[A/N: NOTE—I do not own the Percy Jackson series, nor any of its characters, even though I wish I could be that amazingly cool and brilliant. All props to Rick Riordan, eh? Anyway, this is basically going to be the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series, told by me from Annabeth's perspective. Also, please remember that I am not perfect in any way, shape or form. So if you find a screw-up, tell me and I'll fix it right away. Also, review and tell me what you think, because I need feedback on whether this sucks or not.]

**Five years ago**

It seemed like she had been running forever. Running from monsters, running from fights, running from just about everything that had ruined her life for the past two years. No more getting yelled at by that woman that called herself Annabeth's mother when something went wrong or something bad happened. No more screaming at night and being ignored. She was still alone and she was more scared than she had ever been in her life, but at least now, on the run, she wasn't being blamed for things beyond her control.

Seven-year-old Annabeth sat contemplating all this as she hid in the alley. She was mulling it over, shivering from a mixture of cold as the sun went down, and fear of what she knew could come for her at any second with absolutely no warning, when she heard a series of running footsteps. They were coming down her alley, straight at her. She tensed, lifting the rusty hammer that was her only way of defending herself from the living nightmares she faced down every day.

The footsteps paused not far from where Annabeth was huddled in her little improvised shelter. She heard two voices talking quietly; it sounded like a guy and a girl. She shifted her grip on the hammer, but in the process it slipped between her cold fingers, landing on her foot. Annabeth couldn't help gasping in surprise and pain. Loudly.

The voices stopped abruptly and silence fell in the alley. Then light steps came closer to her hidey-hole. For a second Annabeth was paralyzed by blind panic and pure terror at the possibility of what horrible monsters might be on just the other side of her makeshift wall. But she hadn't survived this long on her own by cowering in fear. Snatching up her hammer, she burst out of her temporary home swinging wildly.

She heard alarmed shouts and then the hammer was yanked from her grip as strong arms restrained her. She struggled wildly, screeching, but of course nobody came running to her rescue. They never did. Never would.

"Hey—take it easy!" the male voice she recalled hearing before said sharply. Looking up, her eyes wild with fear, Annabeth saw a creature that looked like a big kid. He had blond hair and blue eyes. Annabeth cringed away from him, doubting it was really a kid and wondering why she couldn't see what he really was when the female voice chimed in.

"Relax, kid. We won't hurt you." The girl who moved into her view looked tougher than the guy, with her spiky black hair, electric blue eyes, and punk-rocker outfit. She terrified the living daylights out of Annabeth, who continued to struggle without even pausing to consider that they might be telling the truth. She continued kicking her feet, hating how easily the guy was holding her back, hating the fact that she couldn't do anything to hurt them.

Ignoring her for a moment, they looked at each other over Annabeth's head, seeming to have a silent conversation with their eyes. The girl nodded, and the boy released her. Annabeth's panic peaked with renewed terror—were they going to kill her now?

She felt her eyes prick with tears and whispered, "No more monsters…please, no more…" She could feel herself trembling with fatigue and fear.

The boy's face softened slightly as he crouched to meet her eyes. "My friend and I aren't monsters, promise." He used his finger to cross his heart, which to a seven-year-old is basically a contract signed in your own blood, so Annabeth relaxed minutely. "But I'm betting you've been attacked a lot, haven't you, kid?" he continued, sounding kind and concerned, as if he not only understood what Annabeth was going through but actually cared. Which was more than her so-called family had ever done for her. Annabeth knew she was going to start crying any second now.

Looking down, Annabeth nodded, wiping her eyes as she mumbled, "Don't call me 'kid'."

The boy chuckled, saying, "Well sorry but I don't know your name. How about you tell me so I know what to call you?" He smiled encouragingly and without consciously deciding to do so, Annabeth found herself mumbling, "I'm Annabeth."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Annabeth. I'm Luke, and this—" He inclined her head towards the girl, who raised her hand in a peace sign, grinning. "—is my friend, Thalia."

"So Annabeth," Thalia broke in, appraising her and causing Annabeth to bristle warily, her little fists clenching at her sides and her shoulders tensing up again. "How come you're out here all by yourself? Where's your family?"

Annabeth felt her face harden. "I don't have a family. I ran away, and I'm never going back. You can't make me!" she added defiantly, half-lifting her fists as though preparing to fight them. Luke raised his hands in a pacifying gesture, shaking his head.

"Take it easy, Annabeth. We won't make you go back. In fact…" He paused to glance at Thalia, raising his eyebrows. Thalia nodded. "How would you like to come with us? We're going to a place where it's safe for people like us."

"People like us? What does that mean?" Annabeth asked warily. Sure, they hadn't attacked her—yet—but just because she was a kid that didn't mean she wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to trust them that easily.

"People who can see monsters. People the monsters come after. The hunted ones," Thalia said a bit darkly, her eyes like cracking thunder. Annabeth shivered slightly in fear, and Thalia's expression lightened. "If you want, Annabeth, we could be your new family."

"We won't let the monsters hurt you anymore," Luke chimed in. "We won't let anything hurt you, ever again. We'll take care of you like a real family should."

Annabeth looked up at him with wide eyes that looked way too old for such a young face. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Luke ran a hand through his hair, pursing his lips. "I suppose that's a fair question." He sighed. "I guess you'll just have to take a leap of faith, and we'll prove it to you with time. So what do you say?"

Annabeth hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Promise you'll keep the monsters away?"

"We promise." He held out his pinky. Annabeth interlocked it with hers and Thalia came over, wrapping her pinky around Annabeth's as well. To a seven-year-old such as Annabeth, this was more binding than any contract a lawyer could draw up, so her heart was considerably lighter as they all got up, dusting themselves off.

Then came the familiar sound of monsters roaring.

Annabeth flinched. Luke and Thalia both paled. Luke glanced at Annabeth, then at the knife he had discarded earlier, then back to her with a shake of his head. He pulled a knife from his belt and handed it to her. "Take this—you should have something better than a rusty old hammer to protect yourself."

Annabeth nodded, grasping the hilt gratefully, clutching it close, almost as though it were a teddy bear meant to give her comfort and not a lethal weapon meant for her to use as protection.

She looked up with wide, fearful eyes at her new family. "What do we do now?"

"We run," Thalia said grimly, tapping the silver chains around her wrist anxiously.

"We run," Luke agreed.

And so they ran, the hungry howls of the monsters sounding not too far behind them.