"Alright, something happened." Hazel realized.

"Answers. Now." Piper demanded.

Annabeth just rolled her eyes and sat down on one of the kitchen benches. "Nothing 'happened'. I just have a headache."

Piper cassually threw the dirty rag onto the table and sat down beside Annabeth. Hazel knelt in front of her on the floor.

They stared her down until Annabeth finally sighed in defeat.

"Okay well." She fingered the trident bead on her neckless. "You know how I'd always had this neckless and that dagger? Okay- I- I really don't know how to explain this but there's this guy. There was this guy. I think- I don't think he's alive now. His name is Percy Jackson. And- the prince- just- his eyes were-"

"Mesmerising?" Hazel asked with a giggle. Piper smirked at her. Annabeth frowned. "Shut up." She said. "They just looked like my Seaweed Brain's."

Hazel notched an eyebrow up at that.

"Your Seaweed Brain?"

Annabeth blinked. "I honestly have no idea where that came from."

Piper smiled mischievously. "Your Seaweed Brain?"

"You are never going to let me live this one down are you?" Annabeth sighed.

"Nope." Piper and Hazel chorused together.

"Look," Annabeth got to her feet. "I'm gonna try and break out of the palace. Are you gonna come or not?"

The two girls exchanged looks and smiled. "We'll come."

"Lover girl." Hazel added.

Annabeth groaned and dragged her two friends towards the kitchen doors.

***

"Why are we doing this again?" Jason asked his best friends.

"'Cause it's gonna be my awesomely bad deed for the week." Percy answered.

"Sneaking out of the castle? Really?"

"Well mom went off somewhere to deal with some royal issues and dad was just a big pain in the butt with all his marriage talk so yeah. We're sneaking out of the castle." Percy said nonchalantly.

"Uh huh. And why did you have to drag me into this?"

"Hey. You know the rule. A best friend never lets their bestie do something stupid or idiotic without accompanying him." Percy reminded him as he cassually plucked out a red apple from a tree beside the road they were walking on.

"Won't everyone like recognise us?" Jason asked nervously.

"Nah. Remember, this is another kindom."

"Why did we even come to this kindom? The kindom with the Wicked Witch of the West that you're going to be marrying?"

"First of all, I am not marrying that old hag. And secondly, It was the nearest one. Like right next door to our kindom."

"You are so-"

"Stop being a goody two shoes, Jase." Percy said, shoving his friend to the side playfully.

"Alright. Fine." Jason said. He smirked, took another apple from the tree and hurtled it straight at Percy's head.

Percy grinned at him. "Oh no you didn't."

The apple bounced off his head with a thud. "Hear that Kelpy? Thats all the hollow space inside your brain. Filled to the top with Seaweed."

"You better run, Grace."

***

"Hold it right there, Ladies!" A voice called out. The three girls halted and slowly turned around nervously. Standing there were the two guards that ussually stood outside the kitchen doors. Their helmets were off.

One of them- the big, buff one- had a buzz cut and black hair. The other one had curly brown hair and eyes that sparkled mischievously. He looked like one of Santa's Elves come to see if you belonged to the naughty list.

"Where do you think you're going, Sunshines?" The 'elf' asked.

Piper stepped forward, twirling her hair around her finger. "Sir, we were just going out to buy some vegetables. You see, we are very much out of carrots forbthe soup that the Queen wanted for dinner." She said fluttering her eyelids innocently.

"She called me Sir. Hear that Frankie Bear, she called me sir-"

The other guard cut him off. "Call me that again Valdez and I'll skewer you."

He turned to the three girls. "Last time I checked, the carrots basket was full to the brim."

Annabeth looked panic stricken at her friends.

The Frankie Bear guard smiled. "But you should probably hurry."

"Yeah." The Valdez guard winked at them. "The Queen's off somewhere. She'll be back by three."

The girls gaped at them before coming back to their senses and running away quickly.

.. . . .. . . ..

It was the first time Annabeth ever stepped out of the castle grounds.

The breeze flew by her hair and seeped through the dirty blouse she was wearing. Her dagger was strapped to the inside of her dirty boots, hidden from view to outsiders by her long skirt.

She had sneaked on a pair of trousers she had found laying discarded on the floor as she was cleaning a room. She had washed it thoroughly first and was now wearing it under her skirt.

Annabeth laughed and swirled around. She had finally done it, after so many dam years.

Piper and Hazel ran to her side and together, the three girls made to explore the amazibg world outside. But it was not what they had expected.

There were no happy villagers dancing around. There were no playful children laughing as they kocked balls around. There was no happiness.

It was a gloomy place. There was barely anyone outside and a few houses were lit up inside. The darkness of the evening really didn't help at all. The girls walked alone on the streets, heading off to who knows where.

They were far away from the palace now. The village wasn't very close to the castle which stood proud and white in its gleaming state atop the hill.

The girls wandered along till they heard the sound of laughter. They abruptly stopped, feeling cornered.

Two boys appeared from the other end of the street. It took a moment for Annabeth to realise but she finally recognised them. It was the two princes that had visited their castle.

The black haired one was chasing the other playfully. The blonde haired boy was running backwards, a big smirk plastered on his face as he cried out taunts to his friend. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going at all that he banged right onto Piper, sending the both of the toppling on to the ground.

The black haired prince stopped running, and the smile was replaced by a frown as he jogged towards the girls and his friend.

Piper groaned and her eyes fluttered open. The prince on top of her quickly leapt to his feet (BOO Spoiler alert) and straightened the glasses on his nose. (BOO Spoiler end)

He smiled down awkwardly at Piper and held out a hand to her which Piper accepted gratefully. He pulled her up, perhaps a bit too hard for she was flung onto his chest. She immediately rightened her posture and stepped away from the prince as they both started stammering apologies at once.

Annabeth shared a mischievous look with Hazel. The black haired prince started laughing his head off which resulted in his friend glaring at him.

The blonde one coughed awkwardly and looked at the girls. "Hey. Uh...I'm Jason. And this immature fish is Percy." He said pointing at his companion.

Percy raised a hand in greeting, ignoring the 'fish' comment made by Jason.

Hazel was the first to react. She immediately bowed down into a hasty curtesy. "Hazel Levesque, your m-majesties." She stammered.

Piper bowed her head politely. "Piper McLean."

Percy and Jason looked at Annabeth expecting her introduction but was met with the grey eyed girl staring steadfastly at the sea green eyed prince.

Upon seeing her, Percy's mouth dropped open.

He walked towards her as if he was stuck in a trance- as if he only just realised who she really was.

Annabeth backed away into the nearest tree holding it for support as she was immediately pulled into another vision like dream.

She was underwater, in a bubble. She was sobbing onto someone's shoulder. Percy. He was holding her tightly, just letting her cry.

Her eyes snapped open.

He was standing In front of her now.

Her eyes bore into his. "What's your name?" He asked quietly.

Annabeth tried to speak but she couldn't. It was as if something was stuck in her throat.

Then her life turned upside down.

The sound of a distant carriage was heard rumbling along the road and it wasn't long till it pulled up next to them.

Queen Helena stepped out gracefully. Her eyes lit up when she the two princes. She merely glanced over Hazel and Piper, as if they didn't even exist. But when her eyes rested on Annabeth's they hardened into stone.

*

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