A Tale of Romans and Slaves | PJO/HOO

Chapter 42: Annabeth

"Where are we going?" The woman who had been sold with me, Mellie, asked our cart driver for the forty billionth time.

He ignored her, like always.

I was leaning against the cart wall, trying to stop myself from crying. The sun was beating down on me, burning my skin, but I didn't care.

I was never going to see Percy again. I didn't even know if he was still alive.

Mellie started to cry. She was pregnant, probably around four months along, and was probably feeling the same emotions I was. Getting ripped away from the man she loved, the father of her child.

Well, I wasn't pregnant, so it was probably worse for her. Maybe that was why she couldn't stop herself from crying.

I desperately wanted the driver to answer Mellie's question, but he was never going to, of course. We would just have to wait and see.

***

A week later, we got there. I could instantly tell that we had been sold to a rich lord, because the manor we had ridden up to was made of black marble, which was much more expensive than the regular kind.

A beautiful woman was waiting for us when we pulled up into the courtyard.

"These are the ones from Lord Dionysus?" She asked.

"Yes M'Lady," The driver said. "An educated woman and a fertile one, just like you asked."

"I see you've already done half of the job for us," The woman joked as Mellie and I climbed out of the cart.

"Where would you like them, Lady Persephone?" A man who I assumed was a guard asked her.

"Take the pregnant one to her new cell," Lady Persephone instructed. "Have my daughter's handmaiden show this one around after water break."

Then the lady walked away.

"Wait here," The guard told me. "Wait for a girl named Calypso."

I nodded, and he left.

A couple of minutes later, a bell rang. Hundreds of people started pouring into the courtyard, heading towards the well.

I was leaning aginst the wall of the manors barn, waiting for this 'Calypso'. There must've been at least twice as many slaves here than there was back at Lord Dionysus' ludus.

"Annabeth?"

I looked at the direction of the voice. My eyes widened when I saw the boy who had just spoken, who was staring at me in disbelief.

I hadn't seen him for two years, and he looked different than the eleven-year-old I had thought was dead. But it was undoubtedly him.

"Bobby!" I said happily as I embraced my now-thirteen half-brother in a hug. Bobby and I had been decently close, and he was one of my favourites memories from my past.

"Oh, you look so much older!" I said when we broke apart. "You're starting to look like a man!"

"I think I have a bit more to do in that area," He smiled. "You look different too."

I smiled. I was so relieved to see Bobby, I had forgotten my sadness from not being with Percy for a second.

"Hey, Bobby, who's this?"

I turned my head to the sound. A blond-haired boy was looking at us, along with a muscly guy, and a scrawny boy that looked oddly familiar, that had his arm around an attractive girls waist.

"My sister!" Bobby said happily.

"The one you described as super intelligent?" The muscly guy asked.

I looked at Bobby, who was blushing. "Yeah."

"Well, nice to meet you, Annabeth," The muscly guy said. "I'm Butch."

"I'm Will," The blond boy said.

"The name's Leo," The scrawny boy said.

That's when it clicked in my head. I hadn't seen him since my mother's funeral when I was seven, thirteen years ago.

"Leo Valdez?" I asked.

"Yeah," He said. "Do I know you?"

"It's me," I said. "Your cousin. Annabeth. We threw your dad's sword into the lake when we were five."

Leo's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Annie?"

I smiled. Leo's father was my mother's brother.

We hugged. I was now, officially, in a good mood.

"And I'm Calypso," The girl said. "I'm Leo's lover."

My eyes widened.

"What did I say about calling yourself that?" Leo asked. "That makes it sound like we're screwing."

Calypso shrugged.

Just then, a bell rang. The boys excused themselves to go to their jobs.

"Common," Calypso said. "Lady Bianca's sick. I'm going to show you around."

***

It was dinnertime. Calypso had finished my tour, and I was currently sitting with all of my new acquaintances.

I spotted Mellie out of the corner of my eye. She was talking to a blue-eyed woman who looked oddly familiar, even though I was sure I had never seen her before.

"Who's that woman?" I asked Will, while pointing to her. As the manor's messenger, Will knew the names of almost everyone in it.

"Oh, that's Sally," Will said. "She's a laundry woman. Great person."

That word was familiar to. Where had I heard it before?

Then I remembered: that was what Percy had said his mother's name was. And the longer I looked at her, the more I started seeing the resemblances she shared with him.

This was Percy's mother.