'Annabeth!' I yelled out. Hearing her cry of pain made me angry. My duty was to protect my people, but then was there must be another reason for why I was there.

Seeing her laying there on the ground looking lifeless hurt. I didn't know why, I had only just met her a few hours ago.

Her hair was so beautiful, with golden curls like a princess, perfectly in place. She had a tanned body and was fit. But her eyes were what caught my attention when I first saw her. I'd never seen eyes like that before. They were a shining grey eyes showing intelligence and pride, but I could tell that there could be a cloudy storm when she was angry.

Well, that is, when they were open.

She now looked like she been through Tartarus. Her hair was dirty and messy from being pulled, and her body was covered in bruises and scratches. I suddenly felt a hard fist against my jawline, and the punch was so forceful that it pushed me to the ground, causing me to swallow grass.

I looked over and saw the man with the scar picking up the lifeless Annabeth, carrying her effortlessly. It made me hurt inside that a kind and beautiful person could be turned into a cold and lifeless figure so easily.

'Stay down or I'll put the knife deeper into her shoulder.' He threatened. I stared into his eyes, searching the dark brown that was cold and tough, for any sympathy. I only found fear.

'Let her go! She hasn't done anything wrong or hurt anyone!' I argued, struggling to get up as my body ached. I watched the man roughly put Annabeth in the van. He was about to close the door when an arrow shot through his arm.

I looked for the person claiming the arrow and saw my cousin, Thalia Grace. Wait, why would Thalia have a weapon? Yes, we were trained to survive if we were ever in trouble and we were trained by the best (and when I say the best, I mean the best. Ares, an eight time world champion in any style of fighting you could think of had trained us), but that wasn't an excuse to just randomly carry a bow and quiver around. I could easily take these guys down if they didn't have guns.

'Still in second place, I see.' Thalia walked up to the man and took her arrow out and smashed his head to the side.

'I had it all under control, Thals.' I said indignantly.
'Yeah, sure you did, Kelp Head.' She rolled her eyes and walked in my direction.

Thalia grabbed Annabeth and took her inside, while I was left out here to clean up. After I finished putting all the robber's bodies in the van, I walked back inside. I thought I might be greeted with a thanks or a 'Percy, you're so amazing!', but instead I got a slap on the side of my head.

'Ow! What was that for?!' I complained, rubbing the sore on my forehead. Thalia sighed. She was treating Annabeth while talking to me.

'Look Percy, I don't think you'd understand.' She said.

'Understand what? Tell me what I don't understand Thalia!' I questioned, as I sat down on a single chair and put ice on my forehead.

'I can't tell you.' Thalia pulled the knife out of Annabeth's shoulder, which made the blood come rushing out and her skin turning pale.

'Please tell me, Thalia. You know our lives have been secrets and lies because of our fathers since we've been born! I just want to hear the truth, for once.' I begged, bringing out my baby seal eyes.

'Fine. But do not tell anyone, okay?' Thalia gave in reluctantly. I grinned and nodded, waiting for Thalia to begin.

'Annabeth's not an ordinary person. She's a princess. The princess of Athens, which mean she's daughter of Athena and heir to the throne. Since Athens is a powerful kingdom, Ath-'

'Wait! If Annabeth is the princess of Athens, why is she here?!' I exclaimed. I had heard once about a war between Athens and Atlanta, but I thought it was all a myth.

'Let me finish!' Thalia gave me her icy cold stare, which I knew not to mess with.

'Sorry.' I muttered.

'Athena was scared that Annabeth would become a threat to other kingdoms, so she kept her a secret from the outside world. But at the age of 2, your father and Athena set up a meeting in the Athens palace gardens, and your father accused Athena of stealing resources and persuading their army to join hers instead and all that kingdom stuff. Meanwhile, you and Annabeth were like best friends. Each time you came over, Annabeth was happy to see you.'

'How do you know all this and I don't?' I asked. My head hurt and I tried to think, but I got nothing. I didn't remember knowing Annabeth when we were younger.

'I was there, Percy. Since Athena's father is Zeus, who's my dad, Zeus offered me to be Annabeth's guardian and bodyguard until the day I die. So I was in that garden watching you two, and you seemed happy until they had the fight. You were both targeted, and Annabeth was forced to live with her dad. You were to never to travel anywhere, but your kingdom and the village.'

'So, I guess your life is like a Romeo and Juliet story.' Thalia concluded. 'Oh, and those robber guys were hired by your father.' She added, but shut me up by forcing water down my throat.

My father...