Isn't every little girl's dream to grow up, marry a prince, and become a princess? To wake up every morning to a fresh bath and step into a humongous poofy ballgown? To walk around her very own castle with a crown balanced upon her head?

Well, I hate to break it to you, but the life of a princess isn't all that great. I mean, yeah, the baths are pretty nice, especially after a long day out horseriding, but other than that, it's awful. No one takes you seriously, especially if your appearance portrays you like a bubbly blonde. Your opinions aren't valid, your time isn't considered precious, and the dresses don't even have pockets in them.

That may seem very minute compared to the other two points, but come on - you have over five pounds of fabric and you can't fit in at least one pocket? It seems like a shoddy design to me.

A squeaky, nasally voice interrupted my inner monologue full of complaining.

"Princess Annabeth," one of my stepmother's maids called, "are you almost done with your bath?"

I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to submerge my head in the lukewarm water. "Yes, Edith, give me a moment."

I wiped my face clean with a damp cloth and unplugged the drain. As the water began to empty, I rinsed the leftover suds off my body until my skin was fresh and clean. After the bath was clear of water and bubbles, I stood and wiped myself dry before climbing into a plush robe.

Most royal women - may they be queens, princesses, or even noble ladies - had a maid oversee them while bathing and made the servant do everything. I was the same up until my tenth birthday passed, precisely eight years ago. I decided that if I was going to be constantly supervised, I wanted to at least be independent while washing my body and getting dressed.

Realizing I had probably already taken too long in my ensuite bathroom, I opened up the door and stepped into my bedroom. A young, dark-skinned maid was standing beside my bureau, holding a large grey gown that was taller than her. When she spotted me, she bowed her head and fell into a curtsy.

"Princess Annabeth," she greeted.

"No need for that," I said.

A slight blush coated her cheeks. "Of course, ma'am. I have your dress for tonight here from Ms. Tanaka. She wanted to know of any necessary alterations that she needed to make before the ball tonight."

I sighed, remembering the date: the twelfth of July, my eighteenth birthday. Later that evening, my father and his wife would be hosting a ball, supposedly in my honor. In reality, they would use it as a business opportunity to make alliances with surrounding nations and keep up to date with the latest gossip.

"Is it not satisfactory, ma'am?" a small voice piped out.

I blinked, jerking out of my thoughts. "What? Oh, no. The dress is fine. Thank you very much. Send Drew my highest compliments, will you?"

She nodded her head, sending brunette coils of hair bobbing around.

"Thank you, uh..." I hesitated, not knowing the name of this particular maid. I did my best to keep up to date with all the servants of the castle, but it was very difficult considering we got new ones monthly.

"My name is Hazel," she murmured.

I smiled softly. "Thank you, Hazel."

She grinned back before turning around and stumbling off with my large gown in tow.

Tightening my robe, I moved towards my large closet and picked out a simple light blue dress. It had tanktop sleeves and flowed straight to the ground, making it easy to walk in. Before stepping into it, I put on my undergarments and strapped my leather holster to my right thigh.

Another reason I chose to not have any personal maids once I reached the age of ten was just that: I wanted to be able to carry my new weapon, a dagger, around everywhere I went. A proper princess relies on the Royal Guard for protection and does not carry a weapon. I found that to be complete bologna. A few weeks before my tenth birthday, I disguised myself as a simple town girl and snuck out of the palace. I sought out a small weaponry shop downtown and was given a dagger by a tall blonde man named Luke. I offered him all the money I had on me, but he refused to accept any, saying that a young girl like me needed the protection as well as the cash. I agreed wholeheartedly with his statement and left the shop with a pounding heart and kilowatt grin.

Once I slid my dagger in place, I climbed into the dress and slid my feet into a pair of white flats. I glanced into the mirror on my vanity and fiddled with my unruly hair a bit. The long, curly blonde strands never cooperated unless my favorite hair and makeup artist, Silena, was the one trying to tame them. Usually, I could only manage to tie it back in a high ponytail, so I did just so.

Finally, I was all ready and made my way out of my room and down the large staircase.