[A Cinderella Story]
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Disney's Cinderella
[SexyPurpleBeast] [AU] [Percabeth]
Note: This story, based on Disney's 1950 version of Cinderella, takes place in ancient Greece. There are no cell phones, cars, or any technology of the modern day. This is a short story, with a maximum of 5 chapters of an epilogue.
THIRD
Once upon a time in a faraway land, there was a tiny kingdom known as Greece, peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition. Here in a stately chateau, there lived a widowed gentleman and his little daughter, Annabeth. Although he was a kind and devoted father, and gave his beloved child every luxury and comfort, still he felt she needed a mother's care. So he married again, choosing for his second wife a woman of good family with two daughters just Annabeth's age, by name, Calypso and Rachel.
It was upon the untimely death of this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed. Cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Annabeth's charm and beauty, she was grimly determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters.
Thus, as time went by, the chateau fell into disrepair, for the family fortunes were squandered upon the vain and selfish stepsisters while Annabeth was abused, humiliated, and finally forced to become a servant in her own house. And yet, through it all, Annabeth remained ever gentle and kind, for with each dawn she found new hope that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.
ANNABETH
"CINDERELLA!" A high pitched voice called, followed by the ringing of a bell. I rushed inside, hurrying to finish feeding the chickens outside. I wiped my hands on my apron as I came through the door.
"Alright, alright. I'm coming!" I called, sighing at the use of my hated nickname. After my father had died when I was seven, my stepsisters had decided to call me Cinderella because my name ended in Beth. They reasoned that because Ella was a nickname for Elizabeth, it fit me as well. From that point on, I was the one and only Cinderella.
The bell continued to ring and I heard my name once again being called. "Cinderella!"
I ran to the table, and set three trays each with a tea pot, tea cup, and bowl of oatmeal. A second bell began to ring and my name was called again. "Cinderella!"
"In a minute!" I called under my breath. There was no plausible way they could hear me.
"Cinderella!" "Cinderella!" "Cinderella!" Three voices were screaming as I continued to fill the pots full of hot water. I could never understand why my step family always ate oatmeal and tea for breakfast, but orders were orders, so that was what I made and served every morning.
"CINDERELLA!" They screamed again. I picked up a tray, balancing it on my head before grabbing the other two trays and exiting the kitchen.
When you come in the front doors of our house, you are greeted by tall columns and beautiful polished marble floors. A grand staircase that curves around the circular room leads to the next of three floors and hides the door to the back kitchen and laundry room.
On the second floor is a long hallway, with floor to ceiling windows and beautiful burgundy and gold curtains. There are three doors, leading to my two stepsisters' rooms and the third leading to my step mother's room. If you look as you come in, you'll see there is a small door made to look like the wall paper. This door, leads to the stone tower. At the top is my room. It isn't as grand as any of the other rooms in our cottage, you could reasonably call it a cottage, but I'd lived there since my father's death and I grew to love it.
I quickly made my way up the stairs, followed closely by Lucifer, the cat. He was this fat black cat that loved to torment the few mice that lived in tower. They used to frighten me, but I eventually figured out that if I fed them every morning, they'd go about their own business and I'd go about mine.
I went to the first door and opened it carefully, as not to spill the breakfast that belonged to my eldest stepsister, Rachel. She had a curly mane of red hair and green eyes.
"Good morning, Rachel." I greeted her as I set down her breakfast in her lap.
"Well it's about time. Take that ironing and have it back in an hour! One hour, you hear?" Rachel demanded as I grabbed a basket filled to the rim with pink dresses.
"Yes, Rachel." I pulled the door shut with my foot and proceeded down the hall to Calypso's room. Calypso was younger than Rachel by a year but only younger than me by a couple of months.
"Good morning, Calypso. Sleep well?" Calypso was sitting in bed, brushing her straight caramel colored hair. Her almond eyes were only half opened and she yawned, ignoring me as she always did. I set her breakfast down on her vanity, located to the right of her bed, and grabbed the box of her dirty green and purple dresses.
"Don't forget the mending!" Calypso added, before the door shut.
I rolled my eyes and knocked before opening the last door in the hall; my step mother's room.
"Good morning, Step mother." I acknowledged her.
"Good morning, child. Come in, come in! Take the laundry and get on with your regular chores." I grabbed the bag of laundry at the foot of her bed as Lucifer ran in between my legs and jumped onto her bed.
"Yes, Step mother." I answered. I put the bag of laundry on my head and left my stepmother to her breakfast.
I was currently standing outside of my stepmother's door, the muffled sounds of my stepsisters could be heard from outside. Breakfast, as usual, passed with some sort of an exaggerated event. Calypso supposedly found a mouse under her tea cup, and had been blaming me for putting it there for the last ten minutes. My stepmother had called me up and I knocked quickly, to let her know I had arrived.
The noises inside stopped. Rachel and Calypso, both still in their night gowns, opened the door and walked out, before gesturing me inside.
"Close the door, Cinderella." My stepmother ordered. I shut the door in the faces of Thing 1 and Thing 2. They were no doubt going to listen to our conversation.
I slowly walked to the edge of the bed and waited. When she didn't say anything, I began to defend myself.
"Oh, please, you don't think that I would-"
"Hold your tongue!" She interrupted. She picked up her tea before continuing. "Now, it seems we have time on our hands."
"But I was only trying to-"
"Silence!" She interrupted, her eyes flashing with anger. "Time for vicious practical jokes. Perhaps we can put it to better use. Now, let me see…There's the large carpet in the main hall – Clean it! And the windows upstairs and down – Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies…"
I thought back to yesterday morning, remembering when I had cleaned both the tapestries and the draperies. "But I just finished…"
"Do them again! And don't forget the garden. Then scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and the stairs, clean the chimneys. And of course there's the mending, and the sewing, and the laundry…" Lucifer, who had cuddled up on the bed, appeared to be nodding as if he was agreeing with everything she was saying. My stepmother seemed to be finished adding new chores to my punishment, so I turned and tried to leave before she thought of something else. I'd grabbed the handle of the door when she spoke up once again. "Oh, yes, and one more thing: see that Lucifer gets his bath." I smiled to her and nodded. Lucifer hated bath time, so I tended to put it as a priority two or three times a week. If there was one chore I enjoyed, it was giving Lucifer his bath.
THIRD
On the other side of the tiny kingdom known as Greece, stood a tall castle. It was made of pure white stone, and was surrounded my gardens. There was a tall wall, made of the same stone, with huge wrought iron gates surrounding the palace. The castle was only a mile or two from the beach, which was loved by the royal family.
In the castle, lived a king. He was one of three brothers, his older brother Hades, ruled a kingdom in the south that produced obsidian. His younger brother, Zeus, ruled a kingdom known as Rome. Greece and Rome had formed a peace treaty after years of rivalry, so their countries traded often and allied together during war. The king of Greece was known by the name of Poseidon.
Poseidon lived in the palace with his second wife. After his first queen's passing, Poseidon married a woman whom he'd been childhood friends with and had been involved in an affair with before his wife had announced her pregnancy. Triton, the son of the king and Amphitrite, the daughter of a middle class family, was born four months before the prince, Perseus, had been born. Despite Triton being older, Perseus was the heir of the throne and the King's new family understood and Triton would be married off to a princess of another kingdom to create an alliance.
Queen Amphitrite came to love Perseus as her own son, and he grew to love her as his mother. Perseus had spent the last six months in Rome visiting his two cousins. Today was his eighteenth birthday and he would be returning home, along with his cousins. He'd never been interested in girls, and had no intentions of marrying anytime soon. But this was an opinion Lord Poseidon was hoping to change.
"My son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough. It's high time he married and settled down." Poseidon spoke, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The king was sitting at a table in one of the castle's many gardens. With him were Amphitrite, Hades and his wife Persephone, Zeus and his wife Hera, his sister Demeter, and his sister-in-law Aphrodite. (A/N: For the sake of this story, Aphrodite and Amphitrite are sisters.) His grand duke, Hermes, stood off to the side, in case he was needed while the royal family dined on breakfast. Even though he was the duke, he and the king had been friends for a long time and they were so close they were like brothers.
"Of course, your Majesty, but we must be patient-"
"I AM PATIENT!" He exploded, throwing a jar of syrup towards Hermes, who merely ducked before the jar hit the garden wall behind him. Amphitrite reached out and put her hand on her husband's shoulder to reassure him.
"I just want what's best for my son. He needs to find somebody now, before he takes the throne in three years."
"And it can't be just anybody." Amphitrite added. She and her husband had spoken of their son's future before the royal families of the land had arrived. More would be arriving of course, in honor of the prince's birthday, but they would be arriving around noon. "She needs to be someone who can fit the image of a queen…"
"Produce an heir!" Hera piped in. Everybody in the garden, including the servants nodded. They all knew the importance of having an heir to the throne of Greece.
"Don't forget, she must be able to rule a country! She'll influence Perseus' decision greatly. Therefore, she'll need to know when and where sacrifices must be made!" Demeter added.
Aphrodite coughed delicately, getting the attention of those at the table. "Aren't we all forgetting one teensy weensy tiny detail?" She looked around the table and everyone looked confused. She sighed before answering her own question. "They have to love each other! That's the most important thing!"
"No offense, Aphrodite, but it won't be easy to find a girl who actually loves a prince for who he is, not his title!" Hades pointed out.
"He's right. So unless you can find a bunch of young women who have no idea that Perseus is a prince, good luck finding somebody who loves him for him." Zeus added, before going back to his food.
"Which," Aphrodite spoke, standing up. "…is why I thought of this before I came here. Today is your son's birthday and you have royals coming in from all over the country, correct?" When Poseidon and Amphitrite nodded. "So, you throw a ball in honor of his birthday and to welcome everybody here. It will have to be a masquerade ball, that way everybody will be anonymous, and he can meet somebody who loves him for him."
Poseidon considered the option before him. His sister had actually suggested a pretty good plan. A ball to welcome home his son wouldn't be strange, and a masquerade would be the theme. He was about to agree when Hermes spoke up.
"Excuse me, your Majesty, but consider this. How many royal princesses his age will be single? I'm willing to bet many of them are betrothed already. This leaves you with a limited number of girls to choose from."
The king looked to Aphrodite who smiled. From her expression, he could tell she knew exactly how to fix this problem. "But a problem like that is simple to fix, as long as you don't particularly care about her background."
"Explain." Poseidon ordered.
"With pleasure."
ANNABETH
I sighed as I began to re-scrub the floors of the entry. Moments ago, the cat had decided to walk through the pile of dirt I'd swept into the corner then parade around the room. His footprints ran all over the room and I needed to start all over.
My stepmother was upstairs with Rachel and Calypso, giving them their daily "music lesson". Even after four years of daily lessons, they hadn't gotten any better. I dipped my rag into the soapy water, bubbles over flowing while a few started to float about the room.
I heard the door from the kitchen creak open and I saw Lucifer walk out of the kitchen. I'd chased him outside with a broom only moments ago but I guess he'd gotten over it quickly. I stood up and grabbed the broom, ready to once again lock him outside, but I was interrupted by a quick knock on the door.
"Open in the name of the king!" A voice shouted from outside. I opened the door to see a man in his late twenties with blonde hair, upturned eyebrows, and mischievous blue eyes. The man looked me over, bowing despite the fact he was obviously of higher status.
"An urgent message from his imperial Majesty." He announced in a clear voice, before pulling an envelope out from his brown messenger bag. I took the envelope from him and I couldn't help but notice it was on heavy paper. The royal seal was on the front, sealing it, while on the back Please open immediately was written in beautiful calligraphy, probably written by the queen or one of her many advisors.
I curtsied before saying "Thank you." I shut the door, while studying the envelope. I guessed I should take this upstairs but a quiet knocking rang through the room. I smiled, realizing who it was and rushed towards the kitchen. I pulled open the top half of the door to see my friend Katie. She lived in the village with her father, who owned the bread shop. She'd bring me bread every other day during the week, saving me trips to the village.
She claimed she loved the walk out here, but I was only the excuse so she could see a boy farther down the road from us named Travis. Her father didn't approve, but Katie didn't care.
"Hello, Annabeth." She spoke quietly. My stepmother didn't know Katie delivered stuff to us, so Katie was careful knowing how my stepmother treated me.
"Katie." I smiled, before opening the door. "Don't worry. They're upstairs." The bread was wrapped in brown paper, and I took it before walking over to get the small bag of money I had for bread. My stepmother refilled it once a week, but she knew how much it cost so she was very careful about how much she gave me. I took the necessary coins out before turning back to Katie, who was pulling something out of her apron. I handed her the coins and she handed me something wrapped in brown paper and tied shut with a string.
"It's a cinnamon bun. My father sent it. He wants your opinion." I smiled before unwrapping. Katie's family would occasionally send something for me to try, but wouldn't let me pay for it. I broke the bun in half and offered part of it to Katie, who was more than willing to take it.
"Have you heard the news? Royals are coming in from all over the country for the prince's birthday! Carriages have been passing through the town all morning and business has been great. Daddy's been working extra hard to keep up, which is why I have to hurry back, but I guess something big is happening tonight!" Her green eyes shone with excitement.
Katie's mother was the sister of the king. Despite the fact she could have been wealthy, she gave it up to marry Katie's father and they now owned a bakery in town. They weren't wealthy, but they weren't lower class either.
"Is that what this is?" I asked, licking my fingers. The cinnamon, like everything else her father made, was excellent. I held up the envelope that had been delivered only moments ago. Katie's eyes went wide and she made a grab for it.
I held it away, before pointing up. I needed to give this to my stepmother unopened. She frowned but nodded in understanding.
"Hopefully by the time I visit Travis, ours will have been delivered or mother will be home to tell me herself!" She headed towards the door after mentioning Travis and I walked with her.
"Good luck! And thanks for bringing the bread!"
"No problem!" She called over her shoulder before running up the path to the main road. I watched her go before looking at the envelope in my hands. "Guess it's time to go interrupt their 'music lessons' now." I muttered to myself before walking out of the kitchen.
The music room was on the third floor and a piano and flute could clearly be heard from the stairs. Calypso played the flute while Rachel tried to sing. The only decent sound coming from in there was my stepmother's piano skills.
I was never supposed to interrupt their lessons, but considering this was from the palace, they hopefully wouldn't be too angry. I knocked, holding onto my broom and the envelope firmly. A moment later, I heard my stepmother slam the keys before shouting, "Yes?"
I opened the door and she began to shout, "Cinderella, I told you never to interrupt-"
"But this just arrived from the palace!" I managed to get out, holding out the envelope.
"From the palace!" Calypso and Rachel shrieked before ripping the envelope from my hand. They began to fight over who got to read it, when my stepmother took the envelope, announcing she would read it. Her eyes flew across the page and her face broke into a smile.
"There's to be a masquerade ball, tonight, in honor of his royal highness, the Prince!" She exclaimed.
"The Prince!" My stepsisters exclaimed.
"And, by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend!"
"Why, that's us!" Calypso was jumping with glee.
"And I'm so eligible!" Rachel said.
They continued to talk about the ball and the prince while I walked over to my stepmother and began to read the invitation in her hands. She didn't seem to mind me reading it. Then I saw the sentence that every eligible maiden is to attend.
"Why that means I can go, too!" I exclaimed. Rachel and Calypso who had been giggling about something froze and turned to look at me.
"Hah! Her, dancing with the Prince!" Rachel laughed.
"I'd be honored, Your Highness." Calypso imitated me. "Would you mind holding my broom?" She and Rachel burst into giggles before dancing together.
"Well why not? I'm still a member of the family, and it says every eligible maiden!"
Rachel and Calypso looked at me, mouths agape. Then my stepmother spoke up.
"Well I see no reason why you can't go…if you get all your work done."
"Oh, I will. I promise." I smiled, backing up towards the door.
"And, if you can find something suitable to wear."
"I'm sure I can. Oh, thank you, Stepmother!" I pulled the door shut. I couldn't believe it! I nearly flew down the stairs so I could finish the floor. I needed to find a dress.
PERCY
I had no idea why my father had insisted I ride in a carriage once we entered Greece instead of riding Blackjack like I normally do. Luckily, I was spared from an hour of boredom because Lord Zeus and Lord Hades had made Thalia, Jason, and Nico ride in the carriage as well. They weren't happy about it, but they did as they were instructed.
"Hey, Perce?" Thalia asked, staring out the window. "Do people normally point and stare at you when you come through town?"
"What do you mean?" I asked confused. Sure, people looked when I passed and a few bowed, but nobody pointed and stared. Then again, I normally didn't come to the town.
"Almost everybody is pointing towards our carriage and staring as we go past." She answered, moving back so Nico and I could look out the window. It was true; lots of commoners were watching us.
"That's odd." I stated. Nico and Thalia had never been to Greece, but Jason had come to visit me a couple of years ago. "Did people stare at you when you visited last time, Jason?" I asked. When he didn't answer, I looked over to see him staring out his window. I looked to see him staring at a dress shop with a line out the door. There was a girl about our age in the window helping a woman in a blue dress and another girl who was probably about ten handing the woman different masks as she held them up to her face.
"Ooh! Admiring McLean, Cousin?" I teased him, knowing full well he was. Piper McLean was the daughter of the shop owner; the man who happened to be married to my aunt. Luckily for Jason, she was in no way related to him.
"No!" He defended, a blush covering his cheeks. "I was staring at the line for a dress shop. Why in the name of Hades is there a line!?"
"Hey!" Nico protested when Jason cursed using his father's name. It had been an inside joke of ours for years. The carriage came to stop as we pulled into the castle grounds. I opened the door and jumped out, glad to be out of the confined space. I signaled the boy leading Blackjack to bring him over to me. Everyone else's horses had trained riders on them, but Blackjack was stubborn. I'd had him for three and a half years, and since I'd gotten him, Blackjack wouldn't let anybody else ride him.
He handed me the reigns of the black horse and I swung myself up onto the horse. I waited for everyone else to get out of the carriage and get on their horses, when I saw my parents and brother walking out to meet us.
"So? Why is there a line?" Jason asked again, getting on his grey horse.
I shrugged my shoulders. I nodded in respect to my father and mother who'd now reached us. "No idea."
"Bet it has to do with somebody's eighteenth birthday." Thalia snickered. "There's probably a party tonight."
"A masquerade ball, actually." My mother spoke in clear, kind voice. It was hard to hide the shock on my face.
"A ball?" I asked.
"For your birthday, Birthday Boy!" My older brother, Triton spoke with sarcastic glee. I rolled my eyes but looked to my father, hoping it wasn't true.
His expression told me it was and I groaned. "Why are we having a masquerade ball for my birthday? Why not do it for Thalia's?" I tried to make it sound like a good idea, but Thalia looked horrified at the thought.
Her black hair and electric blue eyes were unique and sort of startling. She hated wearing dresses, so she went riding whenever she could just so she wouldn't have to wear one. She also spent a lot of time learning to 'defend' herself with weapons, but I could list more times that she attacked than she actually defended. There was no way she'd ever have a masquerade ball.
"Because Thalia's not looking for a bride." My mother reasoned and I groaned again.
"Are we back on this again? I not ready to get married to some snotty princess who only cares about her looks and being queen!"
"Thus the reason for a masquerade ball. Everyone will be wearing masks so nobody will know who you are. That way, you can find somebody and have time to get used to the idea." My mother told me.
"And you can marry for love!" Triton squealed while trying, and failing, to keep a straight face. He burst into laughter and I grimaced.
"At least I'm not being married off!" I told him and that shut him up. Because he was older and would be marrying a princess of another kingdom, he wouldn't begin looking at brides until he was twenty.
"Oh shut up, Perseus!" He muttered.
"Mother, please. Don't make me do this." I tried to reason, but she looked determined. "Darling, this is your last chance. If you don't find somebody tonight, we'll have no choice but to start inviting princesses from countries we could use an alliance with. You'll have princesses, ladies, and maiden from all three classes to pick from. Every girl will be at the ball tonight, you just need to find one you'll be happy with and are willing to marry."
I knew she wanted me to be happy, that's why I wasn't already engaged to some princess. She and my father were trying to give me a choice in who I was marrying, but I just didn't want to get married. I knew I'd used up all my time and I had to face the reality that I would have to get married sooner or later.
"We have an outfit and mask ordered for you that will be delivered an hour before you're needed in the ball. You'll sneak in after some of the other guests have arrived, that way, nobody will recognize you as the Prince." My father informed me. His tone warned me that if tried to pull anything to get out of this, I'd regret it.
I nodded before sending Blackjack into a gallop. I needed some alone time before tonight.