Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson.

Hello! Than you guys so much for the reviews :D.

So yeah, enjoy the next chapter. This one will be pretty boring, I'm basically laying down all the facts we'll need for the story. But anyway, re my previous statement, enjoy!

Percy grinned when he saw his cousins Thalia and Jason standing by their parents across the hall. On Jason's arm was the highly sought after Lady Piper, a woman noble of birth with a beautiful face. He could see, however, that Jason saw more in Piper than her looks.

"Thalia!" He called across the room. "Jason!" His cousins turned (as well as many disgruntled guests) and smiled in greeting.

"Good evening, Percy," Thalia said. "And you too, Grover." Grover, red faced from chasing Percy from his chambers (he'd wanted to get it over and done with, although no amount of repeating it pleased the disgruntled Grover) nodded back to her in greeting.

"Greetings," Jason said, polite as always. "You haven't met Piper yet? My betrothed?"

"No, the pleasure has not yet been mine," Percy said, smiling at Piper who smiled back.

"So you are to marry as well?" Piper asked. "The Arrangement. That's what it's being called."

"Well, it is a fitting name, I suppose," Percy said, grinning.

"Begin to think more highly of the princess," Thalia said. "I have said it once and I shall say it again, we were childhood friends, she is lively and bright."

"You said that about Drew," Percy told her flatly.

Thalia opened her mouth to retaliate but Jason stepped in. "Actually, I must account for that crime. She is not so unkind to me."

"Oh yes, affectionate is a word that could be used in place of 'unkind', yet would fit Drew far better," Percy said, cringing as he remembered the Lady's advances.

"Lady Drew?" Piper asked, cringing. "Ah yes, I feel that we have all been acquainted with her far too much. Is she a guest tonight?"

"No, no, thank the gods," Percy said wearily. "She has not been spoken of in the kingdom after she finally took her leave once realizing my fate for a wife had been decided far before her arrival. I doubt we shall be hearing of her in Esther again."

Piper's lips quirked. "May we stay here then? She is all too common in Skyla, she floats around and attempts marriage with every nobleman that catches her eye. She will not leave until they are all married and far from her reach, or that she is dead."

Percy smiled. "I'm sure the King would not mind guests, yet the Queen, well, any friend of mine is an enemy of hers."

"But you have to visit," Grover interrupted. "If you don't Percy and the princess will surely tear each others to pieces if in no one but each other's presence for too long."

"Visit we shall," Thalia said.

"Is Nico and Hazel visiting as well?" Jason asked.

"Oh, no, the King thought it too far to travel," Percy said. "For what is this but simply a reason to dress up? No, once he has a true reason to travel, he will come." Hades and Persephone and their children, Nico and Hazel were the royal family of the country at the bottom of the continent, the city as very far away from everything else as possible. Some people thought that his brothers, Poseidon and Zeus had dealt him poorly when they had triumphed over the tyranny that had been ruling during the days of their early youth and then divided the land into six kingdoms, one for each of the main conspirators, Queen Athena of Weaver (a widow who's husband had died very early in Princess Annabeth's life), King Poseidon and Queen Amphitrite of Esther, King Zeus and Queen Hera of Skylar, King Hades and Queen Persephone of Noctis, the confusing rulers of Regem, the virgin Queen Artemis, her brother who ruled alongside her, Apollo, and then Apollo's many children (despite the fact that he remained unmarried). And finally came the kingdom of Romert, ruled by Queen Reyna, heiress after the old King and Queen resigned from their positions, as young as Percy and Jason. Only 17 years old.

Suddenly the chatting heirs and heiresses to kingdoms ceased as royal trumpets blew, announcing the entrance of Percy's future bride, the Princess Annabeth and her family.

The doors split, opened by servants wearing the Weaver national colours, scarlet and gold, revealing the form of the princess.

At first, Percy did not know what to think. He had been sure that Annabeth would have been small, obviously doted upon, wearing a lavish gown and an insincere smile. This girl, however, was wearing her hair loose (almost a crime to the ladies who had frequented Percy's court), a plain silk gown coloured the lightest of blue and white and was tall, taller then many men. On her face was an expression that expressed how truly miserable Percy felt inside himself as well.

Annabeth slowly made her way down the stairs, leaning on her brother, looking as if she was about to faint, the attention the only thing she wished to escape. All of a sudden Percy knew he wanted to help this girl. She looked so agonized, so ridiculously uncomfortable.

So he did what he normally did, something idiotic.

Thalia turned to take in her cousins expression after the first reveal, but all she saw was his jet black head moving through the crowd to where the fiddles and other such musical instruments for the dancing waited.

Without thinking, Percy picked up a fiddle and began to play.

He was not very good, but his nurse, Sally, had given him a brief lesson after he learnt his first dancing song and needed cheering up from the tight shoes and shirts, and he had taught himself from there.

It caused the desired effect, all turned to glance back, wondering why an off rendition to a young children's nursery rhyme was echoing throughout the ballroom as they were appreciating the future wife of the prince. Many looked around for Percy's expression in the crowd before they looked up and realized that it was he that had divided the attention in the first place.

To Annabeth, the world was moving in slow motion. As soon as her fiancé had begun to play, had distracted the crowd, from her (a fact that should have angered her but she felt nothing but gratitude) she had realized that he might not be the complete monster she had painted in her mind.

She did feel a little upset though. Her dashing prince had come to her rescue, the poor damsel in distress. Annabeth pushed the thought away though. Any longer under the eyes of all those people and she would have fallen over in a dead faint.

The fiddles music really was worse than Annabeth had ever heard before, which wasn't really saying much as the only person she had heard play before had been professional. But she smiled at the memory the tune brought back, and once she had reach the bottom of the stairs, smiled slightly, warily, as if not trusting her own emotions.

The song came to a close and all that was left was dead silence. Annabeth could see Queen Amphitrite standing, seething, not far away from her son. Annabeth then decided to repay the favor.

"Thank you! Thanks to all of you! Truly the pleasure was mine!" Percy said, mocking them, grinning like he was about to steal all of their wigs and make a bonfire out of them.

Annabeth caught the queen of Esther's attention by a small cough.

"What can I do, for you my dear?" Amphitrite asked, looking as though switching so quickly from murderous to polite was painful to her.

"Oh, I simply wished to thank your son for the rendition of that song," Annabeth said, hoping that she looked like the fiddle playing had truly touched her heart. "It was such a key part of my childhood, such a key part to my father…" Annabeth only remembered her fathers face through photographs but in the queens state of mind, she was willing to believe she was disorientated and would not think too hard about what Annabeth was saying.

"Oh my dear," Amphitrite smiled down at her. Annabeth smiled a little, she'd been right. "I am so glad. And Perseus knew of this?"

"Oh yes," Annabeth quickly lied. "We have written much since the begging of this year."

But by now the Queen had lost interest in her, as Percy had left the stage and conversation had erupted all over the room. Annabeth watched as she walked off towards where Poseidon talked with Zeus, a pained expression on his face.

"I suppose I must thank you for that," Percy said. "But all eyes are on us this evening, and if we go off alone we will never hear the end of it." Annabeth spun around, flustered and lost all over again.

"I suppose I must thank you as well," Annabeth answered, regathering her wits quickly. "Yet I refrain for the same reasons as you."

"Then we understand one another."

"Perfectly."

The silence among the Prince and Princess was now simply awkward. They looked at each other, they looked at strangers and tried not to think of the life they would be together in.

Finally Percy said, "You'd better come with me. Thalia, my cousin says that she knows you."

Annabeth brightened at Thalia's name. She knew she was coming tonight but was lost amid these mostly unfamiliar faces.

Percy led the way back through the hordes to where a Prince Jason and Lady Piper were talking with a man with red hair and a wispy beard and then Annabeth's friend, Thalia.

Annabeth went forward and greeted Thalia with a huge smile and a look of sheer relief in her eyes.

"How did you enjoy my fiddle?" Percy asked.

"Better than your mother did," Grover said. "She'll be looking for you, and no doubt about it."

Percy looked distinctly uncomfortable. Annabeth watched on to see how he would handle this. Finally it seemed he settled for the truth. "Princess Annabeth took care of it, and a very convincing actress she was, too."

There was an awkward silence that left Percy and Annabeth both deep red, and Thalia, Piper and Grover smirking slightly at the soon to be couple.

Finally Jason broke through the quiet. "The meal will be served soon. I hope that they roasted quail. That's my favourite."

Everyone looked at him and he closed his mouth and gave a 'Well, I tried' look around to everyone.

The feast was succulent and perfect, and Annabeth would have eaten more than a lady should had her appetite not been ruined by the fact that she was sitting next to the man that she would soon be married to. She noticed that Percy too ate very little. She was on the verge of becoming insulted, was he truly that disgusted by her? When she realised that she would be the worst of hypocrites if she accused him of that.

After the main feast the deserts were served, and it was at these that Annabeth decided that her lack of appetite must simply be a trick of the mind. She'd always had a sweet tooth, and the ice cream and puddings and cakes and rolls and creams and custards was too much to deny.

Later, when all had finished, the orchestra picked up their weapons (instruments, either would work) and began to prepare themselves. Annabeth giggled a little when she saw the fiddle player who had the misfortune for his instrument to be the one Percy had used polish it a little and tune it intensely, all the while a huge look of irritation marred his face.

And then Annabeth stopped herself.

She hated Prince Perseus. She had promised herself, both unconsciously and in full understanding of what she was doing; promise only dislike and resentment for her future.

Well perhaps hatred was too strong of a feeling for a person she'd just met.

Maybe she should not hate him, but feel indifferent until he showed her his true nature.

It was then that Annabeth might finally be able to put her despair to rest.

Well I hope you enjoyed it! AS promised, it was a little boring, but I like the idea of Percy playing the fiddle.

So yeah.

Don't know why I put the fiddle bit in.

OMGs GUYS I WAS JUST SUPER PROUD OF MYSELF D:

Anyway, sorry for the deliriousness and randomness of the A/N. I'm just about finished with being awake today.

Ok better stop there before I start ranting.

…This has gotten a bit long. Whoops.

-MSxx