(Annabeth)

I wasn't anything special.

Just a normal, seventeen-year-old handmaiden, whose only purpose in life was to serve. I knew that too well; I was there to be a loyal, hard working servant, and nothing more. I knew that there was nothing particularly spectacular about me, nothing at all. I wasn't well-known, unlike the members of the royal family that I served. I wasn't breathtakingly gorgeous, or particularly skilled, or very well-liked, or even remarkably intelligent. I wasn't a social person. I wasn't one to stand out in a crowd. I was just me.

And right now, "just me" was getting extremely tired of continually cleaning up the messes left behind by the King's hounds that had been running about the castle all evening. It was quite annoying, and I badly wanted to suggest letting the mutts outside onto the trail or into the garden to do their business, but I knew better than that. I knew that I needed to keep my mouth shut, and quit fretting. But it was hard sometimes.

I'd served King Zeus and Queen Hera, rulers of the North Olympian Kingdom, for ten whole years of my life. Ever since the wee age of seven years old, when my mother left me, I'd slaved away, doing all that I was asked to do without complaint or question. I didn't find myself very familiar with anyone in the palace other than the King and Queen themselves, their two sons, the Duke, and a few of the other servants. When I was young, I'd dreamed of eventually leaving the kingdom to escape my screwed-up family. I'd dreamed that someday, I'd end up somewhere else. I'd be out of there, and I'd be able to live my own life, without anyone else telling me what to do.

Now, here I was, ten years later, in the exact same place, doing the exact same thing, working for the exact same people, in the exact same situation.

So much for living my own life, right?

"Annabeth!"

I jolted at the sound of my name, but recognized the loud, boyish voice immediately. I turned around and saw Jason Grace, another servant of the King and Queen. He was about three years younger than I, with sandy blonde hair, pale blue eyes, and a tall, muscular frame. I knew that his muscles had been built up over the years, as he primarily served the King and Queen's elder son, Luke. Luke had him doing more heavy lifting, welding, and other activities that required intense physical exertion. It was very physically demanding, and it was one hell of a task, to be sure.

I tentatively waved as Jason approached me, noticing that he looked especially cheerful. "I'm heading out for the day," he said. "Luke is letting me go a little early so I can be with my family for the evening. We're all planning on going horseback riding near Mount Olympus. Would you care to join us?"

"I cannot," I mumbled apologetically, staring down at the floor and fixing my gaze on one particular stone that was stained with a black mark. "I'm staying later tonight. Percy's got me doing some extra work into the later hours of the night. It's been happening a lot in recent months."

It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't completely the truth, either. I had been working late into the night, but it wasn't because the King and Queen's younger son, Percy, forced me to. It was my choice to stay in the palace well past twilight, scrubbing and cleaning and sweeping until my arms were like flimsy noodles, or my body was far too tired and achy to move. But I'd rather experience the pain of hard work that might pay off than the pain inflicted upon me when I traipsed through the doors of my stepfather's large cottage in the nearby woods when I got home.

"You say that a lot," Jason stated matter-of-factly. "More often than you should, I might add. Tell me, why does the prince keep you later than the rest of his servants? What makes you so special?"

I shrugged, feeling slightly stung upon hearing his last few words. The truth of the matter was...I actually didn't mind staying later, past the setting of the sun. The nightwork wasn't as hard as the work during the daytime. I had more time to rest, I wouldn't have to work as quickly as I usually did, and sometimes, I would get to spend a little bit of time with Percy. Granted, he would sometimes just oversee me in my chores, wherever they may be, before he retired for the night. But most of the time, he would sit near the area or object that I was cleaning, polishing, or dusting, and as I would clean, we would talk.

We talked a lot, and we talked about a lot of different things. We would talk about the weather, the good and the bad. We would talk about the blatantly obvious jealousy and animosity that General Hades, the Commander of the Olympian Army, had toward his brother, Zeus, because Hades had wanted to assume the throne. We would talk about philosophy, and poetry, and sometimes, Percy would even share some of his personal poetry with me. He was an aspiring poet, a very talented and creative one at that, but no one else really knew about it, because his parents-or at least, his father-frowned upon it. Percy had confided in me, and only me, that his father wanted nothing more than for him to marry a rich princess from an influential royal family when he came of age, which wasn't something he wanted to do.

That was another thing. Percy and I talked about his life...a lot. He told me about his brother Luke's power-hungry struggle and arrogant attitude, and how he wanted, more than anything else in the world, to succeed Zeus as the North Olympian King. Percy told me how he didn't want to be a king, as Luke did, and instead wanted to live his own life the way he wanted to, do the things that he wanted to do, and marry a woman that he loved, not one that he was arranged to marry for some other stupid reason. At this subject, of course, I would always get fidgety, but I was more than happy to let Percy confide in me. He was the one person I could talk to for lengthy periods of time, and the person that I seemingly never ran out of things to talk about with. I trusted him very much, and I allowed him to know almost everything about me.

Except, of course, my family.

Percy didn't really know a lot about my family. All I had told him was that I had two sisters, a working stepfather, and that was it. Really, no details at all.

He didn't know that my stepsisters, Clarisse and Thalia, would constantly order me around at home, making me do their chores and fetch their belongings for them, and he didn't know that they would threaten to rip up and ruin what few belongings I had if I didn't do what they asked. He didn't know that they would laugh in my face and make cruel jokes at my expense, and he didn't know that they would jab me with a broom and pull my hair if I complained. Truly, I felt like more of a servant in my own home than I did in the castle.

He knew that my mother had left me abruptly when I was but seven years young, but he didn't know that there was no explanation as to why.

He didn't know that my stepfather would consistently beat me to a pulp whenever he would see fit, or whenever he would get into a drunken rage and try to destroy everything in sight.

He didn't know that I had considered ending my own life on more than one occasion to try and escape it all, to end the suffering myself.

Percy Jackson thought that he knew me well. But rest assured, he did not know me as well as he thought he did. No one did. And I preferred to keep it that way.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."

I snapped out of my thoughts, remembering that I was still talking to Jason. "Um, yes. Have a good evening, Jason," I replied.

Jason looked at me quizzically, no doubt thinking I was going crazy, but he left anyway, slamming the door of the kitchen behind him.

I sighed despondently, and turned toward the large bucket of steaming water that sat about five feet away from me, seemingly calling my name. Next to it was a large stack of dishes, and I knew I had to get back to work. Grabbing a flowered washrag from the shelf, I stuck my hands into the bucket and began to scrub.

The water was scalding hot, so hot that my arms felt as if they were burning in a fire. I wanted to stop, but my resolve was too strong. I ignored the pain and furiously scrubbed away at the fine china plates, spoons, forks, glasses, and other items that had been set before me. Before long, the water began to cool down, and it became more comfortable to wash the dishes. I relaxed, and gradually began to slow down, feeling even more exhausted than I had before.

"Maybe it'll be alright if I take a short break," I muttered quietly to myself.

Removing my soaked hands from the bucket of water, I slowly leaned back against the stone wall behind me, sitting down on the tiled concrete floor. The concrete was smooth and cold, and provided relief for my hands as I placed my warm palms against the hard rock. It took but a few moments for my palms to cool down. I let out a pent-up sigh of relief, leaning my head back, and shutting my eyes for just a moment.

"Annabeth? What on Earth are you doing, still roused at this late hour?"

I opened my eyes, and saw him-Percy Jackson. He looked the same as he always did, with his white, button-up dress shirt that was too big for him, a pair of worn riding boots, his normal black trousers, his long, shaggy, brown hair that hung loosely around his face, his swirling, sea-green eyes, and his charming, boyish smile that nearly made me swoon every time it was directed at me. At the moment, he looked particularly tired, and ready for a good night's sleep, one of the many niceties I knew that I could not always afford.

I scrambled up, particularly un-gracefully, I must say. I did not really want him to see me taking a rest when I was supposed to be doing my job. "Apologies, Percy, sir," I mumbled. "I was just taking a short rest, but-"

Percy held up his hand. "No worries," he insisted. "Please, take a seat. You're more than welcome to sit and rest, after the long day you've had."

I eased back down onto the concrete floor. "Thank you."

He sat down beside me, and I immediately tensed up. It always made me nervous to have another person in such close proximity to me, especially if that person was Percy. "You look especially forlorn this evening. What troubles you, fair maiden?" he asked.

I couldn't help but smile, and I felt a faint blush spreading rapidly over my cheeks. He often called me 'fair maiden', as if I was someone of worth, and not a servant. It always made me feel a little better, and he knew that well. "Oh, nothing at all, sir. Just purely exhausted from the long day," I replied nonchalantly.

"Annabeth, honestly, how many times must I remind you? Call me Percy. I'm not my brother, you know. I don't require others to call me 'sir'," he stated.

I detected a hint of bitterness in his voice, but what he said was true, of course. Luke, his elder brother, often wanted to be addressed with a term of authority. He'd always been that way, at least, since I'd been younger. I don't believe that there was ever one occasion on which I addressed him by just his first name.

"Apologies...Percy," I corrected myself, slightly embarrassed. "I know you tell me this often. I just seem to be very forgetful when it comes to those sorts of things."

"No worries," he assured me kindly. "Now, back to my original question. What are you still doing here so late? You've worked yourself very hard today."

I hesitated. That was yet another thing that Percy didn't know: he never knew exactly why I always wanted to stay so late, and he didn't know why I often chose to get up at the most ungodly hours of the morning, leave my home, and go to the castle so early. He didn't know the reason, and he was undoubtedly wondering about what it could be at that very moment.

"No reason," I mumbled. "I...feel I must make up for the times that I did not work up to my potential, the times I didn't try my best. I want to make up for that now."

Percy raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely surprised upon hearing my answer. "Why would you ever think that you did not work up to your potential?" he asked. "I can't think of a single time. You've always been one of the most hardworking people in the castle."

I noticed that, when he referred to me and the others, he said 'people', and not 'servants', which indicated that he actually thought of me as someone that mattered, someone of worth. The King often bluntly referred to me as a servant or maid, during the few times that I was actually in his presence. The Queen, however, was much more fond of me, and sometimes even called me by my first name, a gesture that I was quite thankful for, come to think of it. She was kind, and generous, and the few times that I saw her, I was usually in the presence of Percy, and she often addressed me similarly to the way she addressed him.

Almost like the mother I'd barely known, or like the daughter she'd never had.

"I have my moments," I said quietly, thinking back. Indeed, there had been many times when I'd not done the best that I could, or I was distracted, or I was too sore to efficiently complete the tasks requested of me. They often occurred on the days after my stepfather would get wasted and lash out at me when I arrived home.

Percy smiled kindly, and I felt the familiar warmth building up inside of my chest. It was a smile of appreciation, of genuine kindness, of sincere gratefulness. I got those smiles regularly from nobody but him, and occasionally a few from the Queen, and they always made me feel so much better.

"Well, I don't remember any of them," he informed me. "I've always remembered you as the girl who went above and beyond in her work. Annabeth, you've always been the girl who did what she was told without complaint or any form of protest, and even cut the workload of others in half, just purely out of the kindness of your heart, and knowing that there was nothing in it for you."

The familiar happiness that I was feeling was replaced with a small sense of guilt, and it tugged at my heart, making it ache a little. Though part of it was for the purpose of helping others, the other part also had a purpose: keeping me away from my family that much longer.

Despite these selfish realities, I smiled weakly. "I do try my best to help others and to help you, Percy. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail miserably. But I'll try to improve. I promise."

Percy placed a warm, strong hand gently on the hand resting atop my knee, and my first instinct was to immediately pull away. I was too used to being touched in an aggressive way that was solely intended to hurt me, one that was not gentle at all, but I had to remember that this was Percy, not my stepfather. I knew he would never purposefully hurt me. At least, I hoped not. So I forced myself to hold my hand still, and he smiled reassuringly at me. "There's no need for that, Annabeth," he insisted. "You do your job perfectly."

It was really hard for me to believe him.

I forced a smile. "Thank you, Percy." It was a miracle that he didn't take any notice of my utterly obvious discomfort and apprehension.

His hand left mine, and he stood up. "Well, I think it's about time that I retire for the night. Why don't you do the same? You need your rest as much as I."

I shrugged noncommittally. Going home was the last thing I wished to do. He probably didn't realize that he was most likely sending me off for another scolding, another beating, another nightmare all too common in my everyday life. He wanted me to get some rest, which I knew that I wouldn't easily be able to do, but if it would satisfy Percy, I would try it.

There was nothing I wouldn't do for Percy.

He took my small hands in his own and easily pulled me to my feet. "Goodnight, fair maiden," he said, holding onto my hands a little longer than he probably meant to.

I managed another weak smile. "Goodnight, Percy. Sweet dreams."

He gave a slight bow and one more dashing smile, nearly making me melt into a puddle of goo for about the tenth time that night, turned, and headed up the stone staircase on the other side of the kitchen. The wooden door shut behind him with a loud thud, and he was gone.

Knowing that it was time for me to go, I quickly dried my hands off by wiping them on my long dress, grabbed my old cloak from a coat-rack that stood nearby, blew out the candles, and left.

The cold air immediately hit me, and bit at my skin as I ran full-force down the hill and into the woods. The wind blew through my hair and across my bare skin, chilling me to the bone, and I wrapped my cloak as tightly around myself as I could. The moon shone brightly over my head, but through the trees, I could easily see a blanket of fog beginning to form. I needed to hurry, as I knew all too well that the woods were the worst possible place to be on a cold, foggy night.

I began to pick up speed, tightening my grip on my cloak, and pressed on, doing my very best to ignore the cold, harsh bite of the wind. I could see my family's cottage in the distance, just beyond the cluster of oak trees ahead of me. Almost there.

I slowed to a stop as I approached the front door. It was unlocked, as usual, so I hightailed it inside, shutting and locking the door behind me. Shivering from the bitter cold, I wandered into the small kitchen, with nothing but the candlelight coming from the table to guide my way. I removed my cloak to hang it up, and turned to head to my bedroom for the night, when I heard a deep voice from the adjacent room, stopping me dead in my tracks. My blood ran cold as I heard his words. "You're late."

(Percy)

My mind swirled relentlessly as I walked up the stairs, en route to my quarters, after the short talk I'd had with Annabeth moments before. I went over our conversation several times to myself, mentally rehashing each and every one of her statements, reactions, and the like.

Annabeth was one of a kind in my book. She was one of the few people who worked in the castle that I talked to on a near-daily basis. I'd known her for so long, and I felt that I could tell her anything, almost as if she were my best friend. And, believe it or not, I actually did consider Annabeth my best friend.

But I wasn't supposed to. No, my father had made it known, loud and clear, that he frowned upon companionships involving his sons and basically everyone else in the castle, especially servants. He did not know of my very close and personal friendship with Annabeth, but my mother did, and oddly enough, she supported it, which surprised me.

However, I will admit that she didn't know just how personal my friendship with Annabeth was. I'd told her things that I wished no one to know, at least, not yet, and I'd talked to her about how I didn't want to be a pawn in my father's game. I'd mentioned on more than one occasion that I didn't want to enter into an arranged marriage, like Father wanted me to, and I always felt guilty about not telling him. But I knew that he would rebuff my opinion, like always, so I never bothered to bring it up to him. Annabeth was always there to comfort me, and tell me that everything would work out exactly the way it was meant to. She'd told me on countless occasions that I had control over my own destiny, and I had the last word when it came to my future. My mother seemed to be right in the middle of the two, knowing what I truly wanted but knowing that it probably wouldn't happen, and not really doing anything to help me.

"Percy, darling!"

I jumped slightly. Speaking of my mother…

"Hello, Mother," I replied, turning into my parents' bedroom at the top of the stairs. Mother greeted me with a hug.

"Darling, where have you been?" she asked, a little worriedly. "What are you still doing up at this late hour? You need your rest."

"I know, I know," I answered. "I was just finishing up my conversation with Annabeth, Mother."

At this, she gasped. "At this time of night? Goodness me! Why in the world was she still here? Was she working? Did she seem alright?"

"Yes, Mother," I replied. "She seemed fine, just a little distracted. She was just finishing up the dishes from dinner. I believe Jason was supposed to do them, but Luke allowed him to leave early. So naturally, Annabeth took it upon herself to finish them up."

"Did you request that she do the dishes?" she asked me, placing a hand on her hip.

I shook my head. "No. She did it willingly, without being asked. I was the one who interrupted her, actually. She was taking a short rest, but immediately tried to get back to work when I arrived. I told her that she was more than welcome to take a rest. I sat and talked with her for a few minutes, and told her that she needed her rest, same as I, so I sent her on her way."

"That girl works so hard," my mother stated. "She always stays so much later than everyone else, and always arrives earlier as well. She is a very hardworking, reliable individual, Percy. Does she know that? Does she know how much we appreciate her services?"

"I sincerely hope she does," I said. "I've told her that myself, but she doesn't seem to agree with me completely."

"My intuition tells me that Annabeth is just very insecure," Hera replied. "I get that air when I'm around her. She seems to feel that what she does isn't important, and that could stem from the fact that she doesn't really have many close companions here. Maybe you should take her under your wing, Percy. Help her live a little. Not as a servant, but as a friend."

I smiled at the thought. "I can do that."

"Now, hold on there!"

I jumped again, this time at the deep, rattling voice of my father. He sauntered into the room, coming from a stairwell off of the nearby hallway, clad in a silk robe. "I will not tolerate my son fraternizing with some low-life handmaid whose job it is to wait on and serve our family. I simply will not have it. Do you both understand me?"

Mother turned around. "Now, now!" she scolded. "Percy will not 'fraternize' with this girl. She just needs some guidance. Someone to believe in her. Someone to help her realize her potential, and let her know that her services mean a great deal to us. There will be none of this fraternizing business! What an absurd notion!"

I couldn't help but laugh. My parents were making the decision regarding what I should do to help Annabeth, without any input from me, and I was standing right in front of them.

"You two can argue about it all you wish," I muttered. "I'm going to retire. Goodnight to the both of you." With that, I turned and left the room, venturing down the dimly lit hallway and into my own bedroom. I let myself fall forward onto my bed in exhaustion, kicked off my boots, discarded my white button-down, and wrapped myself up in the warm comforter. I blew out the candle next to my bed, and settled in for the night.