Chapter 1

A/N: Greetings readers. I'm going to say something here and now since there's no room in the summary for this. This story kicks off in late September-early October of the year 2010, Percy's junior year of high school and should extend further into his life. There will be two POVs throughout the story: Percy's and Annabeth's. Some chapters may be set within one POV while others may jump between the two, even during one scene. In natural fanfiction nature, some things will be a bit different, which is usually expected. Some more details will be added at the end of next chapter so keep an eye out for that.

-Percy-

The ear splitting sound of the alarm clock echoes in the dark, quiet room. A very annoyed Percy Jackson groans and smacks it, shutting off the beeping. He sighs and lies on his back, not wanting to wake up yet. But it's a school day. He hates school.

He sits up in his bed and turns on the lamp on the desk next to his bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his other hand. There's a knock on his door then and a familiar voice calling into the room.

"Percy? You awake?"

"Yeah, mom," he groans. "Can't I just call in sick today, too?"

"Do you actually feel bad?" his mom asks, still speaking through the door. Not that she has a choice, though. Percy always locks his door when he's asleep.

"Yes," he lied. It's easier to lie when you don't have to look at someone. But he hates lying to his mom so he sighs and changes his answer.

"Then I suggest you get ready for school. I have to go in to the office early so I'll see you later tonight."

"Okay mom. Love you," Percy calls out.

"Love you, too."

There's footsteps fading from his door, then the sound of the front door opening and closing. Percy stretches and checks his phone. He sees a text from his best friend, Grover. It's just a simple message. 'Hey Perce! You missed out on something yesterday! Call me as soon as you can!'

Percy decides to call him while getting dressed, putting the phone on speaker and setting it down on his desk. He changes out of his shorts and puts on a pair of blue jeans and snug fitting blue shirt.

Finally, Grover picks up the phone. "Hey man!"

"Hey G-man! What did I miss yesterday?"

"Actually not a lot. I mostly just said that so you would call," Grover admits.

"Seriously?" Percy asks, not at all amused at his friend's lie.

"But there are rumors going around that we're getting a transfer student. We don't actually know when, though," Grover says then.

"Oh fun," Percy sighs. "Why is that exciting?"

"Because we heard it was someone from the Chase family," Grover said.

The Chase family, Percy though to himself. Why would someone from that family be coming to Goode High School? It's not the best school in the city. Especially not one deserving the attention of a member of a family as prestigious as the Chases.

Percy has heard a bit about that family. Everyone has. Everyone else looks up to them like they're gods or something. Not Percy, though. He's had enough with rich people trampling on people like him. The head of that family, Frederick Chase, is a very famous designer. His wife, Christine 'Athena' Chase, is his star model. Then there's their three children, whose names escape him. Apparently, they are high class snobs that get everything they ever ask for and don't care much for people they consider to be beneath them. Whether that's actually true or not, he doesn't know. And they live all the way in San Francisco, though he has also heard they have a summer home here in New York.

"Hello? Earth to Percy!"

"Sorry, what?"

"Dude, you need to stop spacing out. I was trying to tell you to not skip school today because the principal is going to kick your ass otherwise."

"I thought we were just talking about the Chase student?" Percy asks.

"I was for a bit. You didn't hear a single thing I said, did you?"

"Sorry, G-man. Look, I'll see you at school, okay?"

"Alright, man. See you."

Percy finishes getting dressed and packs his backpack with everything he needs. Except the fact his homework is still yet unfinished, leaving Percy feeling like he just swallowed a bar of lead, but also a feeling of complete contempt. He doesn't understand homework so he simply doesn't do it if he can help it. Lucky for him, sometimes his mom, Sally Jackson, helps him out as best she can so he's not completely failing his classes. There's also his two favorite teachers at Goode High, Mr. Brunner and Mr. Blowfis.

Percy half smiles at the thought of Paul Blowfis. Sally has been secretly going out with him since they met. Percy may not be book smart like everyone else, but he knows how to put pieces of a puzzle together. He's not entirely unreliable. It's weird that his mom is dating one of his teachers, but Paul really has done a lot more for Percy than most other teachers.

Percy looks up at the time and curses. It's almost 7:45 and he has to be at school by 7:50 for homeroom. It's at least a 30 minute walk for him. He's going to be late. Again.

He snatches his backpack and runs out of his bedroom, snatching a bagel from a plate on the table as he runs past, then sprints out the door.

...

The final bell rings just as Percy rushes into his homeroom. His teacher, Mrs. Dodds, is not happy with him. It's now 8:58 am.

"You're late, Percy," she growls.

"Yeah, I know," Percy gasps as he rushes to his desk and collapses into his seat. He had run as fast as he could through the busy sidewalks and didn't stop or slow down until he got there. He was tired and thirsty.

A small group at the far corner of the room snickers at Percy. Some of the popular kids at his school. It's not that Percy is unpopular, he just prefers to be by himself. He's quiet most of the time and some of the popular kids like to pick on him. Some of them are okay, but there's always a couple that goes further than simple teasing.

He's not the only one they pick on, either. Some of the younger students in his school and especially those that are super smart and nerdy are prime targets of the bullying. Percy doesn't fit in with them, either so he just sits in between. The thing is, though, he does his best to defend the nerdy kids and that usually ends with him with more than a few bruises.

Among the whispering and laughing, Percy notices one of them isn't joining in on their laughing. Since he's a part of that group, you can guess that he's pretty popular. Jason Grace. He just looks uninterested about their little conversation and Percy knows why. He's not a fan of how they treat people, either. He and Percy have talked a few times and have similar interests so he's alright in Percy's book.

"You look like you ran a mile," Grover whispers to him. His desk is next to Percy's.

"I did," Percy replies. "Not that running made me on time for once."

"Grover! Percy! Enough talking! You guys over there! That goes for you, too!" Mrs. Dodds calls out, pointing to the group of popular kids still joking about Percy.

Everybody settles down and Mrs. Dodds looks her attendance list, calling out names. Percy simply waves his hand at the mention of his name and Mrs. Dodds just grunts and marks him down present.

After the last student responds to Mrs. Dodds, she says everybody can do what they want now that she's done her job. There's a lot of chatter, some people put earbuds in an listen to music or watch videos on YouTube. Others pull out books and read, or study depending on the book they open.

Grover turns towards Percy and starts talking to him.

"I wonder which Chase kid is joining our school," he says.

"I don't know and don't much care," Percy grumbles. "They'll just be another bully added to the list. An untouchable one at that."

"You don't know that," Grover protests. "I mean, look at Jason. He's got a nice family but he's nothing like the other popular kids."

"I guess, but this is a Chase kid. One of the most famous families in New York!"

"Hey guys."

Percy looks up at Jason.

"What do you want, asshole?" Percy asks with a light smirk.

Jason grins and shoves Percy's shoulder lightly. "Just needed to get away from those guys."

"Got tired of your pals over there?"

"Come on, Percy," Jason says. "You know I don't like them any more than you do. They just don't let me go."

"uh huh," Percy says.

"We were just talking about that new transfer student," Grover says.

"The Chase kid?" Jason asks. "I'm surprised about that news, actually."

"It makes no sense to me," Percy adds. "Do you know which kid it is?"

"Not a clue," Jason says. "I'm thinking probably that Matthew guy. He's been doing some things his parents aren't too happy about."

"Oh really? Like what?" Grover asks.

"I think he's been throwing parties at their house without his parents knowledge or consent?" Jason says, sounding more like he's guessing.

"They throw parties all the time, though!" Percy exclaims. "Why would that get him sent here?"

"Hey, like I said, I only think. My guess is as good as yours," Jason says.

A knock rings out from the classroom door and Mrs. Dodds walks over and opens it. Percy watches, but he can't see who's outside from where he's sitting, though he can hear a few words of greeting.

"Alright, thank you Mr. Brunner," Mrs. Dodds says then. Percy keeps watching as she turns to the class. "Everybody settle down for a moment!"

The class falls silent again and they turn their attention to her.

"We have a new student here with us today!" she announces. "Come on in, miss Chase."

Percy glances at Jason and Grover, who both share his nervous expression, before looking back towards the front in time to see a girl walk into the room. Her beautiful blonde curls bouncing slightly with every step she takes. She's wearing a simple orange shirt tucked into belted blue jeans. Percy can't see her eyes very well since he's sitting in the back of the classroom, but he can see the rest of her face just fine. His heartbeat quickens slightly, but that's because he's nervous. And when he's nervous, he tends to hide. So that's what he does by sinking into his seat and trying not to be noticed.

She looks around at the class, seemingly a little nervous, and Mrs. Dodds urges her to introduce herself, though anybody that hasn't been living under a rock already know who she is.

"Hi," the girl says with a nervous smile. "I'm Annabeth Chase."

...

-Annabeth-

Annabeth looks around the room, studying the faces of her new classmates.

"Go ahead, miss," Mrs. Dodds encourages. "Introduce yourself."

She takes a breath and calms her nerves and tries to smile. "Hi. I'm Annabeth Chase."

The class greets her and she smiles a bit brighter.

"Now, Annabeth, you can take whatever seat is empty," Mrs. Dodds says.

A few girls and guys in the far corner stare at her and she notices an empty desk. She almost heads over there, but she looks around a little longer and sees one much closer to the door to her left. She likes being near the door, plus she couldn't help noticing a guy seemingly trying to hide behind his backpack. She smiles apologetically at the group near the back and heads for the desk to her left. As she takes her seat, Mrs. Dodds calls out to the guy behind her.

"Percy Jackson! Take that bag off your desk!" Mrs. Dodds barks.

Percy Jackson, huh? she thinks to herself. Annabeth turns around, as does the rest of the class, and watches as Percy moves his bag to the floor. He meets her eyes and her breath leaves her body. Beautiful sea green eyes, messy black hair, and handsome features look back at her. He smiles sheepishly and looks away, covering his face with his hands. Annabeth also looks away, a light blush in her cheeks.

Everybody starts chatting among themselves, but several students start talking to Annabeth, introducing themselves and asking her all kinds of questions. It isn't long until the bell rings signalling the first hour of classes so everybody gets up and heads out the door. As Annabeth is picking up her bag and talking to a few students, she notices Percy heading straight for the door.

I wonder what his deal is...

As she walks down the hallway, one of the girls she hasn't met yet catches up to her.

"Hey, Annabeth, right?" she asks.

"That's right," she replies.

"I'm Rachel. Rachel Dare," the girl says holding out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," Annabeth says, shaking her hand.

"So what made you come to Goode High?" Rachel asks her.

Annabeth stiffens a bit but tries to smile. "I'd rather not talk about that, actually. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't apologize, it's okay," Rachel says.

She looks like she's going to say more but somebody yells "JACKSON!" somewhere behind her. She turns around and tries seeing through the ocean of students between her and the source. Fortunately, a few other students stopped walking and watched whatever was going on, though she could only see the heads and shoulders of two guys talking. One of them being Percy Jackson, and the other, a slightly taller and leaner guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. She couldn't hear what was being said, but the other guy didn't seem too happy.

"Oh, are you wondering what that's about?" Rachel asks her.

"Yeah..." Annabeth answers.

The blonde guy jams his finger into Percy's shoulder a couple times before Percy grabs his shirt and slams him into the lockers, pinning him. The whole thing spirals out of control and pretty quickly there's a fist fight.

"That blonde guy is Luke Castellan. He's the captain of the football team here. A real jerk if you ask me. And you already know about Percy, but I'd still steer clear of them. Percy's kind of a weirdo," Rachel explains.

Yeah, Annabeth thinks to herself. A weirdo with amazing eyes.

"Oh, I know that look in your eyes, girly," Rachel says.

"What look?" Annabeth asks.

"You think Percy is attractive, don't you?"

"What? No! I never-"

"It's alright, cool your jets," Rachel says with a smile. "You're not the only girl here that thinks that, trust me. It's just like I said, though. He's a weirdo."

Annabeth looks back to the fight. "Shouldn't somebody stop them?"

"This happens a lot, actually," Rachel says miserably.

Soon, Luke seems to get tired of it and just shouts at Percy and shoves him into his locker before storming off. Percy looks around a bit, pulling a textbook out of his locker, and slams his locker shut. He catches Annabeth's eyes and she quickly turns the other way. Maybe Rachel is right about Percy, but she would still like to know more about him. Meet him properly instead of taking what she's told as truth. And then Luke... he seems kind of familiar... But she doesn't know how.

...

-Percy-

Hours later - Lunch

"Dude, are you sure you're alright?" Grover asks Percy.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been acting... different," Grover observes.

Percy stares at his best friend, almost forgetting about his tray of cheeseburgers and french fries. "Different how?"

"You don't ever hide from people and now suddenly here's Annabeth Chase and the first thing you do is hide behind your backpack," Jason says.

"Hey I wasn't hiding from her if that's what you're thinking," Percy says defensively.

"Right," Jason says, his voice full of sarcasm. "You weren't hiding, and I'm a flying pig."

"You wish, asshole," Percy smirks, picking up his cheeseburger again. He finishes it and turns to his fries.

Jason and Grover laugh for a moment, knowing Percy doesn't mean what he's saying.

"But seriously, though. What do you think of her?" Grover asks.

"I don't know," Percy says. He thinks about this morning in homeroom when she first walked in. The first thing he thought was how beautiful she looked, completely forgetting that she's a Chase. He would never have a chance with her.

"I guess she's pretty," he adds.

"Pretty is an understatement," Grover says.

"I suppose I can agree," Jason says. "But even still, I'm interested in someone else."

"Piper McLean," Percy mumbles. "We know."

"You think I should ask her out? Maybe to the dance next month?" Jason asks.

"Don't look at me," Percy says. "I'm not a love expert."

"Oh I know, but you are good at figuring things out about people," Jason states.

"Dude, I can't even figure out my homework, how can you expect me to figure out you and Piper?"

Piper is one of the few popular kids that is nice to Percy. They usually never talk to each other, but she doesn't make fun of him to be mean.

"Come on, man," Jason begs. "When did I ever let you down?"

"Hmm, let's see," Percy begins, but Jason interrupts.

"Okay, we don't have to go down that rabbit hole, but come on! I said I was sorry for all of that already. And I just want you goddamned opinion on my idea!"

Percy sighs. "You want my opinion?"

"For once, yeah. Fucking jerk," Jason jokes.

"Yeah, fuck you, too, Grace," Percy counters. "Just give me a sec to think, will you?"

"Yeah, whatever."

Percy looks around the cafeteria and spots his target. Piper McLean. Sitting far to his 10 o'clock across the cafeteria. Junior, voted one of the prettiest girls in the class, and just overall very nice. Gets along with almost everybody and Percy has no clue how she does it. He thinks about times he's overheard her talking about Jason while they walked down the hall past his locker. He didn't get much, but whatever he heard was good. He remembers seeing those two constantly sneaking glances at each other in class and even outside of class, always looking away as soon as they're caught.

Laughter breaks out around his 2 o'clock, just a couple tables away. He looks over and sees a few more popular girls chatting with Annabeth, Rachel among them. No doubt they're talking about him and not in a good way. He presses his fingers to the bridge of his nose and tries to get back to his thoughts.

"Honestly..." Percy begins. "Don't take this as law, okay Grace?"

"I won't," he promises.

"I say you'd be a moron for not asking her." He breaks out in a smile as he says this, looking at Jason straight in the eyes.

"And if I do ask her?" he asks with a grin.

"You'd still be a moron," Percy says, earning him a smack upside the head from Jason.

"You're a jerk," Jason grumbles, but he's grinning.

"When will you do it?" Grover asks.

"I don't know," Jason replies. "I'd like to do something special."

"You're seriously going to make a plan to ask a question?" Percy asks.

"Dude just shut up and eat your food."

Percy laughs and reaches for another french fry, but finds he's all out. He considers going to get second servings, but when he glances at the time, he finds there isn't enough of it. So instead, he just goes to drop off his tray.

As he approaches the drop off window, the lunch lady smiles at him and gets all giddy. She's an older lady, somewhere between 70 and 75 years old, but she has the energy of a twenty year old. But her cooking is always homemade, which is exactly how Percy likes it. Except the blue food coloring, but he won't get into that with her. Everybody in the school loves her! She's basically everybody's grandma and some students even refer to her as Grammy Morgan or Nana Morgan affectionately. Percy just calls her Mrs. Morgan and she's perfectly content with that.

"Oooh there's my favorite student! How was your food?" she exclaims.

Percy can't help but smile. "It was perfect as always, Mrs. Morgan."

"Aww I'm sorry to hear that," she says with a playful smirk. "I'll be sure to do better next time."

"I don't think you can. Nothing beats your cooking," Percy says as he hands her the tray. She drops it into the sink next to her to wash it later on.

"I know, dear. Thank you," she says. "How's your mom doing?"

"She's doing alright. Busy as usual but we still find time to do things together."

"That's good to hear. Now, the bell is about to ring so you should get going, young man," Mrs. Morgan tells him.

"See you tomorrow, Mrs. M," Percy says with a smile as he turns around...

And bumps into another student, who consequently drops their tray.

Fortunately, it was another empty tray except for a couple emptied milk cartons and some napkins, but Percy still kneels to help pick it all up, muttering apologies the entire time. As he reaches for the tray itself, he accidentally brushes hands with the student so he pulls his hand back, yet so does the other student.

"I'm sorry," she says as Percy picks up the tray and looks up to see the student.

"No, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention-"

He freezes. Staring back at him were a pair of beautiful, stormy grey eyes. A few strands of curly blonde hair hang over her right cheek, which has a slight pink tint to the skin.

"A-Ann... umm... h-hi..." Percy stammers. His mind is completely empty and he's instantly nervous.

"Hi," she replies. "Umm... Percy, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," he says with surprising difficulty. She's gorgeous.

Annabeth seems to blush and her eyes flicker to her empty tray. Percy looks down at the tray, then back up to her. "Um... I'm sorry, here you go."

He hands her the tray and she smiles, thanking him. Percy tries not to look her up and down, not wanting to scare her off. Instead, he tries to say something to her. He had just run into her so maybe she hurt somewhere?

"A-Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?"

Phew. Not hurt. Good start so far.

"I think I'm okay," Percy says, feeling around his body. "I don't feel any forks or knives stuck in me so I'd say that's good."

Annabeth laughs a bit, which makes Percy's heart melt in his rib cage. It was a beautiful sound.

The bell rings, signalling the end of lunch and Annabeth puts her tray at the window, thanking Mrs. M, who is just watching and enjoying the spectacle before her.

"I should get to class. It was nice to meet you, Percy Jackson," she says with a smile.

"Yeah... you too," he replies.

As Annabeth walks off to collect her things from her table and head to class -which Percy can't help but stare-, somebody smacks him upside the head, snapping him out of his trance.

"Ow!"

"Dude, wake the hell up!" Jason says.

"I told you to stop that!" Percy exclaims.

"Well, next time don't just sit here like a lost puppy," Jason says with a grin. "Now let's go, we're going to be late because of your slow ass."

"I never asked for you to wait for me, asshole," Percy remarks.

"Whatever, you jerk."