Chapter 1: The cabin

I woke up in a very beautiful bedroom. Dim lights, wooden walls and ceiling, peaceful smell of the ocean. It's safe to say, I am near a beach, in fact, when I open the curtains I can clearly see the ocean a few yards away. Where am I? Is this a dream? I don't ever remember being in this place, even though I live in the West coast, I've never seen this place. It's so peaceful and quiet, almost makes you not want to go back home. I keep looking around the room, there is a picture of a lady with a kid. She is gorgeous, beautiful brown hair and big blue eyes, almost as blue as the sky. And the kid, has a very unique smile, the kind of smile that makes you want to smile back and piercing green eyes. I gasp at how green his eyes are, even through it's a picture I can clearly see the ocean in his eyes, so mesmerizing. I put the picture back down and keep scanning the room. Again I ask, what is this place? It feels so real, so warm and cozy. I look at my hands and I realize that I'm wearing a wedding band. I keep looking at my wedding ring like it's an abomination, I don't even have a boyfriend to get married to, so more importantly, who did I married? I have never liked any boy in my entire life. As I'm processing whatever that is going on, I distantly hear on the other side of the room.-"Who are you?" A male voice, not too deep, but enough to make his presence known in the room. I turned around and saw the same boy with green eyes, and I couldn't find myself to answer that question. The questions from before still linger at the back of my head, but right now all I can think of is his eyes. I stopped myself for a moment to gather my thoughts, focus Annabeth, focus.-"My name is..."

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

I woke up instantly. It was a dream, after all. But it felt so real, so tangible. I've never had a dream that vivid before. Where was I? I can't remember the beach, or the place I was at, all I could remember is the boy with the green eyes, piercing through my soul as he watched me with a serious expression. It was on that moment I realized that I woke up crying, it feels like I lost a part of my soul. I've never felt this way before, why is this happening? This would be first time that Senior Year Annabeth Chase is speechless. I get up from my bed and run straight to the shower, I don't want anyone to find out I'm crying, especially since not even I know the reason for it, all I know is that I feel empty inside. I spend a good 45 minutes in the shower processing everything I remember from the dream.

As I get out of the bathroom, I hear my roommate yell at me, as usual.

"Annabeth! What in the world? Why did it take you so long? I have somewhere to be in 20 minutes!!" She was going to keep going until she saw my face, and her eyes widened. Leave it to Thalia to figure out my mood as soon as she sees my eyes. I hate and love how she knows something is wrong immediately.

"What's wrong?" She asks with a worried face "Did you get turned down on the internship at NY?" I wish, even if I got turned down from NY, i wouldn't be feeling like this.

"Nothing Thalia, I just woke up feeling horrible, I feel like I just lost a part of my soul, and I don't know why" I started explaining my dream to her, at least what I could remember. She looks at me thoughtfully, and I can tell that she's trying as hard as I am to figure out the dream.

"Hmm, I don't know Annie. I don't know what to think of it right now. I'm picking you up from school today so we can talk about it more, is that ok?"

"It's fine Thalia, I have to work today with my Mom, she asked me to help her with the architecture section at the library" I didn't want to turn her down, but there is not enough information in order to discuss something that I don't even know what it is.

She looks at me funny and brushes it off. She went into the shower and I went to my room to change and get ready for my last day at college. I'll be going to NY in a couple of weeks to have an interview with some people at an architecture firm. If things go well, after a year I might even get to stay at the company and make my dreams come true.

-LINE BREAK-

"By the way Annie, my cousin is visiting SF this week" Thalia told me as soon as I got home, leave it to her to be really straight forward "I think you should come with us to have dinner on Saturday, Like is coming too" I rolled my eyes at this.

"Are you trying to set me up, Thalia?" I asked her, she always did this, she seemed to love to play Cupid "I already told you, I am not interested in a relationship right now, I cannot mess this up with the interview, I cannot have any distractions" I told her firmly, it was true, I needed to have my focus 100% on the interview, if I messed this up, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, this was my dream, to work at Athena's architecture firm, she was the most amazing woman I've ever seen in my entire life. What I would do to learn from her. I started spacing out, thinking of all the things I could get out of being in that firm.

"Earth to Annabeth!!" Thalia started snapping her fingers in front of my face "I asked you, did you figure out anything from the dream?"

I put a sad face "No Thals, I don't know what it is, at this point I can't even remember his face, it's like every second that passes, my heart aches more and I forget every detail from the dream, it's like something is blocking me to remember" I told her sincerely, and it was true, my heart aches, but I have to be a big girl now, and leave this issue behind for now, at least until after the interview "But anyways, enough of that, let me think on that offer about going to dinner alright? I'll let you know, I promise I will think about it and not bail on you like always" I assured her

"Alright Annie, you better not. Because if you do, you will not see the end of me, that's a promise!" We threatened me and I just brushed it off with a laugh, she can be mean sometimes, but I know deep inside, she a big softie, I can tell. Specially when she's around Luke, it's like she's a completely different person. She laughs at his jokes, which are not bad, but nothing out of this world. She puts make up on her face, obviously nothing overwhelming, but enough no make her eyes pop out, she has some amazing electric blue eyes, and I think that's what got Luke on the first place.

"Alright Thals, so tell me, how is he like? Your cousin" I asked her, genuinely curious "I feel like if I'm going to think about it, might as well know who's the one I'm being set up" I shrugged at the end.

"Curious, aren't we?" She grinned while having this evil look in her eyes, oh oh, this can't never be good. But then, something weird happened, she dropped that look and immediately saddened and concerned look came on her. To say I'm shocked is an understatement "I'm not trying to set you up Annie, either of you. I just thought it would be good for him to get out once in a while, he doesn't have many friends, that I know of, and he rarely even leaves his house, that's what he tells me" Wow, that can't be good for you, there is no way that I wouldn't be going crazy if that was me "Ater a long time of arguing over the phone, I convinced him to come to SF this weekend, I think it might good for him to get out, plus he lives in NY, that way, you would have one friend there and you wouldn't be completely alone" She smiled at the end, who would've thought that miss Thalia Grace would be so thoughtful.

"Ok, I'm definitely going now, you and your fluffy heart, Thalia" I rolled my eyes and give her a hug, after all, how bad could it be? Besides, I could really use a friend from NY "Alright, I'm heading to bed, I got a meeting tomorrow with Mom and Dad" I told her hurriedly and went straight to my room, not even bothering to get something to eat, even if I was a little bit hungry, I was way more tired tonight. I changed to my pajamas and quickly got into bed. Ah, the cool temperature of the sheets made me shiver, bringing some pleasure into my body. God I love going to sleep with a cool bed. As I closed my eyes, I started to drift into a peaceful night sleep.

-On Saturday night-

"ANNABETH!!!" I heard Thalia yell at me for the fifth time, I rolled my eyes "WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE, MOVEEEEEE PLEASE" I'm puzzled, what has gone into her now?

"Jeez, I'm coming, why are you overreacting so much?" I asked her jokingly "It's not like it's the king of England" I laughed at the end and she looked at me mad, like really mad "Okay, I'm sorry, that sounded wrong, my bad Thals" I told her appogetically.

"You see, my cousin, he's a little... How should I put this? He's been through a lot, and family is utmost importance for him, being late, for him is actually disrespecting the other person, especially if it's family, and I don't really want him to feel left out anymore" Wow this is the very first time I actually heard Thalia worry about someone in her family, she mostly complains about her parents never being around when she was a kid, besides the fact that her complete family are a bunch of freaks (Her words, not mine).

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. I'm ready now, shall we go?" I asked her "You really do care a lot for him, don't you?" I can't help but feel a little anxious, how was he? Was he like Nico? I sincerely hope not, I got really freaked out when I met Nico, he is way to dark for my taste and he has this weird passion for the color black, not that I mind, I just find it really weird.

"I do Annie, if only people would see what I see in him" She says and I notice that she's looking to the ground, by this point I'm already curious and my curiousity got the best of me.

"Okay, spill, what is really going on with him?" I asked her, starting to worry about him, if there is something that I know about Thalia, is that she doesn't let her emotional side get the best of her in most cases, but when in comes to him, she just can't help it. By this point we were already in the car and started driving to the restaurant, it was just a few minutes away from out house.

"When he was 7 years old, a tragedy happened. Someone broke in his house, while he and his mom were playing around with his little brother" She was starting to tear up, and tried contaim myself too, I don't think I've ever heard her or seen her cry, focus Annabeth, you're driving "They killed his mom and his little brother in front of him, he barely escaped. He says he can't remember anything from that night, but I know him, I know he remembers it all too well, every detail and it haunts him, it haunts him that he couldn't do anything to save them, all he could do was watch under the table and cry" Poor guy, sympathy started flowing inside me and I couldn't imagine what I would do if that happened to me, loosing my mom in front of my, it's messed up that someone would do such a thing "Either way, he shut himself from everyone that wasn't his family, after all, family was all he had at that point, some said it was a business from his dad gone wrong, others say it was just bad luck, I don't know what to think to this day if I'm being honest, Annabeth. He started to focus on Martial Arts, I think he made a pact with himself not to let it happen again, it is sad to see how destructive it has been for him, because of that, his self confidence was shattered, and no one has been able to bring it back"

"Oh my Gosh Thals, I'm so so so sorry" I felt a pain in my chest, it was so horrible, to think someone so close to her has been in that kind of situation, it just made my heart ache. We just pulled over at the parking lot and I pulled Thalia into a hug, I could tell how much it affected her, but I could also tell that she wanted to help him so much, like no one else.

We were chatting about other stuff, walking towards the restaurant when she said "There! He's already here" she pointed the tall man, I started to analyze him. Tall, probably 6 feet, muscular, not too overt the top, just muscular, you could tell he works out everyday. When I got to his face I stopped breathing, I was so shocked. Very handsome, I thought to myself. Focus Annabeth, you're not here to be set up, you're here to help him. Still, I couldn't stop looking at him, he was looking to the sky, he didn't notice us yet.

"Percy!!" Thalia screamed and ran to him. She jumped into his arms and he was shocked. But smiled and just hugged his cousin "I missed you Kelp Head" I could only stare in amusement to that reaction, I wished I had recorded it, that would've been a good blackmail material.

"It has only been a year since the last time we saw each other, Pinecone face" He started laughing and she hit him on the arm.

"How many times have I told you, not to call me that in public?"

"Too many, I lost count" He grinned at her "Where is Luke by the way? I thought you guys were going to come together" He looked fine to me on the outside, I'm confused. This is the guy who is supposed to have no confidence at all?

"He's coming later, he has to finish some work first" She answered "By the way, this is Annabeth, she's my roommate, the one I was telling you about" she pointed at me and I just smiled and said hi, giving him my hand to shake. His eyes went wide and he just stood there, looking at me. He looked at my hand, then at me again, then at my hand again. I started to feel the awkwardness, so that's what it is, it's outside the family that he starts to crumble. I looked at Thalia and then back at him.

I smiled and told him "Nice to meet you Percy, that's a beautiful name"

"Um.. Ah... T-T-Thanks... Y-You have a beautiful name t-too" He started to get shy and started to look down to the ground. I tilted my head a little bit, while looking at Thalia. She mouthed to me 'I told you' "I-It is nice to m-meet you too" he finished, I could tell how hard it was for him. I've never met someone like him before. There was something about him, something inside of my that screamed for him, seeing him like this, seeing any person like this, broken inside, It just melted my heart with compassion. Especially after hearing his story, although I'm pretty sure there was more that she wasn't telling me. I could feel it in my bones it was more than that. And with that, we went inside to have our dinner, little did I know what I was going into.

Alright, this is it for the first chapter. This is actually my first story ever, let me know in the reviews if you want me to continue it or not, if you liked it or not.Thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week :)*Disclaimer* I do not own any of the characters in this story, they belong to Rick Riordan.