Annabeth's POV:

"So, then he was like, are you sure you don't wanna date me? And I'm like, 'No John! How many times do I have to tell you? I'm never going to date you!' And then he just walked away with his head down." As soon as I finished my story, all of us cracked up.

I'm at the little milkshake parlour on the corner of West 42nd street, downtown New York (A/N: I'm sorry if I wrote that wrong, I'm not really sure how the system works) with my group, Luke, Piper, Drew, Will, Ethan, Frank and Hazel. We'd just finished drinking and paying and were about to leave.

The eight of us walked out onto the curb, chatting and laughing about the random things that had happened during the week when, who should round the corner? None other than Percy Jackson.

Percy is running about five times faster than I ever knew he could, quite possibly even faster than Will can run, and Will's a national champion runner. He grinning like a lunatic and wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama shorts. Man, he has some serious muscle. Where the heck did that come from? I barely even have time to think the words what a weirdo before he's almost upon us.

Just then the bell of the shop door we just left rings and there's someone muttering something that sounds like,

"What the hell? Percy?" And then the person that is behind us calls out, "Oi kelp head! What the Hades are you doing?"

Percy stops dead in his tracks and looks up and the speaker.

"Thalia? THALIA!" With that, he runs over to the girl, Thalia, and gives her a massive hug.

"Hi Kelp head." She says and then after about 10 seconds of him hugging her, adds, "Ok, you can get off me now." Percy lets go and backs away.

The girl has punk styled black hair and dark clothes on with a silver sash around her waist and tiny silver tiara on her head. She's also holing a bottle of water in her hand.

"What on Earth are you doing?" She asks. Realisation overcomes Percy's strong features.

"Running... Pranked... Nico..." Percy mutters while walking around Thalia.

"What? You pranked him? Why would you... Percy. What are you doing?" He was now crouched behind Thalia and trying to curl himself into a ball as small as possible. What an idiot. How predictable for him to need someone else's help.

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Thalia questions whilst staring at the place where Percy just rounded the corner.

"I kind of had to leave really quickly." Thalia laughs and then glances back to where she was looking. She lets out a gasp and chokes back a laugh.

Instantly I turn my head to where she is looking and my eyes widen more than I knew they even could. There is a skinny, yet still slightly muscular looking kid running our way. He looks almost goth with his shadowy eyes and dark hair. The most interesting thing about his appearance, though, is the fact that he's also still in his pyjamas and is dripping wet.

"Is that...?" Thalia starts.

"Yep." I hear Percy whisper back. "Don't tell him I'm here."

The boy looks completely and utterly mad. His eyes are furious and he has a long sheath-like thing hanging around his waist. His eyes flicker quickly around the street and then land on Thalia and widen. Instantly a little bit of the anger in his eyes disappear.

"Thalia?"

"Y-yes Nico?" Thalia stutters out. Just then the boy- Nico I suppose- glances down and sees Percy. Hard not to, considering he's just crouching and covering his eyes. Instantly his dark eyes narrow and become hard again.

"Jackson." He growls, and Percy stiffens. "I. Can. Not. Believe. You. Did. That."

Did what? I wonder.

Percy takes his hands away from his eyes, straightens up and grins sheepishly at Nico.

"Dude. Come on man. It was just a joke." Nico looks outraged.

"A joke? You almost froze me! You know I don't like water that much because of my dad!"

"I'm sorry. Please. Let's just go back to my place and get you dry."

"Not a chance in Hades. Come here." He orders. Percy looks worried. Wimp. He shakes his head.

"I said, COME HERE!" Nico shouts. Thalia winces and steps aside. In one quick motion she bends down and touches Percy on the shoulder. It doesn't look like it would hurt but Percy flies back with his hair sticking in all directions. He looks like he's just been shocked. How the heck did that happen?

Percy groans and rubs his shoulder. He looks around and sends a withering glare that would have had me quivering in seconds. Thalia just looks used to it.

"Traitor." He mutters.

Thalia shrugs. "Sorry," she says.

Nico grins in triumph and reaches for the sheath thing on his waist. Percy begins to reach for his pyjama pocket before choosing this time to glance around him. His eyes instantly land on me and my group, all still standing shell shocked and watching them. His eyes widen in surprise and his hand shoots to Nico's wrist and grasps it, holding it still before he can take out whatever was inside of it.

"Θνητοί. *Mortals*" He whispers in what sounds like another language? Maybe Greek? Nico and Thalia both look at us.

"You're so god damn lucky, Jackson." Nico says, almost as if we weren't there, "Next time, I'll have your head." Percy's face breaks out in a grin of relief and he turns to look at Thalia.

"Hey do you want to come back to my place before we leave?" Leave for where? I wonder.

Apparently Thalia knows because she simply says, "Sure thing. I hope your mum has made cookies!" And with that they all walk off together in the direction of where I assume Percy's house is.

When they round the corner all of my group look at each other, dumb struck.

"What the hell just happened?" Luke asks, confused.

Everyone shakes their heads to signal that they don't know, either.

"I don't know." I say, before I can even register that I'm talking. "But I intend to find out."