Thank you all for the amazing reviews! Who knew people are actually gonna like this story. Talk about pressure in keeping it up. LOL.

This chapter is a little jumpy and dragging. Sorry 'bout that. The thing is, I made four drafts just for this chapter and with those four, I still didn't manage to get how I wanted the chapter to be. I got tired of rewriting so I just went with this one. I just wanted to get over it. So, criticize on what you think of this. I know it's bad, but I hope you keep up with the story.

The Fantasy Dreamer: With one of my drafts, I actually tried to go for the embarrassing kind of meeting for them, but it didn't work out too well. Sorry. I hope you keep up with the story.

percabeth777: Thank you for the kind words and advice. I actually tried to make a dialogue for the first chapter 'cause it's pretty boring if it's just mainly his thoughts and him speaking to the reader. But I kinda had a hard time with it. But I'll try to improve my writing to include more dialogues starting from here.

bewilder22: This story is an AU. Alternate Universe. The same characters and I also try to include bits from the original series but the story is primarily a stand alone and has nothing to do with PJO. That means they're all human and not half-bloods/gods.

Awesome one: I tried to adapt your idea to the story but it didn't really go along pretty well. I really wanted to introduce Percy and Annabeth already at the start. So it has to happen now. Sorry, but I hope you keep giving ideas. I need them. :D

tridentbonez313: I'll try. You see, Nico's character here is a bit confusing, just like what Percy said. He's immature and childish but at the same time, he's not. I myself am confused, and I'm the one writing the story. ;p

Wise Girl: I'll try to put minimal amounts of it from chapter to chapter. The thing is, I want this story to be realistic, and that's the point of why I started this story. It will be long and Percabeth won't happen until probably around the end already.

Nobody: I can't believe it! Are you psychic? You like predicted every single thing I'm about to do in this chapter! LOL.

filmyfurry, WannaBeWisegirl, Clara Fonteyn, Crazely Rejected, Mrs. Jordan Youngblood Powers, Sweetcars12: Thank you for being one of my first reviewers. I hope you guys keep following the story.

Wow. That's a long AN. Maybe I'll minimize on later chapters. I just really wanted to honor you guys for being my first reviewers. And now, on with the story.


Sophomore 2: Just maybe.


"Okay, calm down. You can do this, Annabeth. Breathe in. Breathe out." Annabeth sighed. Great. Now, I'm talking to myself.

"Annabeth Chase?" a male voice questioned. Annabeth entered the office and faced the principal sitting on his chair. She instantly loathed the old man as soon as her eyes fell on him. He was a small, sour looking man with a red nose and watery eyes. There was a shiny, bald patch in his curly black hair that glinted with a hint of purple. His mouth was set in a scowl but his eyes paid no attention. He looked like a middle-aged man who grew up in a trailer park that have no interests in life.

"Good morning, sir." Annabeth held out her hand but the principal just stared at it darkly and huffed.

"Ms. Chase, I'm your principal, Mr. Vinifera," he said darkly. Annabeth resisted the urge to glare at the porky man. "This is your timetable and homework diary. Here's a brochure and a planner, and I suppose you should also receive this honorary pen. Your homeroom will be room seventeen. Any questions?"

Yeah, how the hell did you end up as the principal if you're such a horrible person?

She shook her head in response and took a quick glance around the room. Certificates, trophies, a picture of his family. He may be a nice person after all. She thought. That is of course, before she saw the ever so wonderful calendar of beach bums.

"Sexist pig," she muttered, covering the words with timely coughs.

"Excuse me?" the principal growled.

"Nothing, sir," Annabeth replied politely, hiding a mischievous grin.

"Very well, move along then," he shooed her, giving her a look that said 'go on little girl, I have more important things to do like sit around here and do nothing'. She forced a smile and slipped out of the office.

Annabeth heard him mutter something like "Stupid brats" just as she got out. Stupid sot. She thought. Her attention was distracted and she ended up bumping into another old man.

"Sorry," she bowed apologetically.

"That's okay," the middle-aged man replied. "Ah, you must be the new student. I'm Mr. Brunner but you can just call me Chiron. I assume you've met Mr. D already."

Annabeth looked at the man. He had thinning brown hair and a scruffy beard, and he had a frayed tweed jacket on. His deep brown eyes showed a huge amount of mirth and he was smiling brightly. He looked like the complete opposite of Mr. Vinifera.

"Good morning, sir. Annabeth Chase," she said politely.

"Oh, no need to be so formal. I'm just the vice-principal," he chuckled. He looked like a very strict person but the way he talked sounded like he's a very easy going guy. Huh. Why is it that this nice old man is the vice-principal and that small, porky cherub is the principal. What's wrong with this school?

"So, what do you think of Goode High School? Does it satisfy your fancy?"

"Uh..." Not really.

"Ah, yes, yes. It is your first day, so of course you still have no idea. How silly of me. Come. I shall give you a tour." Chiron led Annabeth out of the office and he guided her along the halls, introducing room after room. Goode High was pretty big for an average high school.

"Right here is the cafeteria. And down that hall would be none other than the gym. In the next building, you could also find the auditorium. And right outside that door would be the oval."

Annabeth was not fully paying attention to Chiron's tour because she was observing the students that passed by. Obnoxious-looking cheerleaders, feeling-cool jocks, brainy nerds, average outcasts. Definitely your normal high school.

She sighed. Her new life will probably be just like her past one.

"The bell will be ringing soon enough and I don't want you to be late for your first day. If you have any more questions, you can just visit me. Or you can check with your year representative. Oh, look. There he is." Chiron pointed at a young man with messy black hair and a light tan skin. He had toned muscles but not like uberbuffed, but slim and fit.

He was lying on his back against the lockers, talking to another guy. When he turned slightly, Annabeth finally caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were a shade of deep green with a hint of a bluish color like the sea. They were the kind of eyes that you feel like you're drowning in them because they're so deep.

"Well, I'd better get going. I still have to meet with Mr. D. I'll see you around, Annabeth. Oh, and uh, welcome to Goode High." Chiron walked away, leaving Annabeth with her thoughts along the corridors. Annabeth finally let go of the breath that she didn't notice she was holding.


"Hey, Perce."

"Hey, G-man." I closed my locker and leaned against it. "'Sup?"

"Nothing really. Uncle Leneus just kept pestering me all week to make him salad." He started munching a stick of celery. That's Grover for you. Nature boy. With his goatee, and if he grew his curly brownish hair a little longer, he would pass as a hippie. He and his uncle Leneus are environmentalists. They also usually attend this rally where people teach others about how harmful Global Warming is.

"That sucks."

"Yeah. And sorry I didn't make it on movie night." He then started munching another stick of celery.

"That's alright. Thalia and Nico just went with their usual bickering anyways, and I just slept through it the whole time."

"Where are they anyway?" he asked.

"Don't know," I shrugged. "Nico disappeared as soon as we came in. As for Thalia, you know she'll be late." He nodded in agreement.

"So, did you hear the news? There's a new student in our year." He turned to looked at me, the stick of celery hanging from his mouth as he chewed. At that moment, Grover looked like a goat. Strange.

"Oh, yeah?" I replied, feigning interest. I mean, whoever he is, I do pity him for being a transfer student. Being a freshman is far better because you get to make an impression. When you're a transfer student, you don't get that chance and you get to be teased a lot. But I don't really care. Sure, I have to get to know him, being the rep and all. But I already have a lot on my mind, and getting to know him is nowhere near on the top of my list. "Who's the dude?"

"Wow. That's just sexist."

"Excuse me?" I got annoyed and turned around to face the speaker and... Whoa!

In front of me was a girl around my age, probably a couple of inches shorter. She was athletic looking, and I have to say, her beauty was what you would call natural, so much unlike the cheerleader type of girls who wore extreme layers of makeup. With her tanned skin and long curly blonde hair, she would have passed as a stereotypical California girl.

But what really caught my attention were her eyes. They were startling gray, like storm clouds brewing in the middle of the sea. The way they shimmered looked like she's analyzing how to take you down on the next football night. They were the kind of eyes where you just couldn't resist to get lost in. Pretty, but intimidating.

The way she held her posture -her hands on her hips, her pink lips in a flat line, her brows furrowed, her eyes boring a hole in me- you could say she's one of those independent and strong-minded kind of women. What's the word? Feminist.

From all of those things, do you know what the first thing came to my mind? Princess curls. Weird, right? I wonder what's wrong with me.

"I'm the 'new student'. And as you can see, I'm not a dude." Her voice brought me back to reality. It showed no bit of sweetness but it was still soft. It was not girly and cheery but very stern. But with all that, she still sounded like an angel.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that." I subconsciously rubbed the back of my neck. She rolled her eyes, and for some unknown reason, my stomach made a thousand flips.

"Annabeth Chase." She held her hand out a little forcibly. Her face showed no emotion but I can see in her eyes that she was totally annoyed. Ditto, my friend. Ditto.

"Jackson. Percy Jackson." Now, I'm speaking in the way I'm thinking. What's going on? I heard Grover cough behind me and sputter. He must have choked on his celery.

I hesitantly shook her hand. You know that feeling when you get jolted by electricity when you insert a finger in a socket and you couldn't do anything but recoil? Trust me, I know. And if you don't, you should try it. I'm telling you, it's one heck of an experience.

As I was saying, the moment our skins touched, that was how I felt. But it was different. It was tantalizing and it was the kind of feeling like you can't just help but want more of it. Of course, as soon as I felt it, it also instantly passed. I'm not even sure if I really felt it or if it was just my mind making weird notions.

But the way her face contorted into wonder told me that she felt it, too. Huh. That's weird.

In reality, it was just for a few seconds. But it felt like eternity, like time stopped and we were just the only two people in that hall, holding each other's hand, awkwardly shaking. Of course the moment had to stop at some point. And it was ruined by none other than my cousin, Thalia.

"Annabeth? Annabeth Chase?"

"Thalia?" Annabeth avoided my gaze and looked above my shoulder. I held my gaze on her face for a few more moments before finally looking behind me.

"Oh my god! It is you!" Thalia rushed and tackled Annabeth in a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, my dad got an offer to work on a project in a museum here in Manhattan. We eventually had to move because it's eating most of his time," Annabeth answered as they pulled away from the hug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Thalia tried to frown, but she was mostly beaming.

"First of all, I don't have any contact to you. Second, I didn't know you went here." Hmm. Interesting. Thalia and this girl are getting along just fine. They continued chattering and I eventually lost interest in their conversation.

"Grover, how do they know each other?" I asked, turning slightly to him.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Maybe a long lost friend?"

"Isn't it weird? They're getting along just fine. Thalia even hugged her!" I whisper-shouted.

"I know! Thalia usually slaps every girl," he answered.

"I heard that!" Thalia snapped. Grover and I both forced a smile, but I was actually trembling in the inside, and I can feel Grover was, too. Nobody wants a pissed off Thalia.

"How did you guys meet?" Grover asked, trying to distract Thalia from strangling us to death. Thankfully, she bought it.

"We met at a girl scout jamboree a few years back," she informed us.

"She called me an idiot and slapped me on our first meet," Annabeth put in. Ah, of course. Like what Grover said, Thalia slaps every girl. And I really mean every girl. There was even this one time that she slapped a female pedestrian for no apparent reason. Well, she was PMS-ing then, but you get the point.

Thalia scowled. "I told you I was on my period." Annabeth laughed, and it was music to my ears, like a muse singing. Maybe you're asking, Muse? Like I told you, we're obsessed with greek mythology. Get over it.

"Does that mean you're always on your period?" Grover teased. Uh-oh. Bad move. And Grover realized it too late.

Thalia smacked Grover on the top of his head and he ended up choking on his celery, again.

"You okay, man?" I asked as Grover coughed and sputtered pieces of his celery. He nodded and I glared at Thalia. She rolled her eyes and turned back to Annabeth.

"If my cousin ever messes with you, just tell me and I'll make sure he won't bother you again." She then playfully punched me.

"Come on, Grover. We're going to be late for homeroom." Thalia grabbed Grover's hand and dragged him across the halls.

"Wait! I haven't finished my celeries yet! And my enchilada!" I heard Grover scream. I chuckled and shook my head. Typical Grover.

I turned back to my locker to grab my things, forgetting that there was still someone else there with me. She cleared her throat to get my attention and I raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked incredulously. Annabeth rolled her eyes. And there goes my stomach, doing flips again.

"You are the second year rep, right? You're supposed to introduce me to my homeroom," Annabeth replied.

I groaned to myself. Even though it seems that I like her, she is still very annoying. And like she was reading my mind, she said, "Look. I don't like this as much as you do. So, let's just get this over with." At least we agreed on something.

"Fine. What room?" I asked, irritated.

"Seventeen." I mentally slapped myself. Just great.

"You're in my homeroom. Come on." I walked ahead and I heard her groan behind me. Can this day get any more worse? You see that! I just said more worse. I hope you get the idea of how wrong this is.

We walked across the hall, and just as I turned around a corner, I bumped into Nico.

"Nic, where've you been?" I asked.

"Hide me," he whispered as he tried to hide behind my figure.

"What's wrong?"

"I just sabotaged Travis' and Connor's prank for the freshmen. They're looking for me." He cowered behind me as two figures with pink powder all over them passed in front of me. I silently snickered, trying my best to not get their attention.

"Why'd you do that?" I asked when the coast was finally clear.

"Revenge for what they did last year. They humiliated all freshies last year! And that would be none other than us." I nodded. Who could ever forget the firetruck incident during orientation.

"Wow, Nico. Who knew you could be so bold. My hero," I stated with my best impression of a damsel-in-distress voice, teasingly batting my eyelashes. He then took his best heroic posture and I laughed. Hey. We're two high school teenage boys. We can act immature anytime we want to.

We were laughing our butts off when Annabeth cleared her throat. We both straightened as Nico whispered, "Who's that?"

"That is Annabeth. She's new and I have to show her around all day," I answered.

"First of all, I'm a person. So, don't refer to me as that. Secondly, you don't have to show me around all day. You only have to walk me to homeroom." Annabeth crossed her arms and glared at us. If looks could kill, we would've dropped dead right there and then.

"But I want to show you around. I can't just leave a helpless damsel on her own now, can I?" I teased.

"I don't need you to show me around all day. And I'm not helpless!" She glared at me and trudged off.

"God, she's so annoying," I groaned. "I'll see you in Chemistry, man." I followed Annabeth, leaving a very confused Nico with the scene that just took place.

"Where are you going? Homeroom is that way." I pointed behind me as I stalked behind her. She ignored me so I continued. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Are you oblivious to the fact that I'm ditching you?" she hissed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I think you should ask yourself. Sexist pig," Annabeth accused.

"What's with you and sexist pigs?" I snapped.

"What's with you and helpless damsels?" she retorted.

"Ugh! You know what? You can go and look for our homeroom on your own! You can get lost for all I care!" I threw my hands in the air to emphasize.

"I hardly care if you walk to me to class or not! I can properly take care of my own! For your information, I'm just trying to cut down your job." I stopped dead at my tracks as she stormed off. That girl is so annoying! And the fact that she's right isn't really helping.

I sighed and followed her. "Okay, look. I'm just trying to help. Like you said, I don't like this as much as you do. Can we just... start over?"

This time, it was her turn to stop dead at her tracks and I had no choice but to follow suit. Jeez, why do I even try?

"Fine," Annabeth mumbled.

"Really?" I blinked, bewildered that she was actually considering it. I mean, we just had the argument of the century. And it's just the first day! She sighed and nodded.

"Uh... cool." Cue awkward silence. We were just there standing awkwardly, our main interest on our feet.

"So..." I started. She looked up at me and smiled, and I couldn't help but smile back. I held my hand out, this time willingly. "Percy Jackson, not a sexist pig."

She took my hand and shook it. "Annabeth Chase, not a helpless damsel."

Maybe -just maybe- she's not so annoying after all.