Hello people of fanfiction...first of all: please do not kill me.

Yes it has been a while since I've updated but technically you guys were all warned in chapter 20 that I would be gone for a while because of marching band season. Speaking of which, for those in band, how did you season go? My last marching season had a lot of surprises and a lot of mishaps because of the new staff we had. But I'm glad that my last season ended strongly.

The reviews from the last chapter was tremendous so thank you so much. And thank you for the support in the last 5 months!

Cat-eye-sapphire: hey another guardo! I don't know but in my band we call ourselves guardos and bandos but I've heard guardie too. And thanks, there should be a union of all of the colorguard people on fanfic! Yeah it's sad to have that rivalry but its like that for every band so don't worry, I mean without that I wouldn't have gotten the inspiration for this story, even my band has that rivalry so I totally know what it is like.

peanut-butter-mouse: Sorry! I hope this makes up for it.

a-bookworm04: Thanks! It was difficult trying to keep Annabeth in character so I'm glad you liked it.

NotUrAverageMusician: first of all I love your pen name and congrats on first chair brass!

redwolf7: You did phantom? Lucky! If I could I would go back time to my Phantom of the Opera year two years ago because I loved it so much BUT I can't...sad life. Anyway I hope your season went and ended well!

Guest (...I play the trombone): sorry I had to distinct you from the other anonymous reviewers, anyway thanks and I will tell you what the other trombone players in my band says: make sure you have a lot of lubricant for that tromboner. Haha sorry I just had to.

LilacDusts: Don't worry I wasn't hating on the woodwinds and yeah go saxophones!

Guest (...Ohio State Marching Band): Thanks and yeah I have checked the Ohio State band! Especially their latest show of movie blockbuster and The Beatles!

cuddlywarriorofdoom: Don't worry there will be a kiss soon!

Disclaimer: Do not own PJO

Enjoy!

Annabeth's POV:

One word: hell…

"Stop. Check your set. Back one," was all that could be heard during practice from the drum major.

The whole staff had the band replaying set by set in the last two hours. Now, I love Thalia, but this was just ridiculous. For the past two weeks, we have all been under the pressure of the competition season-and we were all ready to kill each other.

"Flutes and clarinets, I can't hear you guys past the pit and there's around twenty of you guys!" shouted Mr. D.

This whole week hasn't been so hot for the band. We were slipping through cracks and were falling behind from schedule. I knew my color guard was messing up badly because of the intense pressure.

"That toss is a single so there is no way in hell that you cannot catch that!"

"Go to the top of the show."

I could almost hear the internal groans of the band as we all ran to the beginning of the show. Starting from the top means performing the duet again with Percy, be in his arms again. Every time I looked into those deep green eyes, it brought back the guilt and hatred of all the messes I somehow found myself in. If I had never moved here in the first place, this wouldn't have happened. The worst part is, I've been here for a month and haven't received any contact from my old band and guard back in San Francisco. It's like they have forgotten about me and I moved to a place where color guard don't mean shit.

"1…2… 1, 2, 3, 4."

In the first four seconds I knew something was off with the guard. A few seconds later I heard a ripple of drops then a clank of the flag and a scream. From the look Thalia was expressing, I knew we weren't doing so hot, but she kept on going. The band kept continuing but I was lost in shock and frustration. Abruptly somebody grabbed me by the hand and pulled me towards them. Suddenly, I was gazing into the eyes of Percy Jackson, but he didn't look so happy to see me either.

"Stop, stop, stop!" We all turned our head to see the man who can make or break this season. "What was that? I thought we couldn't get any worse from our first football game, yet we just did. Everybody take a break before I kill somebody!" Mr. D grunted before trudging away.

However, the band didn't move a muscle. There was a defeated look, which we thought would never come back, on all of our faces.

"You hear him take a five minute-" Thalia began.

"Ten minute," Mr. D interjected from afar.

"Ten minute break and be back here ready to officially start."

I dropped my shoulders in complete exhaustion. The whole band left to get water except the leaders, who lingered behind out of habit. Even though its only been a month in this band, we truly had been through a lot to be where we were and we were blowing the moment of greatness away. Nothing has been working in the past week to lighten the mood with this band.

Then, most of the leaders-including Percy-left to get water and I was one of the last to step off the field. Everyone was divided into little cliques. The upperclassmen weren't talking to the underclassmen and even the sections were split from low brass to high brass and even the clarinets, flutes, and saxophones were in their separate groups. The battery, though, looked pretty strong when I walked past them.

"Seriously, we were doing so well until the color guard messed it up again." Not again, that voice is causing me more headaches.

"Just give it a rest, Travis." I turned my head slightly and paused to see Travis speaking to some of the battery, but Percy was not there.

"It was just a bad run," one of the bassists said.

"I just don't mean this run," he began ranting until they noticed me and Travis turned around to finally notice me, "I mean this whole damn season," he growled.

I stood there unbothered from his comment. This was the same shit each week and after a month it has no effect on me anymore.

"That's enough Travis," a stern voice rebuked from behind me. Great, why does he always have to come to the rescue? "We made a truce, remember?"

Travis scoffed at the sudden addition to the argument. "Right, that stupid truce that we all knew wasn't going to last," he addressed out to the band. No one dared to look at him in agreement to his statement but I had a feeling part of the drum line was about to take his side. I debated leaving, but stayed to watch how Percy resolved this.

"That is enough, Travis," Thalia finally spoke up after listening to everything.

I stayed silent, hoping my section was behind me, defending me (though they probably weren't).

"No, you're wrong, Travis," I suddenly interjected. "Everything was going fine until you decided to become a problem. Yes, this is difficult for everybody, but have you ever consider my feelings in this matter? Have any of you considered that? My first day here was horrible, and trust me I didn't expect to become a leader of this band-let alone have the chance to march my senior year, but Mr. D offered me the position and I took it because I thought that the chance to march with a great band was something that I could not pass it up. I came in without knowing anybody, from another state, another band that I had been with for 3 years just to rescue this "champion" band, and just so you know, it isn't easy being a leader of a team that you don't know yet, but I tried," I struggled to keep my tears in. "Yet everybody has been less than welcome with my presence, you ungrateful louts."

Thalia tried to reach out to me but I pushed her away. Then Percy's soft eyes met mine but I looked away from them, too. Out of everybody here, he had hurt me the most.

"Has everybody got everything off their shoulders?" We all turned back to see out band director and the staff, whom we apparently had forgotten about. I stared at him, confused at his question. "Look, I knew that everything wasn't settled yet with this band, and we needed more motivation to continue this season, so I knew another fight was imminent." He sipped his coke, "I just didn't know when. Now, as I said: does anybody else need to get something off their shoulders?"

My eyes involuntarily moved to Percy's who was looking down at his feet, then to Thalia's who was looking at the field. I knew they were hiding something but I just didn't know what.

"I have something to say." It was Travis who finally spoke up. "I gotta admit, it's been weird having this new addition to this band."

"And we acted like kids," Connor added.

"And, well, because of the rivalry between the battery and the guard, we didn't like the change. Since freshman year, we've been taught to hate the guard even though we don't know where that started, so you coming in felt like a threat." Most of the battery section agreed and nodded but in the end they directed their gaze to their captain, who was still acting oblivious to the whole situation.

"Percy?" Thalia chimed, "I know what happened in freshman year hurt you, but despite all we are still cousins, Nico and I are still your family and we-plus Grover-will always care about you even during your stupid times." She showed a little smile in the end.

My mind felt like exploding. I felt my jaw drop a bit as I processed the new information. Thalia, Nico, and Percy were cousins…and something big happened their freshman year that I had to find out soon.

Percy's eyes were pink as if they were moments away in tears. He cleared his throat to speak, "I regret a lot of things that happened that year, too, and it doesn't erase what happened. However, I hardly care about what happened anymore. I do care that I left you guys-I miss you all a lot," he said sincerely. I have never seen him this vulnerable before. It was a strange sight to see but it made me want to hold him to make him feel better. I wanted to but that didn't mean that I was actually going to comfort him after all that he'd put me through from the last game and that near heart attack he gave me. But I know that I am slowly peeling away his many layers. Now I just need to know what happened his freshman year.

"We miss you, too, man," Grover replied, speaking for the first time I'd known him.

It was hard to believe that we made this much ruckus in a 150 plus member band but we did. Everybody was sharing this moment together and just like that truce a month ago, just with more weight lifted off my shoulders.

"Is that all from everybody?" Mr. D asked.

"I have a crush on Jimmy in cymbals!" Julia, a freshman girl in clarinet, interjected loudly from the group. She came running up for all of the eyes to be on her and went rushing to poor, blushing Jimmy, who stood there frozen, and hugged the life out of him. They were both small in size for their age, so seeing them together was strangely cute. Soon, everybody began giggling at the couple.

"Okay, that's enough, don't crush his little arms because we need them." Connor and Sarah, the woodwind section leader, tried to break them apart. "He is free every day of the week besides Mondays through Sunday because of drum line rehearsals, but you can catch him during lunch on Friday," Connor admonished when they were finally apart.

"Good, it's a date," she agreed, eyes only for Connor.

"See you Friday," Connor replied when Jimmy remained flustered from the sudden confession, then Sarah took Julie back. "What are you nervous about? I just got you a date," Connor said cheerfully while patting Jimmy's head.

"More like you just got a date." And everybody laughed.

It seems like everyone was falling in love with each other lately.

"All right, now is that all?" Mr. D spoke up. "Okay now let's get back to their top. Drum major?"

"Top of the show!" she commanded.

I prepared my equipment and was relieved to see that the guard was looking better.

"Annabeth, I'm sorry that we put you through that pain," Juniper suddenly said to me from behind. I turned around to see my team with guilty expressions.

"Yeah, you're a great leader and we appreciate everything you have done for us this season so far," Zoe added. The rest nodded in agreement.

"It was hard for us too because we were used to caring for ourselves only until you came in and changed the entire dynamic of what it meant to be a guard," Juniper continued, looking at me earnestly.

"Thanks you guys, that meant a lot to me." I hugged every one of them and we left to our drill spots on the field.

"As you guys know: it's hell week because our first competition is this weekend. And I know, the staff know, we all know that there's no excuse for us to come back without a first place trophy." Everybody cheered. "Feel the pressure of the first competition since we are coming out with an incomplete show, but don't let it get to you-make them excited to see more of us okay?" Thalia concluded her mini pep talk.

She was right, the pressure was still there like in the beginning of this rehearsal and a little ten minute break can't really fix instantly but at the moment it was enough-we had to focus on the competition, no more thoughts about the bitchy red headed cheerleader or the asshole quarterback or anything else. And definitely no more thoughts about the football game last week. I just have to keep focused and deal with everything else-meaning Percy-later.

Annabeth now knows more about Percy's past! Soon everything will be revealed!

Okay so there wasn't much Percabeth because I had to focus on the problems in band but I promise that there will be more in the next chapters. And keep in mind of that kiss between Percy and Rachel!

HINT: there will be another kiss in the next chapter but I won't say which characters...muhahaha

Tell me how your marching season went!

Next chapter: their first competition...how will they do?

Also I have published a new ONE SHOT, I've Fallen For You, so please go check it out!

Again, thank you for the support, it was that support that pushed me to update.

Tell me what your thoughts on this chapter!

Review!