New story! Hope you like it! I wrote this at 2am while high on caffeine so there may be spelling errors and such. I have a plan for this, though, and I think it's going to be great. Updates may not be very often since AP courses are death, but I'm really going to try with this. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. EVEN IF IT'S JUST "I LIKE IT" OR "IT SUCKS". GIVE ME SOMETHING!

I don't own PJO/HoO, just the plot of this story.

Once upon a time. What a stupid way to start a story. I threw the book on the floor and rolled over onto my stomach, pressing my face into my pillow. A knock sounded at the door and I grunted in reply. The door swung open with a loud creak. It would probably be a good idea to oil those hinges.

"Captain. First mate requesting entrance," said a voice.

"Quit the formalities and get in here, Piper," I said, turning onto my left side to look at my friend. She broke into a grin and stepped into the room, coming over to sit on my bed. I stood and walked over to my desk, which was littered in maps and plans. "What's going on, Piper?" I asked, looking at her as I traced the outline of a map with my finger.

"We're nearing shore, Annabeth. Beckendorf asked me to tell you. The crew is asking for a few nights out on the town. We've been sailing for a while now, and it'd be nice to stop and stretch for a bit. Plus, you need to relax. You're going to get wrinkles," she finished with a smile.

"Then I'll get wrinkles. Maybe then I'll get some respect from someone other than my crew," I snarked, tracing a line on the map with my compass.

"This is what I'm talking about. You need to loosen up, Annabeth. We've had nothing but victories and it's time to celebrate. We're filled to the brim with gold. We can afford a couple nights of fun."

"Hmph. We'll stay in town for 7 nights. Give everyone in the crew one of these and tell them they can stuff it with gold from the treasury. Everything they can fit in here is theirs to spend," I said, handing Piper a box of pouches. She saluted and left the room.

From inside, I could hear the crew barking orders at each other as they steered my beautiful ship, Athina, into the docks. Then cheering and scrambling as they get their pouches and attempt to reach the gold at the same time. Running a hand down my face, I pull my blond hair into a low ponytail with a grey ribbon and pull a coat on over my white shirt. Sure, pirates may be outlaws, but that doesn't mean we have to look like it.

I pushed open the door and found my crew looking expectantly back at me. I loved my crew to bits. They were loyal, honest (for a pirate), and they respected me as their captain. Malcolm, who helps me navigate, Beckendorf, in charge of keeping Athina in shape, Connor and Travis, scouts and well, entertainment, Lee Fletcher, our doctor. We're a small but close group.

"Alright crew! You've all been doing good work for these past few months and we're full of gold. We're staying for a week, so don't get too drunk and don't get anyone pregnant. Now go before I make you scrub the decks!" I said, laughing. They all laughed and hurried off the boat, eager to empty to their pockets. Piper was the only one left and grabbed my arm.

"I'm not letting you lock yourself away on this boat. No one is going to recognize you. We're leagues away from home. Come on. Have a few pints. You could do with a bit of whiskey in you, you know," she said, pulling me down the steps and then pushing them back up onto the ship. We stopped to pay the man running the docks and then Piper led me to huge pub in the middle of the town. "Go. Have fun. I'm going to go see if I can get me a couple free drinks. Maybe a dress. I'll come meet you later." And with that, she was gone.

I took a breath and pushed open the wooden door. The place was full of unshaven men and smelled of a mix between rotten breath, vomit, and that time no one empty the chamber pots for a week. I found an empty seat at the bar and waved down the bartender.

"Scotch," I ordered. He nodded and filled a glass before sliding it to me. I drank it in one swig and heard a whistle behind me. I turned to find a group of drunk men looking at me and laughing.

"Something funny, boys?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. One of them came over to me and stood in front of me.

"Little lady thinks she can drink," he laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Leave me alone or I will hurt you," I said coldly. He just laughed and proceeded to put his hand on my waist.

"What's a girl like you going to do? Punch me? I'd like to see you try," he said, laughing loudly. With that, I took the opportunity to swing my arm back and punch right in the nose with one hand. He immediately took his hands off me to cover his bleeding and probably broken nose. I swung my other fist at his head and watched as he fell to the floor, out cold.

I turned back around and looked at the bartender to see if he would throw me out. He shrugged and filled up my glass. "You did warn him and he was literally asking you to punch him. Nothing wrong in that. I'll get you some ice for that hand," he said. I tried to tell him I'd be fine, but he was already gone.

"Well. That's certainly not something you see everyday," I heard a cocky voice say. I turned to see the man sitting to my left looking down at me. Compared to the others in the pub, and most men I had to deal with, he wasn't hard on the eyes. Smooth tanned skin, ruffled black hair, sea-green eyes (although really you can only find that green in certain seas).

"What? A man harassing a girl?" I asked.

"No. A girl fighting back," he answered. I almost liked him until - "Most girls I know just go along with it, or are too scared or weak to do anything." And suddenly, I hated him. "Say, are you really going to drink that? Scotch seems a bit strong for you."

I looked him in the eye and, never breaking eye contact, picked up the glass and drank the whole thing at once without flinching. He grinned.

"Nice. Drinking challenge?" he asked. I nodded and we proceeded to down glass after glass and although I usually win these easily, alcohol didn't seem to have any effect on this guy. It must have been the early hours of the morning when my vision started to darken and I shut my eyes.

REVIEW THIS PLEASE. I NEED TO KNOW THAT PEOPLE READ MY STUFF. I'M SO LONELY. Love you all to bits. See you next chapter.