I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or The Selection. All rights belong to their respective owners.

Chapter Four: PERCY

I sucked in a deep breath and put my hand on the door. Then I let my breath out and turned around. I was supposed to go in a few minutes after the girls arrived, but so far it hadn't happened. They were all taking longer than we anticipated. So while my family went about their business, I sat around waiting since this was my only business for the time being.

I hadn't seen the girls since they'd arrived, so I had no idea how different they were. I knew they were offered full make-overs, just so I couldn't tell who was a Two and who was a Five, but they didn't have to accept them. I walked down the hallway to glass doors leading to the back patio and eventually the pool. I needed a minute if I was going to do this.

I was already in a bad mood since I'd been woken up an hour earlier than normal. But now I had to go in there, pick the first girls to eliminate, send them home, and find a date before I could even eat! Of course, there were no rules so I had to decide how to do everything.

For most of the competition, meaning when there were cameras around, I'd have to have somebody approve what I wore. Today, because I was no longer capable of choosing my own clothes, they chose for me. At least I wasn't wearing a suit. I was lucky enough to have jeans, but I was wearing a navy blue dress shirt, a charcoal colored vest, and a black tie. They'd gelled my hair, but as soon as I left the room I styled it back to its normal messy do.

I fiddled with my sleeves, rolling them up to my elbows so I looked a little more casual. I'd get to see Jason after my first date and my second, if they could get me to do another one today. It was warm outside and I wondered how long it would last. It was already September.

I heard a small jingling approaching and I smiled. I crouched down and petted the tiny dog. Mrs. O'Leary was my mother's teacup Yorkie, but she'd taken a liking to me. When I stood, she rushed to be in front of me and led the way. I chuckled and followed – glad to have a distraction.

Normally gardens weren't my thing; I preferred the pool, the beach, my bed. Today, however, it was nice. Nobody would expect me to be here meaning I was well hidden. My mind drifted as I thought about whether any of the girls would have anything in common with me.

I imagine there would be those that would say they liked anything if I said I did. I wondered if there would be cliques of girls here, or if they'd all be out for themselves. Cameras had been places in the commons, the hallways, and all of the rooms that the girls were allowed into. I'd heard there were some in the Women's room, but I didn't have access to those unless it was needed.

There would be teams monitoring the cameras making sure rules were followed and such, but I'd instructed that no cameras be placed in their bedrooms – they deserved some privacy.

Mrs. O'Leary stopped and sniffed for a moment, before she barked and took off down a narrow pathway I probably wouldn't have noticed. It wasn't a main path leading to a safe garden, so I made a last minute decision to follow the dog so she wasn't eaten by something in the bushes.

There were hedges on either side of me, at least eight feet tall. They were almost overgrown, hiding whatever lay at the end of the path. Said path, made of uneven old bricks, turned a corner and Mrs. O'Leary disappeared around the bend.

"Mrs. O'Leary come back!" I pleaded with the dog. Normally she was well behaved, so this was weird. What could be so interesting for her to run off? I heard her barking once again, but this time it was the only noise I heard. I heard a laugh – a girl's laugh.

I froze in place. I wasn't supposed to meet any of the girls until later, but then again, they weren't supposed to be out here yet. Where they?

"Hello, cutie. What are you doing here?"

I didn't even think about it. My legs were suddenly moving and I turned the corner. It was a tiny courtyard, by the looks of it. The path ended and perfectly trimmed grass covered the ground. Raised flowerbeds decorated the edges, near the hedges, which were also cut perfectly like they should be.

A tree sat in one corner, providing some shade, and a stone bench sat underneath. On the bench sat a girl; a pretty girl.

She didn't look like she belonged in this scene – and I couldn't decide if this was a good thing or bad. She wore navy blue, almost black, heels. She had a pencil skirt on, the same color, and a white top with a decorative front on. The only jewelry she wore was a plain pendant necklace – silver.

"Oh," Her voice whispered as she looked up to me. A book was propped open on the bench next to her, but I couldn't read the title.

"Um…" I mumbled. Way to play it cool, Perce.

We just looked at each other for a moment, neither of us quite sure what to make of the situation. She smiled. "I'm guessing this is your dog?"

"My mother's actually. She ran off, and my mother would be disappointed if a raccoon or something at her." I rambled.

She raised one of her perfect eyebrows. "A…raccoon? I didn't know you had those here,"

I looked to my shoes and mumbled something along the lines of "I didn't know either,"

She laughed and I couldn't help but look at her again. She looked me up and down and I suddenly felt self-conscious. "Aren't you supposed to be preparing your wedding or something?"

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?" I snapped. "I didn't know you were all allowed out yet…damn. That didn't come out right," I stuttered.

She shrugged, leaving Mrs. O'Leary on the ground before standing and dusting off her skirt. She picked the book up and looked at the cover. "I was assured that you wouldn't be in here – that's why I came. They said you preferred other places to the gardens,"

"Normally I do. I was hiding,"

"Come on. Thirty-five competitive girls fighting over you can't be that scary," she scoffed. I rolled my eyes, at least she wasn't kissing up to me like some of the others I knew would be.

"Try being locked away with thirty-five men battling it out over you. Then you'll see where I'm coming from,"

She held the book to her chest and walked passed me. I closely followed behind her, not ready for her to leave.

"So what are you?" I asked, when she didn't say anything else.

"Excuse me?"

"A Two, A Three?" You really couldn't tell what she was.

She studied me before she answered me with a question. "What do you think I am?"

I grabbed her wrist and stopped walking. She turned to face me and I could see the curiosity in her eyes – she wanted to know what I thought she was.

She was tiny, maybe a good half a head shorted than me without those heels. She had muscle, you could tell that much, but she had enough curves to keep her from being a stick. Maybe a Two, or a Three?

"Three?" I guessed, not wanting to offend her by suggesting that I was perverted and call her a Two.

She shook her head.

"Two?" I tried again.

She smiled, and turned to walk away. "Hey, wait! Don't I get answer?"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait another ten minutes before you come in and see my pin – or do you already know my name, just not my caste?"

"I don't know anybody's caste. I chose not to." Maybe she wouldn't notice I didn't know her name.

We walked in silence out of the garden. I stopped before we went into view of the windows, knowing full well that girls would be out of their rooms by now. The girl turned around.

"I guess I'll see you at breakfast, Your Majesty." She curtsied before turning and quickly walking towards the door. I stared after her as she walked – frozen where I was.

She pulled the handle and turned to me, a smirk on her face. "And by then, I fully expect you to know my name,"

She winked and went inside, her blonde curls flying behind her. I stood there, mouth slightly open, and doubted my ability to move. Jason found me like that, twenty minutes later, and fifteen minutes after when I was supposed to have been meeting the girls.

"C'mon, man! Just do it – go in, talk to each for a few minutes, eliminate those who automatically strike you as weird, crazy, or just no. Then pick one who you think is pretty, give her a personal tour – you know she'll say yes – thirty minutes later, you're done!"

I nodded. Secretly, I knew exactly who I wanted to take on that date; but who knows, maybe there would be others I'd like.

"Right; let's do this." I put on a grin and pushed open the doors. All movement in the room froze, and thirty-five girls turned in their seats to look at me. Five rows of seven seats had been set up in the room, along with a couple of couches and a coffee table.

Aphrodite had been speaking, but she smiled when she saw me. For cousins, we'd always been close despite the seven year age difference. There weren't any cameras in here, so I'm sure that was her doing.

"Hey, Dite. If you don't mind, I would like to introduce myself to these young women," I said, remembering the dramatic script Jason and I had made up this week. Aphrodite had thought it was silly, and I could see her trying not to laugh.

"Of course," she said, bending down to bow. She could be so dramatic sometimes.

I surveyed the faces, looking for the girl I'd met earlier. It took a moment, as I was a bit distracted by light glinting off nearly every wrist, ear, and neck in the room – that and the girl on the back row who was sticking out her chest a little much. I finally saw her, at the end of the fourth row. She was too far away, and unfortunately would be one of the last girls I spoke with, for me to read her pin. So I would just have to wait to know her name.

"Ladies, if you don't mind, one at a time. I'll be calling you over to meet me. I'm sure you are all eager to eat, as am I, so I won't take too much of your time. Please forgive me if I'm slow with names; there are quite a few of you."

I flashed a grin and some of them giggled. I went to the girl on the first row and extended my hand. She took my hand enthusiastically, and I led her over to the couches. As she stood up, I glanced at her pin which said Nyssa in diamond studded cursive.

Sadly, even with palace help, she was no more attractive in person than she was in her picture. Still, she deserved the benefit of the doubt, so I still spoke with her.

"Good morning, Nyssa,"

"Good morning, Your Majesty." She smiled so widely, it looked like it must hurt to do it.

"How are you finding the palace?" I prompted, hoping she'd say more.

"It's beautiful! I've never seen anything so beautiful. It's really beautiful here – oh goodness. I already said that, didn't I?"

Wish I'd just taken her short answers. "It's alright. Tell me, what do you do at home?"

"Well, I'm a Five, and my family works in construction. Sometimes buildings, but I personally prefer gadgets…" I kind of zoned out a little bit. Then when she ended, I asked a few more questions. In our conversation, she said beautiful no less than twelve times. I knew there was no way I'd want to keep her here.

"Nyssa, thank you for your time. Once I'm done with everyone, would you mind staying a little bit longer so I could speak with you?"

She agreed, and I asked her send the next girl over, before she left. She tapped the girl on the shoulder and gave her instructions to join me. I stood and as she approached, I recognized her immediately as Calypso Atlas. It would take a dim man to forget that face…or that body.

"Good morning, Lady Calypso." I smiled.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," she said as she curtsied. Her voice was sugary, and I realized that many of these girls might have a hold on me. Immediately, the blonde girl from earlier came to mind but I tried to push her out of my mind. I was going to do my best to give each of these girls a fair chance.

I motioned for her to sit next to me. "I understand you model,"

"I do," She answered brightly. She seemed thrilled that I already knew this about her. "Primarily clothing, because I've been told I have a good body for it."

And of course I looked. There was no sense denying just how striking she was.

"Do you…enjoy your work?"

"Oh yes. It's amazing how photography can capture a moment of something exquisite. I especially love swimsuits – I just love the water!"

"I love the beach, swimming, everything about water!"

"Really? We'll have to go to the beach sometime!" This was going better than I thought. Within ten minutes, I'd already weeded out a definite no and found someone with a common interest. I probably could have gone on for another hour with Calypso, but if we were ever going to eat, I really needed to move on.

"Calypso, dear, I'm so sorry to cut this short, but I have to meet everyone this morning," I apologized.

"Of course!" She stood, "I'm looking forward to finishing our conversation. Hopefully soon."

The way she looked at me…I didn't know the words for it. It sent a blush to my face, and I nodded in a tiny bow to cover it.

Gwendolyn, Drew, Hazel and several others passed through. So far, most of them were pleasant and put together. But I was hoping for so much more than that – as cheesy as it sounded.

It took eight more girls until anything interesting happened. While I stepped forward to greet the slim brunette coming my way, she extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Piper."

I stared at her open hand for a minute before she pulled it away, right when I was prepared to shake it. "Oh darn! I was supposed to curtsy! The first thing and I get it wrong," She smiled it off and laughed at herself, which was actually quite charming.

"It's alright, my dear. So, Piper, tell me about your family."

"Typical I guess. I live with my dad, my mother died when I was little. He's an actor, but I'm not sure I'd like to go into that. I'm an only child, though I've always wanted a little sibling. Anyways, how are you today?"

I froze. No one had asked a question about me yet. "Alright, it's a bit overwhelming." I blurted, being a bit too honest.

"At least you don't have to wear the dresses!"

"But think of how funny it would have been if I had," We both laughed, and I couldn't help but imagine Piper next to Calypso. They were complete opposites. I left our time together without a complete impression of her, because she kept pointing the conversation back to me. But to be honest, I recognized the…good in here, in the best sense of the word.

It was nearly an hour before I got to Annabeth – which I happened to subtly notice off her pin – and once she got up and began to walk over to me, she was the only person on my mind. In the time between the first girls and her, I'd already found three solid standouts, including Calypso and Piper, who I knew would be favorites with the public. Miranda, the girl before Annabeth however, was so obviously wrong for me that I knew she'd go home today.

Something about Annabeth was mischievous, and from our short meeting earlier I knew it was intentional. "Annabeth, is it?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear as she approached. She gave me an impressed smile, showing I'd passed her test.

"Very good, Highness."

"Highness? Please, call me Percy." I blurted, noticing she was the only one I'd instructed to call me by my name. "So my dear, tell me about yourself."

Her face went serious, still guarded but not as harsh. She thought for a moment before she answered.

"I'm from Francisco," that explained the tan, "I want to be an architect." She paused.

"An architect? But isn't that a job for-" Fives. "…Fives. You're one of the Fives."

This was too much to process. It'd never been said, but I knew everybody expected me to send home the Fives today. There were only three, but I'd already talked to the other two and both were going home. I didn't want Annabeth to leave. At this minute, I didn't want her to leave ever.

"You look surprised," she observed.

"I am. I assumed you were a Two." I stared at her. She should be a Two.

"Should I be prepared to go home, today?" She looked generally worried.

"You're worried. Why?"

She looked to her skirt. She made no move to answer. "I'm a Five – I know you're going to send Nyssa and Agalope home today. Why shouldn't I be? I'm always being judged by my caste – what makes you any different?"

"Because castes don't matter; whoever I chose will automatically be made a One, along with her family, so she'll be from a family of Ones. What matters is what I feel about each girl. So tell me: Is there any possibility of you having any sort of…of loving f-feelings for me?" Why was I stuttering? And blushing?

She blushed and looked down at her skirt again. She played with the edge of it for what seemed likes hours while I waited for her answer. I knew it was well passed the five minutes everyone else had been given, but I still sat there trying to convince myself that it was only because she didn't want to seem too eager.

"You are very kind, Your Majesty." Yes. "And thoughtful." Yes! "And attractive" YES! I couldn't help but notice she was bright red when she added the last one, about me being attractive. Of course, I knew I was, but hearing it from her made it so much more different.

I was positive I was grinning like an idiot, but knowing this girl – who was the only one not fawning over me – managed to see something she liked in me was an accomplishment. Glancing over her shoulder, I noticed Jason had come in and was watching me, along with most of the girls. Fabulous.

Annabeth breathed a sigh and looked up, pushing all emotion from her expression. She stood, "I think my time is up," she sounded sorry.

"Do I get an answer or do I have to work for this one too?" I chuckled.

She smiled at me, "Yes. I definitely think it's possible."

And she walked away. And everybody stared at me, staring at her looking like a love struck idiot.

I quickly went through the rest of the girls, easily dodging questions about Annabeth and why she was over here so long. A few were lucky enough to stand out, some in a good way and some in a bad way. Jason had left a few minutes after my second to last interview. Now, I just needed to make the cuts and pick a girl to have the first date.

The cameras wanted to capture the first elimination, so as they set up, I walked over to the girls and I'd ask one for the first date. Immediately, I wanted one of the girls who'd made a great impression – Calypso, Silena, Rachel, or Annabeth. Mainly Annabeth.

Then I really thought it through; I'd spent nearly fifteen minutes with her, triple the five minutes spent with everybody else. It would look like I was playing favorites day 1, so I decided to go with a different choice – possibly one who'd made an impression, but not an amazing one.

I scanned the girls and noticed Piper talking to Silena and Lacy, a barely sixteen year old Three. I figured she was a good enough choice, if any, to choose. I didn't know a lot about her and now would be a good time to.

"Lady Piper? A word if wouldn't mind," She smiled and stood up. I escorted her a few feet away from the others so they wouldn't overhear, though they'd know in a minute.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I was wondering, my dear, if I might have the pleasure of giving you a private tour of my home after breakfast?" I pulled a grin, hoping she wouldn't refuse. That would be embarrassing.

She giggled and blushed slightly, "Of course, Your Majesty. I would be delighted!"

"Perfect. I'll pick you up from your room an hour after then?" I wanted to talk to Jason first, see what he thought of the girls. That's what he'd been doing – scouting out the girls while I was elsewhere, see what they were up to. I wanted his opinions and favorites.

"Sounds good!" She flinched after she said that, though I didn't understand why. She walked back to her seat, and began to gush as I walked towards the front.

I smiled and began because I already had a majority of the room's attention. "Thank you all, for letting me keep you all from your breakfast. I sincerely appreciate it, considering what I'm going to have to do now. If I call your name, please stay in your seats. If not, please proceed to the dining room with Aphrodite and I will join you shortly."

I began running a list through my head as the girls prepped themselves, as did the cameras. I'd remembered the names of those I was sending home so it wasn't too difficult. Once the cameraman gave me the signal they were ready, I began to list off the names.

"Lady Melinoe, Lady Agalope, Lady Miranda, Lady Thea, Lady Circe, Lady Zoe, Lady Nyssa, and Lady MiMi; if you eight would please stay, the rest of you may go on ahead."

The other girls got up, some more gracefully than others, and began to exit following Dite. I overheard some of them mumbling about how it wasn't fair two Fives were singled out and no Twos, how the girls I'd asked to stay behind weren't even that pretty, and that they couldn't believe I hadn't asked Calypso to stay. They were all under the impression it was a good thing to be here – including the girls who remained seated.

As the doors closed, leaving me with the eight girls, I realized that this was going to be harder than I thought. I'd only picked eight as definite No's, and I'd have to narrow it down to one. Maybe it would get easier, but I could help but realize that of the thirty-five girls who arrived yesterday, we were already down to twenty-seven.