The day of the selection, Annabeth's chauffeur came as planned at 12 p.m. This was the way she would arrive at the castle, instead of walking there as usual. She had all the information about the selection, about who would participate and what would happen.

When Annabeth told her parents, her father had freaked out. Like, full on nuts mode. At first Frederick was in shock of the news. But after the surprise, he finally realalized what was going on and kept on pestering her about this and that.

"Be safe! I don't want you getting into any trouble!" And, "Don't go stressing me out, young lady! You better not get into some funny buisness with the Prince!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she was glad that he was worried about her. He didn't usually pay much attention to her; only his work.

And her Mom... Annabeth sort of resented her. Athena was never around, never there. She had left for work in another kingdom, much to far away from her. But Annabeth had learned to deal with it at a young age.

There was no reply about the selection, as expected.

When the time came, Annabeth gave one last hug to Frederick, and one last look of the house before heaving her bags in the carriage. Her father smiled and waved goodbye, a worried yet calm look on his face.

She went inside the fancy carriage as the chauffeur- James, his name was, offered to carry her bags.

The ride there was pretty uneventful, other than the occasional flash of some reporters' camera and the busy bustling of pedestrians. She was nervous all the way there, but Annabeth calmed herself. They arrived, and Annabeth was shocked. The Palace was usually calm and quiet, but today was different.

Crowds of journalists and reporters swarmed the sidewalks trying to get a good article for the news. Beautiful decorated carriages pulled by horses were arriving too. Annabeth also saw girls dressed in gorgeous dresses. Some long and flowing and some a little more... Revealing. Seeing how everyone dressed made Annabeth a little self-conscious in her grey dress.

It had flowing transparent lace sleeves that flowed down her arms, and little white jewels on the satin skirt. It was simple, yet Annabeth liked it.

After a few seconds of getting her stuff together, Annabeth slowly got out of the carriage, thanking James for the ride. James smiled, and said that he would take her bags to her room. Wherever that was.

She noticed all the girls waling up the staircase, which was now decorated with a carpet a deep shade of blue. So Annabeth joined them.

The palace looked better than ever, with the crystalline chandelier glowing, and the marble floors sparkling. Then the smell hit her- the most mouth-watering thing she had ever smelt. The aroma seemed to soothe her nerves, which felt amazing. The scent was coming from the large dining room where everyone seemed to be heading.

The guards looked impassive, but they showed a ghost of a smile when they recognized Annabeth. She waved, then went into the dining room. Her name and many others were announced as she went in, announcing names in a shrill voice.

Annabeth looked around, looking for somewhere to sit. People were sitting at the long, wooden table staring at the enormous meal in front of them. She decided to sit beside a girl with a white, sleeveless dress; ancient Greek style. Annabeth thought it looked good on her with her silky caramel hair.

"I-is this spot taken?" Annabeth asked.

The girl looked confused, but then smiled up at her in a friendly way.

"Oh, no, not at all!" The girl said kindly.

"Thank you," Annabeth said.

"No problem. I'm Calypso Atlas." The girl, Calypso said. Annabeth recognized that name. Her father was Atlas, the owner of Atlas Establishment.

"I'm Annabeth Chase."

Calypso wiped her palms on her dress as if she was nervous about something.

"So Annabeth," Calypso said, trying to start up a conversation. "What do you think of the Prince so far?"

"Well he seems pretty nice, since i've seen him at Central park a couple of times." Annabeth said, making up some fibs. "Any reason why you asked?"

"I'm pretty anxious, I suppose."

Annabeth laughed lightly. "I can relate."

Suddenly, the royal announcer was doing his job about... Well, announcing. He said a little welcome speech to everyone, talked about dinner, blah blah blah. If it weren't for the instrumental dinner music jolting her attention and the chatter of people eating, she would've fallen asleep.

Calypso stared at the grand display of all the food, eyeing the platter decorated with glistening fruits. Meanwhile Annabeth herself was thinking of trying the roasted salmon.

Her and Calypso ate in tranquillity, enjoying each bite of food. Juicy chicken, fresh green salad, and the well cooked stake. Annabeth didn't relalize how hungry she was until she ate.

"This... This is delicious!" Calypso said, wiping her mouth in a polite manner.

"I agree. The chefs here are some of the best cooks in the kingdom." Annabeth said finishing off the last of her food. "I wonder when-" But before she could finish her sentence, the sound of a sharp noise rand through the air. It was one of the royal hosts, clinking her spoon on a champagne glass.

She cleared her throat, looking at everyone. "May I have your attention, please," The woman said as all attention was directed to her. "I'm sure you've all been waiting for quite a while, so without further ado, I present to you the royal family."

The large doors on the other side of the room started to open. The guards held open the door, revealing Sally, Paul, Percy and Estelle. Annabeth wondered where Tyson was, though.

Maybe he's busy? Annabeth thought.

But that wasn't the only thing Annabeth was thinking about. The royal family looked great as ever, but Percy was just... Wow. Percy didn't usually wear suits except for special occasions. He usually wore t-shirts and jeans. But as much Annabeth hate to admit it, he did look good looking. A blush spread across her face, but she his it with her hand.

Gods, she was turning into some king of love sick puppy.

Annabeth also noticed Calypso staring at him too, her face a shade of pink. A feeling rooted itself in Annabeth's stomach, a feeling she recognized as jealousy. She erased that though from her head.

She couldn't be jealous. At least not in this situation.

"Hello everyone," Percy said, flashing the most flattering smile he could manage. "Its nice to meet you guys. I hope I get a chance to personally meet you all!"

Percy gave Annabeth a look like, I really hate this. Annabeth smirked in reply.

Around the table, Annabeth heard excited whispers and exchanges being made. She couldn't help overhear what they were saying:

"I knew the prince was good looking, but I didn't know he was this hot!"

"Wow..."

"I think iv'e fallen in love!"

If maybe Annabeth wasn't in this whole mess, maybe she would've fallen for him, too.

"I'm going to have to agree with them," Calypso giggled.

Annabeth just nodded, wondering what was going to happen next.

"We welcome you to the kingdom of Oceatheas," King Paul said, holding little Estelle's hand.

"Please enjoy your stay in the palace!" Said Queen Sally before exiting the room. And with that, Percy was gone as well.

The woman from earlier was back again. "Now everyone, my name is Ms. Usoro, but you may call me Amanda. For the next couple of weeks, I will be the one making all arrangements for the selection. So that means where you'll be staying and what you'll be doing. Please follow me to your rooms."

"I guess we're going now," Annabeth said getting up with everyone else.

Everyone filed out the door in orderly fashion, following Ms. Usoro. They walked through new hallways Annabeth had never been to before, leading to a seperate building outside. The building was about the size of a medium sized school, with rose gardens surrounding it. It was truly beautiful, and Annabeth was surprised that she had never came here before.

"This is where you'll be staying. You'll eat, sleep, and spend your free time here." Ms. Usoro announced to everybody. "Inside, you will find your room number and key. And keep in mind, three maids will be assigned to personally asess your needs."

All the girls just stood there, dumbfounded. They were going to stay here? This place probably costed millions! In the distance was a pool, a tennis court, a forest and more things as far as the eye could see.

"Well?" Ms. Usoro prompted. "Lets get going!"

Hey guys!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone living in The states or elsewhere.

I live in Canada, so Thanksgiving was last month.

Stay safe and healthy!