A/N: Hey guys! Back again with another chapter, hope you like it!

"She was your first love," they say with that sympathetic look, nodding as if they understand.

They don't.

She wasn't just his first love, she was his only love.

Because ever since he got some semblance of what love is, he had given his heart to freckles and red hair and a smile that made him warm. Because what else can you call years' worth of admiration, trust, loyalty? He's spent so much of himself in chasing her, his friend, hoping for something more.

Only to find that though he had handed her his, she gave her heart to someone else.

And so, unsurprisingly, he's crushed. On top of that, everyone is writing it off as a first love.

Percy has two problems with that. One, he had believed she was going to be it, the only one. And two, first love implies there's a second, and he doesn't think he really has it in him to try again.

He's always worn his heart on his sleeve, and he doesn't know when that got lost in translation when it came to her. Was he asking for too much? What was he lacking in?

It's his mother, in the end, that holds his hands in hers and looks him in the eye and explains that:

"Your first love isn't the first person you give your heart to, it's the first person that breaks it."

It renders him silent because, though it's validating to know that what he felt was real because his heart is broken, it also explains why everyone keeps saying that with the sympathetic look. She was never going to be the one if she was his first love.

And honestly…

"What if I can't give my heart to anyone else now?"

His mother shakes her head, gripping his hands tighter and staring into his eyes with a look he can't quite read. "No," she says slowly. "As long as it exists, you go. You dive into that pool, even if it's full of risks. You do it for love."

Still not sure if he can, he walks away with her words replaying in his mind. In fact, he remembers them now as he stands at the edge, looking down at the glittering water before him. He doesn't know if love is worth it, but it's infinitely easier to dive into the swimming pool than it is into love.

Easily swimming four laps, he stops at the end to take a break. The pool is empty, save for himself and one other guy in the far right lane, and he knows he has maybe fifteen minutes before they close for the night.

His eyes continue to follow the water's edge till he meets the lifeguard chair and looking up, he's surprised to find the lifeguard there staring at him.

When she realizes he's caught her, she looks away quickly at the empty left side of the pool. It gives him a chance to study her for a minute. She's got blonde hair tied into a ponytail and he can see tan legs peeking out of her red swimsuit. She's really quite beautiful.

And for some reason she was looking at him.

As if she can feel his gaze, she turns back to meet his eyes. This time, he's the one to look away, a heat rising to his cheeks. His heart is thumping, whether from the swim or the lifeguard, he doesn't know, but all he can do is look out at the pool.

He can write this off. Leave it alone. Go back to swimming and pretend like they didn't just check each other out and walk back to his car.

Or—

Or he can dive. The risks are piled high, each second adding another question to make it taller. What if it was a fluke? What if she's just bored and decided to look over? What if they don't get along? What if she breaks his heart?

He stills, though the water continues to lap around him. His first love had broken his heart.

But maybe his second one won't?

Taking a breath, he looks back up and meets her gaze one again. She doesn't look away. Neither does he.

Breaking out into a small smile, he takes one last look at her before closing his eyes and diving headfirst into the pool, swimming directly towards her.

Turns out, your first love isn't your last, because the right one will never break your heart.

A/N: So what did you think? I wanted to focus this one more on love (as the title suggests) and of course percabeth. I really thought the concept that your first love is the one that breaks your heart was cool and I wanted to write something on it, since I think there is some truth to that. That and I wanted to cover that the first person you love isn't usually the one you end up with, overcoming heartbreak and giving love a chance is important and worth it!

Please Review! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject!

And as always, thanks for reading!

See ya! :)