Sorry I've disappeared for so long! I just started highschool and it's been hard, with swim season. Hope you don't mind, I made up a kingdom for my purposes; think of it as part of a small country in Europe. Also, I like to alternate and switch up which PJO characters I use in each chapter, I don't want to use the same set each time.
Middle Ages –1200s
"I don't know about this, Annabeth." Said Lady Katherine to her friend Annabeth.
"It'll work, Katie." Said Annabeth. Annabeth was the Princess of Paxdale, a small kingdom ruled by her parents King Frederick and Queen Athena. As the only princess, she never got to go out and live normally. That's why, at this moment, she was trying to convince her best friend Katie, also known as the noblewoman Lady Katherine, to allow her to sneak out in peasant clothes and be normal for a while. It wasn't that Annabeth really hated being royalty all the time; it was that so much of it focused on her image and being a pretty, proper princess.
With her 16th birthday coming up soon, her parents were already starting to look for good suitors she could marry, and Annabeth was more determined than ever to escape for a bit. The plan was simple; she was going to sneak out in the early morning, in peasant clothes stolen from a servant, while Katie informed the King and Queen that Princess Annabeth had headache and wanted to be left alone in her room. Katie finally seemed convinced to carry out the plan, so Annabeth pulled off her expensive gown and pulled on the brown peasant dress.
"Bye, Katie, I'll be back by midnight!" she called out as she exited the castle via a side door. She was free, so what to do first? Well, she had never been to the plaza as a commoner before. She adjusted the cap on her head so that none of the common people would recognize her as easily and set off to the plaza.
The plaza was a large, stone-floored gathering place for the poor and rich alike. It served as festival grounds, a marketplace, and general socializing area. Whenever Annabeth had entered it as a princess, the crowds had parted for her, no one had dared to make eye contact with her, and she had been absolutely estranged. Now, no one spared her a second glance, she was jostled and bumped by the mobs of people, and she was enjoying it. She bought a cheap flower necklace from a little girl selling them on her arm, and was about to purchase a sweet bun when a tall figure rammed into her and she went flying.
The figure had been a tall 250lb man that didn't seem to have noticed her and didn't even turn when he had smacked Annabeth. Annabeth, however, was a lot lighter and had gone flying into a marble column. She crumpled at the base, her head spinning a bit, feeling dazed. This scene went unnoticed by most of the busy people around her, but one boy hurried over to help her.
When he saw the girl being knocked into a column, Percy knew he had to help. He may have been a poor commoner, but his mother had raised him to be a gentleman and help others in need. For this reason, he ran towards the fallen girl and helped her up.
"Are you alright?" he asked frantically. Annabeth looked up confusedly. Her expression cleared up as her eyes fell on Percy.
"I-I think I'm fine." She stuttered. Percy looked at her head.
"Are you sure? You took a nasty knock to the head. You'll probably have a bad bump on your head in the morning." He said.
"Thanks for helping me, I know you're probably busy." She said. She was thankful that at least someone was gracious enough to stop and help her.
"No problem, actually, today's my day off. Say, I haven't seen you 'round these parts, are you new here?" he asked curiously. Annabeth quickly responded with the cover story she had decided on with Katie earlier.
"My mother married a man who lives in the area, so we moved." She explained.
"That explains it then. I'm Percy Jackson, what's your name?" he asked kindly, offering her a hand to shake. Annabeth smiled at the kind gesture and shook his hand.
"I'm Annabe-, I mean I'm Ann Chase." Said Annabeth, almost slipping up and giving him her real name. Percy squinted at her.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Princess Annabeth?" he questioned.
"I get that a lot." She said with a coy smile. If only he knew the truth…
"Since you're new, I'll offer you a tour. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance; to be shown around Paxdale by the one and only Percy Jackson." He offered, giving her a crooked, 200-watt grin. Annabeth considered. The boy was obviously kind and seemed trustworthy. Plus, she hadn't spent enough time outside the castle to know her way around…
"Let's start this tour, then." She announced. Percy looked excited.
"Right this way then." He said.
Percy led Annabeth, or as he thought of her, Ann, through the market to a little stall. It was just a little wooden stand with a mirror placed on the front. A beautiful bronze-skinned girl with dark hair and colorful eyes sat, leaning against the stand, fiddling with a ribbon. She looked up as Percy and "Ann" walked up.
"Percy! And you've brought a guest! Are you finally betrothed?" the girl asked, raising a suggestive eyebrow. The two blushed.
"NO! Piper, this is Ann, I'm her guide for the day. Ann, this is my friend Piper." He introduced.
"Makeover time then!" Piper said excitedly. Piper stood up and grabbed Annabeth's hand, pulling her along to the back of the stand while Percy followed with an amused expression. She instructed Annabeth to sit on a wooden stool and close her eyes. She felt Piper slide the leather cord out of her hair. Annabeth squirmed.
"Don't worry, Ann, I'm just going to fix your hair." Piper said cheerfully. Annabeth relaxed, albeit reluctantly. Piper's skilled hands parted her hair and raked a comb through it. She separated the strands and began doing a complicated yet neat hair plait. She chatted while she worked, and Annabeth found that past the girlier side, there was a tough girl, and she quite liked Piper.
"So, how did you and Percy meet?" she asked.
"I was knocked over and he came to my rescue." Annabeth responded.
"Really? If my sister Silena was here, she would be saying 'Awww, it's like a love story!' and gushing." "I'm just jesting." She said hastily at the sight of Annabeth's pout.
"You better be." Annabeth said. Percy snorted from outside.
"Oh, shut up, Percy, no one asked for your thoughts…" Piper muttered. She brightened considerably. "All done, you can open your eyes." Annabeth opened her eyes and saw her reflection in the mirror Piper handed her. Her hair looked sophisticated and pretty, her curls tamed and shiny.
"Thanks." Annabeth said. She meant it. Piper was better than the servants at the castle in taming her hair. "How much should I pay you?" she asked. Piper laughed.
"Oh no, you don't pay. It's my treat, free for Percy's friend." She stated decisively.
"Hello. You look nice, Ann." Percy said, making her blush. "Ready for the next stop?" he asked. Annabeth nodded and followed, waving at Piper as she left.
"That was Piper's beauty stand. She's the best, though if you ever come back, you want to get there before noon, because then her sister Drew takes over, and she's not nearly as nice as Piper…" Percy explained. Annabeth took the opportunity to discover her new… friend? He was a bit taller than her, with a muscular frame, and was one of the more handsome men she had met. She found herself wondering that if he was a Prince, if her father would let her marry him? She shook her head to clear away those thoughts; she had just met the man.
Annabeth had zoned out for most of the walk and was surprised when she arrived at a small building, roughly constructed of wood. A crooked sign over the doorway bore the words The Big House. Annabeth wondered what the place was.
"This is The Big House, the greatest festival house and meal place you will ever find. It's almost noon, so I assume you're hungry?" he said.
"Yes, I believe I could go for a meal right now." She answered. Percy opened the door and gestured with an overdramatic flourish, for her to walk in. She rolled her eyes but entered the house anyway.
The interior was much nicer-looking than the outside. On one half of the room, there were wooden tables where people sat eating and trading food. Near, it, along a wall was a bar, where people from her age to old men sat with rum and wine. The other half was a stone floor where people danced and jigged to the music of a fiddle. The fiddle player was rather skilled, and stood on a raised platform to one side of the dancers.
Annabeth loved it. It was simpler than the dances and parties at the castle, nut the room pounded with energy and the sounds of people having a god time. She let Percy lead her by the hand to a table. He called out to one of the workers.
"Travis!" he called to the man. The man turned and shot him a joking glare.
"I'm Connor!" he called back.
"Sure you are." Percy muttered under his breath. "Could I have two of the usual?" he asked.
"Of course. I'll get it in a moment." Travis (or Connor?) yelled back.
"The usual?" Annabeth asked, sitting down.
"The usual is their specialty. The cook, Chiron, calls it ambrosia, but it's just a really good stew." He explained.
"I'll be the judge of that." Annabeth quipped. Percy laughed. As the two waited, they talked about themselves. Annabeth did her best to avoid questions about her family and home, and stuck to her cover story as best she could. Percy seemed a bit suspicious, but didn't push it.
Travis came back with a tray containing two bowls of warm stew. Percy was right; it was delicious and filled her right up.
"Was I right, ma'am?" Percy asked when they finished.
"Yes, that was wonderful!" she said. Percy gave her an I-told-you-so smirk, and, forgetting her princess manners, she lightly punched him in the arm. Gathering his confidence, Percy took her hand and pulled her to the crowd of dancers.
"May I have a dance?" he asked. Annabeth nodded and they began the dance. Percy had always thought he was a good dancer, but Ann was great; it was like she had taken lessons or something. They twirled, stepped, and laughed to the fiddle, having the time of their lives.
An hour of dancing later, the fiddle player was on break and a new one was working. He began a slow, beautiful piece. Annabeth boldly led Percy to the middle of the dance floor. He put his hands on her waist and she put hers around his neck. They slow danced around, and at the end of the song, Annabeth pecked him on the cheek. Percy was shocked, but not at all displeased.
And as the day continued, the two visited more of Percy's favorite spots. Annabeth was in awe at the cute herb shop run by Percy's friend Grover, and his wife Juniper, the small theatre operated by Will and some of his brothers, and the weapon shop run by Percy's brother Tyson.
"How do you know so many people?" Annabeth asked incredulously.
"Eh, it just happens. I'm very likeable." Percy joked.
It was then that Annabeth felt guilty. Here was this nice boy, who'd given her one of the best days of her life, and she was hiding her real identity. It was very soon, but Annabeth thought she might be in love with him. In only a day, she'd been more enchanted by him then any other of her suitors. She realized that she wanted to stay with him, with Piper and Tyson and Juniper and all the other people she'd met today.
"Percy, I have something to confess." she started.
"Yes?" he asked warily.
"I'm not really new here. My name's not Ann, it's Annabeth. Princess Annabeth."
"I know." he replied.
"Wait, just hear me out… what? You knew?" she questioned.
"I figured it out. The way you almost said your full name, the way you act, like a noble, and I thought I recognized your face. So the question is, what are you doing here?"
"I don't want to marry a suitor my father chooses. I want to live, escape, be free." she explained.
"So now what?" he asked.
"I don't know. I guess I should go home" she said.
""You don't have to." he said quietly. "You could stay with us. Juniper has herbs that will colour your hair brown. You could live with us and be free."
The idea was so tempting to Annabeth. So tempting, so easy…
"I choose to…" she said.
The next day, a proclamation announced that the Princess was missing. The King and Queen weren't too worried, as a mysterious note had turned up saying not to look for her.
On a completely unrelated subject matter, Percy Jackson and Ann, a pretty brunette girl that had moved there recently, had announced their marriage.
And they lived Happily. Ever. After.
After a long debate, I decided on happy ending. Updates will be infrequent but reviews motivate me.