I'm No Cinderella

6. Being a Nerd Doesn't Count

"I'm sorry Annabeth, I thought it would have looked perfect on you." Piper said. I didn't feel any different about it. I was sure that whatever Piper found, she'd make me look like a rockstar in.

Piper was nearly ready. She was in a red silk dress that hugged all of her curves. She was wearing elbow length matching gloves. Her hair was pinned up in a waterfall look. She looked magnificent. The only thing she didn't have were her shoes.

I was almost ready. Thalia was almost finished my hair and Piper already completely my make-up being that I had no skill in beauty and cosmetics. Piper painted my nails milky white along with my toes. I had a strong need to bite them out of nervousness.

"Stop moving Annabeth!" Thalia scolded me for the third time. She nearly burned my scalp and I sat stiffly.

"Well I'm sorry that this is the first time my hair had been prodded in by someone besides me!" I retorted. I could sense her rolling her eyes at me again.

"Suck it up!" She ordered. I shut my mouth. After a few moments, Thalia unplugged the iron.

"And, here is the new Annabeth Chase." Thalia spun me around to look at myself in the vanity. I didn't recognize the person in the mirror. She was...beautiful. Her blonde hair was shiny and straight as a pencil and cascaded down her shoulders and back with a part in the middle. Her face had subtle touches of blush. Her eyes looked dangerous, yet sexy all the same. There was heavy eyeliner all around and a heavy grey and black eye shadow. She had sparkling eyelashes. Her lips were tinted a fair mix of pink and red.

She was me.

"That's me?"

"No shit, Sherlock." She replied sarcastically. I was too absorbed in my mirror to even respond. I looked so different. I looked sexy. I looked dangerous. I looked beautiful. I looked like Drew and any other popular girl in school.

But I didn't look like me. Maybe that was okay for one night.

I touched my cheeks and tugged on my hair. Yeah, it was All of me there. Nothing fake, nothing added with surgery. I didn't like the idea of being a different me.

"What's this?" Piper asked. I turned around and Piper was pulling out a large box from my closet. I walked over to Piper and took the box from her hands and laid it on my bed. I'd never noticed it before. I thought it was storage, but I had a gut feeling that this was more important. It had said Athena on it in cursive. My heartbeat picked up.

"What's Athena?" Thalia asked. The question really was, Why was there a box with my mother's name on it?

I opened the box and there was a grey gown. I took it in my hands. It was gorgeous. It looked slim in the upper-body but poofed out towards the legs. It had black designs over the dress, making it look intricate. I took it out of the box.

"It's perfect." Piper said, admiring the beauty of the dress.

"There's a frame in here," Thalia noticed. She picked up a small picture frame. "Is that your dad?"

Thalia turned the picture to me and I peered at it. It was my dad and my mom at prom. His arms were around her waist and they looked at each other lovingly. It was nice. They looked like they enjoyed each others night. I blinked back tears. Now is not the time to cry, dummy. I can't ruin my make-up.

"That's not Helen. I thought you said they knew each other in high school. You're mom looks much different now than back then." Piper inquired. I breathed in and turned to them with a shrug, trying to relax my emotions.

"She had a crisis. Doctors rearranged her face." I replied. Thalia narrowed her eyes at me. Damn it. I hope she doesn't get suspicious of it. But out Thalia. Please mind your business.