Hey guys. I posted a story a few months ago, but ended up abandoning it. I apologize for that. This is my new story. I have almost gotten over my slump, So I hope to write a chapter every week. You can yell at me if I do not though. I hope you enjoy!

I do not own any of these characters. All are owned by Rick Riordan. The best author ever.

Plane rides were nauseating.

At least that's what Annabeth thought as she clutched the armrest, bracing herself during the turbulence. The intricate necklace that sat perfectly between her breasts bounced around at the movement. Her other hand reaching up to hold it in her palm.

"This is flight 1450 California to New York. We will be landing in a few minutes. Please put your seat belts on and thank you for flying with us." The intercom blared out as they steadied from the bouncing. Releasing a sigh, she pulled her phone out and switched the song.

After they landed, she dragged her luggage through the packed airport. Narrowly avoiding a family sprinting by. As she walked she pulled out her headphones and turned on deafening music to keep strangers at bay. Her aunt had texted her before she boarded the plane back in Cali, stating she wouldn't be able to pick her up from the airport due to "work related issues" or some shit.

So Annabeth wandered through the building, getting bumped into and never even looked at twice. She had no real idea where she was going, since the last time she came to visit her aunt, she was like 7. So aimlessly wandering seemed like a prospect she could manage.

Half hour later she emerged from the front doors of the airport, at least she assumed it was the front. A row of bright yellow taxis sat in a row directly in front of her, no doubt waiting for people like her. So she quickly padded over to the neared empty one and got it.

After telling the driver where to go, she leaned back against the seat and let out a sigh.

New York.

The city of Lights – Or was that Paris? Who knows.

Annabeths phone buzzed, jolting her out of a daze. Looking down she realized it was her aunt calling her, no doubt just remembering that she had landed. 45 minutes ago.

"Annie!"

"Aunt Penny, hi"

"I'm sorry again I couldn't come pick you up when you landed! But I'll be done work in just a few hours, and we can go out to dinner tonight. Sound good?"

Sighing, Annabeth just nodded. Then realizing her aunt couldn't see her recognition, she quickly replied.

"Everyone else is at the house though. So just head over there and get settled in. I'll see you after!" Before she could even inhale to respond, her aunt had hung up the phone. Sighing again, she turned her music back on and faded out for the rest of the ride.

New York. Home sweet home.

Splash

A flurry of limbs, rapid breathing, and water splashing was the only thing you could see and hear from the pool side. Every now and then, if you really strained your eyes, you could make out a bit of muscle, maybe a facial feature or two.

Tumbling underwater and launching himself off the far wall, Percy emerged from the water, taking a deep breath and slicing through the waves with his pointed arms.

"5 more feet" he thought as his muscles burned and lungs protested the assault.

His fingers gripped the edge of the pool as he caught his breath, yanking off the goggles and pulling himself onto the concrete floor.

Almost beat it.

A few seconds too long.

Had to get better.

His head was spinning as he stood, instantly surrounded by his friends and teammates. Cheers and slaps on the back was all that registered to Percy before he quickly ran to the showers to clear his mind.

"Not good enough"

"You'll never be the best"

He slammed his fist into the wall as the water poured over him. Engulfing his entire being.

"Hey man, you OK?" Percy nearly slipped as he spun around, hiding his bloody knuckles behind him in a completely casual way. Nico stood at the entrance to the shower room, concern laced his features.

Sighing, Percy just nodded.

"ANNIE!"

Oh god

With a strained smile, Annabeth turned and greeted her cousin. They weren't very close to begin with, considering they grew up on opposite sides of the country, but Piper always acted like her little sister whenever they saw each other.

"Hey Pipes. How've you been?" Her cousin wasn't much shorter than her, so it was hard to avoid eye contact.

"Really good. And even better now that you're living with us!" She was practically gleaming.

I guess she doesn't understand why I'm living here huh?

"Yeah."

"Gosh I can't wait till I can take you to school tomorrow! It'll be so much fun. You can meet all the girls, and we can hang out with the guys. It'll be great!"

Right, cause starting at a new school in the middle of the year wasn't bad enough.

"Listen, Piper. I'd rather just keep to myself and focus on my school work, OK?" Her cousin's smile dropped, but she still nodded.

"I'm sorry Annabeth, but you'll be staying in the attic for right now. At least until Jake goes away to college this fall. Sound alright?" Turning slightly, she just nodded at her uncle before grabbing her stuff and stalking into the house.

Home sweet home.

After spending an hour arranging her stuff around the room, Annabeth pulled out her phone and searched up nearby places.

Dunkin Donuts – 1.5m away

Starbucks – 0.6m away

Aqua Delight – 0.2m away

The hell is Aqua Delight?

Sighing, she just grabbed her headphones and headed downstairs.

"Hey uncle, I'm gonna go grab some coffee and wander around the neighborhood a bit. I'll be back in 2 hours, OK?" He just nodded, not looking up from his computer.

The surrounding area was nice, considering where she was. As she stalked to the weirdly named cafe, she flooded her head with blasting music and avoided eye contact with every stranger on the street. Before her third song ended, she was standing in front of the cafe.

Everything was blue.

Like seriously. Everything was blue.

As she walked inside, the overwhelming aroma of pastries filled her senses. Not 5 feet in front of her were 3 huge display cases, showing off desserts. All of which were tinted blue. Along the back wall were posters, and retro signs. Light fixtures from the 60s and 70s hung along the walls. It was like this place tried to be modern but retro all at once. It was a lot to take in.

"Good afternoon! How may I help you?"

Looking around, Annabeth finally noticed the older looking lady sitting behind one of the tall cases.

"Uh, can I have a large coffee and a toasted bagel please?" The lady behind the counter nodded and gestured for Annabeth to sit. Turning, she spotted a comfy looking armchair tucked away in the far corner. As she made her way over, she realized just how empty the place was.

"There's a swim meet tonight. Everyone's at the school cheering on our boys" looking down at her watch, she smiled. "It actually just finished, so this place will get busy soon. Enjoy"

Annabeth just nodded her thanks and went back to her journal.

The lady wasn't wrong. Within 30 minutes the cafe was swamped with teenagers. Many people stopped and stared at her, but never came to talk. Everyone was laughing and cheering. There were a group of guys in the middle of the pack, all wearing sports hoodies.

The swimmers I assume.

"Can I get you any more coffee my dear?" the older lady asked, startling Annabeth.

"Uh, no. I'm OK. Is it ok if I just sit here for a little longer? I want to finish something."

"Yeah, by all means" the lady nodded, smiling. "Are you new here? I've never seen you around."

"Oh. I just moved here from California. I live with my aunt and uncle down the road" she pointed out the window to her left.

"Well then, welcome! I hope you enjoy staying here. I assume you'll be going to Goode, so I'll tell my boys to take care of you, alright?" the lady pointed at the group of swimmers, some of which were watching them.

"No, it's ok. I'm fine on my own, thank you though. And thank you for the coffee." The lady just smiled and nodded.

"Hey mom, is it ok if Jason stays the night? His dad is..." Annabeth didn't even notice him walk up.

Turning, the older woman just nodded, patting him – her son – on the shoulder and heading back to the counter.

"Hey, you're new here right?"

Annabeth didn't bother looking up, just nodded and sipped the remaining coffee in her cup.

"Well hi. I'm Percy. Captain of the swim team, and school heartthrob." She didn't need to look up to know he was smirking.

"That's nice."

"That's..nice?"

"Is it not nice?"

"Well I mean, I don't know. Most girls love that line."

Sighing, Annabeth finally tilted her head up to look at him. The first thing she noticed was his eyes. Sea green and so fucking beautiful. Even with the mischievous glint in them. His shaggy black hair was a mess, clearly still drying. Rolling her eyes, she just looked back down at her book and kept writing.

Scoffing, Percy just turned and strode away.

Gathering her stuff up, Annabeth headed for the counter to pay for her drinks and spotted someone watching her. He was tall – taller than that Percy guy – and his short blond hair was a lot more tamed than his as well. Electric blue eyes bore into her, making her micromanage every movement she made.

He looks so familiar. Where have I seen him before?

"Jase quit staring. You'll give her a panic attack." A girl walked up behind the boy and smacked him upside the head. With the eye contact broken, Annabeth inhaled sharply and hurried over to the desk to pay.

Without looking back, she bolted out of the cafe and went straight home.

Percy was watching her long before his mom went over to talk. It was the perfect excuse to introduce himself. Gaining the courage, he be-lined over to where his mom stood and let out a breath.

"Hey mom, is it ok if Jason stays the night? His dad is..."

She didn't even look up when he walked over. Maybe she had headphones in and couldn't hear him?

Turning, his mom just smiled and nodded, walking away.

"Hey, you're new here right?"

The girl didn't even look up, just nodded and sipped the remaining fluid in her cup.

Licking his lips, he continued,"well hi. I'm Percy. Captain of the swim team, and school heartthrob." He threw on his signature smirk and watched her. She remained staring at the book in her hands.

"That's nice." What

"That's..nice?"

"Is it not nice?" This girl is something else

"Well I mean, I don't know. Most girls love that line."

She finally looked up at him.

Holy shit

The first thing he noticed were her eyes. Beautiful, stormy grey eyes bore into him. He couldn't read what emotion was floating around in them though. Her curly blond hair was framing her face, making her eyes even brighter. Rolling her eyes, she just looked back down at her book.

Scoffing, Percy just shook his head and turned on his heel.

What is up with her?

As he made his way over to the guys, his mind couldn't get away from that expression in her eyes.

Her eyes

Those eyes were so beautiful

"Who were you talking to?" It was Jason who asked, but everyone was waiting for the answer.

"I don't know. She didn't tell me her name." Sighing, he just pulled out his phone and texted Nico.

Do you know if we have any new students enrolling? - P

Within minutes he got his reply.

Yeah, a new girl starts tomorrow. Piper's cousin apparently. - N

"She's related to Piper McLean." Everyone just nodded.

Jason didn't ask anything more. As Percy looked up from his phone, he realized why.

Jason was staring at her. The new girl. Her back was to them as she made her way over to the counter to pay. No doubt leaving because of their encounter. Scoffing, he continued to watch. Something shifted in her movements as she turned and stared at Jason.

"Jase quit staring. You'll give her a panic attack" Taliyah said as she slapped him upside the head. He grabbed his injury and pouted to his sister, sticking out his tongue as she laughed at him.

Percy spotted a blur of blond and caught a glimpse of her as she bolted out the door.

Annabeth hurried inside and went straight to her room. Ignoring the hellos from her uncle and cousins. She threw herself on her bed and buried her face in the pillows.

Who was he?

Why was he staring at her?

Beep beep

Her phone chimed, signaling she got a message. Pulling it out of her pocket, she smiled and unlocked it.

I swear I'm going insane. But I think I saw your doppelganger – Lightningkid

What do you mean by that? - Wisegirl

There was this girl that looked exactly like you at this coffee shop I was at with the boys – Lightningkid

Weird. - Wisegirl

I know right?! You live in Cali, how could you be here in NY randomly? XP – Lightningkid

New York?

Must've been a mistake. I gotta go though, school tomorrow. - Wisegirl

Same same, early practice in the morning. Goodnight! - Lightningkid

Sighing, Annabeth threw down her phone and buried her face in the pillow again.

Was it him?

Did she really manage to go to the exact same cafe as him on her first day in the same city?

What a bunch of crap.

Groaning, Annabeth just set her alarm and turned off the lights.

Tomorrow is gonna be a long day.

What do you think? Good? Bad? Should I stop writing in general? Let me know. Please Read and Review!

On a side note though, you guys should definitely need to listen to Round and Round by Heize. It's a part of the OST for Goblin. A new kdrama. It's the most beautiful song I've ever head. You'll love it.