Disclaimer: No one is as awesome as Uncle Rick. Especially me. Characters belong to him.

Warning: slight cursing.

****flashback****

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," she said under her breath.

Everyone stopped talking and stared at her. Her face burned with the realization that she had said that aloud. "Annabeth," Daedalus, the planning committee's leader, raised an eyebrow. "Care to share your opinion?"

Michael Yew, who had suggested the idea for 'a night in Paris' glared at her, daring her to say something against him. But she wasn't afraid of the little punk, who was about a foot shorter than her- which was saying something because she wasn't the tallest person in the world. Daedalus, ignoring Michael's glare, smiled at Annabeth and gestured to the front to the 'conference room', which was really just a small old classroom that the student body used for meetings and such.

Awkwardly scooting out of her chair (just her luck that the only noise in the room was the metal chair scraping on the floor), Anabeth slowly walked to the front of the room, feeling eyes burning into her with every step she took.

Annabeth really had to stop saying things out loud. Her idea wasn't any better than his, so why was she criticizing the Paris theme? Although way too overplayed, it was beautiful overall.

"Okay, um..where do I start?" she looked at Daedalus, who just waved in response. "Your opinion would be nice. Then maybe you should share you idea that you supposedly think is so brilliant."

"Well," she wrung her hands. "Paris theme is so...unoriginal and typical. Paris...the city of love...makes people think of love, right? So every couple there would be enjoying themselves. But the lonely people; what about them? How about a theme that makes the lonely people feel included. Giving them a chance without actually risking anything..."

Daedalus nodded slowly, rubbing his chin. "Masquerade..." he said. Annabeth nodded, squeezing her hands so tight her knuckles were turning white. With baited breath she watched Daedalus' expression closely. A smile grew and she released a breath of relief.

"It's brilliant!" He stood up and hugged her. Someone coughed loudly. The smile disappeared off her face as she stared at Yew, trying her hardest not to scowl. Why was he always trying to rain on everyone's parade?

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You say Paris is overplayed? Everyone has done Masquerade."

She let go of Daedalus and put her hands on her hips, staring down at Yew. "Exactly. Everyone has done it. While Paris is still a beautifully overplayed idea, the Masquerade craze is just finishing. We're recycling. No one else will be doing it because it's already forgotten. We're making it an originality."

Yew's face was as red as a tomato and his face scrunched up, probably in anger. "Well I say we don't do it."

Daedalus clapped. "All in favor for Paris?" Only Yew and one other person raised their hands. "Masquerade?" Everyone else, including Daedalus, raised their hands. Annabeth couldn't help the smug look growing on her face.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

A hand clapped her on the back. She yelped, elbowing the guy in the stomach, but she had a feeling she already knew who it was.

"You've gotten soft," She snickered. Percy, who's breath was slowly returning, pouted. "I am not! You just...caught me by surprise." Annabeth snorted, collecting her books. "Weren't you the one who was trying to scare me? You should've seen it coming, really."

"Can we stop harming my manly pride and change the subject?" Percy asked, rubbing his chest. "Why don't you ever say something polite every once and a while?"

Once again, Annabeth snorted. "And boost your ego? No thank you. I'd never hear the end of it. C'mon, we have to leave. I think the debate team is meeting here." She shoved her books in her bag and grabbed the rest of them, exiting the conference room with a sulking Percy.

"You gave me a put down, now you have to give me two put ups."

She turned back and stared at him, shaking her head. "What are you, five? And what the hell is a put up?" But Percy crossed his arms in response and stopped walking. "Hurry up or we'll be late for math!"

Percy scowled. "I wouldnt mind that. But just say two nice things about me and we'll go to class."

She sighed in annoyance. "Fine. You're not completely stupid and you're kind of strong. Happy?" Without waiting for a response, she kept walking. "Hey, wait up!" Percy once again reappeared at her side.

"What you did back in...the meeting...was pretty bad ass. You know. In a nerdy Annabeth sort of way." She stuck her tongue out. "Two put ups." She started walking ahead, hiding back a grin.

Percy gave her a devilish grin. "Don't worry, the nerdy thing is kind of hot. And, you're strong. Anyone messing with you will surely enter a world of pain." Annabeth's face turned a deep shade of scarlet. She ducked her head so he wouldn't see, but she could almost feel the smirk on his face.

Was he flirting? No, he couldnt have been. As far as Annabeth was concerned, he's not interested.

She shoved him. "Shut up. Wait, why were you even at the meeting? You're not on the committee."

"I had a free period and I remembered you going on about some dance you were planning. So I thought I might stop by to see you." Annabeth's cheeks tinted, and she couldn't help but grin. Not knowing what to say, she picked up her pace. "C'mon! We only have one minute until class starts. And I am not going to be late because of you."

Percy watched Annabeth disappear around the corner, shaking his head with a smile.

"You're late."

Annabeth stopped fussing over her dress and stared at Daedalus. "What? You said that we had to be here 20 minutes before the ball started, right?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I said we were supposed to be here two hours before the ball started so we can go over the preparations one last time," He didn't necessarily look annoyed with her, but he did seem frustrated with this whole thing.

"But Micheal told me..." she trailed off, realizing that that little dwarf had duped her. "I'm an idiot. Shit, I didn't know. Daedalus, I am so sorry."

He sighed. "It's fine. Just help with the banners," she nodded.

-0-0-

The moment those doors opened, Annabeth was ready to run. Dozens of people rushed in, excited chatter deafening her. Within ten minutes the dance was in full swing, the dance floor over crowded, couples making out in dark corners, and idiots spiking the punch bowl. But everyone had a sense of formality (some more than others) wearing tuxes or floor length dresses and masks.

Annabeth herself had just decided to pin her hair up , several strands of intricate curls falling down to her shoulders,framing the swirly designed silver half-faced mask. Her dress was nothing special- just a black and white off the shoulder gown. She looked alright, but compared to the other girls(who had gone all out on their dresses and nails and hair) she looked like Cinderella before the transformation.

"Wanna dance?" She tensed, feeling hot breath on her neck. The guy chuckled, gently grabbing her hand and leading her to the center of the dance floor. "Why is this reminding me of Cinderella?" she mumbled. She received a dazzling smile.

The mysterious boy had a grey tux with a dark blue dress shirt and a matching grey tie, his eyes covered by a navy mask with white swirls. The only thing that seemed off about his gorgeous attire was his shoes, which were plain silver Chuck Taylor high tops. She returned to his face. "Except you're wearing the glass slippers."

Chuck Taylors- since she didn't know his name she was going to call him that now- grinned at her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He ducked his head down to her height, his lips nearly touching her ear. "Trust me, I have no intention of leaving anytime soon. And if I were to leave quite suddenly, I'd be sure to leave you my phone number instead of a shoe."

She shivered. Who was this guy? Even if she couldn't see his face, he was totally hot...and smooth.

Remembering this guy was a total stranger, Annabeth regained her posture. She was not going to let him get into her pants, if that was what he was trying to do. She avoided his intense stare, looking around. "The song's over," she breathed. Once again, Chuck Taylors grinned.

"Do you know who I am?" He asked, leading her to a bench all the way in the back of the gym, which had already been dubbed 'the make out corner'. "No," she huffed, crossing her arms, "I can't even see your eyes."

"That's the point," he said, kissing her hand. "Masquerade, remember? You're not supposed to know my identity. But it is fairly obvious who you are, Ms. Chase."
She rolled her eyes. "I knew I was right. This is totally Cinderella, right? You're pranking me, aren't you? You're going to charm the pants right off of me and then run away, and I'll never see you again, or know who you are. Might as well leave now, save yourself the trouble. Because I already find you...interesting, to say the least."

She turned and crossed her arms and was only met with silence. Had he really left? Annabeth felt a small pang in her chest. 'What am I doing? I like Percy. This Chuck Taylor guy is a complete stranger. I'm glad he left. I can go on with my life.'

She turned back, but instead of an empty bench, she was met with the navy mask. Peering at the mask, she could see a flash of green. Okay, so at least now she knew he had green eyes and black hair. Before she could get excited, she took a deep breath. Anyone can have green eyes and black hair, right?

Before she could stand up, he grabbed her hand and kissed her tenderly. It was over too soon.

He smirked and her dumbfounded expression. "You see, I can't exactly do that, Annabeth. I'll admit it, I've kind of been obsessed with you for an unhealthy amount of time. But its obvious you have eyes for another man. I just thought that today might be the day I can actually tell you how I feel without having a panic attack. And, before you think I'm a total stalker, I'm not. You know me. But for some reason you can't guess who I am and that's kind of bumming me out..."

She closed her mouth, which she hadn't realized had fallen open. Now she was really confused. "Now, you can go about your life pretending this night never happened, and go back to being oblivious and blindsided by your crush, or you can stay here with me, at least until the night is over."

"Who are you," she asked again. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Does it matter?"

She shook her head. It didn't matter. "It's just...you're my Cinderella. I already like you. But, I swear, if you leave me tonight I will hunt you down and kill you." She glared for good measure. But he didn't seem scared at all. Actually, he smiled. There were only a few people in this world that could remain unperturbed by Annabeth's glare... Percy was one of them.

"I promise I'll tell you who I am before the ball is over." He stood up and held out his hand.

"You better," she mumbled, accepting the hand and allowing herself to be led to the dance floor once again. Why did Annabeth feel like she was in some alternate universe of Cinderella? She couldn't help but feel the gnawing feeling at her stomach. She had a feeling she knew who the mystery boy was...

"Hey, you promised." she complained, allowing herself to be dragged outside by Chuck Taylors.

He put a hand to his lips, grinning. She couldn't help but smile back.

What the hell was wrong with her? When did she allow herself to follow strangers? For all she knew, this guy could have been lying and really was a stalker. He could have been leading her outside to rape her. Perfect spot, right? It was dark, cold and the wind would rip away any screams she attempted to make.

She couldn't help but shudder at that thought. She could take care of herself. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly, ready to make a run for it if necessary. "You'll see," he answered, putting a hand over her eyes. It wasn't really necessary, considering the mask gave her poor vision as it is.

"If you're ditching me t-"

He chuckled. "I'm not ditching you, Annabeth." He put his hand in hers so she would know he was still there. "The dance ended five minutes ago. And why are we going outside? Its winter." she mumbled. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Thanks for telling me the season because I couldn't tell because of the snow on the ground. You know, I don't remember you complaining this much."

"Then you obviously don't know who Anabeth Chase is," she said. He stopped abruptly. He moved his hand, and her mask. "You...you did this?" She asked, stepping forward.

The school had a gazebo in the middle of a large pond which was currently frozen over. There was a small arched bridge leading into it. A stone fountain of a satyr was in the middle of the gazebo,normally spewing water into the pond. Annabeth always loved coming here, especially when she was upset. Sometimes she came simply to admire the architecture. She knew firsthand how deep the pond was (about seven feet), yet the gazebo floated above the water. She had figured out that it was held up by steel beams that looked nearly invisible. It was an odd attraction, but Annabeth loved it.

But that wasn't why she was so awestruck now. It was covered in golden lights, making everything shine. Even beneath the water glowing different colors. It was..."Beautiful," she breathed, looking around. "Oh, you had no idea how hard it was to get lights beneath he water. But, there's more," he said, gesturing to the gazebo. She slowly walked onto the slippery walkway, feeling like this was all a dream.

A blanket, along with several candles, was laid on the floor, a picnic basket holding it in place. "A picnic? You realize its like 20 degrees, right? I don't even have a coat."

He took off his tux jacket and put it on her shoulders. "Stop being logical, Annabeth. Think of it as a...picnic in paradise."

"How'd you know I'd even stay with you this long?" She asked. He shrugged, sitting down. "I didn't. And I know how much you love coming here, so I thought what the hell."

Annabeth was silent. So maybe he wasn't lying when he said he liked her.

About an hour later, Annabeth felt as if she might explode. The curiosity was killing her.

"Okay," She said. "I've been with you all night and I need to know who you are. You promised to show me who you are. Take off the mask." She grabbed his hand and he looked down.

"I can't."

"What?" She asked.

"If I take off the mask...I'm afraid you'll reject me. What if you see me and you don't return the feelings? What if you finally realize how much of a dork I am and stay way from me?" The funny thing was, that's exactly how she felt about Percy if she told him how she felt.

"I...I wont, I promise. Just take off the mask," Her voice got a little louder. Somehow she knew that her fairy tale was coming to an end. He wasn't going to tell her who he was. He was going to run, leaving her love-struck. Or maybe it really was a cruel prank all along.

"I can give you a clue, though. And if you do know how I am and you still don't care, tell me."

"What's the clue," She asked, afraid she wouldn't be able to figure it out. He brushed his finger against her cheek. "Don't be so worried, Annabeth. You're way smarter than me. You'd be able to solve it."

Once again, she waited.

"Drool," he said simply. She stared at him, her eyebrows knitted. "What?" He seemed to be surprised by her lack of knowledge of this word. "Wow...you actually forgot."

"I'm sorry that I don't remember stupid words like drool. How is that supposed to tell me who you are?" she snapped, getting irritated. He stood up, dusting off his clothes. "I should go..."

"Yes, its 12:00. You should be on your way. And then tomorrow, when I still have no idea what the hell drool means, I won't be thinking about you. You know why? Because I knew it was just a stupid prank. And I still followed you out here like an idiot."

He lowered his head sadly, turning and walking off.

What was 'drool' supposed to mean? Maybe she saw him drooling and said something. Maybe it was the first thing she said to him. The first thing she said to him...

'You drool in your sleep'

She remembered when they were twelve, when Percy had been knocked out by a bully in camp. For some reason she had been put in charge of taking care of him. The first thing she'd said to him was that he drooled in his sleep.

But...that had nothing to do with this guy, right? Percy had told her that dances were lame and he was skipping it. And it was simply too hard to b believe that someone actually liked her.

"Wait," She called. She could be wrong. It never hurt to take risks, right? Wrong. It always hurt to take risks.

Running after him, and nearly falling several times, she yelled out to him. Seeing as it was too dangerous to run after him, she stopped and watched his tall and lanky figure walking away. "Percy..." she whispered.

"PERCY JACKSON. Stop!" She yelled before he disappeared from her vision. He froze. She quickly walked towards him, deciding to run. She decided that if this was a dream, it didn't matter, right?

"Percy, she breathed, finally reaching him. She grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. "Percy, I don't care." He smiled. She ripped off his mask to prove it, throwing it on the ground. "Annabeth, wha-"

"Shut up." She grabbed his tie and pulled him down, kissing him. This definitely wasn't a dream. Her stomach fluttered, realizing that she was actually kissing Percy Jackson. Her best friend, and the boy she'd had a crush on for years. He actually liked her back...

A/N:

3,265 words, wow! Another filler, but its the longest chapter yet, so I'm pretty happy about that. This chapter had nothing to do with the story, like at all. Just Annabeth remembering how they started dating. Doesn't really fit in, but writer's block is a real bitch.

So, I have a question for you all. For the movie cast or whatever, who should be who? I'm thinking Nico as Al, Drew as Tori, Medea as Jeanine, and Octavian or Jason as Eric. Thoughts?

Random question: if you could have an abnormal ability ( as in, superpower), what would it be?

Keep reading

~greekfreak302