A/N: Soo. I'm rewriting this story and this is the rewrite! c:

Sometimes when Annabeth played piano it felt like her music would lift her up, up, up into the sky on a breeze, floating on a cloud.

Today was not one of those days. She couldn't find the right note for the piece she was composing, and she was almost done! It was agonizing how she was so close, and yet she feared that if she were to play the whole thing, she would have to start all over.

So logically she didn't look back.

The problem with Annabeth is that she has a tendency to get all of her good ideas at night, or in the shower, or really anywhere that is inconvenient for her or everyone around her.

Take now, for example. It's five in the morning.

Crash

Annabeth did not bother to look up. Likely it was Thalia, who had just fallen out of bed on her way to figure out why someone was playing piano so early.

K-thunk

Annabeth winced a little at this. Thalia had the worst case of sleep stupor Annabeth had ever seen in her life.

Finally Thalia stood at the doorway of Annabeth's tiny office.

"The hell, Ann'beh? It's friken five in the morning," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, Thalia, you know me and my ideas," Annabeth smiled slightly.

"Yeah, but at -" Thalia yawned, "- five in the morning? Hey, is something wrong?"

Annabeth rubbed her arm, "Yeah, I'm good, I've just been getting these random aches and pains everywhere for a while now"

"Huh," Thalia didn't seem too interested, "Ugh. I'm going back to bed. G'night"

"Good night, Thalia."

~oOo~

Try as she might, Annabeth could not figure out how she should end her song. Then she played the whole thing over and had to scrap it because none of it fit together.

"I need a coffee," Annabeth grumbled, finally looking up from her music.

As if she had said the magic word to summon a genie or something, Thalia ran into the room, "Yes! Starbucks! Now!"

Annabeth blinked, "Okay. Um, let me just go get dressed."

When Annabeth returned, fully dressed, Thalia was resplendent in a shiny black, ripped tank top, neon pink shorts, and yellow and orange Converse high-tops.

Annabeth jumped a little bit at the clothing catastrophe in front of her, "Er … Thalia?"

"Hm?" Thalia looked up from her phone, "Oh my god, Annabeth, what the hell are you wearing?"

"What? Tch, speak for yourself," Annabeth rolled her eyes. But even so, she looked down at her outfit. A white t-shirt, jean shorts and silver ballet flats, "Um, my outfit's perfectly fine"

Thalia examined her bright green nails, "Two things. One, my outfit is gorgeous, hater. Two, well, lemme put it this way, Annbear. You are going to be the next big thing here in New York. You gotta be edgy. Cool. Just wearing," she gestured at Annabeth's outfit, "That, is not gonna get you any-fucking-where."

Annabeth blew a big breath, "Well, never mind. Now let me go grab some soap, you dirty-mouthed little bish."

"Uh-huh. Good luck with that, hon." Thalia said smugly.

Annabeth scoffed, "If you actually thought I was going to wash your mouth with the toxic stuff you insist on buying, you've been drinking the laundry detergent. And the way your head it up in the clouds all the time I wouldn't be surprised."

"In her phone, more like," Piper said, walking through the front door.

"So Pipes," Thalia said conversationally, "There's this thing called knocking? And also we have a doorbell?

"Girl, if you think anyone knocks anymore, you've been living with your head in the clouds," Clarisse walked in behind Piper.

"That's what I've been saying!" Annabeth exclaimed, walking bad into the now-crowed living room, "Oh hey, Clarisse! How was Paris?"

Thalia sighed, "I'm pretty sure that's just you guys,"

"Annie," Clarisse nodded in acknowledgment of Annabeth's comment, "Pretty good. Surprising lack of hot guys, though."

"What?" Thalia exclaimed in mock-horror, "No hot guys?"

"However did you survive," Piper added dramatically.

Clarisse smiled indulgently, "Well actually …"

The girls leaned in, especially Piper, who was a sucker for gossip, "What?"

"You're gonna have to buy me a caramel latte at Starbucks first," Clarisse said smugly.

"Lovely, we were headed there anyway," Thalia jumped into the conversation, "Who's got a big enough car?"

One rather large argument later …

"Jesus Christ, Clarisse, you stink like cow shit in July," Thalia grumbled from where she was squished between Annabeth and Clarisse in Piper's tiny car.

"Dammit, Pied Piper, why doesn't your lovely red Mercedes have a front seat?" Clarisse complained looking rather ruffled.

"Well I don't usually have this many people in my car …" Piper said vaguely, driving into a Starbucks parking lot.

"Well, shit." Thalia muttered.

"And Clarisse came in my car, Thalia doesn't have a car; and Annabeth, why the hell does your car not have a backseat?" Piper grumbled, parking her car.

Annabeth reddened slightly, "None of your business,"

The truth was nothing embarrassing or anything like that. It was simply that before Thalia had moved in with Annabeth, she had lived with an abusive alcoholic mother who, in her drunken rages, would hit and yell at Thalia, beating her up. So when her mother's rages got to be too much, Thalia would camp out in the back of Annabeth's car for a few days. It's not like her mother noticed.

With more than a little relief, for Thalia's mother was a touchy subject, Annabeth said, "Well, we're at Starbucks. Let's head in."

"You all have to buy me a caramel latte!" Clarisse reminded them as they walked in.

"What, you want three lattes?" Piper grumbled, evidently still annoyed at Clarisse.

"Sure!" Clarisse said happily.

"Break it up, ladies," Thalia said, stepping in between the two, "We'll all pitch in."

In the end, Annabeth bought the coffee. But that's later.

As soon as the girls walked in their eyes zeroed in on the barista.

"He's hot," was all Clarisse said.

"Yeah," was Piper's response.

"Hm," was all Annabeth said, examining him closely.

"Guys," Thalia said, choking on her laughter, "That's my cousin."

The three girls were shocked, "Percy?"

A/N: So there's chapter one! Please review ;)