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Sometimes all a prince wishes is to be normal.

They want to fool around, tease girls and exasperate their mothers. They want to be able to leave after breakfast and return by dusk, with a simple "Gonna go to my friends today!". They don't want to have to worry about the public disliking the girl they loved. They wished that they could head out without every head turning to them as if he were a diamond in a coal mine.

Prince Perseus (it's Percy!) Jackson wished all of these things and more. However, being the son of King Poseidon and Queen Sally, they weren't granted.

When Percy was 6 years old, he was sat down by Poseidon and a few advisers on how to 'set a good example for the kingdom'. He had to always be smiling, they said, and never, every throw a tantrum. He couldn't be friends with King Zeus' kids, and interact with King Hades' kids as little as possible. Queen Aphrodite's kids were going to be his best friends. Percy had thought that that was a huge joke. But, the next day, he was introduced to Drew and Piper, who was only a year younger than Percy. Piper and Percy hit off immediately; however Drew and Percy seemed to have many disagreements. ("What do you mean that you don't like horses?!" Percy asked, astonished. "They're too ugly and creepy!" Drew responded)

By 10, Percy had gotten used to all the waving and smiling and goody-two-shoeing and acting like he cared. He and Piper had visited each other often, and had little complain sessions together. Maybe that's why that they had gotten off to such a good start; their absolute loathing of the royal life. The clothes, the fact that they couldn't rebel, or even choose their own friends.

Yeah, that was the worse part. Sometimes, when King Hades visited, Percy wanted nothing more than to strike up a conversation with Nico or Bianca. Nico seemed like a cool dude, even though he was nearly 4 years younger than Percy himself. Sometimes Percy caught Bianca -who seemed way to mature for her age- looking at him as if she too wanted to speak to him. Every time this happened, Bianca would look dead in his eyes and smile, but a message was clear- she didn't like him.

All of this went through Percy's mind as he lay in bed. For some reason, he had woken up 30 minutes earlier than he was supposed to. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about how much he didn't want to have to change out of his t-shirt and shorts. Rolling over, he looked at the time on his alarm clock. 6:26. 6:27. 6:28. 6:29.

Percy's stomach growled, and he wondered what there would be for breakfast. He knew there was no chance that Sally would be able to make him breakfast- it was Meeting Day after all.

Percy's alarmed blared. A lazy hand hit the button, and he yawned his way out of bed. Stumbling, he wondered how he could be so tired when he'd been awake for so long.

He splashed his face with cold water like every morning, but today even the feeling of water on his face couldn't shake a deep dread in the bottom of his stomach. Meeting Day. How could he forget? The one day a year that all the nearby kings and queens met with each other under a truce. 

Usually, Piper came and visited on this day, but this year it was in her kingdom hosting the event, meaning that that wouldn't happen, Percy concluded as he changed into his normal prince robes. Oh, joy.

Percy dragged himself down to the dinning hall, where Queen Sally sat, smiling. Queen Sally should have been a goddess for all Percy knew, because she was the best woman he had ever met (and believe him, he had met too many).

Queen Sally was wearing an especially fancy gown- a dark shade of sea-green with pearls lining all of the edges-, a pearl pendent, and petal earrings. This outfit was used once a year, on Meeting Day. Her brown hair was styled up in an elegant up-do, and her pearl crown was perched on top. 

Percy went to give his mother a hug, just as he did every morning. He sat down next to her, just like every morning. Today, though, was not normal. Today, today was the day of fate.

In two months, on August 18, Percy would turn 18. This meeting would decide the fate of him: if he was fit to take over King Poseidon's kingdom. And if that wasn't the most nerve-wrecking thing, Percy had no idea what was.

Some new person came and gave Percy a some scrambled egg. Percy stared at it for a second, not wanting to eat it at all, until he snapped back up and thanked the woman. Her cheeks became a light shade of pink, and she scurried back into the kitchen.

Sally looked quite amused, as this was not the first time it had happened. Her son was not the best on girls, and therefore had never even noticed. Now, if King Poseidon had noticed this, he would have fired the girl on the spot. It was the only disagreement that Poseidon and Sally had, but it was for a good reason.

Percy poked at his food. Normally, it would be shoved in his mouth, and then he would be scolded on manners, and then he would try to say sorry as food spilled out of his mouth. Today was not the case.

Sally (who had already eaten) stared at him. "You okay, Perce?"

"Uh, yeah. Wait, no. Maybe,"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's just, you know..." Percy trailed off, the thought making him want to barf.

Sally was about to respond, but then King Poseidon arrived. "Morning."

See, that was unfair, Percy thought, stabbing his egg. Poseidon could just be like that, but he had to be all formal and polite and his sassy remarks couldn't even be said. He had to become king.

Poseidon watched his son murder his eggs. "Percy, it's not the eggs fault."

Percy's eyes drifted up to his father, who was wearing traditional sea-green clothes as well.

"Uh..."

"No uh-s, your highness," a Percy's mentor, Chiron, said from behind him.

"Holy crap! How the heck-" Percy jumped up. "Uh, I mean, sorry, Chiron."

Sally face palmed.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "Percy, we both know that today is a special day-"

Percy stabbed his eggs again.

"- so, no going all YOLO on the castle. You are going to be watched today, you know? Today is the most important day in your life. Please prove yourself worthy of being king."

Percy looked at his father, confused. "You don't want to be king?"

"Percy, I'm old. I need a break. Your mother needs a break. If you can prove yourself worthy, which I know you can, then we can achieve the break," Poseidon sighed.

Percy stabbed his eggs until they were un-edible.

>>>

Percy watched as his mother and father left for Eros, Piper's kingdom. Poseidon wasn't kidding when he said that Percy was going to be watched; King Zeus' adviser Dionysus was stalking him for the day.

Dionysus was a pain in the butt. It was clear he hated his job, and decided to be the strictest person possible.

"Peter, get your butt over here so we can go great the townspeople!" He roared.

"It's Percy. And why do we have to go to town?"

"Perry, I don't give a crap about your name. And so you can show how you deal with your people, idiot. Honestly, Pedro, if you wanna be king you should start by adding some smarts into that head of yours!" He shoves Percy's crown on his head.

The way that everyone from the Meeting was able to see Percy and the way he acted as king was through a Bubble. A Bubble was a one-way livestream of Percy's actions, from 8 am-5 pm.

Percy had no idea how it worked.

Percy's schedule was hectic and annoying; it bothered him even more because he knew that Poseidon hardly ever had to do any of the things that were on the list.

When does a king even check in with every single village to make sure they pay taxes? Hardly ever, yet Percy had to do all this and more.

Once Percy was done with his "kingly" duties, he went straight up to lie on his bed.

He sweat, his breath was shallow, he thought he was having an asthma attack. He didn't even have asthma.

What if I'm king? What if I failed? I hate both options! Percy screamed. Inside his head.

After hours of torture, Sally and Poseidon arrived back.

Poseidon has a thick folder in his hand, making Percy sweat even more.

He greeted them in the dining room, where he had refused dinner on account of the fact that he felt sick.

The cooks understood and ate the food they prepared themselves.

"So, Percy," began Poseidon, not bothering with the folder. "You did good today. Really good."

Sally looked like she wanted to interrupt but kept quite.

"Then everyone decided, that you are fit to be king."

This was great, this was awesome, he should be celebrating. So why did he feel even more sick?

"But," Poseidon continued. "You're missing something."

"I am?" Percy covered his hand over his mouth the second he said that.

Poseidon leaned closer to Percy. "Every king needs a queen, now don't they?" he jeered, looking into his eyes. "And it just so happens that you already have one."

"I do?" And for the second time, Percy wished he shut up. He felt very nauseous now.

"Yes," his father was in his face now, so close he could taste the beef in his breath.

"And that Queen is..." Poseidon whispered a name.

Percy was in shock. "WHAT?!"

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It's here. Thank you all for bearing with me, through and through. I am here to talk anytime, so talk to me.

I love you all!

Xoxo Queen