A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes
A/N: Hi guys! Here we go! This AU is based off the story of Cinderella, which I think we all know the story to. So here's a slightly longer summary and some warnings for you. Be forewarned, it's a little darker than Cinderella. Also, I did change a few things. Mainly, the king is still alive in this version of Cinderella. Oh, and all royalty is invited to the ball, not just maidens.
Rating: T
Summary: Perseus Jackson, the son of King Triton and Queen Sally, was only an infant when his mother perished in a tragic carriage accident. Wracked with grief, the king appoints Lady Amphitrite to care for his only child, though he quickly falls in love with her beauty and grace. They marry not long after, with Amphitrite's two daughters Annabeth and Rachel joining their family. Later, as Percy grows up, he becomes even fairer than his two step-sisters. So what better to do than to beat him down? Enter Aphrodite, Percy's fairy godmother. Who just so happens to insist on crossdressing.
Warnings: My usual foul mouth, abuse, neglect, crossdressing, humor, yaoi, mentioned mpreg amongst other things. If you don't like it, click the little x button to make it all go away. Oh, and Poseidon and Percy are obviously unrelated in the little fic. Thanks in advance for reading!
"Percy!" came a shriek from upstairs. Currently, Prince Perseus was in the basement of the castle owned by King Triton, Percy's loving but absent father. The shriek had come from Annabeth, Percy's step-sister.
"More like step-witch. Daughter of the evil step-monster," Percy thought with a snort. He deftly folded one of his sisters' clean dresses and placed it into a wicker basket. From the look of it, it was one of Rachel's.
"Percy!" Came a more urgent cry from the top of the stairs. Rolling his eyes lightly, he looked up. His eyes promptly widened in horror. Standing at the top of the stairs was Annabeth, eyes alight with fire, holding her torn dress up for him to inspect.
"It wasn't like this before you washed it! Mother!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. Said woman came running. She was always at her daughters' beck and call.
"Yes love?" Amphitrite simpered. Percy hid a grimace. That cooing, adoring voice really grated on his nerves sometime. Read: all the time.
"Percy ruined my dress Mother!" Annabeth cried, crocodile tears running down her face. She was faking, and her mother knew, but that never stopped her. Both of her daughters faked what Percy did to get him in trouble and frankly, she enjoyed punishing the boy. For what? Being a constant reminder of that whore Sally who came before her.
She even had dear Triton convinced that Percy was nothing but trouble. Before he'd left for the neighboring kingdom to discuss a treaty, he'd looked at Percy with disappointment in his eyes, told him to behave, and kissed the child's forehead. Oh, if he only knew. That look had hurt Percy more than any punishment she'd doled out.
"Perseus, darling! Did you rip your dear sister's dress?" Though her words were kind, her tone was as cold as ice and hard as steel. Percy hid his sigh.
"Yes Mother. I'm so sorry I was careless." His voice was monotone. Though he could have easily denied it, the punishment would be worse. After all, he'd be "lying."
"Get up here son. You know what's coming when you misbehave!" She singsonged. Annabeth grinned delightedly and ran to retrieve Rachel. They loved it every bit as much as their mother. They'd been taught from the start that their step-brother was pure evil. He needed to be stamped out.
And so, Percy wearily climbed the stairs. An iron grip clamped on his right shoulder and all but dragged him to Amphitrite's personal room, where she kept the devices used to punish him. The riding crop, the belt, etc. were all housed in a drawer in her dresser. Percy sighed. It would be a long day.
After Amphitrite had thoroughly worn herself out with the beating she'd inflicted, she chose to take a nap. Annabeth and Rachel snickered as Percy limped back off to the basement to finish the laundry as ordered. It was almost like having their own personal whipping boy! Mother had given them permission to punish him as well, should they feel the need. And they did, many times. But they enjoyed when Mother did it most.
After finishing the laundry, Percy found himself scrubbing the floors of the castle spotless. After several hours soaked in soap, he could practically see his reflection. He grinned slightly, cooked dinner, called for his step-family, and waited on them. When Triton was away, the wait staff was given time off. And, of course, Percy took their place.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Percy excused himself, and went to answer it. At the door stood a messenger, one Percy didn't recognize.
"Are Queen Amphitrite, Prince Perseus, Princess Annabeth and Princess Rachel available?" The messenger asked. Behind Percy, the three witches were all cooing.
"Sweet Prince Perseus is resting after recovering from an illness. May we take his message?" Amphitrite simpered. Percy attempted not to grind his teeth.
"Of course, milady. The Queen, Prince, and Princess are cordially invited to a ball, hosted by Prince Poseidon tomorrow night. There, he will choose his wife amongst the guests. All royalty are invited. At midnight, Prince Poseidon will choose his beloved. Will you be in attendance?" the messenger read from his scroll. The three females squealed in delight.
"We shall be in attendance and, if Prince Perseus feels well enough, he shall too attend. Thank you for delivering the message." Amphitrite murmured, composing herself. The messenger bowed and left.
"Oh, Mother may I truly go?" Perseus asked in a hushed whisper as soon as the door was closed. Inside, his was jumping for joy. A ball! What fun!
He failed to see his step-mother smirk, "Of course dear. If you are well-behaved tomorrow, you shall go."
When Perseus had finally gone to bed that night, he'd whispered to the animals residing with him in the attic. Thalia, Hazel and Bianca, the mice, chittered excitedly, while the birds, Jason, Piper and Leo tweeted to themselves. Nico, the bloodhound, was curled protectively at Percy's feet.
When Percy finally fell asleep, the animals began their planning. Quietly, all but Nico snuck out of the attic, gathering the necessary materials they needed. They worked throughout the night, and when Percy woke in the morning, he was nearly in tears.
In front of him, was a beautiful tuxedo. Black in color, with an ocean blue vest and tie. The shirt was plain white, but it was beautiful.
"You guys...did this for me!? Oh, you're all so wonderful!" Percy cried, gathering them all in his arms. Gently, he placed them all in his bed to sleep through the day, while he began his chores.
Diligently, Percy worked through the day, eventually completing all the chores laid out for him in record time, with a smile on his face. He'd done the dishes, done the laundry, set it out to dry, folded it, scrubbed the floors, as well as preparing all the necessary meals for the day. He even cleaned out the stables! By 4:30, he'd bathed himself and began dressing. At promptly five o'clock, he was downstairs waiting for his step-mother and sisters.
When they appeared moments later, he beamed at them. Even though they were so cruel, all three of them cut quite the figure. And their gowns were gorgeous. Percy realized quickly, when he was younger that girls just...weren't quite his thing. Annabeth and Rachel brought home friend after friend, but none of them piqued his interest like they "should."
"Hello Mother! I've completed all the chores you requested, and am ready for the ball." Percy announced sweetly. His step-sisters scowled.
"But my darling, you haven't! You didn't prepare our carriage for us, and that was a necessary chore. Girls, I don't think his clothes quite fit the occasion of readying the carriage, could you help him out?" Amphitrite smirked. Percy watched in horror as the black tuxedo he'd loved was torn to shreds before his very eyes by bejeweled hands. His step-family left him there, near tears, as they headed outside.
"Oh! It seems you did prepare the carriage for us. Ah, but now you have nothing to wear. You'd best stay home, darling. We'll return soon!" She called to the distraught boy now kneeling in the foyer, looking at the tattered shreds of his clothing.
"Why can't anything ever go my way...Am I cursed..?" Percy mumbled to himself. After gathering what was left of his clothes, he hurried upstairs, trying to dig through anything he had that might be suitable. But there was nothing. It didn't matter anyway, he mused. There was no way to get where he needed to go anyway.
"Oh my, what have we here?" A soft feminine voice came from the doorway. Percy's head snapped up, and he saw a young woman with a wand looking down at the shreds on the floor.
"Who are you?" He asked warily. Nico was standing at attention, ready to attack should this mystery woman want to harm his master. She simply chuckled.
"Why, dearest, my name is Aphrodite! Your fairy godmother! I've been unable to help you until now, but this would prevent Fate from having its way. So, here I am to help you!" She declared, waving her wand and lighting up the room. The other animals watched cautiously, while Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Just how are you going to do-!" His sentence was cut off by a yelp when the shreds suddenly knit themselves back together. Into a blue ballgown.
"What the hell!?" He cried, "I look like a girl!" And that he did. Glass slippers had appeared out of nowhere, his hair was up with wisps framing his face, and out of nowhere, he had no hair on his body. What. The. Hell.
"Of course dear! We've got to help Fate along, don't we!?" She exclaimed pulling him down the stairs. He stumbled a few times, but caught himself. He was led outside to the stables, where they found Percy's favorite horse Grover. The other animals were tentatively following behind. With a wave of her wand, a nearby pumpkin became a coach and Grover became a coachman. With another wave, Thalia, Bianca and Hazel became handmaidens. Another wave turned Jason, Piper and Leo into horses. Her final wave turned Nico into a footman. Percy just gaped.
"Well come on now dear! You've got to be going! The ball will start soon!" She helped Percy and the girls into the carriage.
"At the stroke of midnight, everything will retake its true form! Be home by then, dearest!" Aphrodite shouted after the carriage. A thumbs up stuck out the window was the only response she received. Pleased with herself, Aphrodite disappeared to watch her handiwork unfold.
When Percy stepped into the huge ballroom, he was amazed. Astonished. Stunned. It was enormous and elaborately decorated. All around him, couples danced together, and those who were alone just milled around socializing. It was amazing.
Prince Poseidon was honestly scandalized. Did his parents really think forcing him to choose a spouse at this ball was right!? Were his mother and father that desperate for grandchildren? He let out a snort as another simpering imbecile tried to lure him into a dance. He was disgusted.
Until he saw her.
She was perfection in human for. Inky black hair, porcelain skin and a gentle smile on her face. Almost as if she were bemused to be there. He decided then and there he had to have a dance with her. He sauntered up, doing his best to not look as nervous as he felt. He was supposed to be cool, calm and collected.
Inside, Percy was screeching with joy. It was so beautiful. In all of her awe, he never noticed the tall gentleman standing in front of him. He cleared his throat lightly. Percy nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Y-Yes, may I help you?" He mumbled. The stranger fit the exact description of tall, dark and handsome. He was about 6 feet tall, broad shouldered, with dark black hair and sea blue eyes. Percy could easily find himself lost in those eyes.
"My name is Prince Poseidon, and I would like to ask for your hand in this dance, milady." He asked, taking Percy's hand and kissing it. The boy instantly deflated. He forgot. He was dressed like a woman. Of course the prince had to dance with this...woman!
Everyone drew together watching the two dance. Some eyes were alight with admiration, while others burned with jealousy. They danced through the night, the prince never straying from his dance partner. And Percy was completely distracted until the clock tolled five minutes until midnight.
He tore himself away from the prince, running straight for the door, despite the prince calling after him. At 11:59, he lost one of his glass slippers. At midnight, everything changed back. His animal friend hid in the bushes as royal guards beat the pumpkin to pulp at the prince's behest. The prince kneeled mournfully, holding only a glass slipper as the remainder of his beloved. At the last second, when she'd run off, the prince could have sworn he'd seen a black tuxedo on his newfound love...but that couldn't be. Could it?
After weeks of searching, the prince made his way to King Triton's castle with Grand Duke Tyson by his side. So far, none of the royalty he'd found had fit the slipper. Especially no one with that inky black hair and enchanting green eyes. So Prince Poseidon set out to find his one true love, with the full approval of his parents. They were just thankful they might live to see grandchildren!
Tyson knocked at the door of the castle and it was answered by a young servant boy...with inky black hair and gorgeous green eyes. Apparently, word had traveled fast and he led them to the sitting room where Amphitrite sat with her two daughters. Silently, Tyson tried to fit the shoe on Annabeth.
"I am afraid it does not fit, your highness." The Grand Duke announced. The same occurred with the other sister. Both were crying in their mother's arms when they were finished. On a whim, Poseidon turned to the servant boy.
"Boy. I want you to try the shoe." He ordered. Tyson looked somewhat bewildered, but tried the shoe on the younger boy anyway. With a triumphant shout, he announced,
"It fits! My liege, it fits!" Tyson hooted in victory. The younger boy smiled shyly up at Prince Poseidon, who kneeled down to his level.
"Tell me. What is your name? And why did you run? I must know, my dearest beloved." He whispered, grasping Percy's chin.
"I am Prince Perseus, only son of King Triton and Queen Sally. I ran because the spell my godmother put me under ran out at midnight. Then you would see my true form," tears began to run down his cheeks, "and who on earth would want a prince treated like a serving boy?"
Silently, the older prince gathered the younger and took him to the carriage, while Tyson followed along. The latter almost tripped over Nico, running after his master while carrying three disgruntled mice. Percy explained that they were his pets as they climbed along in the carriage. Poseidon just let out a hearty laugh.
The weeks and months passed quickly for Percy. A wedding had to be planned, after all. He was surprised by how well King Zeus and Queen Hera took everything. He was, however, disheartened by the lack of response he received from his father regarding his upcoming wedding. As a matter of fact, it would take place tomorrow afternoon. The invitations had been sent out earlier in the month, and all responses had been received, except for King Triton's.
Once more, Fairy Godmother Aphrodite insisted on a dress for the wedding. And Hera was on her side! The dress the fairy godmother created was white this time, and wouldn't disappear. It was gorgeous, even Percy had to admit. It flared out around his waist and hips, and had sheer sleeves. He couldn't quite wait, and neither could Poseidon.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a shout. He hurried to the sitting room, where King Triton had practically flung the doors off the hinges.
"Perseus, my son!" He cried, throwing himself at his son's feet. Poseidon and Percy shared a bewildered look. Triton went on to explain that he'd found out about what Amphitrite had done to him, as well as Annabeth and Rachel's deeds. Apparently, a little birdie had told him. Well, three to be exact. When he'd arrived home from his business travels, he'd promptly revoked the three women's rights, leaving them shamed and on the street.
Percy felt a small tingle of guilt, but pushed it away. Karma finally acted.
"Love!" King Zeus called, looking for his beloved wife. In his hands was a letter.
"Yes dear?" Hera answered, her head peeking out of the sitting room where she'd been reading.
"We have a letter from Poseidon." He announced. Hera raised a brow and motioned for him to continue.
"Dearest Mother and Father," he began, "I am writing to you to announce that Perseus and I are expecting once more. The physician reports it is twins. I will not lie when I say that I fainted dead away. The Gods above know Attina is hard enough to handle! However, we are quite excited to announce they will arrive in approximately five months.
With love,
Poseidon, Perseus, Attina and the twins."
And they lived happily ever after. The end.
