-•-Chapter 1-•-

"You know what? I changed my mind. Take me home, please," I say, crossing my arms upon my very exposed chest. Thalia chose the worst outfit for me (because apparently I hadn't chosen the right clothes): a strapless black dress, which is long enough to cover my underwear. A necklace hangs around my throat, its gray-blue pendant resting between my collarbones. And the icing on the cake: a pair of black heels to match the dress.

I got my How-To-Look-Like-A-Whore starter kit.

The good thing is that nobody will recognize me. I must admit it: she did a great job at disguising me. The blonde curls are now brunette waves, and the gray irises are covered by brown contact lenses. Apply some makeup and voilà: you get Samantha Miller. According to her, I look like Nina Dobrev in The Vampire Diaries. I don't think so.

"It's too late to have cold feet, Chase," she says, dragging me to the night club Drew rented for her party. "Percy will arrive soon, and if I'm not here the gorilla won't let him in."

"Well, at least give me your dress. I don't get why I have to use this one. It's so short." I can hardly feel it. I have to look down every five minutes to make sure it's still there, barely covering my body. Meanwhile, her dress is better: it does have straps, and the length is perfect.

"No. You're using that dress because Drew knows you. And she knows Annabeth Chase wouldn't wear something like that. Stop whining and let's go. That's Uncle Poseidon's car."

A black Maserati parks close to the night club. As we cross the street, I see a guy stepping out of it. I can only make out two things with this darkness: he is tall and fit.

"Percy," says Thalia as we get close.

"Cousin," he responds. Then he turns to me, and the time stops. Those green eyes are lovely; they remind me of the sea. His smile is perfect, like the crescent moon. And that hair is…unbelievably dark. "You must be Anna—" He stops talking and swallows, his eyes opening as much as possible. A blush creeps to my cheeks as he scans me from head to toes. "You are Annabeth?"

"Percy, meet my friend—"

"Samantha Miller," I interrupt, offering my hand with a smile. Thalia stares at me with a confused expression but doesn't say anything. Percy takes my hand, shakes it, and places a kiss on the back of it. The touch of his lips on my skin makes me feel electricity, but I just continue smiling and pretend that everything is okay. It isn't.

"Perseus Jackson, but everyone calls me Percy," he says, then turns back to Thalia. "Didn't you say your friend Annabeth was coming?"

Before Thalia can reveal Samantha Miller doesn't exist, I chime in and say, "She couldn't come. Annabeth is a very responsible girl and stayed home. Very smart of her, because Drew Tanaka hates her."

Thalia finally reacts, placing an arm around my shoulders. "Forgive Samantha. She's a bit…exaggerated. Annabeth isn't that smart. But she's right. She couldn't come."

"Well, Samantha, I must say you look…ravishing." He doesn't stop staring at me as if I was a treasure or something. His expression makes me blush even more. "Very beautiful. Can I invite you to drink something?"

"I think we need to go inside so you can do that," I point out.

It's his time to blush. (I know it's impossible, but the color of his skin makes him cuter). "Right," he responds. "Why—why don't we go inside? Jeez, is it just me or is it hot here?" He heads towards the entrance, undoing one button of his shirt. Even as he gets away I can hear him mutter, and I smile. "Ravishing? Where did that come from? Well done, Percy."

"What are you doing?" Thalia asks before following Percy. "He knew Annabeth would come."

"I know," I respond. "But…I don't want him to remind Annabeth like this. Look at me. I look like a bitch. Samantha will only exist tonight, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Did you see how he looked at you? He was impressed. What if he wants to see Samantha again?"

"Won't be possible. I told you: she will only exist tonight. I'm not planning to dye my hair or use contact lenses again."

She remains silent for a moment, processing my words. Finally, she nods and says, "Okay, Samantha. Let's go. Percy's waiting for us."

-•-•-•-

Percy doesn't say a word as Thalia leaves our table, heading to Luke's. After a minute or so (I don't count the seconds) he smiles, taking Thalia's seat. The proximity of our bodies makes me a bit nervous, because he isn't supposed to get attached to Samantha. Still, I find him so interesting, that I can't move away.

"So, Samantha…" he says, taking a sip of his blue drink. "Can I know what you're studying?"

Don't say architecture; that's Annabeth's career, I think. I decide to say the first thing that comes to my mind, "Engineering."

"Really?" he asks, looking a bit surprised.

"Yeah, why? Is it too hard to believe?" I ask, drinking from my glass.

"A little bit, yeah. Honestly, I don't get along very well with numbers. But I guess you do or you wouldn't study that." Another sip from his drink. A deep breath (he looks a bit nervous but doesn't stop smiling), then he goes on. "I'm studying to be a marine biologist. That is something I get along with: the sea. Some people say I'm obsessed with it, but I simply love it."

"Well, I've always thought that you need to study what you love." That's why I chose architecture. I've always found it interesting. Since I was little girl I knew I would study that. "So, if you love the sea, then you're doing the right thing."

"That's what I tell everyone! But they still say I'm a bit obsessed."

"Don't listen to them, they're crazy," I say, and he laughs. "So, why did you move to New York? I've heard San Francisco is very nice."

"My father got a better job. We decided to move since we have Thalia's family here." Instead of looking me in the eye, he plays with his glass. "Do you think—well, if you don't have a problem, would you go out with me sometime? I don't know the city; maybe you could show me around."

"I'd love to do it." I really want to do it. This handsome guy is inviting me out. But he can't get attached to this fake person. And I shouldn't get too excited. He isn't attracted to me; he's attracted to Samantha. "But I'm moving too. My father also got a better job. We're moving to…Washington. We leave this week. This is supposed to be my last meeting with Annabeth and Thalia."

"Really?" The look on his face reminds me of a little boy discovering that Santa Claus isn't real. "That's too bad. I didn't—Thalia didn't tell me. She didn't even mention you existed."

"Well, now you know. That's why I can't get attached to you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. At least you told me before anything else."

After that, our conversation is over—or so it seems, because none of us says a word. I continue drinking my pink-colored drink, which tastes like cherry or strawberry mixed with something else. Then, the song Thinking Out Loud starts playing. Percy turns to me with a new smile, offering his hand.

"Can I at least invite you to dance this song?" he asks.

I can't say no to that. Nodding, I take his hand and follow him to the dance floor. He places both hands at my waist. I place my arms around his neck, leaning against him. Then we dance, and we don't stop until it's time to go.

A/N: Next part of the story! I know the prologue was too short, but I hope this helps a little. I haven't written in months, so forgive me if I have some mistakes or if I'm making the chapters too short. Anyway, thanks for the few reviews and the followers, I hope you like the story.