I woke up to a blinding light cracking through my curtains. I put many hands up to block the sun from my eyes. My mind re-watched what happened last night. I don't get it after all that a told him, after all of what I did, he still treats my kindly like those things never happened.

I smile to myself, "I think I want him, I want Perseus Jackson" I stick out my hand as if grabbing his name out of the air.

"Perseus Jackson, Percy" His name feels so natural on my tongue, I want more. I close my eyes and think of all his details, from every strand of hair to his striking eyes. I open my eyes again and reality flushed over me. He's a prince, I'm a pauper, we are not meant to be for each other. I pushed him away and concentrated on something else. Push my blanket off of me as the cold air settles on my body. I walk over to my small cracked window looking out to big Billy, as I could kind of make out the time.

"6:50" The big clock added up to. I sigh, I still have 10 minutes to get ready and get to the other side of town. I sit down on the hardwood floor and lie my back against the stone walls. I still have a while to think, I close my eyes and relaxed. I felt my gut tugging me to get up and get to work, I soothe myself "I still have ten minutes." It hit me, I still had 10 minutes to get ready! I stumble up and quickly look out at the clock, great 7 minutes left. I change into my only pair of morning clothes and quickly head out of my room.

I tumble down the stairs as I hear the quiet snoring of my steps. I roll my eyes, at least someone has a good time doing their "Beauty sleep". I creak open the front door not wanting to wake them up. What am I thinking?! I don't want to treat them kindly. I slither out of the front door not wanting to make a noise, I reach my hand out to the door handle. The door and the wall slammed together into a satisfactory pound. I run off, knowing that I don't have time to be here for the aftershock.

My legs pound as my feet hit the cobbled path of town. I turn around to see the village despairing farther and farther away. I keep running happy, knowing the expressions of my stepmother and sister. I get lost in my thoughts as I fell an impact on my body.

"I don't have time for this" I mumble under my breath. I look up to see a familiar pair of blue eyes, on that I haven't been thinking of recently.

"Luke? Is that you?" I ask him in disbelief.

He grins his signature mischievous smile back at me " As stunning as ever, Annabeth."

I blush, my hands automatically go to my hair as I smooth it out. "How are you, Luke?"

"Fine, I just got accepted as one of the castle guards," He shrugged "I need some extra money for my mom"

Luke and I ran away from home when we were little, I met him and another girl, Thiala outside of Valdez' Machines and soup Café. We got together and started traveling together watching each other's back. We lived like that for a couple months living off of scraps from other people's dinners. One day we weren't as careful and someone turned us in. They sent us to different homes, to our "families". I haven't seen him since but, I never stopped thinking about his blue eyes and his blonde hair, his ability to pick any lock. I never stopped thinking about Thalia's short black hair and her lightning eyes. Until recently when I met someone else.

"Ya, I also should be heading to work" I smile at him. I turn around ready to get going, I feel a slight touch on my shoulder.

" Hope, we see again," he told me "What do you do for work anyway?"

I roll my eyes, I do hope that this will ruin Madame Aphrodite's reputation "I sow dresses for Madame Aphrodite, get scolded a couple time per day and come home," I scratch my chin pretending I was forgetting something important "and every once in a while we get wiped til' we bled"

He raises his eyebrows in shock or amusement I couldn't tell.

"Nothing big though, how is your job?"

"Nada Mucho, Compared to yours" He shrugged "We do lots of pushups and were are learning some foreign languages."

I grin at him, what a showoff always trying to be the best. He walked towards me and gave me a stiff hug "Good luck at work today, you'll need it."

I smile back at him, "You too." He walked away waving at me. I looked at him as I see his figure disappearing farther and farther away.

I looked at the clock 7:20, oh crap. I was already 20 minutes late. I sprint off into the direction of Madame Aphrodite's shop. As I run off, my heart pounded, I couldn't stop thinking about Luke and Thalia, my Luke, my Thiala. I was their Annabeth. They were my family, the one that I never had.

I skidded to a stop right outside of the door. My hand froze inches away from the door handle. I don't need to do this, every single day of my life for the next 30 years. I could run away again, with Luke and Thalia, just like the old days. I can start all over in a new life a new country.

I sighed, what am I thinking, even if I wanted it I didn't know if they would even agree. When the police came to took us home, we ran, we separated, I don't know if Thiala is still here in this country. At least she would be alive, right?

I frowned and opened the door to the employees only door. I see fabrics scattered on the ground, Madame Aphrodite would never let this happen. Where was all the screaming, all the shouts, the sobbing? I slowly lower myself into my little trapdoor, I turn my back away as I cautiously climb down the ladder.

Crack Crack Crack

The sound of a whip explodes through the air. Pain sprouts through my back as I lose my grip on the ladder and land back first on the hard concert. I take a few heavy breaths as air disappears from my lungs. I close my eyes, its fine, I just got wiped, the same thing happened last week. I soothe myself.

I open my eyes again as a see the face of Madame Aphrodite as a smirk sprouts from her face.

"Now, who do we have here?" satisfaction grows over her face " Annabel I must assume," She takes out a hand to help me up.

I don't trust her, what else am I pose to do? I stick out my hands and she grabs it with her slender fingers. I push myself to my feet as I see a frightened image of Hazel frozen in the corner. A new seed of courage sprouts through me, I must be brave for Hazel.

As soon as I stand up straight once more, Madame Aphrodite shoves me to the ground, really hard. My back starts hurting again as the impact of the ground collides with my skin.

She walks closer to me, "Oh, sorry Annabel" She said her voice masked with fake concern. She puts one of her boots against my chest.

"How many minutes were you late?" I stayed quiet.

Crack

Newfound pain expands through my arm. I closed my eyes, my mouth still stayed shut.

Crack

"20 minutes?" I managed with the last bits of bravery I had left in me.

She kicked me hard in the chest. "No, 30 minutes. You know what this means, thirty hits, one per minute."

She parades around me like she is a wolf looking at her new found prey.

Crack

"Count you reward with me, Annabel"

Crack

"One"

Crack "You're in a French store, in French if you may." I cursed under my breath, I nearly know any French.

Crack

"Un"

Crack

"Deux"

Crack

"Trois"

"quatre"

"fünf" I guessed

Her face turned into a grin, the truth came over me I have said it wrong "Its, cinq dear. Now start over"

"Un"

Crack

"Deux"

Crack

"Trois"

『』

The rest of my day went something like that. It became harder and harder to concentrate because, of the drastic amount of blood loss over my body. When the time finally came I was ready to faint.

"Vingt-huit"

Crack

"Vingt-neuf"

Crack

"Trente" My horse voice croaked out. I saw the smile fall off of Madame Aphrodite's face as she dropped her whip.

"Remember sweetie, Never. Ever. Be. Late" She wiped the blood off of her whip and headed up the ladder to the next floor.

Hazel rushed to me with tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry" She shuddered, "I should have come and helped you"

I gave her a forced smile "It's fine Hazel, I got what I deserved."

"No, I should have helped you." She walked away and came back with her cloak, her only cloak. She took a pair of scissors and sliced it up into strips.

"What are you doing," I ask her horrified "It's your only cloak you need it for the winter!" She gave me a half hearted smile. She took a piece of her faded light orange and pressed it against the blood that was oozing out of my back.

"Its fine, you need it more than I do." She stuck out her tongue, slightly biting it in concentration. She frowned when she saw that her old orange cloak turned into a vibrant shade of red. She took away the newly dyed red fabric and exchanged it for another old one.

"I was wondering Annabeth, what made you late?" Hazel started, trying to start a conversation.

"It's nothing really, I woke up late, got sidetracked, got bake into reality and got sidetracked again." Hoping I won't have to mention my boy "problems."

She grins, " Well I hope that you got rid of your habit of getting sidetracked," I roll my eyes knowing where is conversation was going. " On the mention of sidetracked, how are you and the prince going? You promised that you would fill me in on everything!"

I sigh, " Well, I went to a water fountain last night and we each had a wish." She smiled at me, I could already see the possibilities churning in her head.

"I wished that I would have a brighter future," I told her

"And what did he wish for?" She asked curiosity dripping in every corner.

"Well... He wished something about me." I blushed, "I don't quite remember what it exactly was"

Hazel giggles, "Silly, how would I believe that. Tell me what did he wish for I know you know." She playfully shoved me.

I winced under the pain of the new wound. Hazel shot me an apologetic smile and left to fetch a new piece of fabric thus, the second piece was already soaked.

She placed the fabric against my arm this time. "No, really what did he say?"

"He wished that he could remember me as what I truly am inside. Forever. He never wanted to forget me." I mutter. I could feel heat slowly rising in my cheeks and my ears. I knew they were red with embarrassment.

Hazel clapped cheerfully noting to not touch me to hard. "I am so proud of you guys, I knew that you and he were meant to be together." She frowned, " But, really Annabeth are you trying to scare him away? If you want to win him over then you have to think of him more often" She put her hand to her chin thinking of more tips, "Oh! Annabeth if you want him you probably shouldn't give him death glares every time you see him."

I laugh at her our laughter fills the empty air. The creak of the doorknob, made us go silent. I held my breath hoping that it wasn't who I dreaded it was. I looked over to Hazel I could tell that she was doing the same.

A new voice filled the air "Hello?" A pair of kaleidoscope eyes appear, I let go of my breath and sigh, "I just want to apologize for my mom's behavior, I hope you can forgive me."