Hello, guys, it's me, and today we have chapter twenni-wan! It's a day early, because the last chapter was a day late. Sorry 'bout that.

So, I'm not gonna keep you guys for long. One: a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and added to favourites. As always, it's greatly appreciated. I know I say it almost every chapter, but I feel bitchy and ungrateful if I don't say it. So, yeah :P Two: some of you told me the meanings of your names in the reviews. I have to say, they're all really interesting meanings. I've always loved researching what names mean. I don't know why. I have too much free time XD

This is the 'interesting' chapter I promised. I hope that you all enjoy it. Again, I won't keep you for long. Warnings for: swearing and hinted child abuse/sexual-stuff (ew...it always feels weird writing about that). Enjoy reading!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON!

My birthday was a week ago. Poseidon and I have been told that we're free to go back to our house in two more weeks after the new security system is installed by Zeus's company (which is an airline company, yes, but has a lot of connections). It'll make sure that Kronos can't get on to our property without permission. And permission will be impossible for him, so...yeah.

The happiness I felt on my birthday has worn off. In the evenings, I go to bed terrified that my grandfather is lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to go to sleep before doing god-knows-what. I know that I should tell someone. I really should. But there's only one person that I really trust enough not to tell one of the adults yet still help me out with it.

I ask Annabeth to come with me to the garden, because Thalia isn't here (she's with Artemis at the badass girl scouts – god help us) and Nico and Hades aren't visiting today. Athena dropped her off this morning without warning because she's so busy with work. Geez – Zeus flipping owns the company, and even he doesn't have as much work to do as her. Personally, I think she's just making excuses, but I don't say anything to Annabeth about it.

I notice that my friend looks extremely down today. "What's wrong?" I ask as we sit on a bench besides the fountain.

"Nothing," Annabeth says, glancing up at me.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Nothing? You seriously expect me to believe that it's 'nothing'? You should see your face, Annabeth, coz it's gloomier than the old children's home I stayed in,"

Annabeth flushes. "Sorry...I'm just thinking,"

Big surprise. "About what?"

"My mom," Annabeth sighs. "She's just always so busy. I hardly see her except when she's driving me to and from places. Even on my birthday – work comes first. It always comes first..."

"Wait, what?" I say, blinking. "Birthday?"

"Yep. Today's my birthday," Annabeth says, smiling timidly. "Nine years old. Exactly a week after yours..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ask her, feeling a bit hurt. Are we friends or are we not? "I haven't even got you anything!"

"You don't have to get me anything-,"

"Yes I do, you're my best friend,"

Annabeth pauses. "I am?" she asks, sounding shocked.

I roll my eyes. "What the heck does this mean, then?" I question, tugging my necklace out of my shirt with my thumb. Annabeth blushes again and shrugs. We fall silent as I wrack my brains, trying to remember what I have up in my room that could be deemed a suitable present-

Aha! I smirk in triumph, jumping off the bench. "Stay right here," I order Annabeth before sprinting into the house. Annabeth shouts after me, but I ignore her. I reach my room in record timing and hurry over to my drawers. I tug open the sock drawer and search through it for a particular bunch of old socks. I find the ball a second later and pull out the little piece of jewellery I stashed inside it.

My mom's ring. I found it in a box under her bed in her bedroom before I was taken to the children's home after her death. When she was little, her mom gave it her. It's been passed down through the women of my family for generations. Mom used to wear it all the time, but when one of her boyfriends tried to steal it, she took it off for good and hid it. It's a simple little silver band, a little scuffed from many years of being worn, encrusted with a small tear-drop shaped emerald and a few diamonds. Mom did have the option to sell it for money (and not be a...well...) but she didn't want to. She was afraid it would end up in bad care if she did. Luckily, I know the best person to take care of it for her. I stare at the ring for a second before sprinting back out of the room.

Thankfully, Annabeth is still sat in the same place as earlier. "Close your eyes," I pant, sitting back next her on the bench. Annabeth hesitates before obliging. I grab her hand, open her fist, and place the ring inside it. I close her fist again and Annabeth frowns. I wait a second before telling her to open her eyes.

Annabeth gasps. "Percy!" she exclaims, eyes widening at the sight of the beautiful ring in her hand, turning it over in her hands.

"Happy birthdaaay," I sing, grinning.

"You can't give me this," Annabeth squeaks at me. "It must be worth a fortune!"

"I know. It was my mom's," I say. "She was given it by her mom, who was given it to her by her mom...it's like a family treasure. Every girl in my family has owned it, and since I'm not a girl, I don't really need it. I want you to have it,"

"I-I can't!" says Annabeth, trying to hand it me back. But I refuse, smirking. Annabeth glares at me. "Perseus Jackson-Olympia, you listen to me – this ring is worth a fortune and it's been in your family for years! You can't just give it me-,"

"Why not? You're my best friend,"

"I don't care! Wait until you have a daughter or something,"

"You know how forgetful I am – by the time I have a daughter, I'll have lost it," I say with a roll of my eyes. "My mom never sold it, even when we were desperate for money, because she didn't want it to be treated badly. It meant a lot to her and I know that you out of everybody will take good care of it. And if it makes you feel better, I'll even take it back if I do have a daughter in the future. And besides, this is what you get for not mentioning your birthday. I could have gotten you something normal but nooo..."

Annabeth's face is bright red – both from anger and probably flattery. "Fine," she grumbles after a couple of seconds; clearly realising that she isn't getting out of this.

"Put it on," I grin, happy that she's given in. Annabeth doesn't move, so I reach over and slide it on her fourth finger for her. It's too big for her, and probably will be for a couple of years. "There," I say. "It looks nice,"

"It's beautiful," Annabeth corrects, trying her best to make it fit. She clicks her tongue with a sigh. "My god, Seaweed-Brain, you're a massive idiot for giving me this, but thank you anyway. I love it,"

"Good," I say. "I'm glad you do,"

Annabeth frowns as she tries it on all of her fingers, but none of them fit it on.

"Put it on your necklace," I suggest. I know that Hera always wears her wedding and engagement rings on a necklace because she and Zeus got engaged and married in Greece, where the heat makes you swell. As a result, her rings didn't fit when she returned to America, and she didn't want to replace them. So she wears them on a necklace. (a/n my step-mum does this) "Just for a couple of years, until it fits you properly,"

"Good idea," says Annabeth. She reaches up to undo her necklace, but I can see she's having trouble, so I jump over to the back of the bench so I'm stood behind her and take it off for her whilst Annabeth holds her hair out of my way. She slips the ring on to the leather string and I help her put it back on again.

"Perfect," we both say as I sit back in my place. Annabeth grins at me and reaches over to hug me – which, for a second, shocks me. Annabeth has never properly hugged me before (unless you count tackling me to the floor, and the hug when I had a nightmare was more of a half-hug) but I hug her back anyway. Something about it makes me blush deeply and I can imagine Thalia mocking us in some way she were here. Thankfully, we pull away a second later.

"This is my favourite present," Annabeth whispers. I can tell that she doesn't mean for me to hear her, but I do. I fight off the urge to grin.

I remember what I'd actually invited Annabeth to the garden to talk about.

"I need to tell you something," I say in a low voice, as though there is a possibility that someone can hear us.

"What?" Annabeth asks, tilting her head to the side with curiosity.

I gnaw on my lip nervously. "I've...I've been keeping a secret," I admit, drawing my knees to my chest on the bench and fiddling with my fingernails, cutting them short as I do when I'm nervous. "And it's been playing on my mind a lot. But when I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else – my dad especially. Can you do that?"

Annabeth looks weary. "What have you done?"

"I've not done anything. Can you please just promise me, please?"

We're silent for many minutes. Annabeth studies my face cautiously for before nodding, curiosity clearly taking over. "Alright," she says. "I promise. What is it?"

"About two weeks ago, the week before my birthday, I woke up thinking I'd had a bad dream," I say. "I dreamt that I'd woken up in the middle of the night and gone out of my room to look for Poseidon, but I couldn't find him because it was so dark. When I returned to my room, my balcony doors were open and Kronos was in there,"

Annabeth nods slowly, still looking weary. I keep biting my lip with nervousness, a horrible lump forming in my throat – from having to recount the story and from the guilt of not telling Poseidon. "Go on," Annabeth urges as I fall silent.

"He covered my mouth before I could make a sound. He pinned me against the wall. We had a conversation and he slapped me. Then he left after telling me he'd be back," I tell her. "In my dream, I fell asleep besides the door. When I woke up, I was in the same place,"

"You sleepwalk?" Annabeth asks. I can see that she's catching on, but she doesn't want to say it.

I shrug. "That's what I thought. When I got a shower, I realised that my shoulders were sore and bruised. But I brushed it off. I went to breakfast and spoke to my dad – y'know, just normal stuff. I said I'd sleep-walked from my bed to my door. Hermes said he heard voices talking in my room,"

Annabeth gasps silently, eyes widening. She doesn't say anything, however. I pause for a second, waiting until she nods before continuing.

"I started to panic. I thought it had been a dream. I said that I needed to go to my room and all but ran there. I went out on to my balcony, where I'd seen Kronos leave. There was a note on the floor. It said 'Still feel safe?'"

"It wasn't a dream, was it?" Annabeth asks. I shake my head. "Kronos got into your house? H-He was in your room-,"

"Shh!" I exclaim. "Keep your voice down,"

"Percy, why haven't you told anyone?" Annabeth demands, ignoring my request to stay quiet. "This is serious. What if he comes back-?!"

"I know, I know. I'm stupid," I interrupt with a grumble, a little peeved off at her attitude. "But I'm scared as well, Annabeth. And I don't want to hurt Poseidon,"

"It'll hurt him to know that you've kept this from him, Percy!"

"Yeah, well you're not making it any better," I snap, standing. I thought that Annabeth would be nice about this – sympathetic and friendly and nice. But she's not. She's suddenly turned into the Wicked Witch of the West and is hissing at me for what I've done. Doesn't she understand? Kronosfreaking terrifies me. I hate to admit it, but he does. Trying to tell someone that the creep was in my room is easier said than done.

"Percy, come back," Annabeth huffs as I storm away. I know; it's a childish move, but my ADHD doesn't really give a damn. "Percy!"

I stride out of sight – behind a tall row of hedges near the back of the garden. I recognise this site as one of the hiding spots me and my cousins use. Usually, it brings a smile on my face. But all I can manage now is an irritated scowl. I can hear Annabeth still shouting my name, getting more and more frustrated with every second.

Before I can turn around and shout something snarky back at her, something grabs me. An arm wraps around my neck and a hand slaps over my mouth – but not before I can let out a shocked shout. I kick and wrestle against the unfamiliar grasp as I'm pulled closer towards the back of the garden.

I hear Annabeth yell my name again, this time urgent. She runs around the corner and her face floods with horror and fear. Clearly, whoever has hold of me isn't one of my cousins messing around. I manage to bite the person's hand that is covering my mouth, letting me speak for a split second.

"Annabeth RUN!" I shout at her on instinct. The thought of Annabeth – one of my closest friends – being hurt is almost unbearable. But she's frozen in shock. A man in a black ski mask jumps out and grabs her too. "NO!"

Something covers my mouth again, but this time it isn't a hand that I can bite into. It's a rather damp cloth that's so strongly scented with what I think is bleach that it completely fogs up my mind. I feel my eyes grow heavy like someone's attached weight to my eyelids. I try to fight against the person holding me but something has cut off the connection between my brain and limbs. Just a second later, my head droops and I fall limp.

I'm dragged through the garden to the wall at the back of it, which surrounds the entire property. One man in a black ski mask uses a box to climb on top of it and the man who has hold of me tosses me up to him. I'm pulled over the wall and tossed into a van parked on the other side of it. Someone else – Annabeth, probably, is thrown in behind me and the doors slam shut.

Even though the cloth has been removed, I can feel myself getting drowsier. I struggle to even move my mouth. "A-Annabeth..." I can't see her. My vision is getting darker. But no, I need her...I don't want to be alone. Not again. Now now of all times.

Something grips my hand and I feel myself holding it tightly like it's my lifeline. If I wasn't so damn drugged up, I'd be panicking. Annabeth probably would be too. Who the heck has taken us? I mean, clearly this is a kidnapping...

Oh. This is a kidnapping.

Well, shit.

I feel the van moving beneath me and that's all I remember before my eyes close and I fall unwillingly unconscious. I can't help but feel sorry for Annabeth. Today is her birthday...

Omfg I feel so evil DX Poor Percy. I really want him to have a proper childhood and now...ugh, I feel bad. Is it bad that I feel bad for giving a fictional character a bad life? I think that's pretty bad.

So...the next few chapters are going to be pretty dark, I'll warn you now. There's going to be a little Percabeth, of course (as you just saw in this chapter - d'aww, I loved it) and they're both going to eventually be alright again...sort of. It depends on how you look at it. *Insert evil laugh* Anyway, what did you guys think of this chapter? I'd love to know whether or not you enjoyed it, and your thoughts on what's going to happen...

Anyway, please leave a review if you were a fan of this chapter. If you have any suggestions or pointers about my writing, then please feel free to tell me. I'm totally open to anything that will help improve my writing! Follow, add to favourites and all that stuff. I know that everyone says this, but I always feel more compelled to update when I get reviews.

Hey, look, I'm not babbling as much today! So, I'm gonna leave this here. As usual - hope you enjoyed and have a brilliant week (tomorrow's Monday...Lord, kill me now). :)