Mission Accepted: Percabeth AU (HoO)✔️

The Opening Ball ~ Part 1

"I think my hearing is gone," I complain, as Piper laughs.

Piper came screaming into my room two seconds ago, obviously excited about the ball. But I practically fell out of my chair in shock of the sheer high pitch of her voice. And now she's laughing at me, collapsed onto the bed. "You should've seen your face," She smacks her leg, laughing.

"Ha...ha...ha," I shoot back. "Now are we going to get dressed or what?" I'm desperate to take my mind off the whole mission for tonight and get to know the girls and laugh with Piper. I'm excited for when I get to see Jason, Leo, the twins and all as well, I have high hopes that they'll be at the ball. At least one of them.

Her mind now forgetting about my little scare, Piper jumps up in a squeal. "I am so excited!!!!!"

One of her maids pulls out her dress from the black bag and I gasp, "Oh my gosh Pipes! That's beautiful."

Piper inhales, her hand running over the dark violet dress, "I know it's going to be an amazing night."

"What're you waiting for! Put it on!" I squeal – which I do not do often.

While Piper puts on her dress, Clove pulls me into the bathroom and hands me mine. I slip the soft fabric over my body and Clove ties up the back, pulling tight. I watch myself in the mirror as Clove fixes my blonde princess curls that flow to my chest. My favorite part of the gown is how the color complements my stormy grey eyes, with the ocean blue fading to sea green through the waist and then into the emerald green at the very bottom.

Exiting the bathroom, I take in Piper. The entire dress is dark violet, and very simple like mine. She has silver gems tracing her waistline and sparkles covering her dress, the light-catching it in many ways. "Wow, you really look breathtaking. I would not be surprised if Prince Percy picked you for his first dance." She blushes.

When her eyes land on me, she covers her mouth in shock, "Me?! You look stunning!" Now it's my turn to blush. I look down.

"You ready?" Katie comes up to me, her hand lightly touching my elbow to remind me we have to get going.

Piper looks at the time and gasps, "We'll be late if we don't run!"

In a storm, we race out of the suite and rush down the hallway. Luckily, I chose flats, but Piper's high heels keep her from making much progress, so we slow down and walk fast. We rush to the foyer where Anne, our instructor in preparing us all to be a princess told us to meet. In a week's time, we'll have our first class, and my hands get clammy just thinking about it.

But when we do arrive, only a couple of girls are here being Evie, Paris, Tayla, and Gabriella. "Where is everybody?" I ask them.

Paris pipes up, "Anne said to arrive at this time, but technically the ball does not start for another ten minutes, so the rest of the girls have till then."

"Knowing some of the girls there, most will be late cause they need to 'look their finest as a future Queen'," A girl named Gabriella says, quirking her eyebrow at the stairs. We all burst out laughing.

Laughing, Tayla comments, "I bet you my left shoe that one girl has been staring at herself in the mirror for ten minutes imagining everyone's expressions at her sheer beauty." She pretends to fawn, and we all copy her, giggling.

For five minutes we all joke around about the other high-class girls, before then moving onto what we want in a guy. But before we get anywhere in the topic, Anne appears at the top of the stairs, clearly frowning but not surprised at the emptiness of the foyer.

"After the museum, my room girls," Paris says quickly. Foreign excitement builds in my chest at the thought of more time spent with these girls tomorrow. I never thought I would make more friends, I just settled on Piper and Evie.

"Museum?" I ask, whispering.

"In a few days, we'll be having our museum visit!" Paris explains. I nod back.

"Good evening ladies," Anne greets us, a couple of grey hairs peeking out of her tightly tied back bun. Her buttoned dress reminds me of my old table cover. "I expected more of you at this time, but I will not lie and say I am surprised. This is not the first Selection I have taught and managed." She holds her head up proudly.

As if on cue, the rest of the girls come stomping down the stairs in a hurried fashion. Drew, Hasina, and Neleh come gracefully, quietly and slowly behind the group. When the group arrives, Anne tsks, "Ladies do not make noise above a whisper. Let Lady Drew, Lady Hasina, and Lady Neleh be an example for you all."

The girls look down in embarrassment, while Drew, Hasina, and Neleh look on proudly. Anne then continues and I observe everyone's looks for the Opening Ball. Mostly everyone is decked out in makeup, jewelry and hair done up in elaborate ways. As Anne leads us to the into the ball, I overhear Colette saying to Gabriella, "This jewelry weighs a ton, but you never know when you'll be sent home."

From then on, I keep my eyes forward, being reminded that my time here has taken another girl's place and will continue as girls will be eliminated when one could have stayed in my place. I need to focus on this mission so I can protect my country and get the heck out of here. But secretly, I do have to admit, this is going to be an amazing experience, I never thought I would look forward to dancing in a ball gown with sparkling lights all around. The cameras zoom in on us as we make our entrance into the ballroom. Breathe Annabeth, I remind myself.

My eyes roam the ballroom and I am in complete awe. The lights are then turned off and the ceiling is lit with many tiny lights, making it look like a starry sky. The violet, silver, gold and blue lights illuminate the dance floor, taking my breath away.

We are notified by a bell ring and all look to the top of the balcony. The King and Queen emerge, and I drop into a curtsy. They make their way to their seats on the terrace, overlooking the dance floor. I meet eyes with the Queen as she sits on her throne, and she nods. Before I left, she told me to have fun tonight, and that's exactly what I plan to do...while also getting to know people around the palace. In a Royal Ball, many of their high-class families offer their finest sons and daughters along with some of them coming too. Truth is when a girl goes home, she is usually snatched up by one of the guys here. Another reason why the girls fret overlooking their best, their future husband is most likely in this room.

Prince Tyson and Princess Elise come out next, and they come down the stairs to join us, as they are our age and are permitted to attend to every ball. Can you tell I did my research today?

It is when the girls around me really straighten and touch their hair and smooth down their dresses when Prince Percy emerges. He looks over to his parents and nods before his eyes find us below. When his eyes meet mine, he smiles, and butterflies erupt in my chest. Unable to hold the contact, I drop my eyes to the floor.

Percy makes his way down the stairs and whispers from the girls stop as he makes a beeline to our group. I wait, tapping my foot, for him to pick the first girl for first dance so I can head to the buffet table for food. But it isn't until he bypasses everyone that I realize he is standing right in front of me. I look behind me, seeing if I'm in his way. Percy laughs, "I'm picking you, silly."

Not fully taking in what is happening, I allow him to grab my hand and lead me onto the dance floor. 

OOoooooo Percy is taking her for HIS FIRST DANCE!!! That's a BIG DEAL! 

Opening Ball ~ Part 2 will be coming out shortly! This story has been amazing to write, and I've loved every second of it! I hope you guys will too. Have an amazing night/day wherever you are! - The Fangirl

Disclaimer: I do not PJO or HoO. I do not own these characters. I do not own The Selection Series.