Of Abductions and Adventures:
A/N: This is sort of based on a movie I saw called Highway, I hope you like it! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or 'Bridges and Balloons' by Joanna Newsom
Chapter 1: The Prolougue
("We sailed away on a winter's day
With fate as malleable as clay
But ships are fallible, I say
And the nautical, like all things, fades")
There was once a girl, and a boy, and another boy who we will come to later.
The girl was chained, the boy was her chain and it wasn't till much later did the other boy arrive and become her freedom.
So this is a story, of chaining people down, setting them free, letting them go, and bringing them back. It is about dreams, passions and the things which drive us to do the things we do. It's about a little journey, a chance in life, and the things it resulted in.
But above all it's the story of a girl who found herself.
(also it's a story of a kidnapping, a ransom, a man who was part of the sea, and a smelly truck that was on the verge of breaking down)
(and a dog)
To say Annabeth was rich would be an understatement.
She had exactly two cars, three personal maids, eleven rabbits, four dogs, one cat, three horses, four walk-in closets full of clothes, and an entire library of her own. She went to parties with movie-stars, had lunches with businessmen and spoke about the latest fashion trends with super-models. She had a personal box at Broadway, front row seats for the US Open, and a castle like house with fifty rooms and sixty five bathrooms.
To say Annabeth enjoyed being rich, however, would be a lie.
If she had a choice, she would have preferred being born as normal girl who went to public school and not some fancy boarding school where the President's kids studied at.
Although she had got through the days of fancy teas, croquet, high-five parties, designer label dresses, how-to-entertain-guests, arranging-flowers, running-a-millionaire's-household classes, and two-faced girl back-stabs relatively unscathed, the real test was yet to come.
The test of her will, passion, hopes, dreams, strength, and above all the test of her love.
But really, Annabeth was just a rich girl.
As she walked through the hallways of her home, her scuffed sneakers squeaking against the clean marble floor- past the French windows opened to the sprawling garden, the huge ballroom that they rarely used anymore, and the game-room which was mostly used by her brother and his friends to smoke and drink, away from her mother's eyes— Annabeth contemplated on the fleetingness of everything in life.
She thought about the stars, the birds, the oceans and man- and how everything seemed to fade and brighten, fade and brighten in an endless circle, until she could concentrate no more. She wondered if her parents really thought that money was the solution to everything, when really, she felt that money couldn't be used for anything that made a difference in life.
She was decked in a five dollar T-shirt that was probably bought in a sale downtown, and her jeans were worn down at the edges. Although she had twenty different designer T-shirts she could have worn, Annabeth liked the one she was wearing the most, because one of the gardener's boys had given it to her for her birthday- which compared to what she had received that day would amount to nothing to anyone else- but to her was the best gift she could have got because he gave it to her because he wanted to and not because of some damned obligation.
This was also the reason why she was thinking about the irrelevance of money in her life, because she felt more touched by a ninety nine cent card than a five hundred dollar bracelet.
The silvery translucent curtains blew in the corridors, and Annabeth ran her fingers across them, lost in her thoughts. She wondered why her mother had called her out-of-the-blue, but assumed it must have something to do with whatshisname's daughter or whatshisname's son, and just sighed.
As she neared her destination, she slowed her pace- taking in deep breaths and running her fingers through her hair- trying to calm down her tingling nerves. Through the window, she could see her brother hanging out with his friends, and even from that distance she could see the clear outline of the cigar in his mouth. She felt a slight tug of sadness, but she ignored it. She pushed the uneven strands of her blonde bangs behind her ear, and closed her eyes for a moment, before smoothing down her grey T-shirt and turning towards the doors.
In hindsight, she thought just before opening the doors of the conservatory, I probably should have worn something more suitable for meeting Mother.
She shrugged and walked in anyway.
Athena Olympus Chase was a beautiful woman, known not only for her looks but for her caustic tongue and quick temper. Annabeth had long come to the conclusion that she was a lot like her mother, except in regards to her principles about money and status.
She even looked like her mother, except for her smile and slightly cheery disposition, as compared to Athena who almost never smiled.
"You're late," Athena said, without looking up from her book. "I expected you ten minutes ago."
"Hello mother, it's good to see you too," said Annabeth sighing and she moved towards the velvet couch near the blooming Clivias.
Athena looked up from her book long enough for an expression of disapproval to make its way onto her face. She snapped the book shut, and gestured to Annabeth's attire.
"You have enough clothes to choose from, and you choose these. Honestly child, do you think your father and I are fools to buy you so many clothes?"
Yes, Annabeth wanted to say, biggest idiots in the fucking universe. But she didn't of course because that would be scandalous.
Instead she sat down opposite her mother, and apologised.
Athena's clear grey eyes studied her for a second before she waved her hands in acceptance of her apology, and gestured to the nearby maid to hand them some tea. Annabeth took a tiny sip from her cup, aware of her mother's gaze on her, and straightened to meet her eyes.
"You called for me mother?"
"Ahh, yes. The Dare's are hosting a ball next week and I expect you to attend."
A ball, of course it's about a party. Annabeth almost rolled her eyes.
"When is the exact date mother?"
"A week from now- Saturday night."
"Okay."
Athena picked up a magazine scattered on the coffee-table in front of her, and as if dismissing her, she began flipping through the pages, done with talking to her daughter.
Annabeth moved to get up. "If that's all, I will be excusing myself now-"
"Stop, there's more we have to discuss."
Annabeth fell back on the couch with an unlady-like plop. Athena looked at her with distaste, but didn't comment about it. She took a sip from her cup, before glancing at the magazine again.
Annabeth waited patiently for her mother to talk.
It wasn't as if she didn't like her parents, she cared for them deeply. It just was that she didn't really know them.
Her father- Fredrick Chase- she had seen only very few times in her life. He was a very busy man, always in different parts of the world- Paris, Naples, London, San Francisco- so she never had the chance to bond with him. Her mother, although she didn't work, had made it clear that she wasn't going to be the one to raise her children, and so Annabeth and her brother had been raised by nannies all their lives. While Malcolm, like the rest of the spoilt rich kids, had fallen prey to the lure of alcohol and drugs, Annabeth instead grew up to be the perfect daughter- with perfect grades and behaviour- while secretly despising anything to do with her life.
Her mother was very intelligent, so sometimes Annabeth would have interesting debates and discussions with her, on those rare occasions when Athena was in a good mood.
She often imagined that Athena had been just like her- smart beyond her years, hating everything that happened in their world. Sometimes Annabeth would see anger or annoyance at the vapidity of the women of their circles shine in Athena's eyes. Annabeth knew that her mother was on the verge of becoming a very successful businesswoman, until Malcolm was born and she had to stop working, because her male colleagues didn't take her seriously any longer.
She imagined that it was this loss that made Athena a little harsher towards them, than what they deserved, so she didn't really blame her.
He father worked incredibly hard too, and just because he didn't shower her with affection, didn't mean he deserved her ire either.
So Annabeth didn't hate any of her family per say, because she felt it would be impractical and quite stupid really to hate them, because they'd never notice. So, she instead just let them run her life, until she figured out how she could break free.
Athena finally broke her silence, by holding up the magazine she was reading, to show a picture of a handsome young man around Annabeth's age, with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.
She pointed towards him and said, "This is Luke Castellan, he's the son of Hermes Enterprises' CEO. He's going to be calling on us tomorrow and I want you to talk to him, and get to know him."
Annabeth immediately knew what she was implying. When Athena Olympus Chase, asks you to get close to someone, it meant much more than just that.
Annabeth was twenty three, fresh out of college, with no intention of getting married or dating or anything of that sort for at least another three years.
But of course that couldn't happen.
Annabeth protested, "But mother-"
With one look Athena shut her daughter's arguments. Annabeth fell silent, and she stared down at her green and red sneakers. Athena cleared her throat, "When Luke comes to visit tomorrow I want you to act nothing less than like a perfect lady, okay? You will not shame the family's name with your antics. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Annabeth muttered.
Athena smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Good, now go and decide what you're going to wear tomorrow."
Just like her mother- her mind always revolving around clothes, contacts and money.
Annabeth's hands clenched and she bit hard on her tongue to calm down.
Without another upward glance, Athena completely focused her attention on her book, and Annabeth knew that it was her dismissal. She placed the half full cup on the table and got up. She pushed her hair behind her ear again, and for a second she paused hoping for something more from Athena, maybe an apology of sorts for forcing her daughter into something she didn't want. When was the last time Annabeth had even heard her mother talk to her about something other than social obligations, she didn't know. But she shook her head in rue at her own naivety and whispered, "Bye mother," before moving towards the door.
Annabeth quietly left the room and once she was out of ear-shot, ran wildly towards her room and shut the door of her room with a bang.
She was not happy with her mother.
To say Annabeth was an agreeable child would be absolutely true.
Annabeth hadn't really had the most normal of childhoods. Being part of a multi-millionaire family didn't warrant as much attention as pocket money. But unlike many of her friends, her parents showed very little interest in her life, even when it came to social status.
While Annabeth did have lots of expectations of her, she did not have as much pressure as most her classmates did, mostly because she was the younger child and she had an older brother. She was given much more freedom than others, resulting in her caving into her parents' demands much more easily, because she didn't have much of a reason to rebel. Her mother was very smart while raising her, in a way that, Annabeth was grateful for what she had.
Being an extremely a very perceptive child, Annabeth had grown up aware of the world around her. Knowing the hardships that other people went through, made her very sensitive and thankful, so she had controlled her own desires and dreams, because it wouldn't be fair of her to throw away all the advantages she had, just so she could do what she wanted. How was it fair when there was a child wanting but unable to study, and she quit her top-notch schooling just to get away from home?
Although she did go through her part of teenage rebellion, by wearing T-shirts and ripped jeans, she never did what her friend Rachel Dare did- who ran off to art school all the way in California to get away from her parents. Annabeth did Architecture, and despite her parents not being pleased with it, they didn't stop her.
Annabeth wasn't very popular, in school, college and even in the social circles her mother made her interact in. She was just Athena Chase's daughter, polite and helpful if necessary.
Her agreeableness was part of the reason why she didn't protest too hard to her mother's plans. The reason she didn't run away like Rachel did, nor go punk and join a band like Thalia Grace did. Instead she stayed, placed a smile on her face and charmed Luke Castellan. She greeted people she barely knew, made small talk with adults and stayed quiet when not spoken to.
It wasn't as if she liked it, but Annabeth stayed because she really didn't have any other choice. Yes, she had enough money to run off to Greece or India, but really she didn't know what she would do after that. She didn't paint, sing, dance- all she could do was design and fat load of help that would do when on the run.
She hoped that one day she'd get married to someone who would let her free, and then she'd fly. She thought that she'd meet someone who would understand her.
So she waited.
Luke wasn't perfect, but he was nice and bought her flowers and discussed books. Maybe he didn't share her love for trekking or hiking, but he knew how to make her comfortable. He knew her favourite books and dishes, and on paper they made a good couple.
So Annabeth just shrugged off the thoughts of how she should feel more upset about her mother's schemes about getting them together, and instead smiled and nodded when Luke asked her out.
Really she was just happy with where she was.
Now the real story doesn't start till much later- about a year and a half. Three days before her wedding, three days before the greatest mistake of her life.
The day she met (or was forced to meet) Percy Jackson.
A/N: READ AND REVIEW?
-Dragonseatingme