BOSSY BRITCHES

"Thank God," Dakota sighed as he plopped down on the stool. He yanked his hood down, revealing his bright blue eyes and curly locks.

"You're such a pansy." Gwen shook her hood off as she slowly carried four bags of money into the tent, setting them down beside the crate.

The sight of all that money formed bile inside of Annabeth's mouth. They stole that amount of money, if not more, each run they took. And that was only the bags from Dakota and Gwen. She couldn't fathom how much money they took.

The rest of the group came strolling in. Hazel plopped three bags down, and Reyna followed. Jason came out with a total of two, and Malcolm with one. Percy ended up with three, and he emptied his pockets as well. Annabeth stood off to the side, hiding her expression. She couldn't imagine how anyone could find joy in this. She understood rule-breaking, but robbing? That just didn't feel right.

At last, Percy flicked his hood off his head. A grin stained his lips as he stared at the bags of money on the ground. He glanced at Malcolm and said, "Way to help out."

Malcolm rolled his eyes, a smirk on his face. "Of course,"

The leader knelt to the ground, untying the sacks. He dumped each bag one by one into the crate. Annabeth bit her tongue at the sheer amount of money. The coins clicked as they made contact with each other, and she flinched. Where was all the money going? What did they use all the money for?

Since she was a princess, Annabeth knew that none of the royals needed that much money. What made her nervous was how easily they got the money. It was like they didn't struggle whatsoever to get what they wanted. Based on Jason and Malcolm's skills, they got experienced when it came to fighting. Annabeth had battled their leader and won because of sheer brainpower. Even if she had been doing her best with her dagger, she might have lost.

It wasn't like Apollo or Delphi needed the money, but the money was secure. In Athens, Annabeth thought it was nearly impossible to break in and get money, but she got proven wrong. The assassins didn't only steal from Athens, but everywhere around Greece. They had picked every lock outsmarted every guard, and managed to get out with only one royal noticing. And how long had they all been doing this?

They could have begun long ago, and the only reason Annabeth found out was that she was also breaking the rules. Not just any rule, her own parents' rule. Luckily, her parents seemed to ignore the fact that she had broken the rules. They got so caught up in catching the assassins they never brought it up to her. Besides, they shouldn't get mad when in the long run she was risking her life for each and every one of them.

The crate got filled with money, the golden coins glinting in the light. There was so much money the box almost overflowed. Annabeth wanted to take all the money back to its rightful place. It didn't belong to thieves.

Of course, if they all hated the royals, they had the same feelings. Annabeth didn't like how they ruled, but they were family. She couldn't betray her family like that. She didn't see the purpose in stealing. There was so much money it wasn't like it was going to make the royals fall. And if they escaped most cities from the guards, they weren't directly hurting anyone. She was on this mission to find out the aims of the assassins. And why they do the things they do. Not disagree with them. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You seem shocked, Bethanny." Annabeth heard Malcolm's voice snap through her thoughts. She turned towards him and saw his smirk.

"I am," She said, staring at each of the assassins. They were marked with scars and had darkness in their eyes. "How do you manage?"

Percy chuckled off to the side. Annabeth turned her head towards him and bit her tongue. His green eyes were dark and filled with bitterness. His hair was ruffled, sticking out in all directions. His arms crossed over his chest, and he sat on a log by the crate. His leg bounced up and down, and his fingers tapped the insides of his arms.

"Practice," He said, staring at her expectantly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "No shit, sherlock."

"Not only does it take skill, but it also takes time." Jason quickly began, his voice booming over the silence. Possibly, he sensed an upcoming fight between the two? "We've all been doing this for years. We learn something new every mission."

The information was true, Annabeth knew it was. She learned what to and say to her mother over the years. Yeah, she doesn't obey her all the time but, she knows. She knows when to keep her mouth shut and when to speak up. That didn't take much practice but it took time and skill to master. Somehow, she and Jason related to something.

Well, other than them both being royal assassins at the moment. Maybe Jason picked up on royalty at a young age?

"I understand," Annabeth nodded her head at the rebels.

When Annabeth glanced back at the pile of money another question popped into her head. Maybe asking simple questions like these could mark the end of the assassins. She could build her way up to more questions as they answered more and more.

She wanted to know if they kept the money. If they didn't, who took it? She wanted to know how much money they had in total, and what they did with it. She knew they hated the royals, herself included, but what did they use the money for? Was it just to spite them?

"But, I also want to understand how you work things around here."

She noticed all of them glance at each other, shifting uncomfortably. Most of them started to shuffle closer to the conversation, wanting to hear how Percy and Jason would react. Despite their unease, Annabeth took mental note of how Reyna and Jason stood close to each other. That seemed like an ongoing trend.

Reyna sat down on the log beside Percy, and Jason followed her. He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together. Gwen and Dakota stood behind them, followed by Hazel and Malcolm. They stood and sat together as one as if they were posing for a family portrait. They appeared so comfortable with each other. It was as if they knew every secret about each other, every puncture in the armor.

They seemed so much like a family, Annabeth almost felt jealous. As far as she knew, none of them were related. Having friends that were so close that you could tell them anything was something that she couldn't relate to. The closest thing she could get was Silena and Will. Of course, they were amazing, but they didn't quite share a family-like bond. They were more like best friends because they had nobody else other than their significant other to talk with.

Percy cleared his throat. "Ask away."

Build up, build up, build up, She repeated like a chant inside her mind. That could be one of her best chances to get any sort of information out of them. She had to do this for the Rachel she left on the porch. She had to do this for the royals, the ones who believed in her.

She started at the leader as he stared at her. His skin was tanned, making his bright green eyes pop. A light dusting of freckles ran over the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. His face was blank, but Annabeth could see his lips twitching. It made them out as if they were born to smile. His eyelashes were long and dark, matching his raven locks. Percy's eyes gleamed, even in the darkness of the tent. Something clicked in the back of Annabeth's brain.

She didn't know what it was. But her stomach twisted and turned with a warning. So, she gulped and pushed her chin in the air. "Do you do anything with the money you steal?"

Annabeth noticed how they all shifted. No one seemed to say anything, all glancing at their leader. The princess could see how Percy held the position. He appeared right for the job. With the grin that was on his face before he came across Annabeth, he seemed pretty chill. Although, he knew when he needed to protect his friends.

Percy became cold against Annabeth and did anything for what his crew needed. He fought her, even if the rest of his group could. He didn't sit back and make anyone else do it. He did it himself but in a cocky way. Percy fought the princess to keep her out of his friends' way. He was a natural leader. She could see why he was the one to direct them around.

"We give it to the citizens," He responded, his eyes never straying from hers.

"How?" She asked. "There's no way you just waltz into a new kingdom every day without getting caught."

In a way, Annabeth did the same thing they did. She gave the royals' supplies to the peasants, just to give them help. She didn't do it to spite the royals; she just did it to give them a chance. She didn't want any of them to die on the streets, while there was a giant pit of money right inside the castle. It wasn't like much was going out while piles were going in from the taxes.

With the assassins, she was sure that they didn't stroll into each border of the kingdom and hand out bags of money. Even so, Annabeth hadn't noticed a decline in the poverty rate. If the assassins had been stealing around how much money was in the crate, something was wrong. Granted, there were a lot of kingdoms and a lot of peasants, but that money added up.

So far, that money had done nothing. Rates of poverty still skyrocketed in Athens, and the only balanced city was still Delphi. Annabeth knew that a group of seven couldn't fix the problem alone, but they stole a lot of money. So much money that if they gave this one crate to one or two families, they could feed themselves without work for two to three years. Although, begging on the streets inclined.

They were lying to her. Annabeth was the only one to lie around here. It explained how jittery they got when she questioned them. If explained why they had expected Percy to answer. If not, they could've blurted out different answers.

"You're lying,"

"Excuse me?" Percy narrowed his eyes on her. "How do you know anything about the poverty rates?"

Annabeth glared back. "Well, if the poverty rates moved up, I'd assume you guys would stop this treason."

She said the answer without hesitation. She didn't want to make it seem like she wasn't prepared for the question. Something like that was bound to happen, and she had to come up with answers fast. She couldn't make them suspicious. Besides, she was already making them question her when she was the one supposed to be interrogating them.

Jason spoke. "Don't you hate the royals anyway, 'Beth?"

"Don't call me 'Beth,"

His blue eyes only sparkled as he smirked. With a jab from Percy, he nodded his head respectfully. He mumbled, "Sorry,"

"Our boss takes it for us. He then gives it out to the peasants when he adventures off every once in a while."

"Dakota!" The rebels scolded, turning around in his direction.

Annabeth found the sight mildly amusing. Although, she couldn't ignore the tiny bit of information she got.

They had mentioned a boss multiple times earlier. They had said that their boss wouldn't like her joining their group, but she seemed worthy. They probably assumed that he would accept the fact sooner or later, but Annabeth wasn't positive. She had just met these people, and she wasn't one hundred percent on how to read them yet.

Their boss was important, and just how Percy mentioned him was the hint. If the boss didn't have any sort of impact on how they worked, he wouldn't have said anything. Maybe he had been trying to scare her out of joining? Maybe he had been trying to unsettle her the entire time she was with them?

If the boss was the one who took the money, then what did he do with it? How could the group be so sure it went to the peasants? Annabeth noticed nothing when it came to losing money and the peasants gaining money. Maybe their boss started in another kingdom? She highly doubted it though, considering Athens had the worst rate in all of Greece.

Adding on, Annabeth's kingdom was probably one of the richest, up against Apollo and Silena. They had money, but Apollo's kingdoms were far more balanced. They didn't breach their citizens for money, just to buy jewels and gowns. They paid for expansions and better bordering materials. They kept their people safe. Well, as for Silena, Annabeth believed she would soon fix the problem.

Well, as safe as they could be with assassins still getting into their kingdoms. Annabeth knew no one was perfect. With the brainpower her parents had, it made her wonder how they didn't pick up on anyone else. Did they not understand? Maybe they didn't. They didn't listen to their daughter when it came to her opinions on marriage and children. Although, they did listen to her when it came to losing their money. They didn't even care that she went out without permission! Only that in the end, she'd be benefiting them and the other royals!

"Exactly Annabeth!" Athena had shouted at her, her silver eyes blazing and finger pointed. "We have our duties! Now you need to do yours!"

Her father usually stayed out of most of their fights but would repeat the same words. He wasn't as harsh when it came to those things, but it still hurt. Their expectations of her were so high, and even only weeks ago she wanted to make them proud, but she no longer cared. She had given up.

She was now doing her job for the safety of the people. She was doing her job for the other kingdoms, wanting to put an end to the assassins. She was done attempting to impress her parents. Her mother argued when she suggested marrying Conner. At least she was giving in to the idea of marriage!

God, at the moment, she was more than happy to be out of the way of her parents.

Now that she had a whole other threat to keep an eye out for. If the rebels themselves had a boss, then he had to be the true hazard. Annabeth just needed to get these guys to trust her, so then she could find out more about their coach. Their boss was most likely the one to teach all of them their sword skills. If he wasn't…

Annabeth didn't like to think like that. It gave her a massive headache.

The princess cleared her throat. All of the Fifth Legion faced her, looking at her with undivided attention. "How are you sure that your boss gives out the money to the kingdoms? I've been just about everywhere, and there are still too many poor to count."

"Our boss likes to keep his ways a secret," Percy said.

"Then how do you know he's actually using the money for the better?"

"Why are you assuming the worst?"

"Why are you giving him the benefit of the doubt! You're all already committing crimes! Who knows what your boss could be doing?!"

"I trust him!" Percy's voice commanded; firmly. He stood up, his fists clenched at his sides. His eyes were the darkest Annabeth had seen them yet. His cheeks got red as his eyebrows furrowed. "I've met him! He's promised me, us, better for the way we got wronged!"

Annabeth wasn't speechless. In fact, she had a lot to say. But when she opened her mouth, Jason stood and put his hand on his leader's shoulder. His jaw got clenched, and his eyes didn't gleam like they did moments earlier.

"We trust him. We've all met him. We all know what he's capable of. You don't, Bethanny. I think we've shared enough information with you over the last day for you to be comfortable."

"You can take it or leave it." Reyna's dark orbs peered into hers, searching for anything.

Without answering, Annabeth unbuckled her satchel. She dug through her clothes until she came across her canteen of water. She stepped up to Reyna and pulled out her hand. She placed the canteen of water into her palm, meeting the icy glare. Annabeth backed away as Reyna stared at the canteen cautiously.

Annabeth sized them up. "I think we all need a chance to cool off. Count your prize and put them in your stash to take to your boss. I'll go find a nearby stream to calm down. Enjoy the purified beverage."

She saluted the leader, before turning around. She pushed the tent flap out of her way and stormed out. I'm taking it and leaving, Reyna, She thought, stomping off into the trees ahead.

Steam billowed off Annabeth as she splashed river water into her face. Her short curls got a little wet, but that was the least of her worries. As she took deep breaths and cleared her mind, she knew what had to be done. She needed more information from the assassins. Knowing that they had a boss wasn't enough. She couldn't ditch after one day.

The fire in her veins cooled off. Of course, not having to stare at their oblivious faces helped a lot. How could they not see through the cracks? How were they giving their boss the benefit of the doubt? How did they trust him?

They were doing bad things themselves. Did they never think about all the bad things their boss could be doing? Annabeth just wanted to shout and to scream. She didn't want to go back home right now, and she didn't want to go back to the rebels. She just wanted to escape from reality.

She didn't want the weight of a prophecy on her shoulders. She didn't want to know what Rachel thought when she found herself on the porch in the woods. She didn't want to know if her parents basked in her absence. Annabeth didn't want to think about all of the royals in Greece relying on her.

She yearned for a normal life. She dreamed that she didn't have parents to impress, or to disappoint. She longed for her parents' care and love and support in her decisions: that they would listen to her. Annabeth wondered if in another life if they would be the same or if they would be different? Could she live without the weight of children and marriage on her back?

Could she live in a life where she could meet the love of her life on her own accord? Could she marry someone she loved and not someone she thought she could get used to (no offense Conner)? Would it only be in her dreams where she could have a kid when she was ready? Being the only child in her family made it feel like she was made out of law and not love. She didn't want her child to feel that way.

Would Annabeth ever live a life where she didn't have entire kingdoms hoping that she was successful? She didn't want to be the center of attention all of the time, and being a princess didn't help most of the time. Could she live in another world where she wasn't expected to be perfect and a lovely girl that stood on the sidelines?

Would the weight of the world ever be lifted off her back?

With the depressing thoughts, Annabeth's anger was gone. She just wanted to lay there in the soft leaves, listening to the river stream. She wanted to rest, to close her eyes, and live in the dream world that she designed herself. Would that ever be possible? To live in a home that she created from the back of her mind?

The thought was useless. She knew with all her heart, soul, and mind; she would never be an architect. She would never get to design buildings, no matter where she went. She couldn't run away as William could. She couldn't live a secret, not when the job she aspired for took more than just injured or delirious people. Annabeth was already living a secret, even if it wasn't the one she wanted.

"Hey," Annabeth jumped, pulling her dagger from her waist. She faced the soft voice and found Hazel. "Thanks for the water."

She ducked down and scooped more water into the canteen, twisting the lid back on. She held the container out for Annabeth. She smiled and took it, shoving it back into her bag.

"I was a slave,"

Annabeth's eyes widened. She gave the young girl an incredulous look. "You can't be serious!"

"Look at my skin," Hazel fanned her arms out while raising an eyebrow. "They say there is no beauty because my skin is darker than theirs."

For how young Hazel seemed to be, Annabeth wanted to explode. First, just because her skin was a smooth cocoa shade, it didn't mean that she wasn't as beautiful as any other person. Piper McLean, the younger princess of Pylos, was never considered ugly. She got praised, just as much as the rest of them. Now, since Hazel wasn't a royal, she got disowned and taunted because of the color of her skin. It pissed Annabeth off.

Second, Hazel was young and did not need to get told that. Anyone that wasn't pale didn't need to get told that. Especially, someone who wasn't a princess or prince that was darker skinned didn't need to be bullied. Hazel was gorgeous in her ways. Her bouncy curls framed her small face. Hazel's golden eyes shined with light, even with the dark conversation. Her cheeks were soft, and with her sword, in hand, she held power beyond relief. She was powerful and so pretty that words could not describe her.

Annabeth scoffed. "What bullshit. Who did that to you?"

"Venus. I didn't live up to Piper's beauty standard as a colored person. She treated me worse than the rest of the maids."

The princess almost couldn't believe Venus would do something so low. Then again, her kingdom mirrored Annabeth's. So, the keyword, almost, couldn't believe it.

"She's just saying that because Piper's a royal. Now, don't get me wrong, Piper is gorgeous, but that doesn't mean you aren't. You two aren't the same person. Just because you aren't a rich royal, it doesn't make you ugly. Money isn't beauty."

The teen smiled. "Thank you, Bethanny. It makes me mad how I have to be rich to be pretty."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She sheathed her dagger and wrapped her arm around Hazel's back. They both sat on the ground, facing the river. She sighed blissfully and smiled lightly. "Venus is a drama queen."

"That's what Percy says,"

"Then you know he's right."

Annabeth meant it too. She knew he was right now. There was no way she didn't believe Hazel. If Hazel had been teased and put down by Venus for her status and skin color, she didn't want to think about what the others could've gone through. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe the assassins had been wronged? Hazel was just living proof. Knowing that she thought Venus was a little sane made her stomach twist.

Whatever the case, Annabeth swore to find out who broke the group of seven. She wouldn't rest until she found out who the real villain was. Their boss, or her family?

Words: 4,042

Well, how's the weather out there guys? The weather in here is WRITERS BLOCK. Sorry for the wait, but I, think, I'm back in my groove:)

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