The Runaways [percabeth AU]

Chapter 7:

King Poseidon gazed down thoughtfully at the map that lay before him. It had been five hours since his son and a thief had gone missing, and Poseidon desperately wanted to find his son.

It had only been five hours, but Poseidon was worried. He's probably still in the forest. He told himself. "Zhang!" He called, and the head guard came running up to him.

"Yes, sir?" He asked.

"Tell the guards to keep looking until sunset. Then they must come back and we'll do it again in the morning. If we can't find them in two days time, then we start looking in the other kingdoms."

Frank nodded in understanding, then hurried off.

•••

Percy was just about to lie down on the thin blanket he had found in the sack when there was a rustling in the trees, and a girl jumped down. It was the same girl he had found stealing his mother's priceless jewellery, though she seemed a lot more scarier holding a knife.

"Give me my sack." She demanded, pointing her knife at him threateningly.

"No way!" Percy cried. "You stole my mother's necklaces so I shall take something from you!"

The girl sighed, blowing a piece of her curly blonde hair out of her face. "I guess we're even." She held out her hand to shake. "My name's Annabeth."

Percy shook it. "Percy." They were in awkward silence, listening to the crackling fire until Percy bought up the question. "Why did you steal her jewellery?"

Annabeth glared at the dirt. "My family has always been poor. I steal stuff sometimes, but I never share it with my mother. She abuses me and makes my life a living Hell. I'm forced to do all of the work and so I decided to run away. I took the jewels from your mother so I could sell them in another kingdom, far away." She stood up, and suddenly grabbed the sack. Her sleeves fell back to reveal elaborate bracelets made of pure gold, which she threw in the bag. Percy watched as she then pulled out her knife.

Annabeth turned back to him. "But my plan has been ruined. You stole all my supplies. You have made me change my plans." Suddenly, the storm grey in her eyes disappeared. They glazed over, and she fell forwards, a bruise blossoming on the back of her head.

The guard came forwards. "I've found them!" He bellowed, and within minutes, the knights had surrounded the clearing. "Come, Perseus." The knight beckoned to Percy.

Taking one last glance at Annabeth, who seemed to only be knocked out and was being dragged away by another guard, Percy followed the knight as they made their way back home.