Welcome everyone, to my new story! Based off (not completely though) a mix between 'The Princess Who Never Smiled' and 'Romeo and Juliet' with that Percy Jackson twist, I give you 'A Growing Smile'! I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to do something like this!

Don't worry 'For Freedom' fans, I can assure you they'll be a new chapter soon! Promise! I'm so sorry to keep you waiting!

Hope you guys like it! Tell me what you think!

Enjoy Chapter 1!

Athens

Cold heartless glares, horridly depressed frowns, blank faces and a twinkle in the eyes, quiver of the lip and grinding of her teeth. There was a frown, there were blank lips, mad facial masks, pouts, bored expressions, and even an impatient bite of the lip. The Princess just didn't understand it, she was able to show all these expressions, but she could never smile, not even so much as a grin.

Her mother told her that as a child she had been cursed by a witch, but why? Why was she cursed? That's what she couldn't understand. And to take away her smile of all things! She felt happiness but she could never express it, it truly annoyed her.

Her mother and father tried anything and everything they could think of that could possibly make her smile, but it was no use, nothing broke the curse. Annabeth tried to remember what the tapestry recorded that the witch said.

Because of your unwillingness to trust people like me, I hereby curse your baby girl to have something you'll never see. Because of your own fatal mistake, an expression of happiness she will never make. Until she finds trust the curse will remain, only through love will she suffer less pain.

It didn't make much sense did it? The two things that came to her mind when she thought about it were: That could mean anything, witch! And Creepy much?! What love? What trust? No one in the kingdom ever trusted her without a smile. Who wasn't willing to trust the witch? It annoyed her not knowing, but not as much as it annoyed her that she couldn't smile.

Every once in a while Annabeth would sit at her mirror and try desperately to smile, she just wanted to see it, even if it was only once. But she had no idea where to even start, how does someone who has never smiled go about trying to lift her muscles? How was she supposed to know how to smile? Often she wondered how it was so easy for people to smile, it was like it came naturally to them. No matter how long she sat at that mirror trying to smile all she did was frown.

"Ugh!" she pushed herself out of her seat, knocking down the cushioned chair, and slammed her fist on the dresser. "Why is it so hard?!" she could yell all she wanted but she knew that wouldn't bring her a smile. She heard footsteps racing to her door, but she didn't turn around she just sat at her bed staring at her frustrated expression in the mirror, How come that was so easy?

The door creaked open a little and a soft voice whispered through the crack, "Is everything alright sweetheart?" Annabeth recognized the voice of her mother on the other side of the door so she turned.

"Come in." She said quietly. Her mother walked in to see her daughter's folded hands and defeated frown, over the years she had discovered the difference between her daughter's happy frown and her sad frown. Athena marched over to the bed and took a seat next to her daughter on the bed, letting out a sigh as she did so.

"Dearest?" she asked. "What the matter?" Annabeth turned her head to stare into the kind stormy grey eyes of her wise mother and almost instantly Athena knew. "You tried it again didn't you?" Athena took no comfort with Annabeth's sad nod of the head.

"I just don't understand!" Annabeth cried, exasperated. "Why did it have to be me?! Why am I forced to never smile?! How come I can't show people I care?!" Athena hugged her daughter close and tried to imagine how she could possibly be feeling, but nothing came to her.

"I know it's frustrating and I know you're angry, but you can smile, you will, there is a way to-" Athena was cut off before she could finish.

"To break the spell! I know, you've told me a million times!" Annabeth replied, jumping off the bed. "And even though it's been said, I'm still not sure there is a way." Annabeth opened the door to the balcony and resting her arms on the posts, her mother followed. "Who would trust me, I can't smile to prove myself at all, and without a smile I may as well be ugly."

"Don't say that." Athena said, picking up her daughter's chin. "I trust you, I always will, and you are beautiful, you always have been." Annabeth looked to her mother with a straight face, even though she couldn't physically Athena could feel her smile. "There, that's my bright girl!"

Annabeth laughed but without the smile it felt more like sarcastic laughing rather than humorous laughing. But Athena knew she had made her happy. "Thanks." Annabeth said. Athena would have liked nothing more than to be the one to make her daughter smile, but sadly the way things were going she knew that was very unlikely.

"Will you be coming down for lunch?" she asked.

"Of course!" Annabeth answered, giving her mother a questioning look, even though she probably meant to smile.

"See you then dear." Athena replied walking out of the room. Annabeth closed the door behind her. Even though Annabeth would give almost anything to smile, it was comforting to know that there were people who cared, and maybe somewhere out there, there was someone else who cared just as much.

…..o0o…..

As Annabeth made her way to the dining hall, she paused to admire the tapestries. One was of a war with the Electrogonians back in the first few years of Athens birth. There had been a nasty feud between Electris and Athens, very few know how it started, all they knew was now it was over and Electris and Athens are allies.

Next was a beautiful picture of Annabeth's great great great grandmother and her son planting the first seeds in what is known today as the biggest and most beautiful garden in all of the land. Past that was the first marriage of an Eletrogonian and an Athenian, after that there was one depicting of an eclipse, and another of the first trained owl held by no other then Annabeth great grandfather, Cornelius, and the history went on.

Second to the end was a realistic image of the great war between Athens and Atlantis, the day forever known as the day enemies were made, a lie was pulled all across the land that either the Atlantians or Athenians wanted to test the other, but the truth was it was just another mistake King Poseidon made trying to convince Athena to marry him. No one knows what he did, but apparently Poseidon did enough to tick off Annabeth's mother, and war was declared. Annabeth sidestepped to the next historical memory.

The Last one was her least favorite, the day she was cursed. The picture clearly showed the witch leaning over Annabeth's crib and glaring over at her parents. Above was the words she had said written as clear as day, Annabeth read them shuttering at every pause of a sentence.

…Only through love will she suffer less pain…

Annabeth hurried past the tapestry and into the dining hall, she never wanted to stare at that thing again. "It's absurd! If his son gets to marry, then surely my daughter should be able to do the same!" Annabeth paused before turning the corner, that voice was her father, what did he mean she should get married?

"There Atlantians dear," Athena reminded him. "Let's not follow in their footsteps."

"But this is the only thing that I agree on with them, it's time for us to start thinking about our children taking over the throne." King Fredrick insisted.

"She needs more time." Athena argued.

"And she'll have it!" Fredrick agreed. "After three days we'll start finding suitors."

"But what about the curse?" Athena asked. Annabeth winced, she really needed that to be haunting her forever.

"It will be broken!" Fredrick cried. "The witch said that trust and love would break it! Maybe she meant the trust and love that goes into a marriage." Annabeth hated to agree, but it did make sense. Something did plagued her mind though, a son? She thought. Poseidon has a son? Why wasn't I told? She didn't know why she cared, but it seemed to bother her.

"Alright, we'll try." Athena gave in. "But we will only let her marry someone whom she trusts, loves, and someone whom will make her smile." Annabeth didn't hear a reply, but she knew her father was nodding his head. Quickly she rose up and around the corner as if she had just rushed down.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I got my dress stuck in the door."

"Oh, I hate that." Athena remarked. "It's such a waste of valuable time and clothing." Annabeth shrugged lightly in agreement before pulling her dress up and under her and taking a seat.

…..o0o…..

Atlantis

"I'm telling you!" Grover insisted. "She doesn't have a smile!" He was at the stables tending to horses with his good friend the prince of Atlantis.

"Nonsense!" Prince Percy replied sliding a brush across his pitch black horse, Blackjack's waist. "Every princess has a smile."

"But she doesn't have a smile and she's a princess." Grover pointed out. There was a small moment where Percy almost believed him, but he just pushed the thought aside and kept brushing Blackjack.

"Even if what you're saying was true, what, pray tell, would make you think I'd be interested?" He asked, resting an arm on Blackjack's back.

"It is true!" Grover assured. "And I just assumed you'd like the story, that's all."

Okay, now it was perfectly obvious that Grover was lying about at least one of those things, so Percy stared him straight in the eyes and said honestly, "Grover you're a horrible liar." Grover threw on a glare and folded his arms across his chest.

"Fine, if I'm such a bad liar then tell me, what did I lie about?" Grover shot back. Like an arrow to the heart that confusing question struck Percy with a blow so deep he wouldn't have been able to dig it out, no doubt the confused look on his face was what gave Grover his smug smile. "Give up?" he asked.

Percy thought really hard. "I…" then he had an idea, his last chance. He put on a smug smirk of his own and Grover's smile faded into a worried expression. "I was waiting for you to tell me." Grover look shook, he was so close to breaking, but then the smug smirk returned, back from the dead.

"Nice try." Grover said. Percy's eyelids snapped closed in defeat, he had so hoped that'd work, he opened his eyes and stared out Grover's face. Grover was convinced he had won, but the next words that flowed out of Percy's mouth weren't exactly what he was expecting.

"Why do you really want me to know?" Percy asked, with a cocky smile.

Grover felt flustered and even though he knew full well the answer he had to ask. "Know what?"

"About the princess with no smile." Percy answered.

"She's beautiful." Grover admitted.

"And?" Percy made a rolling motion with his hands.

"That's it." Grover tried.

"No it's not." Percy was right it wasn't.

"She's the princess of Athens." Grover gave in. Percy had a victorious smile which soon turned into a shocked frown.

"Athens?!" Percy cried. "And she doesn't have a smile? All Athenians have a smile, they're flawless." Percy rolled his eyes at the thought, he had never met an actual Athenian per say, but he had heard the stories.

"She was cursed when she was just a baby, by a witch, it had something to do with her parent's mistrust." Grover explained.

"Cursed?" Percy asked, now extremely interested.

"Yes," Grover replied. "It's said that only by trust and love will the spell be broken."

"Interesting…" Percy said, saddling Blackjack and preparing to mount.

"What are you doing?" Grover asked, a bit of worry in his tone. Then with a shocked gasp Grover realized the answer before Percy could say. "Oh no!" he cried. "Percy, you can't be serious!"

"A princess of Athens with no smile, I have to see this." Percy replied.

"It's only a smile!" Grover cried, trying desperately to convince Percy not to mount his horse. "It's not like she's missing an arm or a leg!"

"I've never seen someone with no smile." Percy stated, ignoring Grover. He mounted Blackjack and stared off into the distance.

"You can't go to Athens!" Grover cried. "You could be recognized! You could be captured! Do you know how great a royal ransom affects a war?!"

"I'll go in disguise, no one will recognize me." Percy insisted. "Besides I'll be back in a couple days, I assure you." With that Percy nudged Blackjack and rode off.

"What will I tell your father?!" Grover yelled, practically ripping out his hair.

"Tell him, I went exploring!" Percy yelled back. Grover glared in Percy's direction until he was nothing more than a dot in the distance. Percy rode toward Athens in wonder, as he went in search of the princess who never smiled.

Well how was that? I can tell you guys now, unless I get over 3 reviews, this story will be postponed so I can work on present and future ideas. Hope you liked it! Please Read and Review!

Please vote on my pole! Which story would you like to see from me soon? They're all PJO options so please vote. Before, I didn't have enough votes to really make a decision so that's why I posted this.

If you want to check out more of my stories, I suggest 'For Freedom' and 'Here Comes Goodbye', they're the only stories I have my heart set on right now. Note: 'Here Comes Goodbye' is based off the song "Here Comes Goodbye" by Rascal Flatts and it's the only story I finished.

Samantha's Library.