Chapter 1

Annabeth POV:

I had known him when he was still a regular person. Just a regular villager, nothing else. None of the fancy titles he held now. Glaring at the cobblestone path that led to his old cottage, I hurried by quickly to the market.

"Milk, cheese, bread…Nothing new here," I muttered as I read aloud the grocery list my mistress had sent me. He used to be just like me-a humble servant scurrying around to run errands for our masters or mistresses. That side of him seemed lost long ago...When was it that I first met him?

I had been twelve, I remembered. A homeless girl who had run away when she was seven. That day, I had been scouring the streets for food when I literally ran into him.

"I'm so sorry!" I gasped, leaning down to pick up the now spilled grocery items.

"It's fine," He replied.

My stomach growled at the sight of food. The aroma of fresh baked bread was one that she had longed for since she ran away.

He chuckled. "Hungry, are you? It's fine. I'll buy more."

My eyes widened at the thought, and for the first time, met his eyes. Stormy grey to sea green. "I-I couldn't. I can't pay you for this."

He seemed to take in her tattered clothes and grimy face and hands. "I'm sure master wouldn't mind if you ate his groceries if you would be willing to work for it."

A job! The hope that had burned out so long ago was now rekindled. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem. I'm Percy Jackson, by the way." He stuck out a hand.

"Annabeth Chase," I replied, shaking his hand. We had talked on the way to his master's house. I hadn't known what made me trust him, but I had told him my life's story. I had told him about my family and the adventures that I had had along the way. He, in turn, had told me about his family's poverty and how he had taken a job as a servant to keep his mother and father alive.

Don't let your mind wander too much. Now, he's just like any snotty rich noble. He pays no attention to where he came from. I sighed as I walked right past the bread shop and had to backtrack. But still, I'm sure there's the old him buried deep in his new persona somewhere, right? I shook my head at the thought. No, it couldn't be. Otherwise, he wouldn't be dating the no-good brat Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Hadn't he heard the rumors about her? She was a flirt, a butterfly that flitted from one boy to another.

Even Drew was better than her. At least Drew stuck with her one goal all the way through: Percy. She only gave up when he made it clear that he was never going to date her.

I was the only person who even moderately understands-no, understood him once. But clearly, now, I was just a transition that he ditched as soon as he got elevated. Tears started to pool in my eyes, threatening to fall out. I blinked them back furiously. I had promised that I wouldn't cry over his stupid affair with Rachel anymore. They both weren't worth it.

"Annabeth!" A familiar voice shook me out of my thoughts. A girl with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes headed my way.

"Thalia! Your mistress let you take a day off today?"

"Yup," she said, grinning. Then she saw my face and her grin melted. "Thinking about him again?"

I nodded mutely. Why couldn't I just banish the thought of his messy, jet-black hair, sea green eyes, and lopsided grin from my mind forever? It would save me a lot of pain.

"Don't worry. He'll eventually realize that she's not worth it, and regret his decision."

"But what if he doesn't?" I had had this conversation with Thalia a thousand times since he had left, but I still didn't believe if he could see under Rachel's superficial act.

"He will. Annabeth, I've already told you, you're a thousand times better than Rachel could ever be."

"But that doesn't matter now, does it? He's the heir to the throne and I'm just a dirty servant running around, completing errands for my mistress. There's no way-"

"There is a way. Why do you think there's a tale of Cinderella?"

"I thought you hated that one," I remarked, cracking a rare smile.

"A bunch of rubbish about fairy godmothers and such, but still. It's possible."

"It's just...He was the first one…" I started breaking down now. No matter how I restrained myself, I couldn't help but cry.

"I know, I know." Thalia steered me towards a secluded meadow, away from human civilization.

"I don't even know him anymore! No one was there for me when...that happened." I erupted in a fresh volley of tears.

"Hey, at least you've got me, now," Thalia comforted me. "I'll never leave you like he did."

"That's the problem," I whispered. "That's what he said too, before. When I told him about my family, that's what he promised. I'm afraid-afraid that you'll go too…"

"Alright, I seriously promise you that the next time I see Percy, I'll go up to him and punch him in the face for doing this to you. Anyone who makes Annabeth Chase cry needs serious pain therapy from me."

I smiled through my tears. "Thanks, Thalia. You always make me feel better, somehow." Percy did, too. And look how well that turned out. A nagging voice at the back of my brain. "Shut up," I told it.

"Um, Annabeth?" Thalia was looking at me with a weird expression on her face. I hadn't realized that I had said that out loud.

"Sorry, a voice in my head," I explained. Thalia knew me well enough by now that when I said that, she probably shouldn't dig further. Especially when I had a crying fit. "Now, I've got errands to run. Bye, Thalia!"

"See you!"