La Vie en Rose // Percy Jackson

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Windham, Maine

Six, almost seven-year-old Annie had decided she was tired of the fighting. Her father and stepmother couldn't seem to get along. She didn't understand why they wouldn't just forgive each other and stay forever in love.

Annie packed up her backpack with a blanket, her favorite teddy bear, some books, and her toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush.

She put on her coat and her boots and making sure no one was around, left the house.

The little girl trudged through the softly falling snow and came to a bus stop.

The busses had shut down for the night, so she made her little camp by a heater.

As she began drifting off, she heard a roar and looked up to see a one-eyed creature.

She screamed and started running, only to collide with a spiky haired girl who pulled her close.

A blond boy ran up and attacked the creature, causing it to disappear into dust.

Annie stepped away from her rescuers nervously. "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The blond boy smiled. "I'm Luke." He pointed to the spiky haired girl. "That's Thalia." He pointed to the blond girl who was standing near Annie's back. "That's Annabeth. See? We're not strangers anymore. What's your name?"

Annie gave a tiny smile. "Annette but I like Annie. I'm six. But I'm almost seven. My mommy and daddy were fighting and so I left."

Luke noticed she had started shivering and wrapped her in her blanket. "We'll get you to a safe place, Annie. There's this camp that we're going to. Do you want to come?"

Annie's face scrunched. "Like a summer camp? I been once."

"Kind of. But this camp is all year long if you want it to be."

Annie considered it and nodded. "Okay. But I can't leave Teddy."

"Oh, of course not."

Annie rushed over to her backpack and picked it up. "Can you hold it, Luke?"

Luke nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you." She took his hand and Luke smiled at the little girl.

But when they got to camp, that was when everything went wrong.

The Cyclops, as it had been explained to Annie, had reappeared and Grover, their satyr friend and guide, panicked and Thalia had ended up sacrificing herself for the others.

Luke, Annabeth and Annie made their way into camp through the magical border and shortly after, Annie was claimed as the daughter of the goddess of love.