This is an AU story. If are confused about anything, please feel free to ask questions in a review or a PM. The plot will thicken next chapter with the introduction of new characters.

Disclaimer: The PJO and HOO characters and any concepts from either series belong to Rick Riordan.

And now, the first chaper :)

Chapter One: Sounds Perfect

Annabeth always thought Francisco was beautiful. Walking through the seaside market, she could see everything. The gypsy selling fortunes in her colorful wagon covered in scarves. The old woman selling elaborately designed candles next to the young couple trying to sell handmade jewelry. A man yelling about cleansings and redemption of sins. The dirty little kids kicking up dust as they played some kind of game. The noises they made were almost musical. It brought a smile to the girl's face. It was so normal.

Annabeth couldn't approach any of them though. She couldn't reveal herself or she'd never escape to the market again. Usually, Annabeth tucked her blonde curls into a braid and washed any paint off her face. Usually, she would trade her expensive dresses for one that resembled the rags most of the women in the market wore. Even her cloak was made of a richer fabric, its velvety touch softer than the brown cloak that scratched at her skin. That day, Annabeth had been careless. She didn't have much time before the guards discovered that she was gone.

"Hey, Wise Girl. Dressed up for your adoring public?" His soft voice had hit her ear before Annabeth could realize the sea scent had gotten stronger.

"Percy!" She exclaimed, startled by the boy's sudden presence. She wanted to throw her arms around his broad shoulders. She wanted to plant kisses all over his face. She wanted to scream out with the joy of finally seeing him. Instead, she grabbed his calloused hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad you're back, Seaweed Brain."

"So much that you came all the way here to greet me?" His green eyes sparkled as he laughed. It was all Annabeth could do not to just stand there and find ways to make him laugh all day. It was just that amazing to hear him.

"You're coming home with me. Father decided to take Mother to Zeus' gathering early. They left this morning." The blonde immediately started dragging him back through the market.

Percy didn't protest as they weaved through the buildings and alleyways. After several months at sea, all he could think about was Annabeth. He would never be able to forget the way her grey eyes would often stare back into his, nor how smooth her voice was when she sang. He had barely gotten off the boat when he spotted her. Percy could tell she was trying to blend in, but he wasn't sure how that was possible. Her creamy skin seemed to glow as it peeked out from behind her cloak. Some of her blonde curls had spilled out in front of her, shiny and golden. How could someone not see her?

"It's great to see you, Annabeth."

God, the way he said her name, Annabeth could just melt. She replied with another squeeze to his hand, which she had refused to let go of since she grabbed it in the market. They continued to walk briskly through the streets until Annabeth suddenly ducked into a dark alley that ran next to a wall. The stone wall was meant to keep people out and, as Annabeth noted to herself, some people inside. It succeeded in neither as the girl found the hitch in the wall and pushed. A small hole was soon opened, big enough for one person at a time. Annabeth went first, after Percy's insistence, After closing the hole, the couple ran through the grove of trees before them.

Percy looked around in amazement, as he did everytime Annabeth brough him to isit. The grove was only a small portion of the grounds. In front of them, a large stone building rose into the sky. A castle, though Annabeth insisted that they call it a palace, Still, Percy couldn't help but think of the other castles he'd seen and compare it to that palace. Its towes reminded him of a fortress, but the grace of the the whole place was too. . .noble.

Annabeth ran to a brown door that was placed in the back of the palace, hidden by the trees in the grove. She opened it quickly with a key that was tucked away in her skirts and locked it behind Percy.

"No one usually uses that door." The two jumped away from eachother in fright. Annabeth's eyes adjusted in the dim lighting enough for her to see a tall man standing before them. He wore an old blue shirt and dark pants with holes in the knees. Despite the grey in his gruff beard and unruly hair, his muscles from years in the stables claimed that he was anything but a feeble old man.

"Chiron," The name was formed on Percy's lips before Annabeth could say a word. The man grinned wickedly.

"It's good to see upu, my boy. Of course, I'd rather see you legally, but with the current circumstances, I guess that really isn't possible,"Chiron chuckled. He was one of the few people who would keep Annabeth's secrets from the Kind.

"We would love to talk later, Chiron. There's some place I'm supposed to be right now," The blonde gave the man a quick hug and continued through a hallway behind him.

Chiron and Percy watched her go for a fleeting moment.

"She's quite a handful," Chiron remarked.

Percy sighed, "But she's so worth it." Chiron patted the boy on the back before he raced into the hallway.

After finding Annabeth and following her through more cobwebs than he could count, Percy finally asked, "Where are we?" He ducked past another web and narrowly missed running into a wall.

"Servant's paths. They aren't used much anymore, not unless we have an influx of guests. That hasn't happened in years, so basically it's just me and my maids."

"Why your maids?"

Percy could barely see her sly grin in the dark.

"Lets just say they like to spy on the guards. And they have a sense of adventure," She giggled to herself for it was a running joke between her maids, Reyna and Hylla.

Reyna had only liked one guard in the entire pa;ace in all the years Annabeth had known her. She was almost a stalker in some ways, but she never acted on it. Annabeth teased her about it one time and told her that she would tell Jason, the guard, about her feelings. Reyna had threatened to murder her if she did and Annabeth believed her.

Hylla, on the other hand, seeming to hae a new boy, and a new story, every week. She was one of the top maids in the palace and was pretty well known to most of the people in it. The guards all fancied her. She had them wrapped around her finger. The things they did for her were unimagineable. It made great bed time stories for Annabeth for a long time. It soon became tradition. Hylla would court with her suitors sometimes, but ended the relationships when it became too serious. She always had the upper hand with them and ended it when she didn't. Hylla was an alpha and everyone knew it, including Annabeth. She was like the oldersister she didn't have and was the sole reason she behaved as a child. Hylla could be scary at times.

Not that Percy knew any of that. Annabeth would have to explain sometime, but it wasn't exactly the moment to do so. After climbing a flight of stairs, Annabeth paused in the hallway.

"It would probably be best if you stayed here, until the guards leave at least." She gave the boy a sympathetic gaze before pushing through the wall and into the space that was created by doing s. The blonde brushed aside the rich fabrics in what only could be her closet and into her room. She discarded her cloak in the closet and closed its door just as a knock came from the fancy french doors across the room.

"Princess? Are you in there?" Annabeth walked past her pink canopy bed and her oak desk to get to the door and opened it. Two guards, both at least Percy's age if not older, stood in the hall outside it. They wore the royal uniforms, a light blue jacket that looked to be stiffer than some of her corsets with simple black pants. A sash went over their shoulders, the colors representing their rank. The red one on her right was some kind of officer, Annabeth could never keep them straight, but the yellow one on her left was the lowest of the low. He must have joined very recently.

"Yes, I'm hjere and everything is fine, gentlemen. Have you heard any news of my parents?" Annabeth's voiced had changed a little bit. It sounded very soft and graceful, one that matched her title as Princess.

"We just recieved a message that they arrived at King Zeus' palace safely," The commander, she thought her title was, reported. She stared at him for a second. She hadn't thought that they would reach Zeus' realm until later that evening, seeing as far it was. The King must have had the carraige driver speed up the travel time. The commander wiped some sweat off his forehead as she shifted her attention to the next thing on her mind.

"Thank you," She turned to the other guard. "I'd like to get a message out to Lady Clarisse La Rue and Lady Silena Beauregard. Ask them to meet me at the palace for our eveing meal." He nodded enthusiastically, bowed, and retreated down the hall. Annabeth turned with a flourish of skirt and shut the door. After getting Percy out of the closet, Annabeth sat him down on her bed.

"Tell me everything about the last few months," She demanded, her excitement clear. She sat next to him and patted down his unruly black hair. It was still stiff from the seawater. His skin was rough from the endless wind. He still wore an old white shirt and loose pants. Despite these things, Percy's eyes were bright from his recent adventure and Annabeth loved him for it all.

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