Percy and Annabeth's world is divided by blood - those with red and those with silver. People with red blood are the lowly peasants destined to serve the Silver elite whose supernatural abilities make them nearly gods.
Percy lives with his mom, Sall...
It took hours for my maids to get me ready. Despite the lengthy process, it's probably my favorite part of these events. At least here I can be myself.
My dress was a sleeveless, shimmery, dark grey ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and a sheer halter neck collar. Around the waistband and collar was a cluster of crystals. The dress was matched with dark grey heels. My hair was done up in an intricate bun. A silver, diamond tiara that sort of resembled a laurel wreath rested atop my head. The only jewelry I wore was a pair of diamond dangle earrings. My makeup consisted of a dramatic natural smokey eye look with deep red lipstick, and my nails were painted a shimmery dark grey that matched my dress and shoes.
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Percy waits for me outside my door. He's wearing an emerald green suit with a royal blue sash, a black tie, and black dress shoes. He seems calm, but his hands give away his nerves as they fidget with the hem of his suit jacket. "Ready?" I ask as I approach him.
"No," he replies flatly. "But I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"
"Unfortunately, no," I say, accepting his outstretched arm. With that, we made our way to the lifts where my father and step-mother stood with Maven and Mareena in mid-conversation.
As we get closer to them, we can hear my father lecturing Maven. "Cal's got his legion, he knows what he's doing, what he wants. You need to figure out what you're going to do with yourself, eh?"
"Yes, Father," Maven says.
"I think helping me adjust to the royal lifestyle is cause enough for Maven," Mareena says, intervening on my brother's behalf.
Father ignores her and turns his attention to Percy. "Speaking of which, I hear you're adjusting well, Lord Osanos."
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don't adjust to the weird stuff that life throws at me, I just accept them and move on," Percy replies, completely serious.
"Are we just about ready?" Cal's voice says.
I turn to see my oldest brother approaching us. Cal's regal appearance in his dress uniform seems to demand the attention of everyone in the room, but my eyes go to Evangeline, who has her arm looped through Cal's. She's wearing metal, again, and she manages to smirk without moving her lips.
"Your Majesties," she murmurs, dipping into an obnoxiously perfect curtsy.
Father smiles at her before clapping a hand down on Cal's shoulder. "Just waiting on you, son," he chortles.
~oOo~
Percy's POV:
I feel the eyes of a hundred silver nobles on me as we pass through the archway, and I hate it. It's like they can see straight through the paste that hides my blood color from view. The only thing keeping me steady is Annabeth's presence at my side.
