Hey guys, sorry about the repost for this story but I accidentally deleted the original when deleting my other stories (oops). Clearly I should never be allowed to manage my own account. Anyway, please let me assure you that I am in fact still very much alive - sorry to disappoint - and that I intend to finish this story once and for all. Let's hope that I don't lose that motivation.

(I don't own the Percy Jackson books, nor will I ever.)


Wednesday September 20, 2010

Dear diary,

Got settled into my new dorm. My roommate Katie was very accommodating.

Classes were alright. English was… well, let's just say that I met some interesting people today.

-A

Annabeth frowned as she re-read her latest diary entry, squinting as to interpret her messy penmanship better in the poor lighting. It was awfully short, Annabeth observed, but not unlike the other brief paragraphs that she'd written over the past few weeks.

Shaking her head, Annabeth crossed out the words repeatedly, and once again poised her pen over the paper, ready to re-write the succinct passage into a more detailed entry. But after a few moments of wracking her brains for another interesting event that had taken place that day, she gave up and tossed her pen to the other end of the bed. It wasn't like she was going to try writing again anyway.

Sighing, Annabeth flicked back to her last entry, hoping to come across some inspiration.

Tuesday September 19, 2010

Dear diary,

Not much to report.

Sent my things ahead for school tomorrow.

Thinking of faking a rare disease to skip out on Goode and go back to San Fran, but I doubt my actions will be taken lightly.

-A

Well that wasn't very helpful, Annabeth conceded, flicking back another couple of pages. Her gray eyes quickly skimmed the paper before she came across the shortest entry that she had quite possibly ever written.

Sunday August 5, 2010

I hate her.

-A

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. That was an odd one. She hadn't even bothered to start with her usual 'dear diary'. Turning back another page and re-reading the previous entry (which coincidentally was her last real entry), her confusion melted into one of understanding as she realised what past-Annabeth had been so angry about.

Friday August 3, 2010

Dear diary,

After thirteen years of radio silence, cheap birthday cards, and the occasional cheque, Mum decided to call me. And surprisingly, it wasn't her secretary on the other end of the phone. I'll spare you the tedious details of our incredibly brief conversation, but the punch line was that she was sorry about how distant she had been for the last couple of years and now she wants to make it up to me. Although, how isn't clear yet.

I'm writing this entry now in the safety of my bedroom which is currently devoid of any negligent mums. If I listen carefully I can hear Dad talking to her over the phone. They're not arguing (yet), but rather discussing something which is more than likely to concern me. It's surprising really, they actually sound like they're being civil towards one another... miracles do exist.

Dad's hung up now and he

THEY'RE MAKING ME MOVE TO MANHATTAN

UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE

Saturday August 4, 2010

Alright, I've calmed down a bit. Sorry about yesterday, diary; I didn't mean to throw you at a wall :(

Despite past-Annabeth's evident hysteria, the blonde couldn't help but giggle at the recollection of the tantrum she had thrown. It had felt so long ago.

Annabeth rolled her shoulders and yawned hugely, careful not to wake her roommate as she adjusted her position on the bed. It had been nearly a month since her mother had contacted her and nothing had changed. Nothing except perhaps, the scenery.

Blindly rummaging around her bedsheets for the forgotten pen that she had thrown, Annabeth decided to once again try her hand at re-writing today's diary entry. Despite the current mental blank she was drawing up, it wouldn't do to leave the page devoid of any words, no matter how brief the passage. Sighing, Annabeth pressed the pen against paper and began to write.


(A few hours ago)

"Welcome to Goode High and here's your schedule," The office lady said in one monotone breath, thrusting a piece of paper under Annabeth's nose without once taking her eyes off the computer screen that she was focused on. The startled seventeen-year-old jumped slightly at the sudden movement but nonetheless accepted the paper. "Er, thanks," Annabeth said hesitantly, looking up from her schedule. "Um, I don't suppose you could…" she began, her voice trailing off as she realised that the woman before her had no interest in listening to her request. "Right, ok. I'll just... be on my way then."

After throwing one last glance at the middle-aged woman—whose name tag indicated that her name was Maria—Annabeth sighed and straightened her shoulders, pushing a wayward strand of blonde hair behind her ear before making her way out the office and into the pristine hallways of Goode High, which was quickly filling up with students who had been loitering outside.

Annabeth pressed herself against the wall as to not be trampled while she quickly examined her schedule. A few curious students looked her way but the blonde took no notice of this. Rather, she was too focused on the task at hand. Right, Annabeth thought confidently, this shouldn't be too hard.

Her dorm number—no. 14A1 (Artemis Wing)—was printed neatly at the top of her paper, but as to where it was located remained to be seen. Annabeth frowned and exited the main office before blindly entering another building at random choice. Striding down the hallway and up a staircase, Annabeth found herself in one of the dormitory divisions and turning to room next to her, she read a nameplate that spelled 6A2 which was bolted on the door.

Not too hard, my arse.

Annabeth groaned, burying her face into her hands and massaging the creases that were forming into her forehead. For an upperclass boarding school, the place had no organisation system to its rooms whatsoever. How was she supposed to find anything in the place without so much as a map?

"Um, excuse me," A kind voice said, cutting into her thoughts. Startled, Annabeth looked up and found a girl with bright red hair waiting patiently in front of her. "I don't mean to be rude... but er, you're kind of blocking the door to the room."

Annabeth's facial expression quickly morphed from one of confusion to mortal embarrassment. "Oh! I'm sorry," she apologised sheepishly, instantly moving away. "I was just a little lost in thought."

"That's alright," the girl smiled warmly, pushing a key into the door. "You're the new student?"

Taken a little by surprise at the quick observation, although choosing not to comment, Annabeth nodded and after a quick request to where room 14A1 was located, the red-head cheerfully replied, "That's my friend Katie's dorm. Just let me throw this bag in here and I'll take you there. I'm Rachel by the way."


"You're kidding," Silena Beauregard said disbelievingly, brushing her sleek black hair at the mirror. "He didn't! He couldn't!"

"Did and could," Katie confirmed, angrily rummaging through a pile of exam papers stacked haphazardly on her desk. "Now I have the re-write the entire thing."

Silena sighed and discarded her brush for a mascara wand. "Well, I did try to tell you he was bad news," she said solemnly. "Never trust the Stoll brothers, remember?"

"And what did they do now?"

Silena glanced at the door through the reflection in the mirror, finding Rachel Dare striding casually into the room, closely followed by a blonde Silena didn't recognise. Katie however, had not looked up from her papers and spat venomously: "Connor. He stole my fucking papers for World History that I spent the entire holiday working on, and set it on fire for a laugh. Now I have to re-do the whole thing again," she said furiously, finally straightening up to face Rachel.

"Oh!" Katie suddenly exclaimed, spotting Annabeth beside the red-head. "Er, sorry, I didn't know you were there," she spoke sheepishly.

Annabeth smiled. "That's alright," she said dropping her bags onto the empty bed. "You must be Katie?"

The brunette nodded, and quick to brush off her earlier embarrassment she smiled brightly at the newcomer. "That's me! And you're Annabeth Chase right?" The blonde nodded in confirmation and Katie grinned. "Nice to meet you, roommate! That's Silena," she said pointing to the black-haired girl seated at the mirror who gave a wave of acknowledgment. "And I guess you've already met Rachel."

"We happened to meet in the Apollo dorms when I was dropping off Will's Chemistry books," Rachel supplied, seating herself beside Katie's bed. "She was a bit lost, so I took on the role of a tour guide."

Silena noted the slight flush of embarrassment on Annabeth's face, and smiled reassuringly. "The school is pretty huge," she addressed Annabeth, swinging her chair around to face the blonde. "And it's not surprising for people to get lost, so I wouldn't worry."

Katie nodded in agreement. "But on another note, welcome to Goode!"

"Thanks," Annabeth said, smiling in relief despite herself. "Glad to be here."


Percy Jackson had a girlfriend.

It had been the biggest news of course; Goode High had never before seen the likes of gossip such as this, and rumours travelled through the halls from person to person until basically everyone knew some version of the truth but not the entirety of it. But the line that had reached others more often than not, was: 'He's dating her.' As to whom people were addressing as 'her', is a matter that will be further discussed later in the story, but for now, Percy Jackson had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who had until then been considered unattainable, but a girlfriend nonetheless.

But for a brief moment he had wished that this was not the case; and that moment was now.

Leo Valdez let out a low whistle, his sharp eyes following the blonde beauty as she confidently strode down the hallway, curly hair flying behind her like a banner. "Damn," he murmured appreciatively, running a hand through his curly hair. "First day back at school is starting to look real good. She must be the hottest newcomer since... well, forever."

Percy however, seemed incapable of replying with fully-formed words and he stammered out a response that might have been an agreement. But in spite of this, Leo didn't seem to notice. "Hey, d'you reckon she'll go for me?"

"W-what?" Percy said distractedly, slightly craning his neck as he watched the girl disappear up a set of stairs. Leo rolled his eyes and spun around to face his friend. "I said, do you think she'll..." his voice faltered for a moment as he realised that Percy had been staring shamelessly at the same girl that Leo himself had previously been admiring. "Oi!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers repeatedly in front of Percy's eyes.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Percy turned to look at his friend. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I said something!" Leo spoke haughtily, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not doing anything!" Percy protested, turning to walk in the opposite direction of the mysterious blonde. Unsatisfied, Leo quickly followed in his tracks. "You were staring at that girl, and don't deny it!"

"Well, so what if I was?" Percy challenged, spinning around on his heel to walk backwards beside his friend. "How would it be any different to what you were doing?"

Leo spluttered for a moment. "That's completely different!" he said accusingly. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Percy stopped in his tracks. There it was. The crushing, overwhelming guilt that he had been so desperate to ignore and push aside. 'Leo's right,' Percy thought despairingly. 'I do have a girlfriend;' and until just a few moments before, Percy had been convinced that he loved her. So what on earth was he doing?

But Percy's mental evaluation had been cut short, for Leo—who had been waiting for an answer too long—had become concerned. "Perce? You alright?" Turning back around to walk the right way, Percy nodded shortly. "Yeah, I'm good," he answered, although he didn't sound too sure. Satisfied that he had gotten his point across, Leo did not press the issue any further and had enough sense to quickly change the subject. "Well, putting that aside, I heard that Mr Karel from the science department had an accident over the summer holiday..."

Percy Jackson had a girlfriend.

But for a brief moment, he had wished that this was not the case.


10:48

Just a little bit more...

10:49

C'mon, c'mon! You can do this!

10:48

YES! Wait, what?

Annabeth rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers before squinting and re-reading the digital clock above Ms Derivis' head. 10:49. The blonde breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief that only Katie was close enough to hear.

10:50

Finally!

The bell signalling the end of first period could not have come sooner as Annabeth packed her bag and almost jumped out of her chair. Katie was slower in doing so but flashed an amused look in Annabeth's direction. "I told you so," she teased knowingly, shoving an assortment of books into her satchel. "Ms Derivis' class is the absolute worst."

Annabeth did not bother arguing the point. "I thought she would never stop talking about her son's miraculous work in 'bean planting'." she said in a tone that could have been interpreted as amazement or agitation. "So much for Science class. Anyway, now that that's over and done with, what class do you have?"

Katie fished around in her bag, pulling out an incredibly creased copy of her class schedule. "I have... Math!" She announced dramatically, evidently horrified at the idea. Annabeth laughed and checked her own schedule. "Mine says English in... room 9A3." Annabeth said frowning. "Where's that?"

"Oh, that's in the Athena Wing," said Katie informatively. "I could show you there if you like."

Annabeth waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's fine," she said gratefully. "Rachel showed me the Athena Wing on the way to the dorm, but thanks for the offer."

"No problem," Katie grinned. "I'll see you at lunch, then?"

Annabeth nodded in confirmation before calling out a quick goodbye as Katie turned and strode down a separate hallway. Now alone, Annabeth walked out the building and crossed the campus to the aged, brown building that Rachel had pointed out before.

"See that building over there?" The red-head spoke helpfully."That's the Athena Wing. But the one you're looking for is the Artemis Wing and that's at the other side of the school."

"The buildings are named after Greek Gods?" Annabeth questioned, whilst hiding a smile.

Rachel grinned. "Figured it out, huh? But yes, they are. The school education board mentioned something about upholding honour to the founders of the school, 'The Olympians', which as you might know are made up of twelve of the most influential people in the state, hence the naming of buildings after each one of them."

With a slight smirk on her face, Annabeth made her way towards the aforementioned building, her book bag bouncing lightly against her hips as she walked. 'And speaking of Athena, she and the rest of the Olympians did a decent job with the school,' the blonde mused, casting her eyes downward to the pavement. 'Considering they're always fighting and all that. I wonder if Mum still hates that Poseidon bloke...'


"Annabeth!"

"What?" The startled six-year-old yelped in response, having no choice but to comply and stumble backwards due to the arm that had pulled her back. The blonde spun around to face the boy who had called her name. "What'd you do that for?" Annabeth questioned accusingly, placing her hands on her hips and appearing to look cross.

"You were about to step on a crack." He said simply.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So?"

"So?" The boy said in a surprised voice. "Don't you know that it's bad luck?"

"I don't believe in that stuff," Annabeth sniffed haughtily. "Mum says it's stupid."

The boy gasped in mock horror. "Oh God!" he exclaimed. "Well if your Mum says it's stupid then who am I to argue?"

"Exactly." Annabeth said, completely overlooking the sarcasm in the boy's voice. "And since I'm the older one between the two of us, that makes me the correct one."

"It also makes you the biggest know-it all," The boy added cheekily. Annabeth looked positively scandalised. "I'm not!" she protested, and the boy laughed. "Gods, you're such a child," The blonde huffed.

"I know I am," The boy grinned. "I'm a month younger than you remember?"

"Oh shut up."


Annabeth's steps faltered and she paused in her trek to the Athena building. Who was...

"Hey, new girl!" A voice yelled from somewhere behind Annabeth. Bewildered, she turned and found a scrawny, Latino looking boy running excitedly towards her. Reason kicked in, and for a brief moment, Annabeth considered making a run for it in the opposite direction but curiosity got the better of her and she decided to stay put.

Panting, the boy finally caught up with her and he grinned widely. "You're uh, Annabeth... right?" The blonde chose not to confirm yet neither deny this piece of information. "Who wants to know?" The boy stuck out a hand for her to shake. "Leo Valdez," he informed. When Annabeth did not immediately gasp in recognition and bow down in awe at his feet, he continued. "Y'know... school mechanic, King of Awesome, prankster by all standards etc?" said Leo expectantly. "Nothing? Really?"

Annabeth strongly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Sorry," she said, speaking with a tone that was anything but apologetic. "Doesn't ring a bell. Although," she added, shaking his hand. "I am Annabeth."

Leo's energetic grin returned. "Oh, but I already knew that. Just making sure, you see." This time, Annabeth did roll her eyes but allowed herself the pleasure of a small smile as she continued on her path to the Athena building with the exception of Leo walking beside her. "So, how did you know that my name was Annabeth?" she asked curiously. Leo smiled broadly, and replied enigmatically, "I've got the entire school wired."

Annabeth snorted, shouldering her bag. "I'm not going to even dignify that with a proper response."

"Oh well now, that would be a shame," Leo said in mock despair. "I had this whole conversation already planned out from the beginning, right down to my witty comebacks and you swooning over my good looks."

Annabeth laughed. "Me? Swooning?" she said amusedly. "I think you need to visit a doctor Mr Valdez, because I won't be doing anything of the sort today."

"Well of course not," Leo spoke disappointedly. "Not since you're, and I quote: 'Not going to even dignify that with a proper response.'"

The blonde gave a firm nod of confirmation. "That's right," she said, pushing open the doors to the Athena Wing. Leo had just followed her inside when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Hang on a second, are you following me?"

Leo gave a start. "I thought you were following me," he said, brow furrowing in confusion. "I've got an English class in this building."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "9A3?"

"That's the one."

"Right then," she sighed. "Well I suppose this means we'll be seeing each other a little more often."

"In that case," Leo spoke cheerfully, steering Annabeth down a hallway, "this way to a dyslexic's nightmare!"

Annabeth frowned. "A dyslexic's nightmare?" she repeated, reluctantly permitting Leo to escort her to the classroom. "That's an interesting way to describe english class." Her tour guide gave a solemn nod. "Isn't it just?" he agreed, finally coming to a stop in front of a door and pushing it open, revealing a rowdy classroom already half-packed with students.

"Over here," he said, ushering Annabeth to the back of the classroom where four tables resided, one of them already occupied by a girl doodling on her converse with a white-out marker. Looking up from her shoe, she smiled warmly at the new arrivals. "Leo!" She greeted, gesturing for the boy in question to sit beside her. "Here I was, thinking that you weren't going to show up," she teased playfully. Leo shrugged. "I was helping out the new girl," he said, propping up his feet on the desk.

"And speaking of which," the girl said, turning to Annabeth who had hesitantly taken a seat beside Leo, "Sorry about whatever perverted pickup line he's used on you so far," she said pleasantly. "Leo's a freak, but he's a good bloke once you get to know him, I assure you."

"Thanks, Pipes. Way to make an impression," Leo said petulantly, crossing his arms and dropping his feet back onto the floor. Rolling her eyes, the girl addressed as Pipes directed the whole of her conversation to Annabeth. "You must be the new girl," she grinned, offering the blonde her hand. "I'm Piper."

Annabeth smiled in return and they shook, meeting halfway behind Leo. "Annabeth. Pleasure to meet you."

Piper waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, no need for the formal stuff," she spoke lightheartedly. "I already get enough of that at my Dad's parties."

But before either girl could carry on the conversation, their English teacher entered the classroom a moment later and her implicit demand for silence ended whatever discussions the occupants of the class were currently holding. "Good morning, class," The woman spoke authoritatively, choosing to ignore any last minute stragglers as they entered the classroom and hastened to find empty seats. "I'm Mrs Keith and today we'll be..."

Tuning out the drone of Mrs Keith's voice, Piper straightened herself and craned her neck to peer out the window beside her. "Where's Percy?" She hissed, checking her watch as she did so. "It's eleven already. Do you think he got held up?"

"More like thinking up of an alibi to prove he got held up," said Leo nonchalantly, not particularly worried for his friend as he fiddled with a handful of paperclips. Annabeth frowned. "Who's Percy?" she asked. Leo had just opened his mouth to answer before a loud BANG cut him off. Startled, Annabeth jumped, and she—including the rest of the class—turned to face the source of the noise.

Piper sighed in annoyance. "Perfect timing," she whispered, elbowing Leo as she did so.

"Sorry I'm late," a boy apologised, struggling with his oversized backpack. Evidently he had opened the door with far too much enthusiasm. "I had to help out a gym teacher pack up their stuff from last period."

"Nice one," Leo snickered, as Mrs Keith curtly instructed the late arrival to find a seat. Running a hand through his dishevelled hair, the boy nodded and he made his way to the empty seat beside Annabeth. "Hi," he whispered, sliding into the seat beside her. "Sorry, but um, there's nowhere else to sit." He said a little sheepishly. Not knowing how to properly react, Annabeth could only nod. "That's fine," she murmured.

He has nice eyes.

"You're late," Piper reprimanded. "What were you doing this time?"

He has really nice eyes.

The boy shrugged, fist bumping Leo and responding to Piper's inquiry with, "Saving the world."

Annabeth smiled at his reply, and found that she had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from openly grinning. The boy noticed however and he flashed Annabeth a smile of his own. "My name's Percy by the way," he whispered quietly.

"Annabeth," she answered. Percy grinned. "That's a pretty name," he commented, and then turned to face the front of the classroom.

They were green, like the colour of the sea.


Review?

-A