King of My Miserable Life

Chapter 15

Percy paced down the hallway, paced until he was certain there'd be a mark from where his feet continuously stepped. Nico had said he needed a date, a date to take with him. He only wanted to bring one person, could only think of this one person.

But would Annabeth want to go with someone like him?

"Think Percy, think, think!" Percy smacked his forehead. "How do you ask her? Your mom taught you this, you idiot!"

"Um...sir?" a servant that seemed to be older than him and Nico combined stepped into the hallway. "Are you okay?"

Percy smiled sheepishly, stopping his pacing. "Yeah, sorry. Girl problems."

"Girl problems?" the old man smiled. "What's the problem? I've had a fair share of girl problems in my life, I can say. They aren't always the easiest."

Percy scratched the back of his neck. "Asking her to the ball."

"The ball? Well, that's easy." he leaned against his broom. "Ask her to go. If she looks like she'll say no, just say as friends."

"Isn't that really cliche?" Percy asked. "Because it sounds too easy."

"It may be cliche for a normal teenage girl, but I doubt the one you're looking for is normal." he smiled. "Not if you're looking for a servant, that is. None of these girls have lived normal lives."

"I'm...I'm looking for Annabeth." Percy sighed. "Do you know her? Will's sister?"

"Annabeth, Will's sister." he laughed softly. "Yes, I do. She's never been asked out before, I can say. You'll be the first. So nothing will be cliche for her."

Percy's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really."

Percy smiled. "Thanks, uh...I'm sorry, what's your name?"

The old man sighed, his smile suddenly gone. "I'm not sure. King Hades gives us numbers. Those are our names. Without a family to call me my real name, I've slowly forgotten it." He smiled again, but sadness lingered there. "My number is 2400."

"You need a name." Percy eyed him closely. "How about...Bob? Yeah, your name can be Bob. Bob Jackson."

"Bob..." he gave Percy a grateful smile. "Yes, I am Bob. I...I have a name."

"And my name's Percy." Percy held his hand out. "Thank you for all the help, Bob."

Bob, still looking quite thankful about his new name, shook Percy's hand. "Yes, yes, anything I can do. Thank you, Percy, for talking. It's been awhile since I've talked to anyone."

"Hey, I'm here whenever." Percy took his hand back. "My room is right next to Nico's."

"Prince Nico? You're Prince Nico's friend?" Bob's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't know. I would have been more polite-"

"Please don't be scared of me." Percy cut in. "I'm just his friend. We grew up as brothers back in New York. It's not like I'm working for that king of yours. I'm just an American."

Bob visibly relaxed. "How is your friend handling it, finding a new family? It seems to be hard."

"It has been, trust me." Percy smiled. "But we're figuring it out. I...I'm going to go ask her, now, I think. Do you know where she'd be by any chance?"

"Annabeth?" Bob looked around them. "Probably preparing for the ball tonight. I would try the ballroom, the kitchens, the sitting rooms. Anything that needs to be prepared."

Percy nodded. "Thanks, Bob." He walked off after saying goodbye, unaware that the girl in question had been watching silently all along.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Percy walked through the town, going from shop to shop. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, he got a suit for the ball. After another hour, he found a flower shop. He bought her a bouquet of roses (could you really go wrong with roses?) and a small card to attach to them. He wanted to ask her, was terrified to ask her, knew he'd have to do it in time for her to get ready.

But how?

Percy didn't know how much was on the credit card he knicked from Nico, but it had been enough so far. So, with one last look behind him, he bought a gallon of ice cream and proceeded back to the castle. Asking around for servants, knocking on doors, finally ending up in front of the door said to be home to Annabeth.

A quick knock, a shaking hand, a smile to greet the girl with. When Annabeth opened the door, she was in her servant's attire but wearing mismatched high heels. "Yeah?"

"Um..." Percy held the flowers and ice cream out for her to take. "Do you, um, do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Annabeth stared at the ice cream before smiling. "Why else would I be trying to find shoes that fit me? Go get some spoons and bring that ice cream in, Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain?" Percy asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Annabeth took the flowers and ice cream. "Describes you perfectly. Now go get spoons while I try to find my dress."

Percy smiled. "Yeah, okay."