The Lost Prince

⇀ one

THE DAUGHTER OF Athena stood silently beside her handmaiden, Piper, who was weaving her golden blonde hair into a single plait. Annabeth was frowning faintly at her reflection in the life-sized mirror that was leaning against the cream wall. She wore a minimal amount of make-up, and she had removed the corset that she usually wore. This time, Annabeth only had a simple grey-coloured flowing Greek dress that ended just above her calves. It was sleeveless and actually quite comfortable, regardless the amount of skin she had exposed. Leather sandals with straps wrapped around her legs in a simple pattern made it look like she was one of the Greek statues that dotted the city. A single golden chain with a ring and a punctured coin were strung in the cord that hung from her neck; she wore no other pieces of jewelry. The princess absolutely abhorred the complex designs of the expensive and flashy dresses she was usually required to wear.

It was the eighteenth of August, officially marking the fourth year since the disappearance of Percy Jackson. She never forgot the conversation they had had on the day he vanished. She let out a long sigh. Freedom, it seemed, was never going to cross her path; she might as well do as much good as she can while she's a princess.

Piper was almost finished, braiding the last section of her hair. The handmaiden wore a chiton similar to Annabeth's, but hers was a light pink colour. The blonde had to admit that it suited the Native American, as the hue complimented her tanned skin.

"Where do you want to go today, Annabeth?" Piper asked once she had secured the braid with one of the many special hair ties she owned. It was silver with tiny streaks of bronze; it was a gift from Athena herself.

"I'd settle for a walk around the city, with my best friend." the daughter of Athena said simply. At this, Piper's face became slightly red as a small smile of gratitude spread across her face. "I'll try to see the other houses that I might have to redesign,"

"As you wish," Piper said, now smiling broadly as her eyes lit up with excitement.

Annabeth Chase has been rebuilding the houses of the poor for the past year, slowly earning the favour of the citizens, and most importantly, her mother's approval. The immortal rarely contacted her children, but when she appeared before the princess of Athens, the goddess had said that she was proud she could call Annabeth her daughter.

"How many houses do you think we could pass by today?" Annabeth asked. Piper loved to help with the interior of the reconstruction, whilst Annabeth took care of the exterior.

The daughter of Aphrodite pondered on this for a few moments, resting her hands on her hips. "Probably around ten, give or take."

"Then we'd better get started," she said, picking up the notebook and a ballpoint pen that lay atop her nightstand. Half of the pages inside were filled with the layouts of several different structures, some were for the wealthy families, most were made for the ones who had to work hard to earn. She tucked the pen behind her ear and followed Piper McLean out of her room. As she was headed out of the main gates, she spotted her father, Fredrick Chase, speaking with two guards animatedly. Then he saw Annabeth, said something to the two men, and gestured towards her.

"Father, what is going on?" the demigod asked as she eyed the two figures in their uniforms. She knew that they were newly hired, as she had never seen them before. One of them was taller, and more muscular from the way that his shirt clung onto his frame. His skin was the colour of coca, and his head was shaved. He stood tall at six foot five. The other one, however, was shorter by a few inches. He had a black leather eyepatch covering his left eye, and his dark brown hair stood up in every direction in the 'I-just-got-out-of-bed-but-I-didnt-bother-to-comb-my-hair' style, but he somehow managed to have pulled off the look. Both of them had matching yellow pieces of cloth hanging from their belts.

"—personal bodyguards," she heard her father say. Annabeth had zoned out again, but upon hearing those two words, she gave him an exasperated sigh.

"Father, do I not look like I am capable of defending myself?" she demanded. "Just because I am a woman doesn't mean that I can't fight and that I don't have a voice,"

"I'm only taking extra precautions, Annabeth."

"I have Piper," she retaliated, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. She continued eyeing the two new guards warily. There was something about them that seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Please, Annabeth." the king said, his tone showing that he was clearly annoyed. "I don't have time for this,"

Her expression hardened. You never have time for me, she wanted to yell. But she kept her mouth shut. "Fine," she said through her gritted teeth instead. "But just for today; I will not have them stationed outside my room."

Frederick nodded, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. There were dark circles under his eyes, and Annabeth's anger deflated a bit. "Thank you, Annie." his voice evidently made the princess worried. He had obviously been overworking himself again, and Annabeth gave him a quick one armed sideways hug.

"Get some rest while I'm out, okay?" she murmured. When he nodded, she gave him a satisfied smile before she marched straight out of the gates, with Piper and her two new bodyguards in tow.

———————

"What are your names, by the way?"

They were in a busy street, surrounded by merchants and products. Annabeth would occasionally point out a house to Piper, write something down in her notebook, and move along. So far, she was planning on asking the permission of the Levesque, McLaggen, Argyris, and the Raptis families if she could renovate their houses.

The two men shuffled awkwardly behind the girls. Even Piper could tell that they both weren't trained properly.

The boy with the eyepatch spoke first. "I'm Comac Zabat," he hesitated, "and this is Jeremiah Flint."

"You're lying," Piper said immediately, but they didnt stop walking. She only looked back and narrowed her multicoloured eyes at them both. "What are your real names?"

Annabeth could practically feel the power radiating from her words. Charmspeak, Piper had called it. Only certain children of Aphrodite have it. The taller boy spoke as if he was in a trace—well, he technically was. "I'm Butch Walker, and this is Ethan Nakamura."

Then he blinked several times, confused. The one called Ethan slapped him upside the head, which was impressive seeing as their height differed greatly. He growled something like 'the captain will hang us if you say any more'. Then Ethan straightened his shirt and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry about that," he said. He sounded truly sympathetic, but the princess knew that it couldn't be because of the small lie about their names. Annabeth could only manage to manipulate the Mist around them to make her necklace vanish before she was enveloped in darkness. She struggled against the small bag she had been put in. Then she felt her stomach drop as she was hauled over someone's shoulder.

"Help!" Annabeth heard Piper yell at the top of her lungs. "Help us!"

There was a loud thump and a low grunt, and everything fell silent. Fear seized the heart of the princess. What have they done to Piper?

She tried to steady her ragged breathing, counting the number of steps her captor took. She knew every inch of the city. Soon, the sound of boots walking on the cement pavement turned into a familiar crunching sound. They had just left the city boundaries. From the smell of the sea and the sound of the waves hitting the shore, the feeling of dread washed over her.

Annabeth chided herself for being so stupid; of course the two boys were familiar! She and Perseus had seen the same shade of yellow on the sails of the ship docked on the port four years ago.

"Pirates," she whispered to the howling wind.

*****
Two updates in the same week because I feel like it idk. To clear things up, the timeline isn't exactly during Ancient Greece; this story is sort of a mixture between the modern and ancient cultures, if that makes sense.

-Abby