Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

This is the rewritten story of A Twisted Tale of Cinderella.

Heads up, this is a slow burn percabeth story. But as soon as our heroes do catch feelings, they catch them hard.

A Twisted Tale of Cinderella

Chapter 1

Annabeth cried as she sat at her father's bedside, her blonde hair was glowing in the candlelit room. Her father coughed up a mouth full of blood and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"Father?" Annabeth whispered.

Her father didn't respond.

"Father? Father!" The seventeen-year-old girl buried her head into her hands and sobbed. Her father had always told her that it was important to be strong. She couldn't afford to show weakness to anyone. But Annabeth thought that this was an exception.

Frederick Chase passed away painfully, that much she knew. The look on his face before and right after blood spilled from his mouth was enough to let Annabeth know.

She wiped her eyes with the skirt of her dress and looked at the lifeless face of her father. Now, Annabeth had no real family left in this world.

A bejeweled hand gripped Annabeth's shoulder and she flinched. She glanced behind her and saw her stepmother looking at her, not with comfort and warmth, but with disappointment and anger. Two boys, not much younger than Annabeth herself, stood behind her stepmother. Annabeth looked into the boys' eyes, searching for any sign of kindness. She needed any she could find. But the boys glanced at one another and then back at her, unfazed.

Her stepmother held Annabeth's chin, redirecting her sight towards the older woman. More tears streamed down Annabeth's face.

"Annabeth, dear," she said harshly, "dry your tears."

Annabeth tried to wipe away the new trails of water coming from her eyes, but they were soon replaced with more.

Stepmother let go of Annabeth's chin and gave her a look of contempt. "Didn't you hear me? Dry your tears."

Annabeth let out another stream of tears before quickly wiping them away and then pinching the bridge of her nose, effectively halting her tears.

"My f-father-" Annabeth began but was quickly cut off.

"Hush, child. He has left this world. And if you have any sense at all, you will disregard his memory for it will only bring suffering."

Annabeth stood up still pinching her nose. Her stepbrothers smiled when they saw Annabeth's dress had ridden up her leg. Annabeth hardly noticed because she was too distracted with the departure of her father.

"Now, Annabeth. We must get to work. I've fired the housekeepers, cooks and maids." Her stepmother said then blew out the candles on the nightstand. Now only the light leaking out from the hallway illuminated the room.

"Fired? Why?" Annabeth asked and straightened out the skirt of her dress.

Annabeth had grown up in the lap of luxury. Her father was the owner of a publishing company and had several investments that financed their large home. Annabeth's life had been easy, up until her biological mother passed away. Wanting his daughter to have a positive female role model in her life, Frederick Chase remarried soon after.

"Now that your father is dead," Stepmother didn't care how blunt she sounded, "We no longer have someone to provide for us a living so we must make due with what we have."

"But what about the company or the other investments?" Everything sounded dubious to Annabeth. "I've helped my father conduct his business and even with him gone, the company can survive and his investments will still make us money."

"Nonsense. Without your father, the business would have died. Luckily, I sold it at a generous price."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "You sold my father's company? But that is his life's work, his legacy!" Annabeth looked back at her father's deathbed. "He prepared me to run it if he were not able to."

Despite being a pampered only child, Annabeth was knowledgeable about business workings. And sine she was an only child, her father raised her as his successor and made sure she received the best education available to ensure she would become a competent heir. Her education was up to par with any wealthy lad in the country, maybe even better.

"You're still just a child, Annabeth. And a girl, no less. You cannot be trusted with such things!"

Annabeth opened her mouth to protest when the sting of a slap met her face. Her stepmother had hit her. This woman never laid a hand on Annabeth before. In fact, she never paid Annabeth much attention at all.

"Be a lady and only speak when you have permission to, Annabeth. Now, since we no longer have a staff, run along and prepare our dinner. The gentlemen from the morgue will be here soon to take Frederick's body away."

Her father had just passed and his wife was already treating her like a servant. Annabeth looked to her stepbrothers' faces to see if this was some sort of elaborate joke. It had to be. But she found no sign of humor.

"But what about a funeral?"

"We have no money for it, darling."

"But-"

"Do as you're told, child!" Stepmother yelled at her.

Annabeth took a deep breath to calm herself down. This woman was her stepmother and for that alone Annabeth respected her. But at the same time, she would not allow herself to be belittled.

"You can't order me around." Annabeth said firmly. "This is my home, too."

Stepmother's eyes widened. "How dare you, little–" She gave Annabeth the back of her hand. One of her rings caught Annabeth's skin and left a cut behind.

Annabeth held her cheek. "You can't–" she began, only to be backhanded again. Another cut appeared on her cheek.

Stepmother advanced on Annabeth until they were face to face, just inches apart.

"Do as you're told." Stepmother commanded in a deep throaty voice.

Annabeth could feel Stepmother's breath on her face. The cuts on her cheek stung and she could feel blood run down the side of her face. The backs of her eyes tingled with built up tears but she refused to let this woman see her cry.

"Yes, stepmother." Annabeth yielded and exited her father's room for the last time, making her way downstairs to the kitchen. Stepmother must have just fired the staff only a few moments ago because dishes were still soapy and a pot of water on the stove was still warm.

While Annabeth wrapped up dinner, her stepbrothers walked into the kitchen. Annabeth gave them a sincere but watery smile. She gave in and had let more tears flow while she was cooking dinner.

"Matthew, Bobby, can you two please wash dishes while I finish up dinner?" The boys gave each other an amused smile.

"I don't think so, Annabeth." Bobby said and leaned against the doorframe.

Annabeth shot her glance in their direction. Usually they were so obedient. She remembered when they first moved into her father's estate. Annabeth wasn't much older than they were, only fifteen when they were thirteen. They gave Annabeth sweet but shy smiles and clung to her arms for about a week because they were afraid of getting lost in the large manor. Annabeth even let them sleep next to her in bed a few times. But they had been acting rather strange lately: their sweet smiles disappeared and they became moody and easily angered and spent long hours cooped up in their respective rooms.

"But why not? We're siblings. We need to help each other." She tried to reason with them.

"You're not really related to us. Your father and our mother got married. That's all." Matthew responded.

"But now that my father has passed and we no longer have a staff to wait on us, we need to work together." Annabeth leaned down to take a casserole out of a hot oven. The boys stared at Annabeth's bent over form.

"Well, our mother is in charge now which means we get to tell you what to do." Bobby smiled.

"That's not true." Annabeth said defiantly and carefully portioned out the casserole. Matthew and Bobby walked closer to her until they were only a few inches away. Annabeth gasped when she noticed how close they were, her bottom brushed against Bobby's leg when she only backed away from the stove. The boys were only fifteen but they towered over Annabeth by at least half a head.

"It is. Just watch." They said at the same, giving Annabeth horrible goose bumps that she had to run her hands over her arms to get rid of. She thought these boys could be her brothers but she could never get herself to think of them as such especially as of late with their moodiness and the looks they started giving her. And now she knew that they never considered her much of a sister either.

"Mother!" Bobby called out. "Annabeth is complaining about cooking dinner!"

Loud footsteps descended the staircase and Annabeth was met with the deadly glare of her stepmother.

"Boys, go upstairs, I need to talk to Annabeth."

"Yes, Mother." They said. Matthew ran his fingers through a lock of Annabeth's hair causing Annabeth to back away. He laughed and followed his brother through the door.

Stepmother looked Annabeth in the eye and gave her a haughty grin.

"Annabeth, dearie," she faked a sweet tone. "What's the matter? Why are you complaining about making dinner for the family?"

"They're lying, stepmother! I didn't– "

"Why would my sweet darlings lie?"

"Um." Annabeth didn't know what to say.

"Annabeth, you are the eldest child of the family." Stepmother poked a fork into the casserole and tasted it. She looked satisfied enough because she took another forkful into her mouth. "Do you not want to take care of your little brothers?"

"But they said they don't see me as a big sister."

"Regardless, it is your responsibility to look after them."

"They are old enough to look after themselves." Annabeth said boldly.

"Do not raise your voice at me, child!" Stepmother hit Annabeth across the face with such force that Annabeth lost her balance and fell. She clutched her hand to her hot and aching cheek. "Get dinner into the dining room now and then go clean out your room. You are moving into the maids' room on the second floor in the west wing." Annabeth's breathing became heavy and she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Do you understand, Annabeth?" Annabeth tried to answer but her breathing was becoming so panicked that she couldn't. Stepmother kicked her in the side. "I said: do you understand?"

Annabeth didn't look up at her. She didn't want stepmother to see her watery eyes but after taking a moment to blink the tears away and calm her breathing, Annabeth turned a glare towards her stepmother.

Stepmother inhaled sharply when Annabeth met her eyes. Walking closer, Stepmother bent down and grabbed a chunk of Annabeth's hair and jerked her head sideways. Annabeth yelped.

"If you ever look at me like that again, the coroners will be coming for you next. Do you understand me, darling?" Stepmother yanked Annabeth's hair again, this time pulling her backwards so her head hit the cupboard. "Do you understand?"

Annabeth whimpered but nodded.

"Good, now get up." Stepmother kicked the girl once more and left the kitchen.

Annabeth had to use the counter to help her stand.

"Boys, come down!" Annabeth could hear her stepmother from the other room. The sound of the boys' footsteps came down the stairs and stopped to listen to what their mother had to say. "Boys, Annabeth seems to have a rebellious streak in her." Stepmother was purposefully talking loudly for Annabeth to overhear. "And because of that, we must discipline her as often as it takes."

Annabeth brought a tray with three plates of food into the dining room where her stepmother and Matthew and Bobby were already seated. The boys had scheming smirks on their faces when they saw Annabeth.

It's been three years. Annabeth had endured three years of her own personal hell. Stepmother forced Annabeth to take over all the housekeeping and cooking, leaving her exhausted at the end of every day.

At first Annabeth protested the unfair situation. But that only brought on the first of many times her stepbrothers assaulted her. And so she now willingly performed all the tasks her stepmother had ordered. She never knew people could be so cruel. Matthew and Bobby took particular interest and joy in beating her. They would take any opportunity to bruise her body. Whenever Annabeth cried out in pain, the force of their punches and kicks would increase. So she learned to be quiet while they administrated their brutality. Many times, one of them would hold her still while the other punched her. Annabeth often tried to look away, but the twin who was restraining her always knew to grab a fistful of her hair and made her face her tormentor. Both boys always smiled and laughed.

Annabeth crawled into her bed in the old room on the second floor. She was forced to move from her comfortable room in the tower to the servants' quarters. But she was the only servant in the household now. Annabeth touched her split lip lightly and when she saw blood on her finger she ran her tongue over her lips. Matthew and Bobby thought she looked at them the wrong way and decided to give her an earlier beating than usual.

Annabeth learned to keep a close eye on where her stepfamily's hands were positioned. It helped to know warning signs for when they would raise their fists to her. At first she was fast enough to dodge but that only made them angry and Matthew or Bobby would hold her down. Now she only kept an eye on their hands so she could brace herself when she knew they wanted to hit her.

And because of their abuse, over time, Annabeth developed the fear of being touched. When she went out to the marketplace, she avoided other peoples' hands as much as possible. A merchant would hand her back her change and she would insist that he place it on the counter. Stepmother would sometimes bring strange men into the estate and they would offer Annabeth a hand to shake. She always came up with an excuse to leave. Some of them would even grab for Annabeth's bottom or arm and Annabeth would burst into tears. She knew she was in for a beating from Stepmother for embarrassing her but she couldn't help the tears that wouldn't stop.

Matthew and Bobby also brought in an impressive number of beautiful women who would spend the night. Many of them were mean-spirited but the few who were kind and courteous offered Annabeth a hand to shake as well. But Annabeth refused and would cringe if someone ever so much as waved his or her hand hello or goodbye to her.

Annabeth hugged herself while she lay on the bed and blinked away tears. She always tried to remind herself that she was not allowed to cry. Crying just made the beatings even worse. Matthew and Bobby liked it when she cried but were impatient. If Annabeth was able to stop herself from crying within ten minutes of their abuse, they would get bored and leave her alone for the time being. But she couldn't stop the tears forming today. The twins beat her to the ground and stomped on her stomach. They hardly ever did that, but when they did, it was the worst.

A loud knock on her door jolted Annabeth out of her bed and made her wipe away any tears.

"Annabeth! Start dinner!" Her stepmother yelled from the other side of the door.

Annabeth dusted off her apron and headed to the kitchen. While she was chopping vegetables, Matthew and Bobby entered the room.

"Hey, Annabeth." Matthew said. Annabeth just continued her work. Talking to the boys only encouraged them, she learned.

"Annabeth, my brother is talking to you." Bobby said, walking up behind Annabeth and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Aren't you going to talk to him?" He slid his hands down Annabeth's arms. Bobby lowered his mouth to his stepsister's ear. Alcohol was heavy on his breath. They were both drunk. "Well?" He asked then proceeded to nibble on her earlobe.

Annabeth stopped chopping vegetables. She could feel her whole body shaking and her breathing became heavy. Bobby moved his head to kiss Annabeth's cheek then neck.

Annabeth had always suspected that the boys wanted to do something like this to her. She just hoped that they would never try to. But now that it was happening, she didn't know what to do to stop it. She wasn't supposed to speak against whatever they wanted to do with her but her voice knew what to do when she didn't.

"No." She whispered.

They either didn't hear her or ignored her because they didn't stop. While Bobby focused on kissing her neck, Matthew stood next to her and started licking up her neck and face. Bobby grabbed her bottom and Annabeth jumped a little, causing the boys to laugh and Matthew to grasp one of her breasts.

"Let's go to my room." Matthew said, groping her.

Annabeth couldn't control her breathing. She tried to say "no" again but she lost her voice. Bobby grabbed her forearm and tried to drag her towards the door of the kitchen.

Annabeth's mind was blank. She didn't know what to do at all but she knew exactly why they wanted to go to a bedroom and it made her stomach churn painfully.

"You have no idea how long we've wanted this." They said in unison, making Annabeth's skin crawl. Have they been planning for this to happen? Why? They had many beautiful women to warm their beds already. Why did they want plain and simple Annabeth?

These questions raced through her mind but she didn't bother trying to figure out the answer. All she knew was that she couldn't let this happen. Annabeth looked at her hand and realized that she was still grasping the knife she was cutting vegetables with. The boys shoved her out the kitchen door in front of them. Annabeth had no time to think about the consequences. As soon as the boys entered the hallway and pushed her forward towards the direction of the staircase, she turned around and pointed the knife at them.

The boys' stares hardened and took defensive stances. Annabeth felt her body shaking violently. She tried to steady the knife in front of her but it wasn't working. Matthew and Bobby smiled, seeing that she was in a state of panic. Bobby reached out to try to grab the knife but Annabeth sharply slashed the blade into his hand. Bobby cried out, clutching his bloody hand.

Matthew lunged towards her and she turned the knife in his direction making the blade stab into his abdomen. Matthew fell down with blood staining his white shirt. Annabeth turned to run but Matthew grabbed her ankle and she fell. She looked behind her and saw Bobby reaching towards her. Annabeth's survival instincts kicked in and she scrambled out of Matthew's grasp and to her feet. Bobby managed to grab the end of her long wavy hair and pulled hard. Annabeth winced but was used to the pain from the many years he had used this technique on her. She slashed the knife through her blonde locks, cutting them to her shoulders and severing Bobby's hold on her. Annabeth was about to stab the knife into Bobby's arm when he grabbed her hand and twisted so she was forced to let go of the knife.

It can't be over! Annabeth thought as her only weapon clanged on the floor. She couldn't be here anymore. She couldn't allow herself to be in their clutches any longer. If they captured her, they would beat her close to death and then stop to keep her alive just to be able to beat her again.

Tears poured out of Annabeth's eyes as she bit Bobby's hand with all of her might. He recoiled and let go, allowing Annabeth to push him backwards in his shock. Grabbing the knife from the floor, she dashed towards the west wing and up one flight of stairs to entered her room, locking the heavy wooden door behind her. She could hear Matthew and Bobby's footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Where did that whore go?" Matthew yelled.

Annabeth's heart beat faster than she could think. She tried to take a few deep breaths to force herself to calm down but it wasn't working. She knew she should have run straight out the front door but she couldn't bring herself to leave her most precious possession. Her vision blurred with tears as she dug through the top drawer of her dresser and retrieved a small box. Inside reveal a leather necklace with beads on it and also had her parents' wedding rings on it. Annabeth put it on and held the knife tighter when a force slammed into the door. A few more hits like that and the door would go down for sure.

Annabeth looked around for a way to escape. Had she just trapped herself? No, no! She couldn't let them catch her! She had to survive! She had to escape. Bobby and Matthew slammed their weight into the door again as Annabeth's eyes scanned her room. She couldn't possibly hide under the bed or in the closet. She was as good as dead if she even considered that as a possibility.

Then she spotted her escape route: the window. She ran to open it when there was another slam at the door. Annabeth looked out the window at the ground. Even though she was only on the second floor, it was probably a fifteen feet drop at the least. She swallowed the lump in her throat. She had to take the chance. Another slam was at the door and Annabeth threw the knife out the window towards the left side to make sure that she didn't land on it.

"We're going to fuck you up when we get in there, Annabeth!" She heard the boys shout outside the door and slam into it again.

Tears streamed down Annabeth's face as she climbed onto the windowsill and looked down. This was her only chance. She had to take it. She jumped and right before she hit the ground, she rotated her body to roll so the impact of the fall would be redirected and lessened as she rolled just like she had seen the acrobats in the circus do when she was a child. Luckily her plan worked and Annabeth escaped the fall with only a few scratches and dirt all over her body. She left the knife in the bushes as she didn't see where it landed and couldn't waste time looking for it. Besides, the blood on it would just leave a trail.

Annabeth ran faster than her feet would take her, stumbling a few times along the way. Although her vision was blurred with tears, it didn't matter because she just ran. She didn't look back once for fear that her tormentors were right on her tail.

She sprinted as far away as possible from her father's estate, now owned by her stepmother and she was quickly tiring out but she knew she couldn't stop. By now, the boys had broken down the door and discovered that she was gone so they were probably on horseback looking for her. But Annabeth was getting so tired and she didn't know how much longer she would be able to run.

Her legs slowed down and she found herself near train tracks. She heard the wail of a train approaching. The steam engine zoomed in front of Annabeth at a reasonable speed and had boxcars with many of the doors still open. Annabeth had no time to think as she jumped into the opening of one of the boxcars and rolled into a small pile of crates.

Her chest heaved as she lay on her back with the train carrying her away from her old home. It hurt to have to leave the place she called home for so many years. But it wasn't home anymore, not since her father died three years ago.

Annabeth's eyes felt heavy. She was exhausted so she let sleep take her.

Thank you for reading and please review!

You can always find me on tumblr at annazonabeth.