A Tale of Greater Woe

Chapter 1

A/N: Wow look who finally started her fanfic! Anyway, it's me, Rayne, and I'm finally writing fanfic! It's based on Romeo and Juliet and is inspired by me reading the play in English last year, and listening to Love Story (Taylor's Version) on repeat last summer.

*Mild Swearing*

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"A glooming peace this morning with it brings.

The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head.

Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.

Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.

For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

~ William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

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Percy's POV

"Good morrow, Perseus," Percy's eyes shot open. He had been trapped in another Tartarus nightmare, the recurring one of him and Annabeth falling and falling for eternity.

Percy looked up and gasped in surprise. He was in an unfamiliar room. It was white, devoid of any sorts of decorations other than ornate gold detailing. It was almost like it was meant for royalty. He imagined this was what a room on Mount Olympus must be like.

Wait... Mount Olympus. That was where he had been. With Annabeth and... Zeus? Or was it Hera? Apollo? Shit, he thought. I can't remember. What was going on?

"Perseus?" The woman called again. Her voice...

"Mom!" Percy exclaimed. He was so relieved to have some sort of familiarity in this strange place, he didn't stop to think. He ran to Sally, who was standing in the doorway, and hugged her tightly.

Even if Percy wasn't so nervous about his surroundings, he still would have been relieved to see Sally. Before the meeting on Olympus, Percy and Annabeth had been living together in New Rome after finishing college. He hadn't seen his parents or sister in months.

Sally tensed and pulled back.

"I- I'm not your mother, Perseus," Her eyes looked tired and sad. "I love you like a son, and I know I've taken care of you all your life but I've told you before, please don't call me that. It reminds me of," she paused, looking away and blinking rapidly, "of him."

"Who?" Percy asked before he could stop himself. His mother - or apparently not - turned to him, tears filling her eyes.

"My dead son, Perseus," Percy froze. Firstly, he felt terrible for Sally, even though he knew nothing about why she was acting like this. He knew what it was like to lose people. Secondly, what was she talking about? Sally didn't have another son, let alone a dead one. It almost felt like Sally was playing a part. As if she was acting out a character. But what character?

"I'm... I'm so sorry," Percy stammered, "My mind must still be foggy from sleep. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright," She said quickly, wiping her eyes. "I'm here to remind you to start getting ready. You must be dressed and downstairs in another hour, and you need to be looking your best."

"Ready for what?"

"A suitoress is coming here, remember? Lady Rachel Elizabeth Dare? Your mother and father are very eager about this woman. They think she could very well be your future wife."

"My- My what?" Of course, Percy recognized Rachel's name. But he didn't understand what Sally was saying. He was to be married to Rachel? Yes, he loved Rachel, but not like that. In fact, there was only one person Percy wanted to marry, and his plans to ask her about that were apparently ruined now. Focus, he reminded himself.

There was something about this. The beautiful room, Sally being his caretaker, Rachel being his supposed suitoress. The pieces were starting to fall into place, but he still couldn't put his finger on what was happening.

"I'll leave you to get ready," Sally said and turned to leave. Percy wanted to reach out, to call for her, the way he'd always done as a child. But he knew she wouldn't be of any help. She hadn't seemed to notice anything was out of the ordinary.

Percy's mind was racing with possibilities and questions. Was Sally a monster? Was this some sort of deliberate trick with shapeshifting monsters? Or had he been transported to someone else's life? And most importantly, where was Annabeth? He needed to talk to her. Of course, he didn't have a phone on him, so the only option was an Iris message.

Percy's pockets were empty, so he searched the room for a drachma. A glittering coin on the dresser caught his eye, he picked it up and went to the window. He looked outside and saw a bustling street full of people. They were all dressed in old-fashioned clothes, and there were no large buildings in sight. Dirt roads and dusty marketplaces were the only things there.

Annabeth will know what to do, he thought, reassuring himself. If she's here.

Percy finally spotted a tiny rainbow, formed by the sunlight coming through the window, and threw his drachma into it.

"O' Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Show me, Annabeth Chase."

An image appeared, shimmering and rippling around the edges as if it had appeared in water. Annabeth was in a large garden, wearing a simple, but beautiful, white gown. She was fighting a monster.

"Ann-" He started to call her name but stopped himself. She was in a fight. She shouldn't be distracted. He waved his hand through the image, dissolving it into the air.

Percy's mind lit up, excitement filling his face.

"That dress! It's like the one from the movie Annabeth and I watched!" He said out loud. "The one with one of her favorite actresses... Hally- no, Hailee Steinfield. It was... Romeo and Juliet!" His excitement faded instantly. That was one of Annaebth's favorite movies, so he knew the plotline reasonably well. Now he knew which character Sally was. She was the Nurse, the woman who cared for Juliet like a daughter because her own daughter, Susan, died as a child. That would make Percy... Juliet.

Of course, he thought bitterly, I'm the princess. Very funny, gods.

He didn't fully understand what was happening, but he knew what his next step would be. Find Annabeth.

Hopefully, they'd make it out alive.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Lmk if you have any feedback, and also is this chapter too short? I was going to add Annabeth's POV but I didn't want to make it too long.

Updates weekly! (Sorry about that, I'm really busy with school and stuff so I don't think I'll be able to update more often.)

~ Rayne