The Lost Prince

⇀ prologue

A BOY NO older than twelve stood on the seashore. He had a slightly tanned complexion, unruly windswept raven hair, and beautiful sea green eyes. A small wreath of gold was placed upon his head, symbolizing his position in the ranks of society. He spotted a rather peculiar looking ship docked at the harbor, but he chose to ignore it. Foreign ships weren't that uncommon in the city.

The crystal clear water rose up until his ankles, though he didn't seem to mind whenever small waves lapped against the sand, dampening the edge of his light blue chiton. The sun was setting, turning the sky into a beautiful soft shade of lilac and pastel pink. With his dry leather sandals on one hand, he turned and smiled at the girl standing next to him. Her naturally curly blonde hair cascaded down her back, ending just below her shoulder blades, weaved with tiny streaks of gold. The bottom of her sleeveless white dress was billowing behind her due to the soft breeze that came past them both, and on her forehead was a simple silver diadem with rare crystals dotted in small patterns, symbolizing her being a princess; though it was not of the city she was currently in. The tattoo on her forearm showed an owl; the symbol of her mother, Athena, the Greek goddess of warfare and wisdom.

"When I grow up," the boy said to her with a sheepish look, "I want to be a free man."

"What are you talking about, Perseus? You are a free man, as you always will be, being the prince of Epirus." the girl of his age said, frowning slightly as she continued gazing upon the serene surface of the sea that mirrored the sunset.

"That's exactly my point, Annabeth." Perseus let out a small sigh. "I don't want to grow up being forced to live the life of royalty; I want to be able to make my own decisions, choose the people I speak to, say what I wish—I want to make those choices, not my parents, or any one else for that matter."

The blonde only hummed in agreement, finally averting her gaze from the water. Her startlingly grey eyes met his sea green ones. Annabeth offered a smile at him, slipping her hand into his.

"Maybe, when we grow up, we'll be together." she said after a short moment of silence, tilting her head slightly, her stormy eyes gleaming in excitement. "And just maybe, we'll be free of the pressure to rule after our birthplace like our parents have, and give up the responsibility of having command over the people."

"If that time does come," the young prince said. "I wish to spend every moment with my best friend,"

She took this in, and arched her eyebrows.

"Do you speak of me, or of Leo Valdez?"

"Leo, obviously."

She stiffened upon hearing his words. A look of hurt crossed Annabeth's face. Her lip curled slightly in distaste, and her eyes darkened. But Percy didn't seem to notice, because he gave her a playful wink. She looked like she was about to throw him into the depths of the sea and leave him there to drown.

"Because by then," he continued, his tone light, as if her murderous look hadn't fazed him at all. "You'll probably be my girlfriend."

Annabeth blinked, looking startled. Then she regained her composure and punched him on the shoulder as hard as she could. He stumbled slightly and busted out laughing. The daughter of Athena's face was flushed, the tips of her ears red.

"You are absolutely terrible at courting girls, dear gods." she scowled, but a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She found that his laugh was boisterous and extremely ridiculous—but she loved it. His smile was sure to brighten up anyone's day, what more his laugh?

Percy dramatically clasped a hand on his chest, having tossed his sandals at the sand dunes behind them. "I'm a great flirt!" he said, feigning a look of hurt. It only resulted to another punch from the blonde girl.