Here's chapter 2! Sorry I couldn't get it up sooner… I had tests in every class, then two TAKS tests back to back! Evil teachers… :) here though, it's nothing major yet. I did make it really long though, I hope it makes up. Even if it's a little slow… oh ya. So sorry to Nyxchick who I told I would have this out a lot sooner…things came up and I didn't have time. I was up until 1:00 a.m. as it was doing homework, and then waking up at 6. So ya, please don't get mad though and stop reading!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing PJO, Subway, Cinderella, or Starbucks related. I do own the idea behind this story however ( I hope).

PERCYS POV

Five years later

"PERCY! Where is my breakfast? You cannot expect me to be heading to town hungry."

Ugh… I glanced out my window to see that it was almost dawn. Thalia loved getting to town early so that she and some others could pull a few pranks without getting caught.

"Coming Thalia! You want eggs and bacon?" I shouted back. I sat rolled off of the lumpy mattress that was my bed, and started to get dressed.

"Whatever, just hurry up!" she yelled. Fine, what did it matter to me what she ate?

I threw on one of the five t-shirts I owned, and a pair of jeans that didn't look too dirty. I quickly grabbed my only pair of sneakers and raced to go find the materials needed for breakfast. Let's see, what did mom put on the bacon to make it taste good…Tears started to well in my eyes as I thought of her.

Six months ago, my mother had been hit by the plague. No matter how much I pleaded, Gabe refused to call a doctor to help. So, while my mother stayed in our shared bed, I worked her shifts and my house jobs. That meant working shifts at the candy shop Sweet on Athens, the new sandwich shop Heroway, and the local coffee shop Moonbucks, along with cleaning the floors, dishes, cooking, laundry, groceries, and caring for the small farm my mom had started. (She started the farm to help make a little more money to support Gabe's gambling.) I tried to do everything I could to help her, but three weeks later, she died. Gabe didn't have as much as a second glance for her. So, with the help of my best friend/ neighbor Grover, I buried my mother next to the flower garden in the back. We said a few words, and I told him that now she was with my father.

After she died, I became the servant to our 'family'. Imagine that, from prince to servant. So it was my job to do things like collecting the eggs for breakfast, and fetching the bacon from the ice box.

I grabbed my basket and went to the little farm in our backyard. On my way to the hen house, I grabbed some seed. As I walked in the henhouse, I spread some seed in a pile near the back. This way, the hens would all rush to the back, while I grabbed some eggs. As soon as the nearest nests were empty, I grabbed 7 eggs and placed them in my basket. Two eggs each for Thalia, Nico, and Gabe, and, if they didn't catch me, one for me.

After I left the hen house, I set the basket by the back door and grabbed 2 buckets and a little spiral thing. Surprisingly, we had a maple tree in our backyard, and the sap from it made bacon taste heavenly. I set down the buckets near the tree and took out Riptide. Oddly enough, Riptide always seemed to appear in my pocket in pen form. Once, Nico had tried taking it to see how easily it could be broken, but the next morning, Riptide was back in my pocket completely unharmed.

Uncapping Riptide, I made a little hole in the tree and stuck the spiral thing in it. Soon, little bits of sap started to drip out, so I kicked one of the buckets under to catch the drops. While that was going, I went to our orange tree with the other basket. As I started to climb the tree looking for good oranges, I thought of how funny it was when my mom had dyed the orange juice blue once. While blue food was common in Atlantis, it apparently made people want to gag in Athens. I grabbed three oranges and placed them in the basket. Huh… I truly missed my mom. She was the only one who really got me and didn't call me 'punk' or 'wimpy' at least once a day. She made things okay just by being in the same room. I grabbed another orange. Come on, Percy. You're almost 16, and there is no reason to be crying on this particular morning. Just 2 more weeks, and then you will be out of here.

I kept repeating that last line over to myself as I finished picking oranges. When my bucket was full, I climbed down the tree and went to get the bucket of sap. The bucket of sap was over half full, so I took out the spiral thing and put a rock in the little hole. One good thing about this sap, was that it lasted for over a week in the ice box.

Grabbing my basket and two buckets, I ran inside the house to find Thalia just coming down the stairs. She had just finished washing, so she had no makeup on and her hair was a mess. In other words, she looked like a half-drowned cat.

I grabbed a pitcher and started to squeeze the oranges.

"You're lucky I still have to finish getting ready, Fish-boy." This was her and Nico's little nickname for me. They started calling me 'Fish-boy' ever since they found out that I would go swimming in the river at least once a day.

"Just go and finish up, Thalia. I'm almost done with breakfast anyways," I said as I squeezed the last orange. After filling up three cups, I placed them on the table. I grabbed a pan and cracked 6 of the 7 eggs into it. I hid the last one behind the pitcher, so Thalia wouldn't see that I had taken one for myself. After throwing the eggshells in the trashcan, I gently placed the pan on our one burner stove.

"You shouldn't talk to me like that; you know what Daddy would say to you. Fine though, I need to go steal more ink from the 'study' anyways." She walked down the hall and disappeared. See Gabe's 'study' wasn't really a study. More like a room where Gabe could play poker, store his dirty shoes, and hook up with girls he would somehow manage to bring home. Me, I'm just surprised that people still come out of it alive.

"Shesh," I mumbled. Did she ever just let things go? So what if I'm supposed to treat her like royalty? She doesn't deserve it. All of them don't…but I have no choice. I have to, or risk never waking up the next morning. I know that some of Gabe's 'friends' sell the deadliest poisons known to mankind. I've seen them, and the people they were used on.

I stirred the eggs, so they wouldn't burn. Quickly then, I ran down to our ice box in the basement and grabbed a couple slices of bacon. I sprinted back upstairs to find the eggs done. I scooped them out of the pan, and placed them in an old wooden bowl on the table. Since the pan was still hot, I decided to cook the bacon in it. Hey, it saved me from having to wash more dishes later.

Soon, the bacon was sizzling, and that too I moved to the wooden bowl. Just as I was setting down three plates, Gabe walked in dragging Thalia by her arm.

"Why you little…You know never to come in there! EVER! Lucky I was sleeping in there after my poker game last night…who knows how many times you've been sneaking in there? I outta-"

"Hey, breakfast's ready!" I tried to say as cheerfully as possible. "Come on, before it gets cold." If they think im making this again, then they are completely mistaken.

"Whatever, punk," Gabe sneered at me. "Thalia, you've lucked out. Even though breakfast's ready, you're still grounded. No leaving this house. If you disobey, then you have to help the kid with his chores." He started wolfing down the bacon. Thalia grabbed one piece and slumped off to her room.

"Whatimiss…"Nico mumbled as he came downstairs.

"Bacon" gabe replied.

"Wha…Wait what? You made bacon without me? Aw…" Nico walked over and sat down in a chair. He grabbed as much of the eggs as he could before pushing the bowl over to Gabe.

"Hey punk. Did you grab the mail yet?" gabe said as he finished his breakfast. "I have some important mail coming today." Ya right. He said that ever day to make me go get it, even if it turned out to be bills and taxes. (That I had to pay, by the way.)

"No…I'll go do that now," I said walking out the front door. The post office was three blocks away from our house, a short walk compared to some of the places that I had to work at. Absentmindedly, I wondered what would be there today. Maybe a car magazine… a bill or two…death threat because Gabe owes them money… who knows?

I walked past a few closed down stores. We didn't live in a very populated part of Athens, so businesses didn't normally survive here. I passed the library, Moonbucks, and trash collecting facility before reaching the post office. Walking inside, I found one of the postmen, a teen named Travis Stoll, fast asleep, leaning on the counter. A little drool started running done the side of his face.

"Travis! Hey, wake up man."

"Uurrgll…" was his response.

"TRAVIS!"

"I didn't take it!" he yelled, suddenly waking up. "Oh, it's you Percy. Sorry Conner hasn't been able to make it to your house anytime this week. He got his leg chewed out by a huge guard dog. We, uh, were running a little low this week and needed food so ya…"

"I get it. At least you two have the best talent for stealing things that I've ever seen. I kind of have to get back to Gabe now…So can I have my mail?" I asked.

"Sure, one moment." He disappeared into the back. " Here you are." He handed me a few envelopes.

"Thanks, man. See you tomorrow, and I hope Conner gets better."

"See ya, Perce," he yelled as I walked out the door.

Walking home now, I decided to see what we got. Bill…letter for Thalia… Bill… Bill… Heroway coupon… Bill… wait, what's this? I pulled out a thin, stony gray envelope. I opened it and started to read…

"GABE!" I yelled, and sprinted the rest of the way home. They were not going to believe this.

ANNABETH'S POV

Previous night

"Annabeth, you must. The kingdom of Athens depends on it. I know that you don't want to end up like Prince Perseus, kicked out of his own kingdom," Queen Athena, told me.

"Mother, why must I have to marry to take the throne? You're still unmarried as it is. I know you had me before Father died, but you never decided to marry another. Yet, here you are as queen," I said back.

"That was my choice, but you have no say in the matter. Sir Luke has been staying with us for over a fortnight, and has proven himself to be worthy enough to rule with you." Sir Luke was this knight around four years or so older than my age of 16 and 4 days. (I couldn't take the throne yet because I was female and unmarried.) He was tall, with a nice tan and sandy blond hair. He had startling blue eyes that would make any girl want to stay with him forever. The only thing that ruined his seemingly perfect look, was a big, jagged scar running from his right eye down to the edge of his jaw. Even though he seemed perfect, I didn't want him. And not because of the big scar or anything. It's just, I couldn't see myself with him. He was a man I could simply be good friends with, not married to for the rest of my life.

"Mother I don't like Sir Luke like that, nor will I ever."

"I don't care. You must marry before taking the throne. If it's not Sir Luke…well, I know many other worthy suitors that would be just as happy to rule with you," she said sternly. "Unless, of course, you've met someone else?" She looked over at me, her steely gray eyes boring me down.

"Sort of. I've been seeing someone in my dreams. At first, it was only once a month or so. Then, as my 16th birthday approached, they became more frequent and clearer. You always told me how our dreams are visions of real life, and things to come. I believe this man to be within this very city. I'm at lost though on how to find him…What should I do?" I had no taste in traveling around to find a man, even my dream man, when I was the only one that would be able to tell if it was truly him.

"We'll have a ball," she said, like it should have been the most obvious idea ever. "All the eligible young men in the kingdom will be invited. That evening, you will find the man you will marry. But if your dream man doesn't show, you will marry Sir Luke. Understand?"

"Um…I guess. When shall it be?" I asked.

"In three days time. We shall host it in the grand ballroom. Where is our Grand Duchess? I'll need her to send out the invitations right away."

"I'll go get her, mother." I walked out of the study that we had been discussing in. "RACHEL, MOTHER NEEDS YOU!" I yelled as loud as I could. My voice echoed around the castle, causing all the servants nearby to look around to see if there was any way they could help me.

"Ugh, need you yell, Princess Annabeth? I told you that I would be right down the hall," Rachel said. She was clutching the edge of her sleeve of her dress, stopping what looked suspiciously like paint brushes from falling out. When she wasn't scribing things for my mother, she was painting. I'd seen her art store in town, and let me say, it was something else. She made the most beautiful portraits, capturing hidden beauty, and the most realistic landscapes as if you were looking out of a window. We even bought a few of her paintings for the castle, not realizing that they were hers. ( Mother didn't know of her painting, and would surely throw her out if she found out. She prefers gray above all. I was the only one, besides a few other servants, who knew of her painting.)

"Come on, and don't let those brushes slip. I've gotten used to having you around." She blushed down at that last comment. I guess being a Duchess doesn't get you recognized often. I grabbed her sleeve and pulled her into the study.

"Here, I found her mother."

"Duchess," my mother nodded towards her. Besides the painting thing, my mother has never fully liked Rachel. For some reason though, she always calls her to run errands or perform other tasks. Go figure.

"What shall I scribe for thee?" Rachel said, pulling a pad of paper and a charcoal pencil out of her pocket.

" How about To all eligible persons within the ages of 15 and 20…"

PERCY'S POV

"…you are hereby invited to attend the royal ball in honor of Princess Annabeth, in the hope that she shall find a man worthy enough to serve with her as king. All attire is formal. The ball will take place in three days time, on the night of the full moon. ~Queen Athena," I finished.

I looked down at the three stunned faces staring at me from the breakfast table. Gabe had a piece of bacon hanging out of his mouth, and Nico looked at me with a dreamy look now on his face. I knew he, like many others, had a huge crush on Princess Annabeth. I for one, had never seen her in the past years while living here. Maybe at a feast when I was a prince…but that was so long ago. She could have been the one with the stunning black hair, or maybe the beautiful, curly blonde. I liked that blonde; the way she held herself made you feel like you could do anything by her side. She was supposed to be the smartest woman ever, since her mother. Aw well. Not like I would ever be able to see her again.

"So when are we going to buy new clothes for this?" Nico asked, snapping out of his daze. I just stared at the boy. Apparently Thalia had the same thought.

"You? Shopping for clothes? That's about as possibly as Fish Boy here ever accomplishing anything with his life," Thalia said, sneering in my direction. Okay, so maybe not the same thought.

"Well both of you brats are going to need new clothes. Nico needs to win the heart of the Princess, and if that doesn't work, Thalia needs to get that visiting knight to like her. If I'm gonna get you all pampered up using my gambling money, then you have to try yourselves," Gabe said. He turned his head, looking at both of them.

"Fine," they both said in unison. Then they ran up the stairs, pushing each other out of the way to get up there first. Sooooo mature, right?

"Uh, Gabe. You only mentioned the two of them. Since I'm between 15 and 20 and still eligible, doesn't that mean I get to go?" I asked, hopefully. This ball could change everything. I could talk to Queen Athena about heading back to Atlantis early…

"Are you kidding? Now that there's this ball-thingy to prepare for, there's more work than ever to be done! I'm going to need you to work your butt off even more. So move it, pork-chop. I have to take your step-sisters out shopping." Gabe pushed past me before I could respond, and went to go grab his not-so-secret-but-you'll-die-if-you-touch-it stash of gambling money. I'll give you a hint about where it is.

"Punk, why'd ya touch my beer! It's supposed to stay on the left side of the icebox," yelled Gabe from below.

Well, I had three more days before the ball. Hopefully things would work out.

Probably not.

Thx for reading through this. I know it was kinda boring….sorry, but it introduced some other characters and got the invite sent out! That's sort of good. Anyway, if you read this, I want a review. There really helpful and give me more encouragement to get the next chapter out. I have tons of stuff going on but they make me feel like im gonna let a bunch of people down if I don't post….anyways, please review :)