A/N Hey guys! Guess who got a snow day on their first day back? Me! So, here I am again with another chapter. You guys seem to like Tyler okay, so I hope you like the next couple of OCs I introduce. Just remember, this story is NOT about them. They're just necessary for the story arch. Please keep an open mind before you write them off completely!

Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns Percy Jackson, yada yada yada.

Enjoy!


Percy walked through the line in the cafeteria, quickly paying for an apple and a water bottle. He had the blue peanut butter and jelly sandwich his mother had made for him, but he needed more than that. People in line stared at him, some with awe and some with rage, but for the most part, all eyes were on him.

He weaved through all the tables and students, using his fast reflexes to keep from running into anyone or stepping on their toes. He eventually made it to his usual table, where the few people he actually talked to sat.

Tyler was there, of course, avoiding Percy's gaze. Jordan, another one of the guys on the swim team, also sat there, with his girlfriend Macy, and her best friend Sarah, who also swam with them.

Percy sat next to Tyler, just like he always did, with the one empty seat on his right. He sometimes stared at it longingly, wishing more than anything that it was Annabeth sitting there with him. Then their lunch table would be complete.

Well, his heart would be complete, anyways.

"Hey guys," he said, unwrapping his sandwich. He ate the least desirable part—the crust—first, and left the good part to enjoy later.

"Perce," Tyler muttered.

The group stared at him for a moment before shrugging and turning back to Percy.

"I can't believe you stood up to Vick like that," Sarah smiled, showing her teeth. She was pretty and reminded Percy of the Demeter girls from back at camp; petite and kind, with soft features and a big personality. She always made him think of Katie, and the similarities between them always brought a pang to his chest. He missed camp a lot more than he wanted to admit to himself.

"It was nothing," he told her, trying to forget it had ever happened. Paul had managed to save him from getting expelled or anything crazy like that, but he hadn't been able to avoid a detention the next week. It meant he'd be staying with Vick after school with his stepdad. Paul hadn't told him why Vick was in there, only that he was, and Percy feared it had something to do with him.

"Nothing?" Jordan questioned, his left eyebrow cocked. "Were you not there? That was the best thing I've seen in a long time. I'm glad you didn't let what happened yesterday effect you today."

Macy nodded her head in agreement. "Seriously, Perce. You were all calm, and, like, "Don't make me do this," but he did, and so you did, and it was great!"

Macy had more enthusiasm than Leo did, which was saying something. She was always excited and happy, talking constantly with her hands, and overusing commas in her speech.

Percy couldn't help but chuckle at her. "Thanks, Mace."

Tyler couldn't keep his mind off the conversation he'd overheard earlier in the hallways, where Percy talked to Mr. Blofis about having been taken. Tyler suddenly felt like he didn't even know his best friend at all, and was sitting there silently trying to come up with a good plan to confront him with.

"What's wrong with you?" Percy asked Tyler.

Tyler shook his head. "Just thinking about…stuff. Nothing important. Carry on with your lives as if I never said anything."

Percy shot him a look. "What the Hades are you talking about?"

Tyler mentally noted that, too. Percy never cursed, per say, always choosing to use a Greek Olympian's name instead. He knew Percy really liked his mythology, which was why he was confused as to why he reacted like he did in English the day before.

"Why don't you have a girlfriend, Percy?"

Percy blanched, having been unprepared for this turn in the conversation. He always wanted to keep his personal life as a demigod and his school life as a pseudo-mortal apart. He didn't ever want to tell his friends about Annabeth.

"What—what are you talking about Ty?"

Everyone at the table was watching the exchange curiously, wondering what was going on. They'd all wondered why Percy never asked out any of the girls, and Macy and Jordan had tried to set him up with Sarah many times, always for him to brush them off and hurriedly changed the subject. The fleeting thought had been that he was gay, but they knew that wasn't true, either. Percy never showed interest in anyone, male or female. Macy had actually concluded that Percy was either too narcissistic to like anyone else (and she knew he was too sweet for that to be it), or he was asexual.

"I'm just wondering. Why don't you have a girlfriend? You know most of the girls here would give a leg just to talk to you. Who knows what they'd do if you actually dated one of them. Why don't you ever ask any of them out?"

Percy blushed, focusing his eyes on the tabletop in front of him. Suddenly, he wasn't so hungry anymore. He pushed his tray away from him and crossed his arms. "No reason, Ty. Don't worry about it."

Ty. Tyler thought about Mr. Blofis' suggestion of staying with Ty. What did he have to do with all of this? And why wouldn't Percy just tell him the truth? Not only were his feelings hurt, but Tyler was also starting to get pretty angry.

"No reason? Then who is that blonde chick you took to Paris?"

Percy froze, and Jordan, Macy, and Sarah all gaped at him, having the same thought as Tyler did about Percy taking a girl to a different country.

"How do you know about that?" Percy asked, a hard edge to his tone.

"I put your books away. You have all those pictures just hanging there, but most of them are of her. And you took her to Paris? Why didn't you tell any of us about your secret freaking girlfriend, Percy?"

"I didn't want anyone here to know about her," Percy finally replied after a few moments of silence. "There's no point," he whispered.

Tyler almost regretted bringing it up, but forged on, using the information he'd overheard to spur him on. "Why? I thought she was important to you, Perce. Don't you think she'll last?"

Percy snorted, lifting his head to look his best mortal friend in the eyes. "No, she'll last. I'm just not so sure about everyone here."

o.O.o

Sarah couldn't deny the tiny pang in her chest when Percy talked about his supposed girlfriend. She knew she wasn't the only girl in the school to have a crush on Percy, but she also knew that out of all of them, she probably had had the best chance. Now, to learn it was futile anyways, well…. She was a teenage girl. Do the math.

Macy walked her to class, her arm wrapped around Sarah's slim shoulders, trying to comfort her. She'd been just as surprised as everyone else to discover Percy had an actual relationship. Before she'd started dating Jordan, even she had had a crush on Percy, because it was nearly impossible not to. He was cute and nice, and although he had an odd sense of humor, he could always make her laugh. When she and Jordan had finally hooked up, she had tried her best to push Percy into the thin and nimble arms of Sarah, but to no avail.

A part of her couldn't deny how cute it was that he remained faithful to his girlfriend, though, whomever and wherever she might be.

"Don't worry about it, Sar," Macy said, trying to console her.

Sarah nodded her head, her face pale. "I know. I never really stood a chance with someone like him anyways." Macy opened her mouth to protest, but Sarah beat her to the punch line. "Don't do that, Mace. You know it's true. Whoever that girl is, she must be pretty amazing to mean so much to Percy."

Macy sighed, agreeing. It wasn't that she didn't love her best friend and want the best for her, because she did, but there was just something about Percy that was so…powerful. He had this aura about him that just made you want to back away slowly. She felt it every time she was near him, and she knew most everyone else did, too. That's why Vick's attack had surprised her so much.

How did he not notice?

Percy was going to be someone important, whether the world knew it or not. She could just tell. She had a feeling that he already was, to a lot of people, but she just didn't know why. She could feel that there was one person who meant more to him than anyone else; she could sense his love in the way he talked about his girlfriend. She'd always hoped it was his underlying feelings for Sarah, but upon learning about his girlfriend, she realized it was her.

"Percy's just…. He's too much for anyone here to handle, Sarah. I know he's fun to look at, and he's never mean to anyone, but there's something about him that makes him nearly untouchable. There's a reason Percy never told any of us about this girl of his. I wouldn't be surprised if he was actually a secret agent."

Sarah giggled, lightly punching Macy in the arm. "Percy's not a spy, Mace."

Macy cocked a brow. "Are you sure of that? We saw how he handled Vick. Only someone trained to fight could hold him off like that, and Percy didn't even break a sweat."

"Yeah, 'cause he broke Vick's fingers instead."

"You know what I mean, Sarah. He's strong. You swim with him. You've seen him without a shirt. You know just as I do that he's seriously ripped underneath all those t-shirts he wears. He's fast enough to be in the Olympics, and he can hold his breath for, like, ever."

"He's a good swimmer, Macy, not an undercover agent."

"You don't know that!" Macy protested, walking into their Social Studies class. Percy was already in there, staring at something on the desk in front of him.

They walked over to him and sat in their seats on either side of him.

"What do you have there, Percy?" Macy asked.

Percy sighed and cursed under his breath.

*ανάθεμα? What the heck did that mean? Macy wasn't sure what Percy was saying, but she knew for certain that it wasn't English.

Percy's shoulders sagged, and eventually, he slid a photo across the desk, right in the middle so that Sarah and Macy could both see it.

It was a picture of Percy with his arms wrapped around a gorgeous blonde girl. She was smiling at the camera, but he was looking down at her, love clearly displayed in his eyes. Sarah gasped at the girls beauty, understanding why she—plain as she was—had never caught Percy's attention.

"She's beautiful," Sarah mumbled.

Percy smiled sadly. "I know. I miss her."

"Where is she?" Macy asked, her eyes remaining on the girl.

"She's in California. That's where she lives; in San Francisco."

Macy smiled despite herself. "And I'm guessing that that doesn't make you very happy, does it?"

Percy grin was wiry, and he plucked up the photo and put it in one of his folders, hesitating to close it. Right before he put his folder away, he gently laid his fingers against the girl's face.

"Of course I'm not happy about her being there. Annabeth…. She's everything to me."

"Annabeth," Sarah mumbled, jealous that the pretty blonde girl had a pretty name, too. She felt so common. She didn't think there was anything about her that was really different from anyone else. Annabeth was gorgeous, had a gorgeous name, and had a gorgeous man missing her. Annabeth wasn't common. She was mysterious, like Percy. Sarah could tell just from her quicksilver eyes.

"Why didn't you tell any of us about her?"

Percy shook his head. "My life is not high school. This place…it's not for me. I have a purpose, Macy, and I know everyone says that, but I actually know about mine. Cheesy as it is, loving her is my purpose in life. It's all I'm supposed to do. She's all I'll ever really care about. I know I'm young. I'm seventeen. But she's been my best friend since we were twelve, and I've done whatever necessary to keep her safe. And I always will."

Macy had tears welled up in her eyes. That was the sweetest thing she'd ever heard out of a Nicholas Sparks book, and to hear it from Percy? She was suddenly so jealous of this mystery girl who had won over the special boy beside her. She really, really liked Jordan, but love? She didn't love him, not yet, and she knew he wasn't there, either. Percy's obvious love for Annabeth was the most profound she'd ever seen, and she hadn't even actually seen the girl.

"Percy, you have to bring her here. I want to meet her."

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes, wiping the tears away with her hands. "Silly boy. I've never known someone, let alone a teenager, who seemed to feel so much for another person. I want to meet the girl who's made you this way."

"I would introduce you if she came, but I doubt that's happening. I'd go get her right now if I thought she'd come with me."

"Why wouldn't she? If she feels for you what you feel for her, why wouldn't she want to see you, too?"

"She wants to see me, I know that. We just have some…complicated family issues. Her mother wouldn't let her." He sighed frustrated, and rubbed at his temples. "She has this thing…. She ran away from home when she was young, and she's just now finally feeling welcome back at home. I don't want to ruin that for her."

"How long was she away from home?" Sarah asked. It sounded as if Annabeth had been away from home for years and had only just then decided to return home. If that were the case, where had she stayed?

Percy groaned. "Ugh. She ran away when she was seven. She didn't go back until she was twelve, when I talked her into seeing her dad again."

"Five years? Wow. Where did she stay all that time?"

Percy bit his lip indecisively. "I never wanted to tell any of you any of this," he mumbled under his breath. Macy rubbed his back, up and down, up and down, trying to convey how much she cared about him, that he could trust her.

"She wasn't alone. She had friends with her that helped her get to…this place. It's where people like us go."

"Runaways? You were a runaway, too?"

"No. Vlakas. This is difficult. I never ran away, guys."

Macy's eyes opened wide, twinkling with mirth. She began bouncing up and down in her seat, clapping her hands, and squealing under her breath. "Are you a spy, then, Percy?"

"What?" He looked surprised, as if that was the last thing that he expected to come out of her mouth. "Where'd you get that idea?"

Sarah chuckled. "She thinks you're a spy because you're strong and powerful. She thinks you've had special training."

Macy glared at her best friend. "Well, answer me this, then. If you're not a spy, what does that tattoo on your arm mean? Hmm? Does it have nothing to do with an undercover government agency?"

Percy hastily tried to cover his arm up, as if no one had ever seen it during swimming practice. They all had, they'd just decided not to ever bring it up. Percy hadn't even thought about using the mist or something to cover it up.

Sarah pulled up his sleeve and looked at it, ignoring his protests. "It looks more like one of those things the Holocaust victims had, like one of those identification things. It looks more like a war hostage tattoo."

Percy paled. "Please, guys, don't ask me anything about this. Don't look into it. It's not because I don't trust you, but it's not safe for any of you to be a part of this. You could all get hurt."

While Macy was sure that Percy worked for the CIA, Sarah was beginning to think that Percy might have been sold on the black market as a child. That, or Annabeth had gotten him involved in something illegal. Something bad was happening, whatever the situation was, and she wanted to make sure that Percy was safe. Was Sally even his real mom? They didn't look anything alike, after all.

"Are you in trouble, Percy?"

He shook his head. "Just…. Don't ask, okay? I can't talk about any of this. That's why I never told you anything before. I care about you all."

Sarah couldn't keep her mouth closed. "Did Annabeth get you involved in this?"

He gritted his teeth. "Don't ask, Sarah. I mean it."

"I'll take that as a yes," she mumbled.

"Leave it alone, guys. You don't know what happened, and it's better that way." His eyes were narrowed into slits, his voice coming out in a gravelly growl. "Don't ask me about it again."

They both nodded their heads slowly, scared that he would blow up again. They'd never seen him angry, not really, and he was terrifying. They knew then that Percy hadn't merely gotten lucky in his fight against Vick, but that Percy had gone easy on him. It was obvious that Percy was a lot stronger and more capable than any of them had ever given him credit for.

Percy raised his hand and Mr. Geller called on him. "Yes, Percy? Can I help you with something?"

"Can I be excused, Mr. Geller?"

"What's wrong?"

Percy bowed his head. "Just, please, Mr. Geller. I really need to get out of this room for a while."

Mr. Geller's eyes flickered back and forth from Percy and his two female friends. He seemed to be thinking about the incident in Dr. Boring's classroom, and eventually nodded his head, indicating for Percy to grab a hall pass.

Percy snatched it off the peg on the wall and hurried out of the classroom. Whispers broke out across the room, everyone spreading rumors about what had just happened to him.

One kid turned around in his seat and looked at Macy and Sarah. "What happened to Jackson?"

They glared at him.

"None of your business, Mike. Turn around."

He rolled his eyes and started talking with his table partner again. Mr. Geller tried in vain to quiet everyone, though he too was curious about what had just happened to his student.

o.O.o

Percy stalked down the hallways, trying to find room 317. When he found it, he opened the door and hurried in, disrupting his step-dad's class.

"Percy? What's going on?"

"I need to borrow your phone, Paul."

"What? Why? Why aren't you in class right now?"

Percy bit his lip and ignored him, opening Paul's desk drawer and pulling out his cell phone. Paul's face turned red, whether with anger or worry no one could tell. He walked over to Percy, his face expectant.

"I have to call her, Paul. I have to know that she's okay." Percy began dialing her number, knowing the risks he was taking but also knowing deep in his soul that he wouldn't calm down until he talked to her.

The entire classroom was silent, watching Percy and Paul closely. Percy had been acting incredibly strange for days, and they wanted to know what was going on with him. Teenagers lived for gossip, after all.

"Percy, that's not a good idea."

"Yeah, because it's a great idea."

Paul shook his head and placed his hand against Percy's shoulder. "I know what you're going to do, Percy and you can't."

"I can do whatever I need to do, Paul!" he yelled, his eyes flashing with an unrestrained anger. The skies outside darkened, and clouds rolled in front of the sun. It started to rain, and the students could faintly hear the thunder in the distance. They were surprised, because the weatherman had said it was going to be sunny all day.

"Calm down, Percy! Do you not see what you're doing?"

Percy glanced at one of the kids in the front row. His water bottle was shaking, a tiny hurricane forming in his water. Thankfully, no one had yet noticed that, too focused on the raging storm outside and on Percy.

He tried to even out his breathing, to get his anger under control, though it was difficult.

Percy bowed his head, ashamed at his rash behavior. He pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to stop the tears he felt stinging behind his lids. He couldn't believe how he was acting.

"I'm sorry, Paul," he whispered.

Paul shook his head. "Go call her, Percy, before you disrupt my class any more than you already have."

Percy smiled sheepishly, staring at all the kids that were watching his every move. "Yeah, maybe I should, ah, leave. I'll give you your phone back in a bit."

He slid through the door and closed it behind him, pressing Talk and listening to it ringing.

"Paul?" Annabeth's voice asked quietly. "Is this about the plan?"

"What plan?" Percy asked.

"Oh, Seaweed Brain!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know it was you. Don't worry about it, okay? Now, tell me what's wrong. Why did you call?"

Percy wanted to know what the plan was, but he knew better than to push Annabeth for answers when she didn't want to give them. He decided to be honest with her and not downplay anything like he usually did when talking to her.

"I need you, Annabeth."

"Percy," she sighed through the receiver. "Please don't do this, okay? I'll see you soon enough. Just don't think about the time until I see you, just think about what we're going to do when I'm finally there."

"Anything. Everything. I don't even care if you just want to tour all the monuments and hang out at a library. I just really need to see you again. I can't take this anymore. You're more important to me than you ever were before, and it hurts."

He could hear the sob in her voice. "I know, Perce. I know. It hurts me, too. But it's a pain that we have to go through, just like all the other ones. We'll survive this, just like we always do. If we can beat the king of the Titans and the Mother Earth, why can't we beat the odds and make the long distance thing work?"

"Annabeth, I'm not doubting us, I'm doubting me. I don't know if I can handle not seeing you every day anymore."

"I'll be there before you know it."

Percy closed his eyes and laid his head against the cool metal of the lockers. "I'll always wait for you, Wise Girl. Always. That's the only reason I can do this, you know."

"I know. And I love you for it. I won't make you wait long, though, Percy."

"Please don't."

Percy could hear a high pitched ring through the phone and groaned, knowing that his time with his girlfriend was over. "IM me as soon as you get home, okay? I want to see you."

"Of course. I want to see you, too. I love you, Percy."

"Love you, too, Annabeth."

He waited until he heard the click of her hanging up before he snapped the old cellphone closed and walked back to Paul's room. He entered and set the phone on his step-dad's desk. "Thanks, Paul," he muttered, backing out of the room.

Paul smiled at him warmly, his finger resting in the book he was reading from, as a way to keep his place. "Any time you need to use the phone, you know that you can. And we'll talk more about this at home. I think you should reconsider visiting your father."

Percy glanced at his peers before nodding. "Maybe. We'll see."

He walked out the door and took his time going back to his own classroom, not in any particular mood to hear about the Peloponnesian war. He had his own fight warring in his mind. Annabeth had practically invaded his head and taken it hostage. He wasn't capable of thinking of anything other than her.

"Soon," he promised himself, thinking of what they'd do when they could finally relax in each other's arms. "Soon."


A/N (part two) So, what did you think of Sarah, Macy, and Jordan? Sarah's not going to be hung up on Percy and try to break them up, promise. She just thinks that Annabeth is a bad guy (girl) who's trying to corrupt Percy, or something. Macy loves Annabeth already, so she's team Percabeth all the way, though I'm sure she'd be team Leo, too, if they ever meet. Jordan, on the other hand...well, let's just say, he's going to cause drama in a way NONE of you are expecting. I promise you that, too. He's not going to be falling all over her. Quite the opposite, actually.

OCs are NOT taking over. Don't worry.

* Dammit

Thanks to:

huge fan- Thank you! I hope Tyler finds out too! ;)

Mayhaah- Thanks! And, yes, it does all makes sense. I have that problem all the time lol

Guest- This a quick enough update?

Calypso Jackson- That was his backup godly food. I'm glad you figured that out. And I read your one shots! They're really good! I liked emotional Percy with the joke book!

Author Incognito

InfinitePanicAttacks33

Mango21

Expa

RascalJoy

You're fantastic! Seriously. I get so nervous about posting these chapters, but I LOVE your feedback! It keeps me motivated to keep going! What would I do without you all? On my first chapter, I got so sick at my stomach that I called my brother, and he offered to write me a "sexy review" to get you all interested. I shot down that idea quickly. Brother's are weird. Thanks for not making me resort to that!

Anything else? Eh, I don't think so. Just keep me informed with your opinions and ideas. And please, don't hate the OCs! They're a little neurotic, but what high school doesn't have neurotic students? Mine sure does! I might just be one of them...

Good luck with your resolutions. Loose weight, love yourself, be nice. I hope it lasts longer than a week! JK!

-SheCan

Au revoir!