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Annabeth rode along the beach, enjoying the silence before her brothers decided to scream.

"Bobby! Stop squeaking! The horse is going to think you are a mouse!" Matthew, her six year old brother said, as the riding instructor helped Bobby onto the stallion.

It wasn't a stallion, in actuality. They were riding ponies. But given the fits they would throw if they knew the truth, her father thought it best not to tell them. And she couldn't agree more.

Annabeth had decided to accompany her brothers on their riding lessons today, both an excuse to avoid her aunt and curiosity to see how far her younger siblings had come.

The morning breeze just happened to be a blessing.

She rode further along than they did as she had mastered horse riding years ago. And she thought it best not to distract the young children, after all, they had to listen to their riding instructor and not constantly divert their attention to her.

The waters seemed turbulent today, unrestrained. It bothered her. Something felt off. Even the seagulls, who normally left her alone and were quite quiet had squawked louder and louder the further along she rode with her horse. It annoyed her to no limits.

Despite being the daughter of Athena, and the heir to her throne, she was always drawn towards the ocean. As a child, she would sneak out of the palace and watch the lapping waves for hours, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.

When she was quite a distance away from her brothers, she slowed her speed down to a walk, taking in the morning air and the scent of the ocean.

"Follow these birds, Orion. Maybe we can scare them away and finally get some peace," she told her stead. The horse neighed in response, picking up the pace and somewhat succeeding in scaring those pesky birds away.

That's when she noticed it, or him. A boy, who seemed about her age was lying on the beach, covered in seaweed. He had a potato sack around himself and no other clothes.
She watched him for a minute, picking the seaweed off of himself and tossing it in the ocean.

"Give me a minute," she told Orion as she got down, sprinting to where he was.

"Excuse me, good sir?" she called out, and he seemed startled. She approached him slowly, placing her arms out in a soothing gesture.

Who was this boy? Was he lost?

Probably shipwrecked, she reasoned with herself.

Nevertheless, she approached him. And as she did, she couldn't shake the feeling she knew him already.

Was he one of the townsfolk? Who got lost and had to spend the night out here?

He looked at her for nearly a minute, as if he was taking apart every part of her and putting it back together. That's when she noticed them, his eyes, a dazzling sea green. The same as her beloved ocean. And the eyes which occasionally haunted her dreams.

"You seem familiar, have we met before?" she asked him. He pulled his sack tighter, a picture of true modesty. She suppressed a smile.

He shook his head.

So no then, maybe she was wrong. Or maybe he didn't remember either.

"Are you from around here? Do you need help? Are you lost?" she asked him.

He shook his head again and Annabeth realized her mistake.

"Are you from here?" she tried again.

He shook his head.

"Do you need help?"

He nodded, yes. Good, that's an answer at least.

"Are you lost?"

Yes, he nodded.

"Do you know anyone in town? Do you need a place to stay?"

He shook his head. And then nodded.

She heard the hoof beats then, her brother's voices as they called her name.
Perfect, she thought.

She turned to the boy, "I'm Annabeth, the princess of Athens. You can come  stay in the palace, with me, If you like. I promise you a warm bed, food to eat, and clothing to wear," she said.

The boy looked at her, into her eyes for a long second before he nodded in agreement.

He shook the rest of the seaweed off of himself, standing up as clutched his potato sack tightly.

He took a tentative step towards her, his legs literally shaking as he did so.

He reminded Annabeth of a newborn foal, taking its first steps.

She placed an arm around his waist to help him balance. He looked at her in confusion but allowed her to keep her arm around him.

"Matthew, Bobby, you're to ride with me," she said, without turning to look at her brothers. She was still examining the boy for any injuries. He has a very well-built body, she thought. I wonder what his occupation was.

"One of the riding instructors can bring the boy with me to the palace, let's go," she said and ascended her horse after carefully helping him go his.

The boy looked at her as the riding instructor approached him, everyone changing their positions immediately at her order.

She nodded at the boy, "it's okay. He's not going to hurt you," she said.

That seemed to be confirmation enough for him. The boy got into the horse with no complaints the riding instructor was there with him, and together, the party rode back to the palace.

When they arrived, she summoned her brother Malcolm and explained the situation to him. If she had to trust someone in the castle to look after the boy, it would be Malcolm.

She instructed him to find the boy a room, get him some clothes, and have a doctor look at him. After which, she went to explain the situation to her aunt.

Queen Minerva was not pleased. Not only had Annabeth gotten a complete stranger into the palace, she wished to house him here as well.

Queen Minerva, was the twin sister of the late Queen Athena.
After her sister's passing six years ago, she insisted that her niece was not ready for the burden of the throne. She staged a coup, replacing the court with her own friends.

"What if he's dangerous?!" she reasoned, soothing her temples. She sat on her throne, waiting for Annabeth's answer.

Annabeth was glad that court was not in session today. Otherwise, the massive throne room would have had eyes staring at her while she scrambled for an answer.

She tried to focus on the walls, the hues of gray as she tried for an answer.

She felt inclined to agree with her aunt, that what she did was absolutely reckless. But there was something familiar about the boy that she couldn't quite shake.

She felt he was trustworthy, and for once she decided to go with her gut. Only time would tell her if she made a huge mistake.

"He's injured and hurt. It's only right to let him stay with us until he can pick himself back up," she argued, "And besides, the old law decrees that the Queen must help those who ask for it. And as heir apparent, I believe the same applies to me as well."

Her aunt was silent for a while, seemingly not even hearing her.

She'd been doing that recently, ignoring Annabeth and everything she said. It was frankly driving her insane.

But she pushed her irritation aside. She had no intentions of letting her aunt remain Queen for longer. Or have those gaggle of geese she calls 'courtiers' run her kingdom any longer.

She was 22 years old, inching towards 23.As per tradition, she should have inherited her mother's crown at 18. Even though she passed away when Annabeth was 14.

"Very well," the queen made a dismissing gesture, "If anything happens, the blame falls on you."

Annabeth gave a quick curtesy, "yes, your majesty."

And with her aunt's very reluctant blessings in mind, Annabeth sprinted back to Malcolm's chambers, where the boy was surely resting in one of those rooms.

"So?" she asked, pushing into her brother's room, "what did the doctor say? Is he alright?"

Her brother placed a hand on his lips, leading her out of the room where the boy lay asleep.

"He lost his ability to speak. The doctor says he must be in shock from his shipwreck," Malcolm explained to her, "But apart from that, he appears to be in good health."

Annabeth didn't understand why her heart fell. Perhaps she had been really looking forward to talking to the boy, asking about his life beyond her kingdom.

Her aunt had restricted her motions, barring her from leaving the kingdom until she was Queen. And though Annabeth protested this several times, the Queen was set in her ways.

The last time, nearly two years ago, she had been allowed to leave the kingdom for Princess Thalia's birthday celebrations. But a storm had struck on her journey home and she found herself and her crewmates caught in a violent storm. She still had no recollection of how she landed up on the shores of her own kingdom, almost unharmed.

Her only clues were those of ocean eyes, and a dark tail of a color she couldn't remember. Maybe it was a Merman who had saved her, as Malcolm often suggested.

Or maybe it was just a hallucination.

Her only solace was when her other friends from across kingdoms came to visit her for royal events.
And the occasional letter she would revive when they had the time to break free of their busy schedules.

"I see," she told Malcolm, "Place him in the guest chambers downstairs. And If you could, find him some clothes, please," she said

Malcolm nodded, "Of course. I'll have him taken care of, sister," he smiled.

She nodded, giving him another quick thanks. She peeped through the door one last time when her brother went to summon a servant. The boy was still asleep, his inky black hair a mess and his torso still bare.

It appears he drools in his sleep. Annabeth noted, and for an absurd reason, she found herself smiling.
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Haha! Changing-the-World
(Now technically I win)

(Posted on 15th Feb, 22 at 1:13am <yes I gotta sleep more>)

New chapter! Hope you guys like it! If y'all have any suggestions or ideas, do lemme know !!

Stay tuned!!
—-S