Percy's POV:
I finally finished the exhausting council meeting that just went down. Sigh. Sadly, this was crucial when you were the Crown Prince of your kingdom and you were forced into an arranged marriage with a stranger you would probably hate. But, since this was for the "good of the world" I'm going through it. Definitely not because I care about Andrew.
Speaking of which, as much as I knew Andrew dispised me, I still wanted to get to know him. And maybe even become friends. Just because he seemed like a good guy, and he could teach me a thing or two about strategy in fighting, which he seemed pretty good at and wasnt my strongest suit. Maybe today when the trainees get sorted into their official groups, things will change.
It was finally day three. Hazel woke me up with her 5 am alarm. Seriously, she was having WAYYY too much fun with this. Not me, though. Maybe Andrew could survive on four hours of sleep, but I definitely couldnt. Sadly, she took the time to yank me out of bed. I sleepily brushed my teeth, showered, and got dressed into my daily outfit. Then I rushed to the dining room, where everyone was waiting. I sat at my place, and everyone started eating. I have no idea why people do that. It's always just happened, so I've always kinda gone with it.
I unconsciously looked for Andrew, and I found him eating with his mates. The Blue Knights. Just saying, that was a sign we should be friends. For one, it's my favorite color. Also, it's the official color of the Thalassain kingdom. If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is.
Andrew suddenly looked at me. Our eyes met, and I turn away. I could feel my cheeks getting hot. Snap out of it, Perce! I told myself. Then I dug into my bed and eggs, trying not to think of the guy that had grabbed my attention since the day I met him.
The next two days of initiation had passed by in a flash. All they did was practice throwing knives, archery, and strategic war planning. Annabeth had done good in everything, especially strategy. It was her strong suit. In archery she had messed up a few times. She decided to later ask Kaleb, who did great, what his strategy was. Thankfully, Jason had gotten better at waking up on time, which was good for both Jason and Annabeth. Hazel was probably disappointed though. They quickly got ready and ate some toast. Annabeth was eating when she looked at Percy, who was staring at her. She quickly looked away, feeling her face burn. "Hey bro, you okay?" Jason said, nudging her. "Yup," Annabeth said in her deep voice. She quickly gobbled up the rest of her toast and went outside to the training area.
After everyone was finished, Percy explained at they were going into groups with a similar skillset. Basically, they would be training with those who thought the same and had similar strategies. The groups were passed out. Annabeth and Jason were put together along with Kaleb, and a few others. The only one who was her height was Nico. Nico was a lot shorter though. But Annabeth knew that the least expected were most likely the most powerful. Frank was talking to another guy with purple-stained lips and another blonde haired guy with grey eyes with a name-tag reading Malcolm. Leo was in a separate group with people who looked tired, bored out of their minds, or didn't care. He was talking to a blonde hair, blue eyed, tall guy with freckles. Everyone in the group seemed to have other talents. Leo was building something in his hands, Will was fingering his stethoscope.
"Okay, so you may now start practicing," Percy said. Everyone went on. Honestly, Frank's group had the best team building. Everyone in Annabeth's group was very stubborn, and in Leo's group, everyone had many different opinions that were very far from each other. Nevertheless, the stubbornness and the talents in Annabeth's group helped them a lot. the 10 initiates were advanced and were really good at at least one skill given. Annabeth and Jason also got to hang out. Afterwards, Annabeth felt great. The entire day, she did too.
That night, she was hanging out in her room when Hazel walked in. "Hey, Andrew, could you go outside for a minute? Frank thinks you can't see people from this far, and I need to prove him wrong." Frank came up behind her. "Well, you can't! Just go, Andrew. I need to prove Hazel wrong." The two had a light blush on their faces, and Annabeth was excited to play matchmaker. "Sure," she said nonchalantly, but she made a big show of winking, causing the others' faces to turn from pink to magenta.
Annabeth, grinning to herself, went down the stairs and headed outside. She took in a deep breath and reveled in the fresh fall air. She was just thinking to head inside when she heard a voice behind her. "Andrew?"
She turned around, and there was Prince Perseus, in all his glory. "Hey, we didn't get a chance to talk." Percy said, walking next to her.
Annabeth sat down at a nearby fountain, and Percy sat down next to her. "I mean, what do you even want to talk about?" Annabeth shrugged. Percy quickly opened his mouth, and the words came tumbling out. "Andrew, I'm sorry. I should have clarified. The thing is, I wasn't going to gloat, that day. And I know that you're embarrassed that you lost against me." Annabeth quickly opened her mouth, but Percy interrupted. "Wait, let me finish! The thing is, it was unfair, the way I won, and I'm sorry that I did. The whole battle thing is wrong and unfair, anyway. But just know, Andrew, that I'm really hoping that we can be friends. Because you seem like a cool guy."
She didn't know what to say, but she rolled her eyes. "I guess. But we hate each other. And we're having a war, remember?"
Percy grinned. "You hate ME. And fine. Truce?"
Annabeth smiled back. "Truce."
