A/N: Ok, so this story was just a random idea I had that I seriously wanted to get written down. It's just an attempt at writing a romance story - you know like Nicholas Sparks he's so awesome by the way! So you should check out his books if you like this one!

I've set this is England - I'm not sure if that's ok with you but it's just easier for me to write it here. Chapters are going to be over 2,000 words and my update schedule may be dodgy - considering that I'm still writing my other fanfictions. All characters belong to Rick Riordan :) please leave a review if you can, I just want to know if anyone actually finds it ok, or if I'm just being boring...bleh. See you!

Hope you like it!

~Cocoa

Chapter 1

My story starts in the north west of England – a small little village that is isolated from any cities or towns. I lived with my mum in a simple little – but cosy - cottage with timbers beams running along the ceilings and open fires in every room. It stood alone from any other houses and had a long dirt drive that led up to the front door. My mum – Sally Jackson - would hang baskets of flowers outside and plant beautiful shrubs and hedges in the garden.

It was a place without noise or disruptions and I would spend hours down by the river with my dog – throwing sticks into the water and taking long walks through the fresh smelling woodland that was located just across a field of cattle.

Leala was a Russian Sledge dog with fur as white as snow and stunning blue eyes that were always full of excitement. I had trained her since she was a pup – that was when I was fifteen. She was a perfect escape from the real world and I would treasure every moment we spent together.

She would sit looking up at me with interest whenever I was playing the piano and wait patiently for me to finish. Her loyalty was beyond what I ever imagined in a dog and even my mum considers her a family member.

When I was seventeen, my piano teacher invited me to perform in a concert – at some large fancy venue with golden balcony's and spotlights. I agreed, not knowing what I was getting myself into – what harm could it possibly be?

On the day of the concert, my mum literally forced me into a black shirt and trousers with a matching tie – which probably made me look a whole lot richer than I actually was. The crisp collar felt like it was choking me, but I honestly tried not to faint on the way there.

Leala sat in the backseats of the car with her tail constantly flopping on the doors, making mum roll her eyes in annoyance. I was surprised that she was even allowed inside the building – what with all the posh furniture and people.

I remember walking into the grand concert hall and just staring at it with an awed expression. Plush red seats and a ceiling that soared high up into the air with patterns and arches going through it. And the amount of people that were there...

My face paled instantly. I had to perform in front of all of them? On my own? It was ridiculous, I've never had experience in playing in front of such a large audience. My piano teacher – Mr Brunner – had some serious issues. I mean, what if I mucked up? I could easily get blinded by the dazzling lights or I could have a sudden mental breakdown when I stepped onto the stage. That would be embarrassing.

"You'll be fine," Mr Brunner had said, stroking his small beard and giving him a cheerful grin. "I wouldn't have asked you if I'd known you'd be terrible."

He then got up and started talking to another person – a conductor of a small string quartet, leaving me alone backstage. I remember that my hands were starting to sweat and my feet could not stop tapping the floor – which probably was infuriating everyone around me.

But honestly, I was terrified. I probably shouldn't have agreed to this. Calm Percy, calm. It's only five minutes on stage and then they'll never see you again. Although a lot could go wrong in five minutes. I could forget a line or hit a wrong note or just forget it completely or -

"You nervous?"

I turned my head and noticed that someone had sat down next to me. A stunningly beautiful girl with honey blonde curls and a simple black dress. Her face had little makeup, but I could tell that she would still be breath taking without.

My hands started to tap anxiously on the edge of my chair. "Um...yeah."

Smooth, Percy, I chided myself. I forced myself not to look at her eyes because if I did, I wouldn't be able to look away.

There was something about her that made my heart skip by just being near me. And frankly, that really freaked me out. She was a complete stranger and had only said two words to me...and now I was thinking 'love at first sight'? I'm such a weirdo.

She smiled warmly, it wasn't mocking like I expected. I had a tendency to think that all girls liked to smile in certain ways to express different emotions...sadness, sarcasm, scrutiny...the list goes on.

"I am as well, it's my second time playing here. But it's not as scary as it looks – although I still find myself shaking before I go on stage," she was sitting dangerously close to me – so close in fact, that I could smell her sweet scented perfume lingering on her skin.

You're getting distracted, I told myself.

"This is my first concert," I muttered, keeping my eyes fixed on the wall in front of me.

"Really? What instrument do you play?"

"The piano," I replied. "What about you?"

"I'm a violinist in a string quartet," she gestured over to a group of people that were chatting together, holding elegant instruments in their hands. "That's the rest of them, Thalia, Silena and Chris. That guy over there is our conductor."

"The guy with a beard like Santa?"

"Yup that's him. I'm Annabeth by the way, Annabeth Chase."

I smiled lightly. It was a pretty name and suited her perfectly. "I'm Percy. Percy Jackson."

"Oh, you must be that soloist – I saw your name in the flyer. Aren't you playing 'La Campanella'?"

"Yeah, it was my teachers' idea."

"I'm glad he chose it, you must be really talented to be able to play it."

Her compliment surprised me and my nervousness seemed to calm down dramatically. I felt myself blush, but I blamed it on the heat of the room. I rubbed the back of my neck – a habit that I would do whenever I felt awkward.

She carried on, her voice held no loss of enthusiasm. "And you're playing it by memory, aren't you? Wow...you must've practiced loads."

I blushed again and then immediately wished that I didn't. Her expression told me that she had seen me, though it only made her smile even more dazzling.

I didn't get the chance to reply when Mr Brunner motioned towards me and gestured towards the door. "I think that's my call."

Annabeth stood up after me. "Good luck."

Before I could react, she kissed my cheek and then tried to suppress a grin at my expression. If Mr Brunner wasn't frantically calling me, I probably would've stayed rooted to the ground for the entire day.

What just happened?

Numbly, I made my way towards him and silently told myself to get a grip. He greeted me with a raised eyebrow, which I chose to ignore, knowing that he would comment on it later.

He pushed me up the steps and I took a deep breath before walking out onto the stage. All I could see was the spot light on the pure black grand piano, the audience was hidden in a shroud of darkness but I could hear their clapping and cheering as I went on.

My cheeks were still red from...ahem...you know what.

Nevertheless, I sat down at the piano and waited until the audience were silent. After taking a pause that wasn't too short or too long, I started.

My fingers flew over the keys, remembering everything perfectly off by heart. The clear crisp sound was magnified through a microphone and I could feel the stares of everyone gazing into me, but I ignored it and let my thoughts get drowned out by the music.

The shaking feeling had disappeared and suddenly I felt like it was just me, performing in front of Leala in the living room. My hands stopped sweating and I could actually breathe properly.

The tune went on for almost five minutes and when I finished, that's when the shaky feeling started again. Along with the sense of relief and achievement.

The crowd roared in applause and the lights flickered back on so I could see their faces. I blinked, searching quickly for my mum. She gave me the thumbs up, which made me grin.

It was probably the best moment in my life. I bowed and left the stage and stumbled back into the dressing rooms with a smile on my face.

"Well done Percy," Mr Brunner said, clapping me on the back. "I knew you'd be a true performer."

I stammered a 'thank you' and then was caught up in a crowd of people that were congratulating me – some of them I didn't know, which made it feel all the more better. I was going to sit on my chair again when a voice stopped me.

"Like I said, you'd have to be talented to play that."

She seemed to come out from nowhere. Her features shone with amazement and...pride? In her left hand she held a light brown violin by its neck and it her other was a long graceful bow.

"Thanks...Annabeth."

Her beautiful grey eyes stared into mine, capturing them in a trance like gaze. She was a couple of inches shorter than me – even in high heels. Yet that didn't stop her from leaning in when no one was watching...

Wait...what was I doing? I hardly knew anything about this girl, we basically just met a few minutes ago and here I was about to kiss her. Shut up Percy, I whispered in my mind.

"Annabeth!"

She tore away from me suddenly staring with annoyance at a black haired girl with electric blue eyes. "What?"

The girl smirked and glanced up at me momentarily, before looking back at Annabeth.

"We're on next – Leo wants us to be ready to get on the stage."

"Oh right, ok," she turned back to me and smiled apologetically. "See you around Percy."

"Good luck," I said, repeating what she told me earlier.

Throughout the rest of the concert, she stayed next to me – much to the disappointment of her friends. I admit, I enjoyed her company and the more I spoke to her, the more my heart seemed to flutter.

She told me that she loved designing – houses, clothes, furniture, anything really. She spoke about her fish she named 'Freddie' that she spoilt and pampered when she was younger – until the poor fish died of obesity.

I had the feeling that she didn't want to talk about her family that much, she mentioned that her Dad was a police officer but that was all. Maybe it was my imagination...

I then went on to tell her about my life – my love for swimming and my days out at the beach in Allonby. I told her how it was rarely warm there, even though the sun would shine but the wind would billow around in invisible torrents.

I don't know how I managed to open up so much, but everything was so easy to say. I don't think there was one moment of silence between us or a time that my skin didn't tingle.

I remember laughing – more than I had in years. She laughed as well, without bothering to hide her face as she did so. I liked the fact that she was down to earth, not full of gossip and anxious about her hair or her lipstick.

By the end of the concert, I couldn't stop smiling as we walked out of the backstage together. With our hands almost touching.

My mum rushed up to me with Leala padding after her. She hugged me tightly with tears in her eyes, knocking me back a few steps.

"You were absolutely amazing," she squeaked, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I'm so proud of you."

She then noticed Annabeth who was standing next to me. "Oh, and you were that violinist, weren't you? That quartet of yours...oh, it was just remarkable – it's pure talent."

Annabeth smiled and thanked her. Her eyes seemed to spot someone in the crowd and she motioned quickly.

A tall brown haired man dressed in a simple suit pushed his way through the chattering people around them. Annabeth gave him a joyful hug and looked back at me with shining eyes.

"You must be that pianist," he said, his voice deep and warm. "I must say that I'm impressed with your performance back then."

"Thank you, sir," I replied.

I shook his hand firmly.

"Frederick Chase," he introduced. "This is my daughter An – "

"Dad, he already knows," she whispered, nudging him.

"Oh sorry, my bad. And is this your mother?"

I nodded.

My mum stepped forwards, shaking his hand. "Sally Jackson – it's nice to meet you, Mr Chase."

I zoned out after that, until Annabeth shook my arm and pointed to my dog with an awed expression.

"Is that your dog?"

"Yeah – she's called Leala."

Annabeth leaned down and gently stroked her head. "She's adorable – and she's so tame. What breed is she?"

"Russian Sledge dog," I answered, taking the lead out of my mother's hand whilst she was talking to Annabeth's father.

"She reminds me of a mini polar bear – doesn't she? She so beautiful," her voice was hushed and full of wonder. "I wish I had a dog."

"Maybe you will one day."

She stared back up at me with sparkling eyes and my heart felt like it skipped a beat. It probably did. I felt myself leaning in, I could see her radiant smile and I could smell her lavender perfume. I pushed all thoughts of insecurity away and captured her lips on mine. My heart raced and my eyes shut gently.

It ended quicker than I wanted it too, but her Dad was wanting her to go back home. She waved one last time and pulled on her coat before following her Dad out into the night air.

I was left there, completely and utterly stunned. My lips still tingled and my heart still hadn't slowed down, there was a warmth in my chest and I couldn't move one muscle. It was as if time had stopped and I was the only person left standing.

Did I really just kiss her? We hadn't even gone on a date, maybe it was too soon. Stop thinking like that Percy. I felt something inside of my hand and I opened it, realising that Annabeth had neatly placed a strip of paper in it.

Written in a flowing handwriting was several numbers, scrawled onto the paper.