flaunting their fortune, was glaring at Annabeth as she approached. However, the King sitting in the throne beside her looked at his daughter with nothing but love and endearment.
"Hi Daddy!" Annabeth exclaimed as she went up to hug and kiss him on the cheek.
"My beautiful girl! How is your day going?" the King asked his daughter as she stood before him.
Annabeth opened her mouth to respond but the Duchess interrupted, "She was missing for 5 hours, Your Highness. From 1:00 to 6:o0 she disappeared and no one had any idea where she went! Do you care to tell us where you were, Annabeth?"
"I sincerely apologize for any concern I caused you," Annabeth said dully, "I was reading and got caught up and lost track of time."
"You were outside of the palace grounds, weren't you, Annabeth? I know you were," the Duchess began her interrogation but thankfully the King stepped in. Annabeth wondered how the Duchess was able to look like a clown, while simultaneously behaving like a stubborn old lady and whining baby.
"Oh give it a rest Carmila. She's like her father, in love with reading. It's not her fault she gets so immersed in the books she reads," the King said, speaking up for her daughter.
"Fine, but you agreed on what we discussed before. Annabeth, you will be assigned a guard to watch over you, protect you, and make sure you stay out of trouble. We are tired of your disappearances and your unladylike, inappropriate behavior," the Duchess gestured to her side and Annabeth was vaguely aware of her realization that someone else had been in the throne room with them the entire time.
Anger and resentment bubbled up in her chest, "A guard? That is ridiculous! I do not need to be protected like the crown jewels you lock up under maximum security! I should be allowed to do what I want and not live beneath a book of manners or your dictatorship over what is or isn't acceptable for a princess to do!"
The Duchess's eyes flashed, "Do you hear yourself? A young lady should never raise her voice like so! A princess should be quiet and beautiful so she may find a husband to look after her after her father passes."
"Husband? Are you insane? We are in the 21st century, not the Medieval ages! There is absolutely no reason I can't take care of myself! I don't need protection," Annabeth insisted, glowering at Carmila.
"Annabeth, I'm afraid this conversation is over," the Duchess said. Annabeth looked pleadingly at her father but he would not meet her eyes. How on earth does he find this to be the right decision? "Meet your new protector, Sir Percy Jackson."
A young man, who couldn't be much older than the princess, stepped forward. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned to look at him. He was handsome, with tousled raven hair, sparkling sea green eyes, and a lean body. He bowed to the King, then to Annabeth, "It is my pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty."
Annabeth huffed and ran from the room, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She heard Selena calling after her, and the Duchess order the new guard to follow her. The princess took off down the winding palace halls, determined to lose the new Sir Percy Jackson. The voice in her brain said his name mockingly. How dare the Duchess enlist someone to protect her! It was a whole new level of insane, of confinement!
The princess sprinted through the castle, purposefully taking the secret hidden passageways few knew about, until she ended in the small dark room in the tallest tower that she once considered her hideout, which she shared with her two best friends and ladies in waiting - Piper McClean and Thalia Grace.
She curled up in a ball and looked out the window, enjoying the view even the tree in the meadow couldn't beat. The more she thought about the Duchess and the protector and her father not sticking up for her and her empty future, the angrier she got and soon she was crying and rocking back and forth with her knees to her chest. It was so unfair!
She missed her mother more than she had in a long time. Her mother, Athena, would never make her have a protector. Athena would take her on trips outside of the castle, and encourage her to play, get dirty, and stand up for her beliefs. Her mother would never, ever tell her she needed a husband to take care of her. Athena had been one of the 3 people in the entire world who knew about her hideout in the tower, even the King was unaware of its whereabouts.
Annabeth heard someone coming behind the door and quickly hid behind a pillar that held the ceiling up. The secret door opened and Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief when it was only Thalia and Piper.
Both girls were Annabeth's age, and they had been best friends since birth. Thalia had black hair cut edgily and sharp electric blue eyes. Piper had choppy brunette hair with mini braids and kaleidoscope eyes that changed color depending on her mood.
"Annabeth, I know you're up here. Selena told us everything," Piper said softly.
Annabeth came out from her hiding spot, sniffling a little before speaking, "I'm not coming down, if that's what you're here for."
"You're going to have to come down at some point," Thalia said logically.
"Well, you're not allowed to tell anyone about this place. You promised when we were 6," Annabeth returned to her spot near the window, glancing up at her friends.
"I know, Annabeth. But I know you, and you're going to get hungry," Thalia sighed at the princess's stubbornness, something she was quite accustomed to, "Here, we brought you blankets and pillows if you really want to hide out for the night. I don't think it will help your case but whatever. I'm not bringing you food so you better come down tomorrow morning."
"Thanks Thals, Pipes," Annabeth said quietly as she watched her friends leave.
Annabeth watched the sun set over the kingdom before curling up with her blankets for the night, wishing she could just forget about everything and dreaming about running away from it all.