Disclaimer: Rick owns PJaTO characters, not muah.

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Chapter 1: Boy Meets Girl

Annabeth can still remember everything from those three months.

She can still feel the cold metal gun, pressed between her shoulder blades. And the beads of sweat that dripped from her brow, settling on her cheeks and lips, over the tears- were just as familiar.

That taste, the disgusting stench of bile and blood, made her nauseous just thinking about it. She couldn't remember a time when she wasn't nauseous. She could feel the dirty cloth tied around her jaw, constricting each breath and catching the blood emitted from biting so hard on her tongue.

But that wasn't the worst part, and though it was terribly disgusting and unbearable to think about, it didn't compare to the other things they did to her. No, they didn't rape her, because that would only make her silent. They wanted answers, so they used other means to receive them.

The worst part wasn't the lies they would feed her every night, giving her false hopes of going home someday to her family.

It wasn't how they continued to ask her the same questions, again and again, even though she knew that she didn't have any answers.

And even though they almost killed her, the daily beatings, gun wounds, infections, and whippings were no match to the thoughts that ran through her brain every day.

The worst part to a stubborn girl like Annabeth Chase was accepting that no matter what she did or what she planned, she could never get out of that place alone. After countless days of creating plans to escape, eventually after being beaten breathless after each time she was caught, she gave up.

It sounds dreadful, doesn't it? That girl, Annabeth Chase, was confined for three months by a gang of mentally unstable men who captured teenagers to steal money from their parents. But in Annabeth's case, it wasn't cash from her dad that the men wanted. They only desired the will of her late mother that passes on millions of dollars' worth of savings. She never completely understood why they believed that the will was passed on directly to her and not to her parent guardian who was safe at home believing that she had ran away because of her mother's death.

But after three months of darkness, a sliver of hope slid through the tight bars of her cell. It was on that faithful day that a boy, someone who was about her age, helped her escape.

She hates how she remembers everything about that day- the day when a boy whom she barely knew gave up his freedom for hers. He had saved her life by distracting the guard on duty and giving her a moment to sprint out of the underground confinement center and run down the highway until she found civilization, and eventually, home. It was selfless of him to do such, saving her own life and not his own. She often wondered if he had ever managed to get away himself.

She made herself believe that it didn't matter what this mysterious boy had done, and to just accept the priceless favor he had done her. Without his help, she may have been dead right now. Or maybe even worse- still in captivity. But living through the experience was probably worse than being killed during the experience. It was difficult to keep it all a secret from her dad, who believed her when she claimed that she had run away and sliced herself up in the woods, explaining the thin white scars covering her arms and legs. Annabeth could tell that he needed to believe her because he didn't want to imagine what the real story was.

And she really didn't want to tell him.

As much as she wanted to report the location of the underground jail, she was too scared. They would ask for her name, or maybe some proof that the information was not just a scam. She couldn't let anyone know what happened during those three months and the dreams that leave her waking up screaming. It had to be her personal secret.

Now, seven years later, she has successfully built high walls of defense around herself. In seven years, she hadn't gone swimming, always wore long sleeves or jackets, and only learned to trust a few of her friends from high school. She was still confident, but it was hard to never tell anyone about what had happened to her in years past. She had experienced more than each person in her classroom combined. It's hard to keep a secret so monumental that it could change the lives of others. Were other children kidnapped after her?

At one point she stopped wondering.

...

All I heard around me was the sound of pencils, circling letters and scratching out answers on the same Calculus test that sat in front of me. I couldn't really focus on anything but the pencils- scratching and squeaking. The boy sitting next to me whose name I had forgotten definitely needed a new pencil. His pathetic yellow mechanic pencil was squeaking up a storm. On a scale from silent to sonorous, his pencil was a shrill- so loud its pitch could only be heard by Annabeth Chase and it is clearly the most boisterous pencil whenever our class takes tests.

"Miss Chase?" I lifted my head up and turned it slightly sideways, meeting my math teacher's stony glare.

It was obvious that the teacher believed that I had been cheating and not just staring at that boy's pencil. I lowered my eyes back to my paper and decided to keep them there for the rest of the class period. That decision changed when I heard a soft knock on the door. Without hesitation, the door was yanked open to reveal the guidance counselor standing by an unfamiliar dark-haired boy who was clad in a black hoodie and jeans. The boy looked down, refusing to even glance at the classroom before him. I could relate.

"Miss Kos, I have a new student for you. I am putting him in all honors classes and if he can't keep up I'll change him to a basic schedule. Do you mind if I drop him off here?" The counselor didn't even wait for an answer before slightly pushing the boy into the classroom and slamming the door behind her. I never really considered her as the most decent human being.

"What is your name, sir?" The teacher asked expectantly. Miss Kos gestured to the empty seat in front of me before speaking again. "You can sit in the empty seat in the third row." He paced over to the seat and quickly seated himself before answering.

"Percy Jackson." He mumbled loud enough for both the teacher and I to comprehend.

"Well, we are having a test right now so if you don't mind being quiet for a few more minutes…"

"No problem," he replied, slumping down into his seat and laying his head on the desk. I glanced at him for one more moment before putting my own pencil to the paper, beginning the Calculus test, already sure that I would pass with flying colors.

…

"Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson." Two weeks after his arrival, the new boy had already dipped his feet into the high school scene. Surprisingly, he had quickly befriended Grover Underwood, a misunderstood tree hugger that also was decent friends with me. Well, it wasn't really surprising that he had become friends with Grover since Grover is always looking for new friends. What really surprised me is that he had also befriended almost every single one of my close-knit friends.

It was almost like he was part of my social group now.

Why do I say almost? The reason is simple- because he hasn't exactly made nice with me yet. Yes, we have talked- small talked. But I do admit that I feel a connection to him, almost like he is more important than everything else that is going on.

"A plus!" The teacher exclaimed in joy and handed back our group project to Percy and I. Mythology is definitely the biggest thing we have in common.

"Jealous of my A plus?" He challenged, waiting for me to take the bait.

"You mean my A plus? Yes, I'm sure you're very envious of it." Hook, line, and sinker Perseus, I thought.

"Can you define the phrase 'group project'?"

"Can you define the phrase 'you're an idiot'?"

"Can you please use that in a sentence?"

"Can you please die?"

"How about the meaning and origin?"

"How about I make you shut up?" I raised my fist defiantly. This was probably more than I had said in weeks, let alone a few minutes. For some reason, this boy brought out a better side of me- a better side that enjoyed messing with him.

"How about you don't?"

"Good question."

"Thanks for the compliment, Chase."

"Thanks for being an idiot, Jackson," I retorted jokingly.

"Shut up you too!" Thalia whispered angrily from a few tables away. "I'm trying to count the bricks on the wall!" Did I also mention that most of my friends, including me, all have terrible cases of ADHD? "Dammit I lost count!"

"Language, Thalia," Mr. Brunner chastised from the front of the room. Thalia sent him a shrug and turned back towards the wall to start counting again.

That's pretty much how each day repeated itself for about a week.

From what I've seen in the past week, Percy was a boy hidden behind a dark hoodie. He could have played many roles within the high school scene; the misunderstood bad boy that every girl wants, the popular jock, or even the boy who hides behind his own shadow. Instead, he chose to blend in with my friends and I, slowly letting everyone see pieces of his personality. After getting to know him for such a short period of time, I already knew that he was caring, sensitive, brave, reckless, and blunt.

Distracted while processing these thoughts, I accidentally walked straight into our school's idiot first-string basketball junky. He was an example of someone who I really, really hated. The worst part was that he was carrying his lunch tray while I slammed into him, causing his corn and mystery mash potatoes to spill all over me.

"Watch where you're going freak!" Chad, also known as the most obnoxious boy ever, shouted. He actually sounded pretty angry.

"I wasn't the only one that wasn't watching where they were going, Chad," I replied venomously. I swear I was burning a hole into his face with my glare.

"Now I don't have any lunch! Thanks a lot, nerd," He sneered and gestured towards his tray that he dropped on the floor when we walked into each other. "You made me drop my tray!"

I sighed and bent down to pick up the lunch tray for him. When I looked up, his eyes were down my shirt. This is why I don't like Chad. "Pervert!" I shouted, slapping him clear across the face. In a few moments, I had successfully changed his mood from mad to furious.

"You're going to pay for that bitch." The immature teenager shouted as he shoved me by my shoulders. I balled up my fists and went into a fighting stance. Before I could lunge at him, someone grabbed my arm from behind. Strangely enough, it was Percy.

"It's not worth it," Percy whispered in my ear. I realized that he was right. Beating up Chad (don't underestimate me) would definitely put a big red flag on my permanent record. "Well, well Chad. I didn't exactly see you as the type of guy that tries to hurt girls. Weren't you raised better than that?" I could hear the smirk in Percy's voice.

"Is the little shy boy trying to save the annoying nerdy girl? How sweet. You know Jackson, if you hadn't made friends with her and those other wannabes, maybe we could have been friends." Chad replied with an amused look in his eyes. "Too little too late, I suppose."

Percy looked offended at this and sent a piercing glare towards Chad. Then he started walking towards him with first balled and jaw clenched. Chad raised his eyebrows as Percy left about a foot of space between them. "Ooh, scary," Chad muttered, looking slightly up at Percy's 6'1 frame a few inches above him. For Percy, it seemed like that comment was the last straw. He shoved Chad against the wall and held him up by the collar on his polo.

Percy was much stronger than I mentally gave him credit for.

"You listen, punk. If I ever see you lay your hands on any of my friends, I am going to shove you so hard into this wall that your stupid big head will crush right through it!" For good measure, he shoved Chad a little harder to prove his point. "Understand Chad?" Being the incompetent ass he is, Chad tried to break free of Percy's grip, struggling against the wall.

"Okay, okay, I'll stay away from your friends." Percy reluctantly let go of Chad's polo and let him slide to the floor. As Chad sauntered away, somehow still confident with his own abilities, he said, "Just because I'm not going to touch her doesn't say the same for my friends. Don't say I didn't warn you when she doesn't come back to school one day!" Chad snickered as my breath caught in my throat. Percy lunged again but I reached up grabbed his shoulder before he could reach Chad.

"It's not worth it," I whispered in his ear and his body slowly began to release its tension.

"Annabeth, you're always worth it," he whispered, causing my heart to swell. How could a boy be so selfless? I felt greedy standing next to him. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

"Thank you, for everything," I whispered, holding eye contact with him for a few moments before starting to walk towards the bathroom with him by my side.

When Chad and a few of his friends returned to school the next day with black eyes and bruises, I realized one thing.

I was really starting to like Percy Jackson.

...

Another chapter within a week? Wow, I really care about my 17 followers! Thanks for the good reception to this. At the beginning of the next chapter I'm going to pick my favorite review and post it, answering any questions. I feel like 6 reviews was a good start and I'm glad that nobody complained :). So, lovies, hope you enjoyed and please review [you could be my favorite *raises eyebrows*]. Hope you gusta-ed [liked] it.

With love,

AE

PS, this is an AU so no demigods, sorry amigos.