Percy Jackson Pirate AU

A Show of Starlight

Annabeth did not sleep well that night.

It wasn't anything in particular, the unusual rock of the ship, the unfamiliar bed, the musty smell that still hung around in the air, the threat of nightmares should she sleep too deeply, the racing of her thoughts refusing to shut off. Whatever it was, she woke restless and sleepier than she had felt when she had went to sleep. This did not do wonders to her mood, as the moodiness of fatigue mixed with her annoyance at her fatigue dragged her down. In other words, Annabeth was just plain tired.

Hazel, the pretty African-American girl who sat next to Annabeth last night, had brought her some fresh clothes while showing her back to her room but Annabeth wasn't exactly ecstatic to wear them. They consisted of a cream coloured shirt, an uneven leather skirt, short white leggings, and a corset-style belt to wear over the top.

So, a pirate outfit. In any other context, Annabeth would have laughed in their face.

She didn't come on this quest to play dress up, so she left the clothes in a pile on her bed and changed back in to her camp shirt and shorts. They were marked, and smelt like the sea, but she was comforted by the familiar orange, alongside her knife under her belt. It was a familiar feeling; if she closed her eyes she could almost imagine she was back at Camp Half-Blood.

After tying her hair back in its usual up-do to keep it out of her face, Annabeth left her room and found her way onto the deck. She found that she didn't enjoy the confinement of the Hull very much. The sky was cloudy outside, fog preventing her from seeing the horizon. The sea was churning and throwing water up against itself because of the harsh wind.

Despite this, the boat sailed smoothly, and the wind beating the rest of the ocean seemed to entirely miss the ship. Annabeth could only feel a slight breeze and the ship rocked as softly as a baby's cradle on the waves - the harsh, stormy wind seeming miles away.

The lack of wind did not stop the air from nipping Annabeth's fingers with cold, and the sky was dark though she was sure it must have been the next morning by now. She had no way of telling the time, as there was no clocks or even sun dials on the ship. The only way Annabeth could thing to know the time was to ask Percy. She had noticed a shining golden pocketwatch hanging off his weapon belt last night.

Yet Annabeth still didn't really want to talk to any of the pirates if she could help it. She still didn't trust them as much as she wanted to.

Walking further onto the deck Annabeth turned around to see who stood at the helm. Panic shot through her. The helm was turning, but nobody stood behind it - nobody controlling its turns which controlled the entire ship.

She raced up the few stairs which led onto the quarterdeck where the helm was positioned, when Jason came in to view. He was sitting on the ground opposite Percy, each with a selection of playing cards in their hands. Annabeth's panic was replaced with confusion, then angry annoyance.

Both of the boys seemed distracted, as though their minds were focused on something else but neither of them seemed to mind. Percy looked up from his cards at Annabeth.

"Oh, hello. Sleep well, Camp girl?" The nickname annoyed Annabeth. He already knew her name.

"Annabeth," She told him, making her voice firm.

"Sorry, Wise Girl," His tone was teasing this time, and Annabeth scowled. She didn't like these pirates.

"Right. Who in the Hades is steering this ship?" Her voice was laced with thick annoyance.

"I am, Blondie,"

"Annabeth,"

"Wise Girl," The fact he had reused one of his prior nicknames gave Annabeth a slight sense of success. He had no more nicknames to come up with. That sense of success was quickly replaced when she saw the smug smirk on his face. She wanted to hate it but she somehow couldn't. It was something about that expression that was different. He looked... pretty?