Chapter 1

Meeting my Best Friend

"Percy, I need you to tell me everything you can remember." an officer told me. I was sitting at a questioning room with him and my best friend, Annabeth. She squeezed my hand as i went back into my memories and told him everything.

I was just 3 then, when my life took a turn for the worst. That was the year that my mother, a sweet woman who would do anything for me, married my step dad, Gabriel Ugliano. He seemed ok at first, he took care of my mom and took her out on dates. After they got married though he became an entirely different person.

By the time that I was 5 I had gotten used to his physical abuse. Gabe was a potbellied, balding, jerk who used my mother and I as his own personal maid and abused my mother whenever she didn't do what he wanted and whenever he felt like it to me. I became his own personal punching bag.

"Why did your mother marry Gabe?" the man in front of me asked.

"She didn't have enough money to protect and take care of me. Gabe had more money, but he spent it on gambling." I answered. Then continued on with my story.

I was shaken awake roughly by one of Gabe's goons one morning and told to wake up and get ready so I could make Gabe his breakfast. Now I was seven years old and had started rebelling more to the goons, knowing that they wouldn't do anything too bad to me since Gabe liked to have me all to himself.

"Go away." I told the man. He kicked me in the back and I sat up. "Fine, fine." I told him. Then he left the room and I got changed into baggy clothes that had holes all over them. However, I took my time brushing my black hair and teeth so that Gabe would have to wait longer.

Gabe's goon knocked on my door repeatedly after getting tired of waiting and I stepped out taking good care to shut the door as slowly as possible. However, the man kept his cool and continued to walk me towards the kitchen.

"I can do it myself you know. I've been here long enough." I said. The man didn't talk though, he just slapped me in the face and pushed me through the kitchen door. My mom was already cooking, her light brown hair pulled into a sloppy bun at the top of her head. She wore her usual brown shirt and jeans, her sleeves rolled up and an apron covering her so that she wouldn't get dirty.

Once the man had left the room I went over to my mom and gave her a hug. "Percy." My mom whispered. "Are you okay?" I nodded and stepped back.

On the island in the kitchen pancakes were being made. One of them was starting to burn so I flipped it over hurriedly. My mom grabbed the spatula from my hand and took a good look at my face, cupping her hand around my other cheek. I could tell a bruise was starting to form.

"What happened to you?" mom asked me.

"That goon didn't like what I said." I told her simply. She started to grab some medical supplies and whatnot from a cabinet above the sink and started rubbing it on my cheek. It instantly made me feel a bit better.

"What's going on here?" burst Gabe as he walked into the room.

"Percy was hurt." My mother told him.

"That doesn't matter Sally, your first priority is me." he told her. I glared at him and started back on the pancakes.

"Is that all you needed?" I asked him grumpily.

"Percy!" mom hissed beside me. I ignored her and waited for Gabe's answer.

"Is that all you're going to cook?" Gabe sneered.

"Well, you are supposed to be going on a diet." I told him cheekily while patting his stomach with a smirk. He slapped my hand away in shock and then yelled,

"You will make me more." Then he stormed off and we continued making the food. We ended up making him bacon and sausages also.

"Percy, you need to learn to control yourself." mom told me.

"He deserved it!"

"I know, I know, but you need to stop before you get yourself killed!"

"Fine." I reluctantly agreed.

When the food was finally finished we carried it all out to the living room and set it down on a table in front of Gabe. He looked at it greedily and started digging in without a single word of thanks to either of us. We sat down at the couch like we had learned to do when he ate in case he needed anything else.

"I've got a big day today." Gabe told my mother.

"Why is that dear?" she asked him. It made me sick that she had to call that pig 'dear'.

"You remember the Chases?"

"How could we not?" I asked him. "It's not like you don't complain about them every day." Gabe slapped me on the cheek and pain burst through it since I already had a bruise forming there.

Then Gabe told us with a sneer "I'm off to settle our little 'argument'."

I was walking home with my best friends Thalia and Luke. They were both about 7 years older than me, but they were the only people that didn't call me a nerd and wouldn't make fun of me. They both dropped me off at my house with a quick goodbye and then I ran inside, ready to start my homework so that I could read my new book I had just gotten.

Inside my mom was reading her own book and my dad was on his computer, most likely doing something for work. It seemed like he never did anything but work. He was always either on the phone or the computer. My brothers were playing with their legos in their playroom.

I walked up the stairs to my room without a greeting to or from the others and sat at my desk starting on my math homework. However, I couldn't concentrate because of a huge headache that was forming behind my eyes and a loud banging sound coming from downstairs that must have either my parents or brothers fighting.

Then shouting sounds started floating up to my room, but it didn't sound like anyone in my family. I froze in my seat and then heard one of my twin brothers shriek in pain. I ran downstairs in a hurry and watched as they killed Matthew with one quick slit of the throat.

I hid behind a bookshelf as I watched the men round on my parents. "Where's your other brat?" one of them asked.

"U-upstairs." my dad stuttered. Thanks a lot dad, way to throw me to the wolves. Then the two men started to walk towards the stairs and caught sight of me. I screamed as they took my by the arms and lifted me up. I kicked and hit them, but they were too strong for me.

"What are you going to do with her?" my mom asked.

"We're going to take her back with us, unless you give us what we want." one of the men told her.

My father stayed silent and they started dragging me out the door and into their car. "Help!" I yelled, hoping that Thalia and Luke were still close enough the hear my pleads. "Help! Someone plea-" Just then a wash rag was wrapped around my mouth and pushed me into the car.

I looked out the window quietly without really taking anything in while tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Hey brat," Gabe yelled calling to me. "There's someone I need you to meet and show around." I dragged myself over to him and saw that a girl about my age stood behind him with blond, curly hair and gray eyes that looked slightly puffy. The girl had a washrag wrapped around her mouth that she was trying to get off.

Gabe left me with her and I took her into my room real quick and then gently helped her take off the rag on her mouth. "What's your name?" I asked her.

"Annabeth Chase.." she mumbled to me.

"Listen Annabeth, you have to act like nothing touches you here or everything will be worse for you. I have a mirror that I can let you use to clean yourself up." I told her. Then I walked over to my bedside table and grabbed it for her. She rubbed at her eyes with a wet wash rag and then gave the mirror back to me.

"What's your name?" she asked me.

"I'm Percy." I told her with my best attempt at a comforting smile.

"Percy, why was I taken here?"

"I'm not sure. Your dad has something that Gabe wants and I guess he won't give it to him." I answered. "Now, I need to finish showing you around."

Then I took her around Gabe's big mansion. I showed her the living room, the kitchen, and the different places where the cleaning supplies were held. Lastly we went to my mom's room and knocked on her door. She opened it gladly and brought in Annabeth without question.

"Who are you sweetie?" she asked her.

"I'm Annabeth Chase."

"And how old are you Annabeth?"

"I'm 7." she answered.

"Okay Annabeth, I'm Percy's mother, Sally. I trust that Percy already explained everything you'll be doing here." Annabeth nodded her head and then continued. "We've already finished our work today, so you need to go to your room until you're woken up tomorrow."

"Mom, I don't think she has a room." I commented.

"Then she'll have to stay in your room with you." mom told me.

"Why not with you?" I asked.

"I'll explain that to you when you're older."

I was then lead back to Percy's room and I sat on his bed silently while Percy laid in his bed and started to sleep. I cried once I knew he was asleep but kept the wash rag I used earlier to wash my face from tears.

Percy started thrashing in his sleep and then jerked to an upright position, panting hard. I crawled back to him and gave him a hug. He flinched and stiffened, but then returned my hug.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded his head. "What was your nightmare about?"

"I can't remember." he told me. I knew that he was lying, but I didn't push him to answer me.

"Wait… why are you crying Annabeth?" Percy asked me, pulling back to examine my face.

"Oh, I was just thinking about my dad."

"I'm sorry that he took you away from him."

"Don't be." I said.

"Why?" he asked me, shocked.

"My dad had a choice to lose me or give Gabe what he wanted. I'm sure you can tell which he chose." I answered bitterly.

"Oh." is all he said in response.

Percy laid down then and I got under the covers beside him. I snuggled up to his side like I used to do to my brothers when they had nightmare, before they died because of my dad, and we both fell asleep.