Published: 06.05.15 *Complete chapter*

Last Edited: Date of publish

Word count: 4,737

So~

Hi guys! I know it's been long and I haven't exactly been- Oh god! Please don't shot me! I swear it wasn't on purpose! I just, you know... erh, I didn't exactly like it?

Let me clarify (If you're new to this you can just skip the whole thing, as this doesn't concern you), 'The Underworld Princess' was a story I had started thinking about way back in, what? Summer 2012? Or something, and as you can see, it's been a long time. I had just started out writing at that time, and perhaps wasn't the best (let's be honest, I sucked) so when I read through it now? I honestly can't believe how many of you guys actually liked it, and it makes me so happy to know that you did, but it also means I feel like I owe you something better. Better written, better thought out, better character development, just... better. This is why I decided to have a 'do over' so to say, and I really do hope you'll stick with me through it.

But thank you for all the lovely comments and reviews, and for now, enjoy the first chapter.

Prologue

"When Heroes meet."

Percy Jackson.

She didn't know what to think of the new kid. He looked like your average troublemaker, but... those bright sea-green eyes of his told another story. Maybe he was different from the rest of those morons? She scoffed quietly. Who cared anyway? Better of on her own, she was, and he would soon see that as well.

Yancy Academy was apparently his sixth school in six years - how he ever managed to get thrown out (she assumed he got thrown out) of every single one of them was a mystery, but she did have some ideas - and wasn't that a surprise? No, not here at least, because Yancy was the place troubled kids like this Jackson and herself, among others, were placed when no one else wanted them. Or when rich parents didn't know what to do and just dumped their kids here. Either way, everyone who ended up here was abandoned in some way or other.

This wasn't a cause for tears however, for when no one wanted them, they made their own families and groups. Some where obviously better crowds than others, but the idea of community was there no matter what - people just had different interpretations of the word.

"Mr. Jackson, there's a free seat other there." Mr. Smith waved his hand none-commendable in her direction.

Of course there was a free seat next to her, she snidely thought, she had made sure of that. The tables where all meant for two people, but she liked her personal space, thank you very much, which meant no one was allowed to sit next to her. She had gone through too much trouble to make it so, she wouldn't allow Jackson to ruin that now.

He would soon realised just how precious her personal space was to her.

"Hi, I'm Percy." She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, never really turning her head away from the window. Jet-black hair, tan, he looked a bit like a skater if you asked her.

She huffed, gaze wandering back to the outside. "Good for you."

She could almost hear him frowning, chair scratching against the floor as he pulled it out and sat down.

"But you might want to find a new seat."

"Why?" he sounded confused. "There ain't any other."

"Too bad. I don't like people in my personal space."

"How big is your bubble?"

She quirked a smirk. "Oh about to where you're sitting and then some."

"I'm not moving." He stated.

Her smirk vanished and she didn't bother to give a retort. There was no need too, because in the end, he would turn out to be like everyone else. It would start of slowly - he would shift away from her; flinch if he accidentally touched her; say anything to please her -, but then it would escalate and he wouldn't even want to look at her in fear of summoning her wrath.

He would be just like everyone else, she knew it.

.01

A month had gone by now.

And Jackson was still sitting besides her.

"Hey."

"Oy."

"Hey, grumpy."

"What." Seriously? Couldn't he just leave her alone?

Jackson slid a piece of paper over to her, sending her an almost kicked puppy dog look as he looked up through dark lashes. "I erh, I don't get this..."

She took a glance at the paper. Basic algebra, easy, solve for x. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

He shifted in his seat, as if it actually pained him to do this. "Help me?"

She gave him one look. "No."

"What?" He didn't even sound that surprised. "Please?"

"No."

"Come on!" A harsh glare from Mrs. Dodds had him quickly quieting down.

Mrs. Dodds was this little fifty-year-old math teacher from Georgia, who always wore a black leather jacket and looked mean enough to ride a Harley into your locker. Sometimes she even looked pissed enough to run you over instead, but then again, she usually looked that way when her gaze turned to Jackson.

Mrs. Dodds hadn't always been there, she had come in when the last math teacher had had a nervous break down.

She twirled the pencil in her hand, smirking inwardly. That may or not have been her fault actually.

"No. Now leave me alone."

"I'll- I'll give you some candy - for free?"

Was he really trying to bribe her?

A smirk crossed her face. She'd see where this would go.

"Oh?"

Jackson nodded viciously. "Yeah!" He glanced around, no doubt looking to see if Mrs. Dodds heard him, before lowering his voice again. "Yeah, I mean, yes- yes, I'll give you erh, what'd you want?"

She leaned her elbows on the table, placing her head in her palms. "Why do you want my help so bad?"

He grimaced, a certain emotion that she was starting to really get to know crossed his face. "Don't wanna give Mrs. Dodds a reason to give me detention again."

She hummed, before giving her final verdict. "Still not helping you."

.02

He wanted to know her name.

"None of your business."

"But I need to know what to call you, I can't just keep on calling you 'hey you', or 'grumpy'."

"Seems to be going well enough."

Jackson huffed out through his nose, features twisted in a frown and lips tugging down. "What's your problem anyway? I'm trying to be nice, but you just keep on shooting me down!"

She snarled, words coming out through her teeth. She was thoroughly done with the extra baggage and just so tired of it. "Take a fucking hint."

He glared at her, but she didn't even blink. "Is it really that great to be alone?" Before she had a chance to answer that 'yes, it was wonderful, now leave', he continued, face flushed with anger, "I've seen you. You always act like you don't care, that you don't want friends, but I've seen you."

For the first time, she felt a rush of shame fill her and she turned her head away from those knowing sea-green eyes. Oh she knew what he was talking about alright, and she didn't like it one bit.

She didn't answer, prompting Jackson to fill the silence.

"You say how you want your 'personal space' but you wince every time someone flinches away from you. And I've seen the way you look at the other groups, so don't even think of denying it."

Still, she didn't say anything.

"What's holding you back? What are you so afraid-?"

"I'm not afraid." She snapped.

"Well there's clearly something."

She closed her mouth. She had nothing to say to that.

"... Fuck off."

"No."

She seethed, turing to fully face Jackson and first now noticing their difference in height as she had to crane her head up to actually look him in the eyes. "What do you want?! Is it protection? Did you piss off some of the older kids and now you're trying to get me to take care of them for you?!" She shoved him back. "Or are you just trying to get into the higher levels of the school's hierarchy? Don't you fucking get it? People avoid me for a reason, and I want nothing to do with you god damned bastards."

She was huffing and puffing from her rant, chest moving up and down, as she unclenched her fists, crescent moons imbedded into her skin. Furious, she was furious - who did he think he was? - and it was only getting worse as the silence dragged on. She had been right, he really was only trying to befriend her because he wanted-

"I just want to know your name."

What? She blinked, bodily rearing back as if hit. What did he say? He just- He wanted to know her name? No, no that couldn't be the only thing, she wouldn't believe it, because... because he was just like everyone else.

"Why?"

"Because I want to be your friend."

She felt like a parrot. "Why?"

Jackson frowned, nonplussed, before he shifted his weight and licked his lips. He shrugged. "I just... I don't know, you're... I feel like... we're the same in some way..." he finished lamely.

What was this guy's deal?

She swallowed. Should she take the chance?

"Pixie."

"Pixie?"

"S'what everyone else calls me."

His eyes darted up to her hair, and then back to her small built. "Fits you."

A sharp and wary grin crossed her lips, teeth slightly bared in an almost feral expression. "I'd guess so."

.03

Someone pushed their way past her, bumping roughly into her in their hurry to get to the cafeteria. Pixie dropped the bottle in her hands, watching as the content filled out onto the floor. She growled lowly, sight already set on the offender's back and ready to pounce. She couldn't see much of him though, the people around hiding him from view, but she could see his head and the top of his back. A sneer twisted her lips.

No one bumped into her without saying sorry.

Her fingers curled around the back of his t-shirt, and pulled.

"Gah!"

He didn't fall to the ground, like she would have liked him to, but he was held back. He turned around to face her, confusion on his face, which quickly turned ashen.

Grover Underwood.

He was an easy target, and he was made an even bigger target when the others found out he cried when he got frustrated. He was also rather scrawny, and Pixie figured he must have been hold back a couple of grade before he got here, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. Lastly, he was crippled. From what she'd heard then it was some kind of muscle disease in his legs, though she had seen him on enchilada day in the cafeteria - like today - where he ran like the wind, so she was having a bit of doubt about it.

"I-I-I-I-I-I'm terribly sorry!" He yelled.

She glared at him through sharp eyes. "You made me spill my bottle."

Pixie didn't know it was possible, but Underwood paled even further. "I-I-I'm sorry! But I don't have any money!"

"You think I care?"

"I-"

"If you can't pay for a new one," She growled, "than I guess you'll just have to owe me, won't you?"

Underwood slowly shook his head, eyes wide in fear. It was a common sort of knowledge that you did not want to owe Pixie anything - be it a favour, drink, or possession -, because she would make sure to take the one thing of most value. This was why most of the classes from 5th to 8th grade each gave her a present when her birthday came. To stay in her good graces.

(She'd sold most of the things.)

Pixie and the older kids had come to the agreement that they would leave each other alone, and that suited her just fine. They were too much trouble trying to control anyway.

She smirked, but it quickly turned into a frown when Underwood suddenly looked at her strangely, as if it was the first time he was seeing her. He took a whiff of the air. "I- I'll buy you a new one!"

Didn't he just say he didn't have any money? Pixie narrowed her eyes. Something was going on.

The halls were almost empty now, all the other students having filled into the cafeteria or outside to eat.

"So now you have money?"

Underwood blushed to his roots, eyes shifting about as he wrong his hands together.

He was lying.

"I just remembered I had some!"

She scoffed. "I don't want it anymore."

"But I have the money!"

"Don't care." She turned around and started walking away, her appetite ruined.

"Wait! Just let me-! Ah! Wait!"

Those crouches must've made it difficult to follow her.

"Let me buy you a new one!"

"Piss off."

"But I really want to buy you one!"

She gritted her teeth together. "I don't fucking care anymore."

"Please! Just let me do this!"

Pixie whirled around, fists clenched at her sides and glaring heavily at anything that moved. Underwood should have left her for his beloved enchiladas. "Just leave me the fuck alone!"

"Is everything okay here?"

She stiffened, seeing the wheel bound man roll up to them from her left. A slightly puzzled smile was on his face, eyes crinkled.

Mr. Brunner was her Latin teacher. He was this middle-aged man in a motorised wheelchair, with thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled of coffee.

The man was an alright teacher, better than any other she had had but that didn't say much, and he let his students play games in class. He told stories and jokes, some of which were quite cheesy, and he had this special collection of Roman armour and weapons that Pixie loved every much. He was the only teacher whose class didn't put anyone to sleep.

She gave Underwood one last glare, knuckles white.

"Yeah, everything's fine."

.04

"Miss Fleur?"

She stopped in her tracks, caught by surprise. How long had it been since she was last called that? When she first started school? How did he even know?

Tense and ready to strike out at any moments notice, Pixie turned around quickly - as it was already too late to act as if it wasn't her. Suspicion filled her gaze as she stared at the man before her, who was well off if the Italian suit was anything to go by.

Though it could also be the sleek black limo behind him that gave it away.

She hadn't seen the man before - not at school nor any of her foster homes -, which raised the question of how he knew her. The school wouldn't give out information like this, as they knew if anyone came looking for one of their students it usually meant they were in trouble. The cops were the only ones given that kind of information, no exceptions.

The man was leaning against the parked limo, legs crossed, looking for all she knew relaxed. That was good, it meant she had a head start if she needed to run away, because whilst she could straight up just start running, the man would first have to uncross his legs, righten himself, and then start running.

"I'm afraid you have me at an disadvantage," she shifted ever-so-slightly, "who are you?" She was looking at the man's lapel, which was pinned to his suit, but her dyslexia was making it difficult to read it. To her, it looked like: HAOCRN.

The man apparently noticed her trouble and saved her from suffering any further. "You can call me Charon."

She sent the man – who was apparently named Charon (what had his mother been smoking?) – a doubtful look, not completely sure if he was joking or not. "Sure..."

A small silence enveloped the two, both unwilling to be the one to break it. Pixie would have had no trouble with it, if it wasn't for her impatience and the ADHD didn't make it better, but she was able to keep it squashed down for now.

"Your father..." Charon finally began.

Immediately, she twisted on her heels, walking away from the surprised man.

"Hey-! Miss Fleur-! Wait!"

"Don't care." Her father could go screw himself for all she cared.

She didn't hear anything from Charon again after that.

.05

They were doing a project in Science, but it was nothing even remotely lethal, or dangerous, so Pixie wouldn't have been able to cause permanent damage to the others even if she wanted to.

Nah, she was kidding, of course she wouldn't do anything like that...

Yeah.

"Look, I know you seem to hate me-"

She sent Jackson an deadpan look. That was a bit of an understatement - she really didn't like the way he seemed to so easily look through her.

"-but can't we just work together this one time?"

She narrowed her eyes at the other. "... If I have too."

Jackson almost seemed to visibly deflate as he released a sigh of relief.

"But if we're going to do this, it won't be some boring ass shit like this." She said as she gestured to the paper they'd got from the teacher.

And then he groaned.

Pixie had to force the grin off her face. Poor fool didn't even know what he'd got himself into.

"And what, exactly, are we doing?" He almost sounded as if he regretted not feigning being sick today.

She smirked, carefully sliding off her chair as she sent the teacher a side way glance. "Make sure no one sees me and you'll see."

The look he sent her was one of dread.

Pixie completely slid off the seat, crouching down behind the desk. The teacher, she knew, was sitting heavily in his chair, sleep dragging his eyelids down, but that meant nothing if some of the others saw her and spoke up or if he suddenly woke like she knew he would at some point.

Especially if he knew something was wrong. He was one of those people who just knew if something was amiss, it was the reason she had been caught so many times, but she refused to let this one fail - failure was not an option.

(She would get back at him for that one detention - it had ruined her plans of visiting the little quaint antique shop around the corner.)

She darted down the rows of tables, moving further towards the teacher's table, where an computer stood. These things were like child's play to her, always had been, and she used it to the fullest. Pixie suddenly paused, quickly looked around, and then continued until she was right in front of the table.

She snuck a look at the teacher and then one up at the old computer - one with a CRT monitor. Pixie picked at the cables, uncoupling some and re-coupling them again in new places. She worked quickly and quietly, finishing in record time before she hurried down to her table.

When she came back to Jackson he was giving the computer curious, but slightly worried, looks. "What did you do?"

She smirked. "Relax, it won't cause any explosions. At worse, it'll just make the computer short circuit and cause the rest of the school's electricity to cut off."

His eyes settled on her. "How can you know that?"

"I'm good with things like this."

As if that was a secret cue, the monitor started to flash, smoke rising from the computer itself. It smelled like rotten eggs, if she was being honest, sour and unappetising. Thick tendrils slithered out and across the floor like serpents.

Someone screamed, putting a one sided smile on Pixie's face. The teacher jumped up, immediately noticing the smoke.

"Out! Out! Everyone get out!"

Students filed out the door, Jackson matching her gait. They stood in the back of the group, the others at least two arms length away.

"You know... that was surprisingly tame for what I'd thought you'd do."

She sent him a look from the corner of her eye. "All of his things where on that computer - countless of papers he'll now have to re-grade, reorganise, he'll have to find them first of course, if he's not fired first."

"Why would they fire him?"

"Because there was some pretty important documents on that computer."

Jackson didn't retort, and when she looked at him he was frowning.

"That's not very nice." He finally said.

She crossed her arms. "Never said I was."

He shook his head at her, but let the subject go with a sigh. "So what now, Pixel?"

She blinked, swivelling around on her heels to face him. "What?"

"What'd you want to do now? We've pretty much got the rest of the class free."

"Not that," she snapped, "pixel."

He gave her a strange look. "Pixel, like, a computer thing, you know."

"I know what a pixel is, you moron. I meant 'why'd you call me that?'"

"Well it kinda fits you. Pixie, Pixel, kinda the same, no? And you said it yourself, you're good with computers, so..." He shrugged.

"Don't call me that."

A grin stretched across his face, mischief filling his bright eyes. "Nah, don't think I will... Pixel."

.06

It was late at night, and Pixie couldn't sleep. She was still in her dorm room, but it wouldn't stay like that for long she knew. Sneaking out was a common occurrence for the small girl, and it wasn't exactly difficult.

Most of the teachers had long since given up trying to keep the students in bed after curfew.

She threw the covers off, toes curling as she set them on the chilly floor. It was a wonder how the floors always managed to stay so cold, even in the middle of high summer, though that turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse, as opposed to when it was winter. They were in the middle of Spring, as of now, so the coldness still bothered most. She was one of them.

Pixie hated the cold.

In her haste to get warm, she pulled on a big sweater that went down to mid-thigh on her, slipped on thick, fluffy, socks and a pair of converse. She still had her pyjama bottoms on.

Getting outside wasn't too difficult, no teacher in their right mind would be walking around at this time of night, and Pixie released a sigh of content as her gaze fell on the lush pine trees dotting the surrounds of the school. It had been raining, she could tell. Droplets of water still clung to the blades of grass and dampened the bark of the trees.

"Pixel?"

Pixie twirled around, shoulders tense and eyes wide.

Jackson stood behind her, arms cradling a black plastic bag. He was wearing dark colours, so it was a bit difficult to see all the dirt that clung to them, and his sneakers were muddied - as if he'd been running through the small, but lengthy, patch of earth behind the school. She knew there was an opening in the wall that surrounded the school there, and if she was reading this right, then Jackson had obviously been having a late night trip to the outside world.

She meet his eyes. They looked like they were reflecting the moonlight, glowing, and she knew for a fact that her own would almost seem black - sucking all light away.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" She finally said.

"Ain't you?" He shot back.

Her lips quirked. "Touché."

Jackson shifted, the bag heaving in his arms, and frowned. "Ain't you going to go?"

She gave it some thought. "No."

"Well I'm not-"

"What's in the bag?"

He stiffened briefly, before his shoulders relaxed and he gave her a lopsided smile. "Not gonna bust me, are you?"

"I would only be giving myself away."

He grinned, gesturing for her to come closer. "True. But let's go somewhere else, we could easily get caught here."

And so they climbed one of the bigger pine trees, sitting on one of the highest branches that could hold both of their weights combined. The bark was still damp and slightly slippery.

Jackson set the plastic bag in his lap, untying the knot he had made to keep whatever was in there from spilling out with a bit of difficulty. "And- There! Got it!"

Pixie rolled her eyes, and reminded him they had to stay quiet.

He grinned. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, okay? But here, have a look." He practically shoved the whole bag into her face.

Pixie blinked. The contents of the bag, it was- "Candy?"

Jackson nodded. "I'm selling it to the other kids."

Again, Pixie blinked. That was actually kind of... smart.

She wouldn't ever tell him that however.

"Okay."

He raised an eyebrow. "'Okay'? That's all you have to say? 'Okay'?"

"Pretty much."

Jackson sighed heavily, seemingly disappointed. "And here I thought I'd finally get a reaction from you."

She scoffed. "Never going to happen."

Apparently he took that as a challenge.

Jackson gave her a once over, smirk playing on his lips as he blinked at her innocently. "You're looking rather pale, I think you might be suffering from a lack of vitamin me."

Pixie reared back, almost as if she had been slapped. "Excuse me?"

He scooted closer to her, shoulders rubbing together with hers. "I lost my teddy bear, can I sleep with you?"

"What are you-?"

He stood up in a fluid move, bending at the waist and looking through dark lashes, eyes flashing impishly. He took her hand in his and held it in front of him as if he was going to kiss it.

"Kiss me if I'm wrong, but dinosaurs still exist, right?"

She withdrew her hand quickly, crossing her arms, and huffed at him. "Are you really using pick-up lines on me?"

He grinned, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. "Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

She might have smiled a little bit at that one, but she turned away, hitting his leg as she did. "Shut up."

She hit his leg harder than intended though, and Jackson slipped.

Pixie's heart jumped up into her throat, her eyes widening. She tried to reach him, hand darting out to grab onto something - anything -, but he slipped through her fingers like smoke.

"JACKSON!"

She watched, frozen, as he hit some of the branches, snapping them. His hands grabbed at anything they could, but nothing they reached was strong enough to hold him, and one smack across his head from one particular branch and he was limb. Jackson hit the ground with a dull thud that seemed to echo within her head.

Pixie was down and by his side faster than she registered.

His brow was bleeding - a cut across his left eyebrow -, she could see, and his tan was getting paler but he was breathing. That was what counted. She began to wipe the blood away using her sweater's sleeve, not able to stand how it made Jackson seem even paler than he already was.

She hadn't noticed she was shaking until a hand gripped her wrist.

"You okay?"

She almost hit him again. "Am I-? Am I okay? You just fell out of a fucking tree and you're asking me if I'm okay!?"

Jackson's lips quirked, but it was nothing like his usual goofy smiles. "I finally got a reaction from you."

She took a deep breath, blowing out air through her nose. "Moron."

He grinned, but it turned into something more of a grimace. "Hey, you're even insulting me again, you're more than just fine."

"Peachy." She pressed a sleeve covered hand to the still bleeding wound. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

He tried to move, but the action caused him to wince. "My- My back hurts, my shoulder too, but other than that - and my head -, I'm fine."

"You haven't broken anything?"

"Don't think so."

A weight lifted off her shoulders. "Good."

Jackson blinked up at her, taking in her expression before a glint of mischief filled his eyes. "Don't tell me you-"

"Hey! You two! What are you doing out after curfew?!"

Footsteps were running towards them, and from what Pixie could hear it sounded like there was more than two. She could see a couple of flashlights waving through the air.

She smiled lightly down at the boy in her lap. "You were right. We would get busted if we stayed out here."

He tried to turn his head to look at the oncoming teachers, but Pixie kept him still. He huffed up at her, sending her a mock glare.

"Well if we're getting busted then you might as well take some before the teachers confiscate it." He smirked. "Free of charge, of course."

Pixie smothered the smile that threatened to break out, before he got a chance to see it.

Jackson wasn't so bad. She would allow him to be near her - for now -, if only to somehow repay him...

Yay! first chappie is up! Wheeeeeeeeee~!
*Cough cough* Right, I just needed to get that out of my system, soooo~ Whacha think? It's a bit drabble-ish, I know, but it won't be like that for every chapter.
Leave a review and tell me what you think of the new version, or if you're new to this story altogether leave one anyway!