First of all...please do not kill me. I have a really good reason for being MIA. And second of all: Happy Anniversary of this story! It has gone a long way from being a story in my notebook to 19 chapters. Thank you to my beta for helping me the whole way.

These past two months have been hectic. My winterguard season was ending with champions then drumline championships. Also I can't forget AP testing, state testing and finals. Then I had field season tryouts and a spring concert and graduation performance. However even though my school ended mid June, I still had to go back to school(band room) the next day and I was practically there again the week after for practice and leadership meetings. Unfortunately, my summer is once again packed with camp after camp and fashion classes.

Nevertheless, I will find a way to update whilst maintaining my camps and finishing my AP American Lit summer homework...I have no life.

In other more exciting news! I attended my first DCI on the 29th of June! It was spectacular as I went to support my friends in their first season of being in drum corps.

Two words: CAROLINA CROWN! To all of my band geeks in fanfic. I am in love with their show and I nearly fainted as I walked past their guard in the middle of their rehearsal. It was surreal and epic. Then it was a match between crown and Blue Devils. It was indescribable being in the parking lot seeing all of the different corps rehearsing.

Anyway, thanks to that I found inspiration to write again especially for this chapter...a month late.

GuineaPigNinja: Percabeth isn't the only couple. I try to incorporate more but there are also two more couples that if read closely it is obvious that I don't want to spoil. Sorry. But there is also a few more couples as we near the end of the story.

oaksilver203: Thank you for your input! I didn't really thought about the Stolls that way until now. As I developed that story more, each character becomes more complex and they write for themselves, if you understand. But they are that way because of the plot of the story. However thank you and I will try to become more aware of that.

ElmoDaHorse: I repeat...please don't kill me. But hey I updated!

julia: Define description please!

HP-LotR-SW-HG: thanks! I've heard of bandaroos but never band herd nerd. That is actually pretty funny!

Barking Lizards: An instrument break! I completely forgot about. And its crazy because my band always breaks out randomly, Once somebody beat boxes or drums, everybody joins in. So thanks for the reminder. And trust even my beta is waiting for a kiss as well so she could be the first public eye to know about it, but it will come soon...

Disclaimer: Do not own PJO...unfortunately

Enjoy!

The band never thought there would be a day when they would be at a football game against another marching band, so they were justifiably shocked. One by one, the bus emptied out the mysterious band who dared to challenge them. But it shouldn't have meant anything to them, really: the Demigod Band was one of the best bands in the country, and the band they saw lining up was no more than a pep band. Then again, they weren't used to being threatened in their own stadium and this was the biggest threat they had received since the Marching Romans.

The drum captain looked towards the major for any sign of command. However, the major was looking for the band director and the techs, all of whom were nowhere to be found. It was surprisingly difficult to find a short, pudgy man in a pastel-colored shirt.

They all shifted their attention to the pep band of River Valley High school, which was now lining up to head into the bleachers. In their midst was the very man the Goode band was looking for. Mr. D was speaking to the band director of the rival band. And they were actually laughing like old friends would do! The techs were right behind them, speaking with the other band's staff. The band felt a sense of betrayal as they watched their own band director befriend someone who they thought of as a complete stranger.

River's band settled in on the visitor's side of the stadium with only twenty minutes left until kick off.

Mr. D strolled back innocently to the home side of the field. Nobody dared to say anything. It was too much of a shock.

"Let me here tuning," Mr. D called out. The woodwinds blew out a B flat as they tried to tune to each other, then high brass and low brass. But everybody was more focused on Mr. D's new acquaintance.

All of the leaders looked towards Thalia in a silent message for her to speak up. She felt a sense of pressure on her shoulders: the staff were speaking amongst themselves; she had to clarify the situation.

"Mr. D, did you know that there was a pep band coming?"

Mr. D turned around to face his major. "Yes, I did. I told them to come." It took a while for the words to register in the band's head, but once it did, it was another shocking discovery. "It will be good practice for you guys. Shoving it in to all of your faces that not everything comes without a surprise."

"Like how you managed to get married?" mumbled Connor at the side. The line heard and snickered at the joke.

Mr. D grumbled a bit before continuing. "And I expect our leaders to diplomatically salute their leaders, since it is our field."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. D and the techs left to speak with the administrators, leaving the band alone until kick off.

"Okay, you heard Mr. D," Thalia sighed. "The game starts soon. Try not to let the pep band get in the way of your thoughts for today's performance. The techs have their own plans today, making sure each section performs flawlessly. As for the other band's leaders, we will salute them in a few."

Percy looked towards his lines to insure no trouble would be happening tonight. "Behave, or else." They all nodded understandingly, though even then Percy didn't trust the look in the Stolls' eyes.

Annabeth was preparing the guard for the show, but Drew kept on giving her crap about her costume not fitting and Annabeth was close to pushing the silly girl out of the stadium. She was tempted to do so, but she needed to stay a strong leader and set the example for the rest. On the bright side, the rest of the guard gave Annabeth more support now than ever before, even though half of the original members had left. Still, Annabeth would continue to feel like the odd one out of the group, despite how long she had been with them. Of course, Percy didn't help with Annabeth's welcome party the second she came to the school: some of the band members still made her feel unwelcome.

"Leaders, it's time." The drum captain, pit captain, guard captain, and the drum major stepped down into the stadium to march to the other side, where the pep band was. None of the leaders had done this before, besides Annabeth. She was used to seeing another band present at games. But for this championed band it was out of the ordinary.

The second they were in view of the River Valley band, their major and captains stepped down to give them attention. Both sets of leaders knew their respective bands were watching closely. The crowd was getting ready for the game, watching the football players practicing; they were oblivious to the heavy tension of history in the making. The Goode High School marching band had never been challenged and the River Valley band was the first to do so. Needless to say, this was a first for both groups.

The four leaders performed their salute professionally and the leaders of River Valley followed suit.

"Welcome to our field," Thalia politely said.

"We didn't expect a salute from you guys," said the main drum major. He had a sweaty head from wearing the shako and a bit of an acne face. He glared at Thalia but then moved his attention to the blonde on her left. Thalia wondered why he was so aggressive.

A bit of rage stirred up in Percy as he saw the drum major in front of him gawk at his partner. Thalia felt her cousin stiffen on her left. She prepared herself for an anticipated fight.

"This is your pep band?" she asked to distract the drum major.

"Yes, we decided to come once we heard about the Demigods' first-ever failed football game," he smirked.

And the cat comes out of the bag.

The comment struck a nerve in all of the Goode leaders.

"Well, we assure you that this game won't be like that one," Thalia glowered at him. But all the drum major before them did was give a sneaky smirk.

"We'll let the field decide that." The two River Valley majors gave a final standoff then turned to their band, a clear dismissal to the Demigod band.

The meet left the Goode leaders feeling strange. Each of them felt a surge of protectiveness for their band. Annabeth actually had a moment of belonging: she was a member of the band.

The leaders marched back to their side with a renewed sense of victory that they had not felt in a long time. The band cheered a little the moment they saw the confident smiles of their drum major and captains.

Finally, the game began. The band returned to its normal state as the kick off followed the traditional Star Spangled Banner salute.

"Is every band in New York this mean?" Annabeth asked Thalia at the side. Thalia felt bad at the question. She knew where Annabeth was coming from. Unfortunately, Percy overheard Annabeth and he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt over her question.

Thalia didn't know how to respond. She only gave a small and reassuring smile at Annabeth. Percy wanted to say something to Annabeth to apologize, but the drumline was pulling him at all sides with questions.

The game began with a roaring crowd anticipating another win for their spontaneously successful football team. They showed no tangible reaction to the other band's presence.

After the first stand song, the River Valley pep band answered with another song. This continued until the end of the first quarter. Mr. D smiled the whole way with a sneaky expression. The stress was getting to the band, despite their leaders' earlier confidence. The only thing Percy wanted to do at the moment was whisk Annabeth away from the mess he called his drum line and apologize to her for his and their actions. But that was only a wish. Something bigger was happening at the moment.

The only thing truly going well at the moment was the football team. They were a touchdown ahead of River Valley and the crowd was eating up the victory. The cheerleaders were as preppy as ever but that didn't prevent their captain to sneak peeks towards the drumline captain.

Percy knew he was being watched. Mr. D was on his case every minute to assure himself of no trouble, his drum major had an eye on everybody in case of misbehavior, and Annabeth was watching his every move once in a while, albeit involuntarily: in short, he felt that practically everyone was watching him.

Before the band knew it, the second quarter was half over. Annabeth took the color guard down the bleachers to stretch signaling that their performance was near. Percy wished he could leave with her instead of having to deal with his angsty band.

The band lined up in their block as they heard the end of the second quarter. They marched down the field, just as they had rehearsed earlier. To their surprise, the River Valley pep band wasn't on their visitor side but on the home side to watch their football team's tragic performance.

Everything was a repeat of the first game, from the announcement to the cold and chilly night. Thalia saluted the same way she always has and the band set themselves up for the first movement as always. But the first snap of the horns up was a sign that the show would be nothing like the first. Grover's solo was heart-melting and full of life and was heard all the way to the top of the bleachers. Nobody missed their spot, no bad notes, and no tripping. The horns were on key and the woodwinds were spotless with their trails. The drumline looked fierce yet delicate with the soft music: an odd dichotomy. The front ensemble was on time with key. And not to mention the duet, Percy and Annabeth, continued to capture the audience's attention. The crowd wasn't expecting this at all. Some of those who had left to go get food from the snack bar soon regretted once they heard the crowd roaring after the first movement. The addition of backdrops gave the show a more realistic feel. I guess making them was worth the effort, Percy thought wryly.

Annabeth left the safety of Percy's arms as soon as the second movement began. She missed the warm feeling, but their duet was over and it was time for her own solo. From her periphery, her guard was performing as if they had years of experience, aside from some minor drops. Annabeth felt proud of how far her guard had come from the huge-but-worthless thing it had been to the small-but-amazing guard she led.

They finished with a roar: a sound the Goode Demigod Marchers were used to hearing. From the looks and sounds, everything was back to normal. Hopefully.

River Valley band had to admit defeat this time. Their show had been good, but their theme was overdone. Thalia was pleased to see that the sneaky smirks on the other drum major's face was gone, replaced with a scowl of frustration.

The Goode band, with smiles on their own faces, stepped off the field and marched to the back of the bleachers. They congregated eagerly around their drum major, band director, and techs.

"Obviously, the practice paid off." Mr. D announced. The band roared. "But the marching in the third movement was off and the brass section almost lost their breath at the end of second movement, so you know what that means."

The brass line muttered sadly, "More cardio."

Mr. D smirked and the low brass tech chuckled and nodded. "Yes, more cardio. We have three weeks left until our first competition and one more game before that. Drum major?" He motioned for Thalia to address the band.

"Good job. Now go change but be back in the bleachers by the half of the third quarter. The third quarter has not started yet so you should have enough time. Also, make sure to behave in front of River Valley; I don't want any bad remarks from their drum major, he creeps me out enough as it is," she yelled and she wasn't kidding. He was freaky.

The band dispersed after Thalia's speech to go wash and rest before they were called up to the stadium again. Only the guard went to change into their uniforms. However, the girls' restroom was full of Goode cheerleaders and some girls from River Valley band as well. Oh great, Annabeth thought. The last thing I need is a confrontation with Rachel in front of everyone. All three groups glared daggers at each other. Luckily Rachel was not in the rest room, but Annabeth escaped as soon as she could to insure no violence.

Oddly enough, she wanted to find Percy, to celebrate about the good show but he was nowhere to be found. She came across the drum major from River Valley, looking murderous at his band's perceived humiliation. Annabeth ducked and went the other way the second she saw him. However, that turn brought her to an empty quad of classrooms. She was about to leave when she saw a couple of shadows from an ally between two classrooms.

Curiosity got the best of her and she peeked inside, only to see her drum major with Goode's infamous asshole quarterback, who incidentally should be on the field preparing for the next quarter. It was dark in the ally but there was enough light for Annabeth to see what they were doing. She gasped and ran away, hoping to not be heard. Unfortunately, the fates seemed bent on ruining Annabeth's post-performance good mood, for her avoidance of both the other school's drum major and her own drum major led her to the handball courts, where she came across her duet partner moments away from being kissed by a very familiar red-headed cheerleader.

What on earth is happening?!

Cliff! Muahahaha

Uh oh something is going to turn ugly in the next chapter. And Rachel is out to get Percy! (like always)

I am finally done with this chapter and I could have my friend/beta stop nagging me about it.

Pep band: a small ensemble of brass, percussion, and often woodwinds that play at visitor games or basketball games

Anyway please review. It has been awhile since I've updated anything so it would be nice to know how the story is going. It might be awhile until I update again. Sorry, I have band camp in two weeks, so its is going to be hectic. But PLEASE REVIEW! AND THANK YOU