Percy POV

Junior year, the most unimportant year of all high school. Well, that's true for other schools. At Olympus Academy, every single year is unimportant except for senior year when the students finally get to leave this hell hole. After all, this school is for 6th grade through senior year.

I'm pretty sure I heard from someone that junior year was the year of change. Finally old enough to have a successful relationship and tour colleges. Wait. That sounds like something my mom would say.

Ohhhh!

Because my mom did say it before I left for this horrible boarding school. Great…..

I walk into building 2, the building for freshmen through seniors, and work my way down hallway 2E. Lockers line the walls. 2E307, 2E308, 2E309. I stop in front of it. My locker for the past two years. Right next to it, 2E310. Her locker.

I'm thinking about how we met when she walks up.

"Hey Percy!" she calls out. I turn to see a beautiful girl with long curled hair, pale skin, and the most shocking grey eyes I have ever seen approach.

I'm about to respond when I remember what my mother said about dating. And what she said about hormones. And what was even better and made this first day back to Olympus Academy even worse is that I vaguely remember my mother mumble a certain someone's name under her breath as a fun extra to make me feel all embarrassed.

"A-Annabeth," I stutter. Why am I stuttering? Because my of my mom!

"How was your summer?" she asks, her gentle voice singing out. How can someone have such a perfect voice? It's as if she's constantly singing.

"It was okay I guess," I tell her.

"Mine was great!" she exclaimed.

"I'm happy for you… I think?" I blabber.

At that moment, a few of our friends walk up behind Annabeth. At first she doesn't notice because she's too busy grabbing books from her locker.

"Hey Perce!" Nico calls out. Grover and Rachel walk close behind.

I'm about to respond when Rachel comes running towards me. She embraces me, places a quick kiss on my cheek, and pulls back.

I step away and force out a: "Hey."

Annabeth stiffens next to me. More people come running up. Where are they coming from?

Silena, one of my friends, sees Rachel all over me, and comes to my rescue. Doing what Silena does best, she calls out in her fakest sweet voice, "Rachel! Could you come help me with my hair. I think there's a knot in it!" If I hadn't known Silena as long as I have, I would think she's telling the truth and not completely acting.

Silena winks at me as Rachel wanders over to her.

I turn my attention back to Annabeth and see a scowl dance across her face. Huh. Something has got to be wrong.

I lean closer to Annabeth and ask her, "You ok? You have a strange expression." I wait for her response.

She looks at me and bites her bottom lip, her tell for when something bothering her. She nods subtly and faces her locker once more.

I decide to not fight her on it and smile. Smiling and nodding is what I do when I know I can't win an argument with Annabeth.

She places her books and pencils in her locker carefully and clearly taking her time. And she has the time too. After all, today is just the day where we get settled in. Such as, put our supplies in our lockers, get told which dorm we will be in, grab our schedules, and get used to being back.

I look at my locker in comparison. Everything was perfect and organized. There wasn't one thing out of place. It even smelled good, like really good.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

That's a lie. My locker was a disaster. There was nothing clean nor organized about it. It smelled like a peanut butter sandwich I left in my locker last year for six months and trash littered the whole bottom. Even having a full size locker wasn't enough for me. Every year, my locker would be so filled with trash, I wouldn't be able to fit all the other necessities.

I shut my locker with a bang, startling Annabeth. She flips around fast with her arms swinging as if she needed to attack someone. I saw her hand coming right at my face, so using my ultra fast reflexes, I ducked and appeared behind Annabeth.

She lost her balance and was about to fall when I grab her by the waist and turn her around like a salsa dancer. Her momentum pushes her into me so her chest presses against mine. I step back and feel the my cheeks flush. We stay there for a few moments before we realize what's happening.

We quickly part and look away from one another. Her eyes are wide and stress is reflected back into my eyes.

I look around to see if anyone else is nearby. No one.

Annabeth's face turns a nice shade of red and I assume my face looks to match. She gives me an odd smile before going back to her locker. How does she do that? How does she act like nothing happened at all? We both know something did happen. Her cheeks rebel against her and keep their rouge tint and I don't think it's from her makeup.

I'm about to say something when Rachel walks up. I hold back a groan of disgust as she wraps her arms around my neck. She tilts her head up so she can get closer to my face. Her lips pucker as if she's about to kiss me. Because she is! I turn my head away from her so I don't actually have to kiss her.

I know what you're thinking: "Why are dating her if you don't like her?" There's actually a simple answer to that. I used to like her but then I stopped feeling the spark with her. I feel it with someone else.

Who it is doesn't really matter. What does matter is that I need to break up with Rachel. She's a great person, don't get me wrong, but she isn't a great person for me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Annabeth cringe at Rachel's actions. I pry Rachel off of me and take a step back so I'm not so close to her.

"So Percy," Rachel begins to say, "Wanna go get out schedules together?"

I badly don't, but I also don't want to be rude. I look over at Annabeth and an idea falls on top of me. I shake it off. I can't do that to Annabeth.

Ah ha!

"I have to actually finish organizing my locker and Annabeth promised to help," I lie.

Rachel pouts.

"You go off without us," I say. Rachel leaves and I'm left with Annabeth.

I open my locker back up while Annabeth's back is to me. I take a small picture out of my locker and tape it on the inside of the door.

I take on last look at Annabeth's printed smile before looking at her real one.

I slam the locker closed and with it, hide away a perfect picture of the greatest person in the world and the person I really love: Annabeth.