Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO. D:

Summary: Junior soccer star Thalia Grace has just moved to the US. Realizing that her no. 1 sports rival, Luke Castellan, attends the same school, she intends to battle with him to win her dream sports partnership.

I am the best. I am the best. I am the best.

It was like a mantra running through my mind, filling me with warm confidence that I really needed at the moment.

This was the last soccer match of the year. My team had made it into the finals for the third year in a row. Unlike the previous years, this time we were determined not to lose. And so we had put up a fight and now it came down to this. We finished at a draw – Gold Coast College against Sunshine Girls' Grammar. So now it was time for the tiebreaker kick.

I signalled my team around me with one hand. The gold and blue colours of our school soccer uniform swamped me. The girls gathered around and I could feel a sense of anticipation in the air.

"This is our last shot," I told them. "The ref has decided to have a sudden death penalty shoot-out since we've already gone thirty minutes overtime."

The girls around me nodded solemnly. I flexed my neck, taking a look to see who I would pick for the penalty kick. My eyes found beautiful crystal blue ones and I slowly let a grin appear on my face.

"No, no, no!" My best friend, the fashionista, Silena Beauregard, squeaked. Her eyes had widened and her hands were waving wildly about. For a split second I felt like laughing, and then I remembered the situation.

"Come on, Silena." I smiled and she looked around doubtfully.

"Why don't you take the shot, Thalia? You are after all the star forward of the team." She pointed out, pleading with her eyes to the rest of the team to agree with her. And damn, they did. Majority rules, I suppose. I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Fine."

I felt my heart hammer against my chest as I jogged to the penalty area. The referee was some old lady named Mrs Dodds. As I neared her presence, I shivered. She was just so… creepy.

"Players, step forward," the ref spoke in a high pitched nasally voice. "Choose: heads or tails?" She turned to me, revealing a fifty cent coin in her wrinkly palm.

"Tails," I said confidently, eyeing up the girl beside me. I had seen her play earlier as an offensive midfielder, and I knew her volleys were good.

"Heads, I guess," she said in a monotone, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. I raised my brow in challenge and she quickly looked away.

The ref threw the coin in the air then flipped it on her arm. She raised her head. "Tails. Gold Coast College play first."

I nodded and waited for the other team to clear off. The crowd by now had realised that the game was starting again, and soon they had quietened down into silent spectators. A breeze tickled my nose and I nearly sneezed. I glanced behind me and saw my team. Silena held up crossed fingers.

The ball was put into position.

I am the best. I am the best. I am the best.

I started up my mental chant again and took a few paces back to the side. The white and black ball blinked up at me and I glared at it. My world had switched to just me, the ball, the goal, and the goalie.

The referee blew the whistle, a sharp piercing sound that broke through my thoughts, forcing me into action. If I managed to move within three seconds of the whistle, I would have an advantage – the element of surprise.

I ran at a controlled pace, keeping my body alignment just at the corner of the goal. Then smack! My right foot hit the ball, sweeping nearly underneath it, providing the ball with a clean lift. My hip swung with the motion and I looked up for a quick second, watching the ball spin and bend, aimed precisely to the left of the goalie.

I quickly tensed up my muscles, ready just in case if there happened to be a rebound. But the shot was true. It just brushed past the goalie's fingertips, and I let out a tight smile.

The ref blew the whistle and it was up to the other team. I made eye contact with my goalie, Clarisse La Rue. She grinned at me, cracking her knuckles and flexing her neck. I rolled my eyes at her but couldn't help to grin. I had faith in Clarisse. She was one of the best goalies that I had seen. Though her body build was stocky and large, she was nimble… And hell was she quick.

The Sunshine Grammar girl quickly took her position, looking bored as ever. When the whistle sounded, she took a slow jog to the soccer ball, taking her time, most likely trying to make Clarisse edgy and nervous. When reaching the ball she let out a killer kick, causing the ball to spin at a high speed. Everyone held their breath and I was pretty sure Clarisse was, too.

Then in slow mo, Clarisse's eyes narrowed, locking onto the object. I could see her tense then jump high and sideways, her arms catching the ball to her stomach.

There was a pregnant pause as the teams gradually took the time to realise what had happened. And then Clarisse gave a loud shout of excitement and the other members began grouping together for hugs, shrieking with pure delight. The championship was ours. I looked over to the other school. We would see them again at the trophy night.

I let out a sigh of relief and began scanning the crowd for my father. Zeus Grace wasn't there. He was rarely at my matches. I couldn't help but feel disappointment brew in my chest.

"Thalia!" I spun around at the very sound of my name. Silena was jogging up to me, arm in arm with a very not amused Clarisse. "Come, we've got to thank the other team!"

"Silena," I said in an exasperated voice, but she grasped my hand and started to pull me back to the others. As I was dragged, I couldn't help but look behind me one more time. This time I saw two men dressed in black suits. They were discussing something – arguing, it seems – and they kept looking at me.

-!-

I was actually jealous of Silena and her magical talent of keeping perfect during sports. Whether it was training or actual competition, her hair would be fashionably messy, and she made the soccer uniform look like it was ready for a sports catwalk. Unlike me, she had a very slim and slender figure. In contrast, I was curvy, and my… assets were noticeably bigger than hers, front-wise and back-wise.

"Stop staring," she grinned, shrugging out of the jersey and into a pink tank top.

I pouted. "It's not my fault. You've got a great figure," I complimented.

"You too, you know," she spun around, eyeing my bust and petite waist. "I'd kill for your waist."

We were in the locker rooms changing. As usual, everyone had finished up and left quickly. And as expected, Silena was the last in the changing rooms. For some reason she just took so, so, long.

I had finished ages ago, and I do mean ages ago. So while I lounged on the oh-so-comfy steel benches that poked into my back, Silena was busy styling her hair now in the mirror.

Completely bored by now, I stood up and stretched, coming to stand next to her. "Done?" I asked.

She giggled and my lips twitched upwards a bit. Her happiness was contagious. "Nooo!" She dragged out and then tugged my arm so that we stood in the mirror together.

I took one glance then blanched at my reflection. We were almost the same height, Silena just being a centimetre or two taller. People said that we looked like sisters. We kind of did with our blue eyes, black hair and fair skin. If we were, I'd have to say that Silena would be the pretty one. Silena's hair was sleek and full of volume, ending above her stomach; mine was curly and wavy and was cut into a pixie style at my shoulders.

"Okay, I'm finished," she smiled at the mirror and batted her eyelashes. "How do I look?"

"Spiffing."

She let out an unladylike snort, moving to grab our duffle bags. I let out a full blown smile. I loved Silena as a sister. She was the closest friend to me, and with her, I could be myself, and so could she.

"Here," she chucked my duffle, and catching it, we walked out of the room.

"Where do you want to grab a snack at?" I asked her, walking around the fencing and out onto the pavement.

"Mm? Gloria Jeans. I could really have an iced chocolate drink now."

-!-

"Last day of term 3," I grinned, knocking my drink gently against Silena's.

"Cheers!" She beamed back at me. "And oh my gosh, off to America! Can you believe it? We were actually chosen by scouts," Silena flipped her long hair off her shoulder and started stirring her drink with her straw. "We. Were. Chosen."

I nodded. "But there are only two people that I know of that are going for the scholarship: you and me. There's supposed to be three. Who's the third?"

She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Beats me."

My phone beeped and I picked it up.

From Jace: Sis, Dad sent you a list of your main competitors. Check it out! :D

Silena took a sip of her iced chocolate. "Who is it?"

"Jason," I replied, stirring my drink absentmindedly. Then I checked my inbox, finding the message from my dad. Silena leaned over, reading aloud the message. "Thalia, your scholarship puts you in a competition to win a partnership with a sports label. Your biggest competitor for soccer would be Luke Castellan. He's known to be a junior soccer star like you. His stats are down below." Silena scrolled down and then gasped. "Holy shit, he's a babe!"

A tingling feeling went up my spine as Silena showed me his profile. Oh boy. He was a hottie. "He's alright." I heard myself say, and Silena rolled her eyes.

"Sure, sure." She grinned. "Check out his stats. He's a forward like you. Damn, girl, he's going to be some real tough competition! No wonder your dad said he would be your biggest competitor!"

I sat back in the arm chair. I felt as if someone had sucker punched me in the head. "I'll just have to do better than him then."

Silena nodded. "You going to eat that?" She gestured at my untouched strawberry mousse cake.

Shaking my head, I pushed the plate over to her and watched as she dug in.

I took another long look at my phone screen where the photo of the blonde boy smirked up at me in a cocky and challenging way. It was almost as if he were saying, "Come get the partnership from me." The corners of my lips tugged upwards.

I loved a challenge.

A/N: Thankies to xXN1C0L3Xx :*