Take Me Home

by Amy's Mischievous Little Owl

Disclaimer : All rights belong to their respective owners.

Prologue

The sun's rays shone through the clouds as the day started. A small town was slowly coming to life. The ringing of alarm clocks broke the eerie silence followed by tired yawns. The adults went outside to collect the morning paper, saying hello to their neighbours in the process. The children trudged (or were dragged) out of bed to get ready for school. Birds chirped in the morning and a soft breeze made dried leaves dance across the lawn. The morning for this town was like any other.

Except for the family that just moved in.

Inside a white cottage, a young woman with chestnut-coloured hair dashed around frantically. In one of her hands was a piece of cloth and in the other was a feather duster. The woman was busy dusting the shelves, getting rid of cobwebs and dust bunnies. The furniture in the house were arranged properly and there was a broom leaning against the wall near an open window. The door to one of the rooms in the cottage opened and a teenager walked out.

The teen's raven-coloured hair was slightly damp, his sea green eyes were somewhat half-lidded and he yawned. He was wearing a white shirt with grey pants. Slung over his shoulder was a blue backpack. The young woman stopped all of her actions when she noticed the boy. "Percy," she chastised. "Comb your hair." Percy sighed and walked over to a round table in the kitchen. He set down his backpack in an empty chair.

"It can't be combed, Mom," Percy said, referring to his hair. "I've tried a million times already." Percy poured some cereal into an empty bowl. After that, he poured some milk and started eating.

Percy's mother started to lecture him about his new school. "When you go to school, try and make friends. Don't make enemies. Be nice to other people. Respect your teacher. Pay attention in class," those were the things she was saying. Percy replied to each of them with an unenthusiastic hum. "And don't make the principal call me on the first day." Percy had finished eating and stood up.

"I know, Mom," Percy said, picking up his backpack. "You always tell me every time we move. I've memorized it all ready."

His mother looked at him skeptically. Percy sighed.

"I need to go," Percy changed the topic. "The bus will be here soon." True to his statement, the sound of honking came from outside. Percy kissed his mother's cheek and muttered a quick goodbye. He ran out of the door and boarded the bus.

"Mornin'", the bus driver greeted him with a cheerful expression. Percy forced a smile and nodded back before walking to find an empty seat on the bus. The other kids on the bus stopped talking when Percy passed and he was a bit curious as to why. Percy felt pairs of eyes follow him as he spotted an empty seat at the back of the bus next to a blonde teen who was gazing out of the bus window. He felt the air tense when he sat down next to the teen. He also heard someone gasp.

The blonde directed her gaze away from the window. As soon as she did that, all activities in the bus resumed as if nothing happened. Percy frowned, confused. The blonde girl had taken out a book from her bag and was busy reading it. Percy took a few peeks at the girl. Her hair was curly like a princess's and she had tanned skin. She was wearing a dark blue blouse, a pair of brown jeans and black boots. The girl's eyes flitted up and she turned to look at Percy. She caught him looking at her.

Percy noticed that her eyes were a deep shade of grey. Realizing that he was caught in an embarrassing situation, he thrust out his hand. "Hello, my name's Percy." He gave her a charming smile. The blonde looked at his hand, her lips set in a firm line. Afterr a while, Percy put down his hand. "What's your name?" he tried to keep the conversation going. The girl didn't answer. Instead, she returned to her book. Percy turned away, feeling slightly rejected and curious about her behavior.

When the bus stopped in front of the school, Percy quickly stepped out. He stared at his new school for a while. Then, the blonde stepped off the bus, her hands grasping the straps of her green bag. She walked in a straight line. Percy noticed that everyone was making a path for her. A tall boy quickly stepped out of her way with an alarmed expression on his face. Percy wondered if the girl was popular at school.

~.~

Aft collecting his schedule and his boring tour around the school led by a really perky redhead, Percy went to his first class which was Algebra. He knocked on the door twice before walking in. The teaching session stopped as everyone looked at him. The teacher gave him a creepy smile. "Ah," she gestured for Percy to stand next to her. "This is your new classmate. Introduce yourself."She directed that last part to Percy. Percy's eyes scanned the room and found the same blonde girl sitting in the back of the class, alone.

Percy ruled out the possibility for her to be popular because she seemed to be isolated. " My name is Percy Jackson," he said. "I moved here from New York." Some girls started to smile at him. The teacher told him to sit in any seat and the only available on was beside the blonde. As he made his way, a black-haired girl caught his hand and he looked at her questioningly.

"Be careful," she muttered loud enough for him to hear before turning her attention to the whiteboard. Percy frowned as he pondered the meaning behind that warning. He sat down in the seat and flashed a smile to the blonde, hoping to seem friendly. The blonde didn't even pay attention to him as she was busy scribbling in her book. Feeling rejected for the second time, Percy decided to pay attention (failing).

After class, Percy ran out of the door to talk to the black-haired girl. He found her talking to some of her friends by a locker. He noticed his redhead guide in the group. He approached them. "Hey," he greeted. The girls looked at him, questioningly. Percy turned to the girl he was looking for. "Why'd you say that to me?" he asked. The black-haired girl was dressed in black like a goth. She raised an eyebrow.

"It was for your own safety," she answered, briskly. The other girls listened to the conversation. " Name's Thalia, by the way. These are my girls, Rachel and Piper." Okay, Percy wasn't expecting for an introduction.

"Safety?" he asked. "From what?" His mother said that this town was harmless.

Rachel, the redhead, whispered, "Annabeth.". Percy frowned.

"Annabeth?" he asked out loud. The girls glared at him. He gave them an apologetic look. "Who is she?"

"The blonde," Piper answered. Oh, so that was the mysterious blonde's name. Annabeth.

"Why is she a threat?" asked Percy, still confused as hell. Thalia looked around. Satisfied that no one was eavesdropping, she told Percy.

"Annabeth is a freak." Before she could explain, the bell rang for lunch. Everyone dashed outside for some sunshine. Thalia and her friends were gone in a flash. Percy sighed and went outside to eat his packed lunch his mother made for him.

Outside, some people were sitting under trees, eating food they bought. Younger kids were playing. There were a lot of tables and most of them were fully occupied. Except for one. The one Annabeth was sitting in. Despite what Thalia told him, he was determined to at least get a word out of Annabeth. Percy boldly walked to her table and sat in front of her. "Hey Annabeth," he greeted her as if they were best friends. He took out a brown paper bag and pulled out the contents as he spoke. "Nice weather, huh?"

Percy expected no answer. " Why are you still here?" He looked up. Annabeth was glaring at him. Her eyebrow was raised. "Haven't the other kids told you? Didn't Thalia and her friends tell you?". Percy scratched the back of his neck, nervously. "Normally, when people know the truth, they steer clear away from me." Their conversation didn't go unnoticed by other kids. Even if the others were eating, their ears were listening.

"They didn't get that far," he answered.

Annabeth didn't blink. "Go away." The blonde started to eat her food.

"Why should I steer clear of you?" Percy asked, not wanting to go. He wanted the truth. "Just because they said you were a freak, doesn't mean you are one." Annabeth looked up and wiped the corners of her mouth.

"You don't know the half of it." Percy scoffed.

"Then enlighten me. You've been ignoring me since I introduced myself on the bus. I'm trying to be polite and you are being difficult. You don't seem dangerous so I shouldn't be afraid of you because I have no reason to." Annabeth looked at him and he stared back. She opened her mouth and Percy expected her to send some comment his way but something else happened.

A pair of fangs appeared suddenly and Percy's pulse quickened.

"Do you have a reason now?" Annabeth asked as she smiled. Annabeth retracted her fangs and got up. In a blink of an eye, she was gone.

Percy gulped. Annabeth was a vampire?

A/N:

This is the Vampire!AnnabethXPercy story I promised. Review!

I KNOW that vamps don't go out in the sunlight.

I'll explain why Annabeth can in the next chapter.

This is not Twilight-y , okay?

Amy.