The sky was the perfect shade of blue overhead as Percy effortlessly carved his way down the snowy mountain on a borrowed board. Spending a week in Colorado at some ritzy ski lodge had been a last minute call for he and his mom, but when Paul extended the invitation to tag along at the tail end of his business trip, all expenses paid, the offer was kind of hard to pass up. The vacation would be good for them, was his mother's reasoning. After all that had happened back home in New York over the last year and a half, they we both long overdue for some rest and relaxation.

At the bottom of the slope, Percy expertly came to a stop and removed his snow goggles, squinting against the sun as he looked back over where he'd come. The corner of his mouth quirked up in the hint of a smirk. Advanced, He thought. Not too shaby.

If he were being modest, he'd chalk it up to luck, but snow boarding was too much like surfing- a hobby at which he was proficent. It was almost as if in an instant, the snow and the mountains would fade away and he'd be back on the water, riding the waves with the sun at his back, living in a moment where he truely felt free. Almost. But not quite.

"I figured I'd find you out here."

Percy turned around and smiled at the sight of his mother trudging through the snow in his direction, dressed in so many layers that the only thing exposed to the cold was a small portion of her face, just enough to speak to her son without a struggle.

"Was it that obvious?" He asked, extending an arm to steady her as she found her footing next to him.

"Actually, it was. You've been spending more time out here in the snow than anything else. Is everything alright?"

Sally Jackson looked at her son, a question in her blue eyes. Seventeen years looking at that face and yet she still found him incedibly hard to read.

"Did Paul say anything to you?" As good of a man as he was, the last few years left a shadow of doubt in the back of her mind regarding her son and any man in her life, including Paul. If something was amiss, she wanted to know now.

Percy shook his head. "No, no, nothing like that." He assured her. "I just figured I'd give you two some space. You know me. Being a thrid wheel isn't really my thing."

He watched her playfully roll her eyes and was releaved to see the look of concern leave her face.

"Ha," She laughed drly. "I wish it were like that. Paul and I snuggled up by some fire with a glass of wine or getting couples messages in the spa-"

Off of her son's furrowed brow, she quickly added, "BUT he's been stuck in some last minute meetings so I've been left to wander in and out of gift shop all day, gorging myself on complementary cider and stale cookies."

"Well, you could always come out here." He gestured to the surrounding snow covered trees and the mountains just in the distance. "It's really beautiful out here and snow boarding's not that hard once you get used to it."

She smiled at his offer but shook her head. "You know me and the cold don't really get along too well. And anyway, I've actually come to get you. It'll be getting dark soon and Paul wants us to meet him in that nice restaurant on the first floor for dinner tonight."

"Oh, sure. Let me just return this stuff back to the rental place."

"I'll walk with you."

Together they began to make their way back toward the lodge. As they walked, Percy cast a glance at his mother.

"So, what was that you said about stale cookies?"

Hours later and all that remained on Percy's plate was the crust of what had been a massive piece of apple pie. He sat back in his chair, content to let the food comma settle in as his mother and Paul talked on about work. How anyone could manage to engage in conversation for that long about conferences and lesson plans was beyond him, but as long as they didn't expect him to contribute, he was fine with it.

He felt himself begin to doze off when suddenly he heard his name.

"You know Percy," Paul was saying. "I'm really sorry the three of us haven't really had the opportunity to spend any quality time together on this trip. I'd hoped that we'd atleast be able to do something other than dinner." Paul rubbed at his stubble covered cheek the way he always did when something frustrated him. "I just wasn't expecting that conference yestaerday to last so long, and then that emergency meeting today." He sighed. "I really am sorry."

Sally reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Paul's. "I'm sure Percy understands, dear." She said with a gentle smile.

As much as he hated when people spoke for him, Percy nodded in agreement. There was something genuine in Paul's dark eyes that made Percy reluctant to become annoyed by the man's grand gestures to woo his mother and himself constantly. He was truely just a nice guy, the type of man Percy wanted for his mother. And the way she looked at Paul was almost enough on it's own to make Percy accept him with ease into their family. Almost.

"Yeah, It's really no big deal, Paul. Sometimes stuff comes up. I'm just glad you invited us. The slopes here are amazing."

Paul's expression relaxed into a smile. "Oh, really? The weatherman's calling for freah snow tonight. Maybe we can all get out there in the morning."

"Yeah? That'd be great," Percy said with a mischevious grin that passed for a lopsided smile. "Mom loves the snow."

Sally shot her son a look before returning her gaze to Paul. "I think that's a wonderful idea although I can't promise I'll be any good."

They looked into each other's eyes long enough for Percy to begin to feel uncomfortable. He was just about to dismiss himself back to his hotel room when Paul spoke up once again.

"Oh! I almost forgot to mention. Percy, they have a kid's party downstairs in the Freestyle club. I thought maybe you'd be interested in going instead of spending New Years Eve with the two of us at the hotel bar."

"Kid's Party?" Percy tried not to cringe. Even if it wasn't some organized event by the overworked staff of this resort, Percy simply wasn't the partying type. The few parties he'd been to just weren't his speed. Absolutely no pleasure could come from awkwardly standing around with other teenagers while bad music blared from the stereos.

"Young adult." His mother corrected. "Paul's right, honey. It sounds like a good time."

It didn't take long for Percy to give in under the pressure of Paul's hopeful expression and his mother's expectant one. He forced a smile.

"Sure, I'll go."

Fifteen minutes into the party and Percy wanted to leave. He felt beyond awkward, standing near the back of the room talking to some guy about some show he'd only seen once. He was out of his element and nothing was making him want to stay. Not the watered down punch, not the small talk, not even the occasional dance battle that broke out only to end almost immediately when one person chickened out. Nothing.

To make it even worse, on a small makeshift stage in the center of the room, random kids were being goaded on by their friends to sing bad karaoke songs in front of the entire crowd. It was the one thing that made Percy grateful that his friends were back in New York instead of suffering here at this party with him.

"In the new season," The guy was saying. "They aren't even together! Can you believe that?"

Percy smiled politely and nodded. "That's crazy."

"Right? Like what was even the point of-"

Percy raised an eyebrow when the boy suddenly stopped talking. "The point of what?"

The boy laughed out loud and pointed at Percy. "HA HA! Good luck man."

"What are you-"

Percy turned around and was instantly blinded by a spotlight shinning in his face. Hands grabbed at his arms as he was led forward.

"Hang on a sec!" Percy pulled his arm free only to realize where he'd been taken.

"Absolutely not!" He said from his place on the karaoke stage.

Around him the crowd hooped and hollered with excitement at the fresh entertainment. Before he could protest further, a mic was thrust into his hand and music began to play.

Percy could feel the scowl forming on his brow as the song's intro began to fade and the words appeared on the screen. It was a popular song he'd heard a thousand times on the radio. He took an annoyed breath and sang the first line.

He had no idea why he did it and he instantly regretted it. This is so stupid, he thought to himself. He turned to step off the stage when he heard a soft, unsure voice sing the next line.

Percy whipped around to see a petite girl standing next to him. When had she gotten there? Her eyes were closed as she continued her verse, gripping the mic with both hands as she sang.

Percy tried not to stare, but he couldn't help it. She stood out among everyone he'd seen all night. She wore all white, all the way down to her perfectly polished dress looked like an over sized sweater with a neckline that exposed her soft brown shoulders. Silver hooped earrings hung from her ears. Her hair was a curious auburn color he'd seen on so few people before, curly and swept up into a bun on the top of her head. Her shoes were white, too. A pair of high heels much too formal for a chaperoned teen party. He spent more time than he'd ever admit looking at her legs, smooth as satin. And her voice, her voice was like nothing he'd ever heard before. Low but sweet, gaining confidence with every word she said.

His next part was approaching and he took the opportunity to look at the screen and regain his composure. It was a shared line and the sound of their voices together spurred him to continue despite his previous objection. He cast a glance in her direction and noticed that, while her eyes were still closed, she was smiling and the sight made his mouth turn up at the corners.

As the song came to a close the crowd around them erupted into cheers and Percy turned to look at the girl. She ended her last note and gave a small sigh of relief before finally turning toward him. A pair of warm brown eyes, speckled with gold took in his face, narrowing just a bit as she smiled up at him.

Percy was stunned into silence as he looked at her and she looked at him. He felt a grin take form on his lips as he extended his hand to her.

"Percy." He introduced himself loudly over the sound of the crowd.

She took his hand, her earrings waving back and forth as she shook it.

"Hazel."

A/N: First I would like to thank you so, so much for reading the very first chapter of this fic. (Bonus points to whoever can guess what movie this story parallels). Don't worry if direct parallels aren't your thing though. This story takes place in that universe (sort of) but the plot is wildly different and none of those characters show up here (which is why I don't consider it a crossover). You'll see what I mean next chapter, which will be Hazel's POV. Also, don't be afraid to review. I don't bite ;) and for anyone who's curious, everyone is human in this one. Thanks again for reading!

See you soon,

NJ.