Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN REWRITTEN AND POSTED AS A NEW STORY. You can find the rewritten version on my profile. There are 11 chapters so far!

Full Summary: In order to escape poverty and an abusive family, Annabeth accepts a job offered by a successful ship designer/builder despite his vague description of the job. After arriving at his lavish mansion, she is shocked to learn that she is now his son Percy's personal caretaker. All seems well at first until she finds out that the family she works for is involved in a three-way arms race. If it were any other employer, Annabeth would quit in an instant. But she finds that she can't because she wants to remain at the side of Percy Jackson.

A Twisted Tale of Cinderella

Chapter 1

Annabeth cried as she sat at her father's bedside, her blond hair was glowing in the candlelit room. Her father coughed up a mouth full of blood and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Father?" Annabeth whispered. Her father didn't respond. "Father? Father!" The seventeen-year-old girl buried her head into her hands and sobbed. Her father had always told her that it was important to be strong, especially in this day and age. She couldn't afford to show weakness to anyone. But Annabeth thought that this was an exception.

Frederick Chase passed away painfully, that much she knew. The look on his face before and right after blood spilled from his mouth was enough to let Annabeth know.

The girl wiped her eyes with the skirt of her dress and looked at the lifeless face of her father. Now, Annabeth had no real family left in this world.

A bejeweled hand gripped Annabeth's shoulder and she flinched. She glanced behind her and saw her stepmother looking at her, not with comfort and warmth, but with disappointment and anger. Two boys just two years younger than Annabeth stood behind her stepmother. Annabeth looked into the boys' eyes, searching for any sign of kindness. She needed any she could find. But the boys glanced at one another and then back at her, unfazed.

Her stepmother held Annabeth's chin, redirecting her sight towards the older woman. More tears streamed down Annabeth's face.

"Annabeth, dear," she said harshly, "dry your tears." Annabeth tried to wipe away the new trails of water coming from her eyes, but they were soon replaced with more. Stepmother let go of Annabeth's chin and gave her a look of contempt. "Did you not hear me? Dry your tears." Annabeth let out another stream of tears before quickly wiping them away and then pinching the bridge of her nose, effectively halting her tears.

"My f-father-" Annabeth began but was quickly cut off.

"Hush, child. He has left this world. And if you have any sense at all, you will disregard his memory for it will only bring hurt."

Annabeth stood up still pinching her nose. Her stepbrothers smiled when they saw Annabeth's dress had ridden up her leg. Annabeth hardly noticed because she was too distracted with the departure of her father.

"Now, Annabeth. We must get to work. I have fired the housekeepers, cooks and maids." Her stepmother said then blew out the candles on the nightstand. Now the light leaking out from the hallway only illuminated the room.

"Fired? Why?" Annabeth asked and straightened out the skirt of her dress.

Annabeth had grown up in the lap of luxury. Her father was the owner of a publishing company and had several investments that financed their large home. Annabeth's life had been easy, up until her biological mother passed away. Wanting his daughter to have a positive female role model in her life, Frederick Chase remarried soon after.

"Now that your father is dead," Stepmother didn't care how blunt she sounded, "We no longer have someone to provide for us a living so we must make due with what we have."

"But what about the company or the investments?" Everything sounded fishy to Annabeth. Despite being a pampered only child, Annabeth was knowledgeable about business workings. "I have helped my father conduct his business and even with him gone, the company can survive and his investments will still make us money."

"Nonsense. Without your father, the business would have died. Luckily, I sold it at a generous price."

Annabeth gasped.

"You sold my father's company? But that is his life's work, his legacy!" Annabeth looked back at her father's deathbed. "He prepared me to run it if he were not able to."

"You are a child, Annabeth. You cannot be trusted with such things!"

Annabeth opened her mouth to protest when the sting of a slap met her face. Her stepmother had hit her. This woman never laid a hand on Annabeth before. In fact, she never paid Annabeth any attention at all.

"Be a lady and only speak when you have permission to, Annabeth. Now, since we no longer have a staff, go cook dinner. The gentlemen from the morgue will be here soon to take Frederick's body away." Annabeth looked to her stepbrothers' faces to see if this was some sort of elaborate joke. It had to be. No one was this cruel. But she found no sign of humor.

"But what about a funeral?"

"We have no money for it, darling."

"But-"

"Do as you're told, child!" Stepmother yelled at her. Annabeth flinched and surrendered.

"Yes, stepmother." Annabeth yeilded and exited her father's room for the last time, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Stepmother must have just fired the staff only a few moments ago because dishes were still soapy and a pot of water on the stove was still hot.

While Annabeth wrapped up dinner, her stepbrothers walked into the kitchen. Annabeth gave them a sincere but watery smile. She had let more tears flow while she was preparing dinner.

"Matthew, Bobby, can you two wash dishes while I finish up dinner, please?" The boys gave each other an amused smile.

"I do not think so, Annabeth." Bobby said and leaned against the doorframe.

Annabeth shot her glance in their direction. Usually they were so obedient.

"But why not? We are brothers and sister. We need to help each other." She tried to reason with them.

"You are not really related to us. Your father and our mother got married. That is all." Matthew responded.

"But now that my father has passed, we need to work together." Annabeth leaned and took a casserole out of a hot oven. The boys stared at Annabeth's bent over form.

"Well, our mother is in charge now which means we get to tell you what to do." Bobby smiled.

"That is not true." Annabeth said gently and carefully portioned out the casserole. Matthew and Bobby walked closer to her until they were only a few inches away. Annabeth gasped when she noticed how close they got. The boys were only fifteen but they towered over Annabeth by at least half a head.

"It is. Just watch." They said at the same time. As much as Annabeth tried to think of these boys as her brothers, she couldn't bring herself to. They always gave her strange looks and she got goose bumps on her arms when they talked in unison.

"Mother!" Bobby called out. "Annabeth is complaining about cooking dinner!"

Loud footsteps descended the staircase and Annabeth was met with the deadly glare of her stepmother.

"Boys, go upstairs, I need to talk to Annabeth."

"Yes, Mother." They said and ran up the stairs. Stepmother looked at Annabeth in the eye and gave her a condescending grin.

"Annabeth, darling, what is the matter? Why are you complaining about making dinner for the family?"

"They are lying, stepmother!" Annabeth said.

"Why would they lie?"

"Um." Annabeth didn't know what to say. Why exactly did the boys lie to their mother about Annabeth?

"Annabeth, you are the eldest child of the family." Stepmother poked a fork into the casserole and tasted it. She looked satisfied enough because she took another forkful into her mouth. "Do you not want to take care of your little brothers?"

"But they said they do not see me as a big sister."

"Regardless, it is your responsibility to look after them."

"They are old enough to look after themselves." Annabeth said a little loudly.

"Do not raise your voice at me, child!" Stepmother hit Annabeth across the face with such force that Annabeth lost her balance and fell. She clutched her hand to her hot and aching cheek. "Get dinner into the dining room quickly and then go clean out your room. You are moving into the maids' room on the second floor." Annabeth's breathing became heavy and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Do you understand, Annabeth?" Annabeth tried to answer but her breathing was becoming so panicked that she couldn't. Stepmother kicked her in the side. "I said: do you understand?"

Annabeth weakly nodded.

"Good, now get up." Stepmother kicked the girl once more and left the kitchen.

Annabeth had to use the counter to help her stand.

"Boys, come down!" Annabeth could hear her stepmother from the other room.

They boys quickly came down the stairs to listen to what their mother had to say.

"Boys, Annabeth seems to have a rebellious streak in her." Stepmother was purposefully talking loudly for Annabeth to overhear. "And because of that, we must discipline her as often as it takes."

Annabeth brought three plates of food into the dining room where her stepmother and Matthew and Bobby were already seated. The boys had scheming smirks on their faces when they saw Annabeth.

It's been three years. Annabeth had endured three years of her own personal hell. Stepmother forced Annabeth to take over all the housekeeping and cooking, leaving her exhausted at the end of the day.

At first Annabeth protested the unfair situation. But that only brought on the first of many times her stepbrothers assaulted her. And so she now willingly performed all the tasks her stepmother had asked of her. She never knew people could be so cruel. Matthew and Bobby took particular interest and joy in beating Annabeth. They would take any opportunity to bruise her body. Whenever Annabeth cried out in pain, the force of their punches and kicks would increase. So she learned to be quiet while they administrated their brutality. Many times, one of them would hold her still while the other punched her. Annabeth often tried to look away, but the twin who was restraining her always knew to grab a fistful of her hair and made her face her tormentor. Both boys always smiled and laughed.

Annabeth crawled into her bed in the old room on the second floor. She was forced to move from her comfortable room in the tower to the servants' quarters. But she was the only servant in the household now. The blond girl lightly touched her split lip and licked the blood away. Matthew and Bobby thought she looked at them the wrong way and decided to give her an earlier beating than usual.

Over time, Annabeth developed the fear of being touched. When she went out to the marketplace, she avoided other people's hands as much as possible. A merchant would hand her back her change and she would insist that he place it on the counter. Stepmother would sometimes bring strange men into the estate and they would offer Annabeth a hand to shake. She always came up with an excuse to leave. Matthew and Bobby also brought in an impressive number of beautiful women who would spend the night. Many of them were mean-spirited but the few who were kind and courteous offered Annabeth a hand to shake as well. But Annabeth refused and would cringe if someone ever so much as waved his or her hand hello or goodbye to her.

Annabeth hugged herself while she lay on the bed and blinked away tears. She always tried to remind herself that she was not allowed to cry. Crying just made the beatings even harder. Matthew and Bobby liked it when she cried but were impatient. If Annabeth was able to stop herself from crying within ten minutes of their abuse, they would get bored and leave her alone for the time being. But she couldn't help the tears forming today. The twins beat her to the ground and stomped on her stomach. They hardly ever did that, but when they did, it was the worst.

A loud knock on her door jolted Annabeth out of her bed and made her wipe away any tears.

"Annabeth! Start dinner!" Her stepmother yelled.

Annabeth dusted off her apron and headed to the kitchen. While she was chopping vegetables, Matthew and Bobby entered the room.

"Hey, Annabeth." Matthew said. Annabeth just continued her work. Talking to the boys only encouraged them, she learned.

"Annabeth, my brother is talking to you." Bobby said, walking up behind Annabeth and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Aren't you going to talk to him?" He slid his hands down Annabeth's arms sensually. Bobby lowered his mouth to his stepsister's ear. "Well?" He asked then proceeded to nibble on her ear. Annabeth promptly stopped chopping vegetables. She could feel her whole body shaking and her breathing became heavy. Bobby moved his head to kiss Annabeth's cheek then neck.

Annabeth had always suspected that the boys wanted to do something like this to her. She just hoped that they would never try to. But now that it was happening, she didn't know what to do to stop it.

While Bobby focused on kissing her neck, Matthew stood next to her and started licking up her neck and face. Bobby grabbed her bottom and Annabeth jumped a little, causing the boys to laugh and Matthew to grasp one of her breasts.

"Let's go to my room." Matthew said, messaging her. Annabeth couldn't control her breathing. Bobby grabbed her forearm and tried to drag her towards the door of the kitchen.

Annabeth's mind was blank. She didn't know what to do at all but she knew exactly why they wanted to go to a bedroom and it made Annabeth feel ill.

"You have no idea how long we have been talking about how much we wanted to do this." They said in unison, making Annabeth's skin crawl. Have they been planning for this to happen? Why? They had many beautiful women to warm their beds already. Why did they want plain and simple Annabeth?

These questions raced through her mind but she didn't bother trying to figure out the answer. All she knew was that she couldn't let this happen. Annabeth looked at her hand and realized that she was still grasping the knife she was cutting vegetables with. The boys shoved her out the kitchen door in front of them. Annabeth had no time to think about the consequences. As soon as the boys entered the hallway and pushed her forward towards the direction of the staircase, she turned around and pointed the knife at them.

The boys gasped and took defensive stances. Annabeth felt her body shaking violently. She tried to steady the knife in front of her but it wasn't working. Matthew and Bobby smiled, seeing that she was in a state of panic. Bobby reached out to try to grab the knife but Annabeth anticipated that and she sharply slashed the blade into his hand. Bobby cried out, clutching his hand. Matthew lunged towards her and she turned the knife in his direction making the blade stab into his abdomen. Matthew fell down with blood staining his white button down shirt. Annabeth turned to run but Matthew grabbed her ankle and she fell. She looked behind her and saw Bobby reaching towards her. Annabeth's survival instincts kicked in and she scrambled out of Matthew's grasp and to her feet. Bobby grabbed a handful of the end of her long wavy hair and pulled hard. Annabeth winced but was used to the pain from the many years he had used this technique on her. She slashed the knife through her blond hair, cutting her long hair to medium length and severing Bobby's hold on her. Annabeth was about to stab the knife into Bobby's arm when he grabbed her hand and twisted it so she was forced to let go of the knife.

It can't be over! Annabeth thought as her only weapon clanked on the floor. She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't allow herself to be in their clutches any longer. If they captured her, they would beat her close to death and then stop and keep her alive just to be able to beat her again. Tears spilled out of Annabeth's eyes as she bit Bobby's hand with all of her might. He recoiled and let go, allowing Annabeth to push him backwards in his shock. Grabbing the knife from the floor, she ran up one flight of stairs and entered her room, locking the heavy wooden door behind her. She could hear Matthew and Bobby's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Where did that bitch go?" Matthew yelled.

Annabeth's heart beat faster than she could think. She tried to take a few deep breaths to force herself to calm down but it wasn't working. The scared girl knew she should have run straight out the front door but she couldn't bring herself to leave her most precious possession. She was crying as she dug through the top drawer of her dresser and retrieved a small box. Inside reveal a leather necklace with beads on it and also had her parent's wedding rings on it. Annabeth put it on and held the knife tighter when a force slammed into the door. A few more hits like that and the door would go down for sure.

Annabeth looked around for a way to escape. Had she just trapped herself? No, no! She couldn't let them catch her! She had to survive! She had to escape. Bobby and Matthew slammed their weight into the door again as Annabeth's eyes scanned her room. She couldn't possibly hide under the bed or in the closet. She was as good as dead if she even considered that as a possibility.

Then she spotted her escape route: the window. She ran to it and opened to it when there was another slam at the door. Annabeth looked out the window at the ground. Even though she was only on the second floor, it was probably a fifteen feet drop at the least. She gulped. She had to take the chance. Another slam was at the door and Annabeth threw the knife out the window towards the left side to make sure that she didn't land on it.

"We are going to fuck you up, Annabeth!" She heard the boys say outside the door and slammed into it again.

Tears streamed down Annabeth's face as she climbed onto the window sill and looked down. This was her only chance. She had to take it. She jumped and right before she hit the ground, she rotated her body to roll so the impact of the fall would be redirected and lessened as she rolled just like she had seen the acrobats in the circus do when she was a child. Luckily her plan worked and Annabeth escaped the fall with only a few scratches and dirt all over her body. She left the knife in the bushes as she didn't see where it landed and couldn't waste time looking for it. Besides, the blood on it would just leave a trail.

Annabeth ran as fast as her feet would take her. Although her vision was blurred with tears, it didn't matter because she just ran. She didn't look back once for fear that her tormentors were right on her tail.

She sprinted as far away as possible from her father's estate, now owned by her stepmother and she was quickly tiring out but she knew she couldn't stop. By now, the boys had broken down the door and discovered that she was gone so they were probably on horseback looking for her. But Annabeth was getting so tired and she didn't know how long she would be able to run. Her legs slowed down and she found herself near train tracks. She heard the wail of a train approaching. The steam engine zoomed in front of Annabeth at a reasonable speed and had boxcars with many of the doors still open. Annabeth had no time to think as she jumped into the opening of one of the boxcars and rolled into a low pile of crates.

Her chest heaved as she lay on her back with the train carrying her away from her old home. It hurt to have to leave the place she called home for so many years. But it wasn't home anymore, not since her father died three years ago.

Annabeth's eyes felt heavy. She was exhausted so she let sleep take her.

Annabeth woke to the screeching sounds of the train's brakes. She bolted up feeling well rested. Funny how the first good night's sleep she had in three years was on the floor of a boxcar on a moving train. Annabeth didn't have time to dwell on it though because she needed to get off the train before someone noticed her and demanded payment for the ride. She used the crates next to her as leverage to help her stand up and gasped when she saw what was written on the side of the wooden crate in spray painted, stenciled box lettering.

"Firearms." She whispered but she quickly disregarded it as she walked off the boxcar. Her legs were still a little sore and wobbly from her time spent running for her life. She scanned her surroundings. The sign on the train station told her she was in New York. That was a long way from her stepmother and stepbrothers in Virginia. Annabeth sighed. For the first time in a while, she felt safe.

Annabeth walked around the city. People were rushing every which way. The first thing she needed to do was find a job and a place to stay. But she didn't have any money for a place to stay. There were people sleeping on street benches or in the corners of alleys. Maybe she could follow their example.

After a while, Annabeth walked into a diner. It was small and not very crowded. The green walls were lined with booths and a few rectangular tables were spread out in the middle of the room. There were potted plants resting near the door, the counter where the cash register was, next to the tables and booths, everywhere. It looked like a place Annabeth could work at. Cooking and cleaning for her stepfamily had given her plenty of experience to work in a place like this.

She approached the counter where a girl in a green dress about Annabeth's age was behind a cash register stood. Her nametag read "Juniper."

"May I help you?" Juniper asked with a smile. Annabeth nervously returned her gesture.

"I-I'm looking for a job." Annabeth told her in a voice nearly above a whisper.

The radiance of Juniper's smile faded until she held a smile of pity. "Oh, well, then I'm afraid you will have to look somewhere else. We aren't hiring at the moment, deary."

Annabeth's heart got heavy. "Please, you have to let me work here." Juniper raised one of her eyebrows and Annabeth realized it was because she was sounding desperate. "Please, if I could just demonstrate my ability, I'm sure you will hire me."

Juniper considered it for a minute. "One second, okay? I have to go get my fiancé. We own this place together." Juniper walked into the back of the kitchen and retrieved a lanky guy with brown curly hair and a goatee. "This is Grover."

"Hi." Grover said. "So, you're interested in working here?"

"I am, sir."

"Sir?" Grover blushed and rubbed his goatee as he laughed. No one had ever called him "sir" before. He liked the sound of it. But Juniper elbowed him to knock him out of his dream-like state. "Then let's see what you can do."

After Annabeth washed her hands and attempted to make her face and hands presentable, she bused the tables faster than Grover could follow. He smiled. A pretty girl like Annabeth would be sure to bring in more customers. But Grover needed someone multitalented. He asked her to cook a few dishes and was pleasantly surprised to find that the dishes Annabeth cooked tasted better than anything he could whip up.

"You're hired." Grover and Juniper agreed.

Annabeth smiled brightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! When can I start?"

"Well, today would be great, but go home first and get cleaned up. No offense," Grover said looking her over, "but you look a mess." He hoped she wouldn't be offended since he had seen her try to wash the grime off her face and comb her hair with her fingers.

Annabeth grew worried. She didn't have a home to go back to and clean herself up. What if that meant she couldn't work here?

"What's wrong?" Juniper asked.

"Well, I do not really have a home. I arrived here moments ago on the train." Annabeth bit her lip. She was too embarrassed to explain anything any further.

"So you don't have a place to stay?" Juniper looked as worried as Annabeth. Her raggedy new employee merely shook her head. Juniper and Grover exchanged glances and came to a silent agreement. "Well, we live on the floor above the restaurant and we have an extra room. You can stay with us and work in the restaurant as paying rent."

"That sounds amazing."

"Then it's a deal!" Grover held out his hand for Annabeth to shake but she just stared at it. After about thirty seconds of Grover holding out his hand waiting for Annabeth to shake it, he got flustered and retracted his hand, stuffing it in his pockets.

"Well then, come with me." Juniper said, leading Annabeth up the stairs in the back. "I'll show you around and you can get cleaned up."

"Thank you again. I cannot thank you enough." Annabeth was close to tears. She was so relieved.

"You're welcome. Just work hard."

Annabeth had been working at Grover and Juniper's diner for almost a month and she couldn't be happier.

Grover and Juniper also couldn't be happier. It appeared that the risk they took by hiring her was paying off. Ever since they hired her, they have experienced an exponential increase in business due to Annabeth's sensational cooking skills. And whenever Annabeth wasn't cooking, she was busing and cleaning tables. Grover notices a spike of younger guys coming to the diner now. He hoped that it was because the place was decent with good food, but suspected it solely had to do with Annabeth. The young men would often ask to personally talk to the cook to make sure that she knew what not to put into their food. When Annabeth was cleaning tables, they made small talk with her and after finishing their meal, were reluctant to go. But they usually returned the next day. Grover and Juniper noticed that Annabeth was restrained when talking to customers, men and women alike. She'd plaster a strained smile on her face and the only reason Grover and Juniper knew the smile was unnatural was because they witnessed Annabeth's true smile. But they concluded that even Annabeth's artificial smile was enough to make customers return for more business.

Grover and Juniper had once inquired for Annabeth's life story. She had been staying with them for already a month and yet they knew next to nothing about her background. They often wondered why Annabeth was careful to maintain at least a two-foot distance from people. They were curious as to why Annabeth never shook hands with the many men who offered her their hand and instead she pretended to hear Grover or Juniper calling for her even when they were right in the room talking to another customer.

But Annabeth had nothing to say. Her eyes started to water but she fought them off before smiling at Grover and Juniper in that same smile she gave customers. Grover and Juniper never again thought of asking Annabeth about her life before she met them.

One day a man who looked to have the body of a sailor walked into the diner.

"Sit wherever you like, sir." Juniper told him.

"Thank you. I have been hearing magnificent reviews from some of my colleagues about your establishment." He said to Juniper as she handed him a menu. "Did you just open?"

"No, sir. We've been open for almost two years now."

"Really. Hm, I've only recently heard about this place."

"Well, I think I have my newest employee to thank for that. She has been bringing in business with her amazing cooking and the young men swoon over her."

"I think I will be the one to decide whether her cooking is amazing or not."

"Of course, sir." The man gave Juniper his order and within a few minutes it was ready and delivered to him. He took one bite that immediately sent his taste buds on a journey and he finished his meal in a matter of minutes.

"Miss, may I see this cook of yours?"

Juniper sent Annabeth out of the kitchen to talk to the man. Annabeth was nervous. Did the man not like her cooking and had requested to speak with her to yell at her?

"Hello." He said kindly.

"Hello, sir." Annabeth politely curtsied which Poseidon noticed was a perfectly proper curtsy that he thought was completely foreign to low-class working girls.

"I wanted to tell you that this was the best meal I've had in years."

Annabeth smiled brightly and beautifully. "Thank you, sir. I've had a lot of practice with the stove."

"Well, I've an offer for you." He said. Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "My name is Poseidon Jackson. Perhaps you've heard of me." Annabeth slowly shook her head so Poseidon elaborated. "I own a major shipping company and build the finest boats out there." Annabeth nodded her head as he spoke. "And I could use someone with your talents in my home. Would you be willing to leave this place and come work for me? I'd pay you generously and you may live in the servants quarters of my estate."

Annabeth hesitated. It sounded like a good opportunity, but she had made friends with Juniper and Grover and she was happy here.

"Annabeth, you should accept." Grover said behind her. She turned to see Grover and Juniper behind the cash register.

"But what about you two?"

"Annabeth, you have given me a lot of business already and have taught me how to cook better. I think I can manage the kitchen a lot better now thanks to you. But I'm sure the young men might be disappointed." Annabeth blushed. "But don't let that stop you. There is really nothing more we can offer you here Annabeth."

Grover was right. If she accepted the job Poseidon was offering, she would have a place to stay and be paid, unlike her current situation where she worked as a way to pay rent. She took one more look at Grover and Juniper. They gave her approving and encouraging smiles.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson. I accept."

"Wonderful! I have an estate on the outskirts of town but still have a few errands to run in the city." Poseidon sat up and paid Juniper for his meal. "I will be back to pick you up by sundown. Please be ready by then miss…"

"Annabeth, sir."

"Miss Annabeth. Please be ready by sundown."

"I will, sir."

And Poseidon walked out of the door.

"Oh, how exciting Annabeth!" Juniper said. "I didn't know it was him when he walked in, but I recognize his name! He is one of the richest people in the country!"

"Really?"

"Yes and you get to live in his mansion! How wonderful. But be careful." Juniper warned. "He could just be a dirty old man."

"I did not sense it." Grover said. "He seems like an honest employer."

"He does. But I will visit as often as I can." Annabeth said fondly and then went upstairs to pack her few belongings. A new life was awaiting her at sundown.

How was it? I hope it wasn't too disturbing or horrible, especially regarding the situation with Annabeth's stepbrothers. Abuse is a serious thing and I was hesitant to write about it. I also hope I didn't weird anyone out by making Bobby and Matthew have a thing for Annabeth. They are not truly related in this story, unlike in the books. But I was so close to using Travis and Connor Stoll as her stepbrothers but I couldn't bring myself to make them bad guys. This story starts off kind of slow so you won't be getting much info about the arms race until a few more chapters in if this continues.

Let me know what you think.

Is it total crap? Is it magic? Should I continue? Is T an appropriate rating or should I change it to M? I didn't think it was that bad.

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading.

Please review!

Next chapter marks Percy's debut!

You can read the new version on my profile. There are 11 chapters so far!