Piper's POV

Someone lightly shakes my shoulder, rousing me from sleep. Blinking, I sit up. My room is dark.

"Piper? It's time to get up. You've got a lot to do before you wake your Lady." I vaguely recognize the voice as Annabeth's.

"It's dark," I say stupidly.

"Yes." There's a hint of impatience in Annabeth's voice now. "We're expected to rise long before the Royals. Here." There's a whooshing sound and the room is filled with an orange light. I huff and throw an arm over my eyes. "It's a torch. You'll need it to see around the castle until the sun comes out. Come on, get up. I stopped by the seamstress' room and picked up your uniform. Get dressed."

Sitting up, I take a second to look at Annabeth. Her blonde hair is tied perfectly into a low chignon and she wears an inconspicuous white dress. At her feet sits a basket full of what I presume is dirty laundry. She's pressed and clean, all ready for the day.

"How long have you been up?" My eyes widen at her initiative. Personally, I don't plan on doing any more than I must to survive.

"Half an hour. If you want breakfast, you'll want to be dressed and in the kitchen in about ten minutes. Good luck on your first full day here. I'm sorry this is so rushed, but I'm running late. Find me if you need anything." With that, Annabeth swings the basket onto her hip and sweeps out of the room. Wow, isn't she a force?

I sit so my legs hang off the bed and stare at the light purple uniform on the floor. Here we go. I stand, undress, and redress in my new uniform. I look down at myself. The base of the dress is lilac, but there's a light blue layer about five inches wide going down the middle. The sleeves cap at the edge of my shoulders, exposing my arms. I shiver, suddenly cold. The shoes the seamstress sent fit fine, but they're very thin. It feels like I'm walking on the floor barefoot. I reach up and begin to put my hair in what I hope is a professional enough braid-the same kind I would wear whenever I watched the children. The memory of little hands pulling at the edge of my braid makes me smile. The smile falls away when I remember where I am.

I fold my old dress and silently leave my room, walking in the direction of what I think is the kitchen. When I am about halfway there, I see a boy in similar clothing to mine wandering around uncertainly.

"Are you lost?"

His head snaps up and stares at me with eyes the color of the Mediterranean Sea. "Yes, Miss. I'm trying to find the kitchen."

"I'm on my way there. You can come with me if you like, but I warn you, this is only my second trip there. I might not be the most reliable guide."

He chuckles. "An unreliable guide is better than wandering aimlessly in the halls for ten minutes. I have the feeling that going unnoticed here is the best option…" I agree. "I'm Perseus, by the way. My friends would call me Percy, but all my friends are dead." There's no sadness in his voice, he's stated this very matter-of-factly. I stare at him, not sure if he's joking or not. But then I realize that he's a slave, like me, so it's very probable that his friends are dead or will be soon.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "Not your fault." His voice darkens. "It's theirs." He sighs, and his voice is bright once again. "But, we're here now, so what can you do?"

I nod. "My outlook exactly. Oh, I'm Piper. I'm the new handmaiden for the Lady Reyna."

He raises his eyebrows. "I'm the new manservant for Prince Jason."

"Well..aren't we a pair?" He chuckles, a hint of darkness creeping back in. "To the best of my knowledge, the kitchen is this way." He follows me as I continue on my original path. Within a few minutes, we've arrived.

"Not as unreliable as you thought." Perseus smiles at me, gesturing that I should go through the breakfast line first. I nod my thanks.

The breakfast line mimics the style of a buffet, but it is much less grand. The plates are slightly dirty, and the food is cold and mushy. It's the only breakfast we'll get, though, so Perseus and I fix ourselves a plate each and sit at the long wooden table at the back of the crowded kitchen.

"So," his mouth is full of his breakfast, "what did you do before you were given the honor," at this, he rolls his eyes, "of being the handmaid to the Lady Reyna?"

I chuckle at his sarcasm. "I was a nanny training to be a school teacher for the younger kids." I see the question in his eyes. "In my village, women are able to have a wider range of occupations...We lost many of our men to the war."

"I lost my father to the war." He says this very matter-of-factly. I suspect this is how he deals with subjects that are hard for him or carry bad memories.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "And your parents?"

"My mom and I got separated on the trip over here. I don't know where she is." My voice hardens. "I lost my father five years ago to Roman soldiers."

"I'm sorry."

I shrug. "What did you do before you were blessed by the eternal presence of the Roman prince?"

He chuckles. "I was a fisherman."

"You lived close to the sea?"

He grins and his eyes light up. I notice for the second time how his eyes are truly the color of the sea. "Right on it."

"So...you were one of the first to be hit when the Vikings attacked."

His smile falters. "Yeah. They were lenient though...we surrendered pretty quickly."

The Vikings had come to take advantage of our disorganization shortly after the war began. They killed a lot of people.

I nod, not exactly sure what to say. We finish breakfast in a bubble of heavy silence, each of us remembering the horrors of the war.

A few minutes later, we finish our meal and clean it up. As soon as we're out of the servants' area of the castle, I can see the castle's splendor. Stone walls and columns (they stole that from us) reach to the heavens, purple and gold tapestries cascade down the walls. It feels like I'm in a magical land from a story! But then two guards making their rounds with heavy weaponry by their sides remind me of my current situation. My cheeks burn in shame.

After a few more turns, Perseus and I part ways to go to the room of our Lady or Prince.

The scary looking guard outside Lady Reyna's door towers over me. "Present identification."

I falter. Identification? Lady Reyna didn't say anything about identification. Unsure, I pull on the bottom of my uniform, making the emblem on my chest more noticeable. "Uh, I'm Lady Reyna's new handmaiden, I'm here to wake her up and help her get ready."

The guard purses his lips.

"I-I was here last night, and no one asked me for any form of identification…" But then again, I had been escorted by guards.

He sighs, obviously annoyed. "Come with me." He turns and enters Lady Reyna's room. He stands by the door, watching me like a hawk. "Proceed."

Suddenly nervous, I swallow a few times before deciding the best course of action is to throw the curtains open; I always liked being awoken by the sun. I walk closer to her bed, but do not touch her. "Lady Reyna? It is seven in the morning." She sits up. "So you're aware, a guard is in the room."

She's instantly alert. "Dressing gown." I flounder around the expansive room for a moment before she sighs and points me in the right direction. Once she's properly covered, she stands to address the guard. "What is it?"

"My Lady, I'm here to confirm that this girl is in fact your new handmaiden."

Lady Reyna's eyes flash. "If she were not my handmaiden, would I have spoken to her with a sense of familiarity? Would I have let her live to speak to me at all?"

The guard swallow. "No, My Lady."

"Dismissed." Her tone bites.

The guard bows and makes his shameful exit.

"Today during your free time you will visit the physician and get your identification."

"Yes, My Lady."

I (clumsily) help ready her for the day and follow her to breakfast, where I repeat the same steps from dinner last night. Her breakfast is much better than mine! After breakfast, I deposit her in the library for her studies, and she dismisses me so I can go to the physician to receive my identification. I have to ask several slaves along the way, but they helpfully point me in the right direction.

The Physician's office is on the far west side of the castle-it takes up quite a lot of space. Since the door is open, I walk straight in. A man looking only a few years older than me-an apprentice, possibly-darts over to me as soon as I enter the room.

"How can I assist you?"

"I am the new handmaiden for the Lady Reyna. I was told I needed to get my identification."

"Ah yes, right this way." He leads me into a room in the back of the office. "Wait here. The Physician will be in soon."

I nod and take my seat. The Physician-carrying a wooden box-joins me quickly.

"Name and station."

"Uh, Piper Mclean. Handmaiden to the Lady Reyna."

He nods. "Ah yes. I've marked quite a few of you."

His statement makes me squirm for two reasons. One; his insinuation that there have been many handmaidens to the Lady Reyna, and two; "Marked?"

"Yes." He produces a few needles and a bottle of black ink from his box. "It is the law to mark all inhabitants of the castle.

"I see." My pulse quickens, my body fills with anger and dread. First they take us away from everything we know and love, then they enslave us, and now they mark us so we can never forget?

"Um…"

"Don't you fret, girl, everyone must have it done. Hold still and I can finish it up in a timely manner."

My whole body screams at me to push past him and make a run for it. But I know that running means death, so I nod and allow him to begin tattooing my left arm. It stings, though not just in the physical sense. Once the Physician is done, I twist so I can see it. The letters SPQR followed by a few foreign symbols now seep into my skin. I swallow my revulsion and turn to ask the Physician what it means. Before he can answer, the apprentice bursts into the room, holding the door open for multiple men to enter. One of them, I realize with a jolt, is Prince Jason. He's breathing heavily and clutching his side.

"Put me down, men, I'm fine." He delivers this with so much confidence, I would have believed him if not for the blood slipping through his fingers.

"Oh, put him here." The Physician shoos me off the table and I dart to the other side of the room, grateful no one has noticed me enough to kick me out yet.

"What happened?"

A guard answers shakily, "W-we were training, Doctor, and his armor failed when I got a blow in. His breastplate fell off at the first strike."

"My damn manservant didn't put it on correctly! I swear, I will have him beaten for this oversight!" Perseus.

"Your Highness, please have mercy on him." The words are out before I've even fully thought of them.

Prince Jason turns a shocked glare my way. "Excuse me?"

Uh oh.

"Your Highness, all I mean is, it's his first full day. Mine as well. Both of us are still learning, and we would appreciate some kindness as we navigate our new roles."

A stunned silence fills the room. Many emotions draw over Prince Jason's face, but he settles on outrage. "Get out. Before I have you flogged as well, get out." When I don't immediately move, he barks, "Now!"

I stumble over my feet as I back quickly out of the room. As I leave, I hear him say to the people left in the room, "I'll have to deal with her later."

Uh oh.

A/n Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!