The Bread Thief | Percabeth | Victorian Era AU

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕾𝖎𝖝: 𝓐𝖓𝖓𝖊

The next few days, Annabeth was locked in her house. Not even Luke could get her father to allow her into town.

"I don't know where that thief is hiding, and until we can find him, you will not be leaving," her father said over and over.

"But he's a thief. He's not dangerous," Annabeth argued every time it was brought up. "The men at the brothel are more threatening than him."

Her father would then glare and scold his daughter for knowing such things about the brothels.

This was a daily routine by the third day. Annabeth is up in her room, waiting for Kayla, but she never shows up, instead, a different girl with hair darker than the night sky and eyes bluer than the ocean is in her place.

"Who are you?" Annabeth accuses. "Where is Kayla?"

The girl lowered her head. "I am from the town. My name is Anne. Your father sent for me to replace your current housegirl. He said . . ." Her voice trails off.

"Said what?" Annabeth demands. "Why did he not inform me of this?"

Anne shifts on her feet. "He said to me that she was not fit to be your housegirl and I was to take her place. That's all of the information I was given, Ms Chase."

Annabeth sighs. "Okay, first things first, call me Annabeth. Ms Chase makes sound a hundred years old and I'm sixteen."

"Understood," Anne replies simply, trying to use as few words as possible.

"Secondly," Annabeth says, as she walks over to her bed. She slides a thin dagger out from under her pillow but keeps it hidden from Anne. "My father would never replace my housegirl with some girl from town whom he had no connections with." As she spoke, she moved towards the girl. She places the cold blade against her throat. "So how about you tell me exactly why you are here."

The girl tries to pull her head away from the blade without moving her feet. "I work for the Queen," she whispers.

Annabeth arches an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"The Queen heard the word of your father's soft heart when it came to punishing the guilty. I was sent to take care of that problem," Anne says.

Annabeth's eyes narrow to grey slits. "Take care of?" she repeats. She takes a step back. "Oh my God," she whispers. "Next in line for head of the Magistrates is Hermes. You're here to kill my father so Hermes will fully take his spot instead of being the secondhand man, aren't you?"

The girl looks down. "I . . . I am not sure what you mean. I was simply sent to fix the problem."

Annabeth scoffs. "Do you take me for a vazey ratbag?" she asks. "I am more perspicacious than you could ever imagine. I could kill you right now and the only person to notice would be the Queen when you don't return and even then, I could make sure of it that she would believe you simply went rogue."

"Those are bold words from someone who has clearly never killed anyone," Anne says without thinking.

"You don't know my past," Annabeth says. "Why do you think my father is so concerned about me being involved with a thief? Because he wants to protect me?" Her hand grips her dagger a little harder. "No, because you're right, he has a soft heart and his concern and worry lie not with me, but with the thief, I have befriended."

Anne crosses her arms. "I have had years and years of training," she says. "I have fooled the most intelligent men by pretended to be fumblers or hedge whores, so tell me, how did you know?"

Annabeth sighs. "Because you were terrible."

"Huh?"

"You were too willing," Annabeth clarifies. "No one would be so willing to address someone with such a high status as me by the first name so easily. I have had several housegirls, mostly because so many of them couldn't stand my father or me, but even the most pompous of them, wouldn't dare call me by my first name without several reminders.

Anne stifles a sigh. "What are you going to do about me now that you've discovered I am to fix the problem with your father?"

"Well, I'm not going to do anything," she says simply.

"What?"

Annabeth looks Anne in the eyes. "I am a smart girl. I am completely confident that you could kill me and leave no trace of it. I am not going to stand in the way of your work."

"But he's your father," Anne says, completely confused.

Annabeth nods. "Yes, but I would rather save myself than him."

Anne looks out the window of Annabeth's room. "You want something."

Annabeth laughs. "Of course I want something. A girl as reasonable as you must be willing to consider what I want from you."

Walking over to Annabeth, Anne looks her in the eyes again. She is about three inches shorter than her but makes herself appear strong. "What is it?" she asks.

"My father has me locked here until the thief is caught. I am quite fond of this thief and would like to talk to him before he is caught."

"Don't you mean if?"

Annabeth smiles. "If you knew him as I do, you would realise it's when not if. He is terrible at hiding and without my help, he will be killed. You will remain undercover here. I'm sure my father thinks you're here for some reason and that will buy you some time. I do not trust you, but I trust that as long as there is something in it for you, you won't betray me."

"And what is in it for me?" Anne asks.

Annabeth leans against the post on her bed. "Let's just say I have a plan and you would be very valuable to that plan, but in order for it to work, you need to complete your task."

"I'm sorry," Anne says. "Are you asking me to kill your father?"

"No," Annabeth says, lowering her voice. "I am asking you to fix a problem, which is what you are here to do."