Happy New Year everybody! And I would like to start off this year with a very special and important new chapter! I hope everybody's last days of 2013 went well with cheers and laughter.
Thank you for the reviews and alerts! It meant a lot!
lildancer: awe that's sad to hear that you didn't have a marching season, but don't say that you suck or anything! Not all band directors are perfect, trust me! It takes a while for new directors to get accustomed to certain things and yeah it sucks getting a new director, trust me I know, but maybe it was meant to happen for a reason. On the bright side...Winter guard is here!
Guest123: Thanks! And my intention was to write this story in a way for those not in band to understand it as well so thanks again!
Percy'sSisterSPRQ: Why didn't you take band your junior year? I would've thrown a tantrum if that happened to me! Anyway...thanks and I love writing them as band geeks as well!
Guest (I play the baritone): Nice!... Love the low brass section
ThalicoXTratieFan4Ever: Yeah Carolina Crown! Seriously when I saw your review I had to go watch their show for like the billionth time again. Thanks, I'm glad to find more band geeks in fanfic as well. Drumline is one of my favorite sections and I praise you for being a girl in it as well.
Kestrel: what marching season is never crazy? But ouch that is crazy. My footbal team made it to playoffs too but on every game my band was rooting for them to lose so there wouldn't be anymore because by that time my marching season ended so we were all very tired. And Its tough bringing in people for band, but it takes time and you need to start a guard because that will bring in more members! Anyway, thanks!
cuddlywarriorofdoom: Don't worry! I have a plan...
percisjackson13: it's never too late for a new title, so I might reconsider that idea again, thanks!
dess1357: you almost read my mind! Haha you will understand once you read this chapter. Thanks!
Guest (oh my guard): Yay another guardo! Congrats on champs! Its a nice way to begin winter season huh? What was your show?
Disclaimer: Do not own PJO
Enjoy!
Percy's POV:
Thalia conducted the band to the last measure of the show and finally cut us off before commanding horns down. She blew on her whistle and we stepped off the field as rehearsed a bunch of times before for previous competitions.
But this wasn't a competition. Not yet anyways, it was only a dress rehearsal for the big thing tomorrow.
I, for one, was actually exhausted from practice. My feet felt sore and my hand was cramping badly from the sticks, which I thought could never happen.
We stopped on the tracks to end the last few minutes of rehearsal.
"Okay," Thalia paused before continuing with the horrible truth, "That was actually a good run compared to the tragic beginning earlier in the week."
I gave out a little chuckle. That was all I wanted to hear for tomorrow. Of course, I had my doubts but I've known this band too long to think we would ever give up.
"Remember: no football game today because it was canceled. Call time tomorrow is eleven. Don't be late. Bibbers and jacket on by eleven thirty and on the bus by eleven forty-five."
She went over all of the usual preparations for the competition, but I dozed off after the last sentence. The main purpose of the little speech was for the freshmen and new members, but it is basically the same thing every time.
My eyes unintentionally averted to my section. Finally, my senior year and I was the captain. After being constantly pushed around and judged for the past three years by the previous drum captains, I could finally call the shots. I just didn't expect that being captain came with a price. A big, bitchy, pain-in-the-ass with curly blond hair kind of price.
I don't know what I did since last week, but she had been ignoring me ever since. I thought that once I finally ditched Rachel from my life, things would get easier, but Annabeth has been making things ten times more difficult than it already was. She's been ignoring me and I'm clueless as to why. I guess that big talk helped in the beginning of the week but nothing changed in our relationship-I don't even know if I should even call it a relationship.
Thalia dismissed us for the night, so we all broke apart to go home and I went individually to speak to my section before the night ended.
In the band room, the band was full of rustling as we were setting things down for easier access the next morning. With a band of 150 plus kids, it's impossible to control each one of them in one room. Because of this, I couldn't spot a certain hot-headed blonde anywhere.
"Peter." I looked to see Mr. D glaring at me. Oh no, what did I do now. "If you have stopped zoning out into space, I need to speak to you." I gave a deep sigh as some of the band who heard Mr. D gave me pity looks of encouragement. Walking to his office again gave me déjà vu to when the band director had announced my partnership with Annabeth.
I listened to his directions and stared in disbelief at him for a long time. When he said those words, I gave out an internal mini celebration that was cut short by fear, a lot of fear. The worst part was, he was being serious. No band director had been was crazy enough to even think about this option in a marching show, ever, but apparently Mr. D is crazy enough.
No, the worst part-I agreed with him.
…
Third Person POV:
The next day was oddly bright for New York which was a good thing for a day of competition.
The Demigod Marchers of Goode High School were all in high spirits this morning to finally make a premiere of their Phantom of the Opera show.
For Annabeth, her focus was on the show, her work, and her section. There would be no cute black-haired drummer boy in her mind any second the whole day, besides the 13 minute dance she would have to endure with him.
But, she missed talking to him. His ridiculous comments were always able to put a smile on her face even when he was acting like a total seaweed brain.
At call time, the color guard was still putting on last minute touches on make-up and equipment while the band was changing into their uniform.
All of the freshmen and new members were moving slowly with hesitance and anticipation for their very first competition. Even though it was understandable, it drove the older members crazy. It took a lot of chastising from the section leaders to move them along with a faster pace.
Soon, everything was packed inside their trailer and the booster parents were set with their materials, as usual. Annabeth, however, coming from a smaller school, was surprised at the support this band was receiving. The huge trailer had been donated by a parent a few years ago, and the amount of booster parents here was almost equivalent to her old band in San Francisco.
Before everybody knew it, it was time to get on the bus to go to the competition site at a high school half an hour away.
Thalia, consumed by minor nerves mixed with wickedness, blurted out that the color guard and drum line would be sharing the same bus. There was silence followed by laughter and chuckles from the other members on the band not in the line or guard. The respective captains were close to killing their drum major. Why? The drum line consisted of majority of boys and the guard was all female. After performances from the field, the band, except for the leaders, had to change out into their band shirts. And where did the band change? In the bus. A bus that, this time, held a mixture of antagonistic teenage boys and girls.
Oh shit.
Percy tried to snatch of glimpse of Annabeth and send her a silent message but she never looked his way. His heart unintentionally collapsed even further. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it and focus on his show, he couldn't for the first half of the bus ride. He had a task to do for Mr. D, but now it didn't seem so possible for him to complete it when Annabeth wouldn't even look at him. He was going to kill Thalia later.
During the whole ride, it was mandatory to listen to the recording of the show and go over the work mentally. It was difficult for Annabeth considering half of her work was with Percy. From the first touch of the hand in the opener to the last hug in closet, it ticked her off that she would only perform with her flag for only a song.
The atmosphere between the two sections in the bus wasn't the tension like it used to be, but rather awkwardness. The bus was split in half with the guard in the front and the drum line in the back. Even though the relationship between guard and line had gotten better, nobody bothered to say a word to anybody because nobody knew the right words to say.
While listening to the closing of the show recording, Annabeth looked up at the big mirror that hung in the front of the bus above the bus driver, only to see the one and only Percy staring right at her. Unfortunately for Annabeth, she sat right behind the bus driver and thus had a full view behind her. Ten rows behind was Percy, who hadn't stopped staring intently at Annabeth since replaying the show for the third time on his iPod. They locked eyes through the mirror and for a few seconds they gave each other a determined message. They were going to get the first place trophy no matter what. They were going to ace their duet together for their section.
But Annabeth soon looked away, looking hurt and confused. She was clueless to why he was staring at her in the first place because from what she had witnessed a week before, Percy already had a girl in his life. Feeling vulnerable, she immediately turned her music up higher on her iPod to escape her depressing thoughts.
Through the mirror, Percy couldn't stop staring at her. Not her eyes though, now he was looking at her whole face and he couldn't look away.
The school was becoming visible just ahead for the Demigod Marchers. It was obvious they were getting nearer because there were buses and charter buses parked along the sidewalk of the school.
Most of everybody's eyes from outside turned to see the three buses coming to a stop. It wasn't the sight of three buses that caught their attention but rather their trailer; it had a Goode Demigod Marching Band logo painted directly on it on both sides. The wandering eyes suddenly darted to the bus door to watch Mr. D and the rest of the staff walking out to register.
All three buses stayed silent like the way they should behave during competition. Annabeth was shocked to realize how quiet this loud mouth band could get.
One by one they all piled out with proud confidence.
And slowly Annabeth was starting to get what being a Demigod Marcher truly felt like, instead of still thinking that she belonged in her old San Francisco band.
…
After their school escort showed them around the school, they band soon set up. Around them were other schools warming up as well, each in their allocated spot. Everybody could see and hear the other bands openly. However, the helpers from the host school were all eyeing one band in particular. The new addition to the Demigod Marchers was a surprise to all of the spectators from the other schools. They were all curious about the only drummer dressed in black in the midst of red and gold uniforms.
Annabeth knew they were looking at her but she showed no emotion. With permission from Mr. D, Annabeth walked her section to a more secluded place in the school, away from all of the noise and definitely far away from the drum line. The percussion instructor took the drum line somewhere else and the band split up from woodwinds and brass, each with their own instructor.
Leading her guard alone felt odd for Annabeth; she didn't have an instructor taking on the leader for her. She only had Aphrodite helping her with dance, though she was barely there most of the week. Speaking of Aphrodite...
The whole guard turned to see their snazzy dance instructor dressed up in her very own band attire consisting of the band t-shirt and wind breaker. Annabeth laughed, recalling that Aphrodite said she would dive in the River Styx before wearing any of the band things she had been given. But here she was now, loving the attention she was getting from the curious viewers around her.
"I know I'm pretty, but don't stare at me for too long because we have a competition today, so get stretching," she exclaimed. Annabeth rolled her eyes at that.
There was still an hour and a half left before their time on the field, but time really does fly by. Every minute that passed, their nervousness increased even more. Their nervousness showed everywhere-Juniper's flag got a minor tear during one of their runs, then Drew's make up got smeared from a flag landing on her, and everyone fidgeted anxiously. They were more nervous than the first football game.
"Girls," Annabeth said when she called them in together, "Forget that this is a competition today, okay? Just do our best out there like every rehearsal. Don't be nervous because there is no reason to be nervous. Remember the first game?" They all shamefully nodded. "Forget about it, alright? If you start acting nervous now the other teams here around us will sense it and take advantage of that. Perform with adoration and determination like you always do." Every word came from the bottom of her heart.
With that, they began again and Aphrodite played the recording.
Inwardly, Annabeth was a nervous wreck because she hadn't touched her duet the whole morning.
"Annabeth!" Percy shouted, apparently thinking the same thing, "we need to rehearse the duet!"
As they practiced, from the first lift together to their unison choreography, an audience grew around them.
Then the rest of the band was in formation for the last half of the show. Annabeth ran around the band to get away from Percy and every 16 counts she was caught by Percy by the waist, then Annabeth would escape again, repeating the routine until the ending whereupon she would fall and Percy would catch her. Looking straight into her eyes, Percy could hear Mr. D's words from yesterday.
Applause broke out abruptly from their audience, bringing both Percy and Annabeth out of their trance. The two didn't know they attracted such a crowd. Not everybody looked happy though, because a few yards away was another color guard warming up. Annabeth didn't what school it was but all of the girls from that team were all sending sneering looks to her.
"That's River Valley," Percy whispered next to Annabeth. "Remember?" Oh crap, that's River Valley? They're here? "They are in our division, performing first." That was even worse. It was difficult, wondering which worried Annabeth more: the two teams competing each other, or their asshole, disgusting drum major demoralizing her guard.
However, they soon lined up to walk to the field. That only meant the Demigods were due to perform soon, too. When they passed Goode color guard, the other band eyed them menacingly until their gaze shifted to Percy a few feet away and they all softened. Annabeth's hatred for them grew even more after witnessing that.
Nobody recalled or knew what happened after but the guard later found themselves picking up their equipment to line up beside the band.
All of the helpers and parents were lining up carrying instruments from the band members rolling the backdrops. As they walked to the field. They saw no more bands warming up. Every band was finished and the second Goode High School began moving, everybody urgently ran back to the stadium.
The band before them began and, as was customary, Goode High School turned around with all the other schools to face the opposite direction, waiting for another suspenseful twenty minutes. They couldn't see the band before them but they could hear them.
This was a competition unlike anything Annabeth had ever encountered. She was used to a small scale circuit back in San Francisco, but not this-a national competition. It was worse than anything she had ever been in.
"Drum Major Thalia Grace, is your band ready?"
Thalia brought out her arms for her salute to the judges. She ignored the crowded audience and the judges staring intently at her.
"Goode High School Marching Band, you may now take the field in competition."
The audience praised Grover's majestic solo and the story of the phantom and Christine.
By the first movement, Annabeth felt great. She looked at Percy but he was looking everywhere but her. He carried a distraught look in his face even though it was half covered by a mask.
Thalia felt pleased until the closing of the song, suddenly uneasy with knowledge that they hadn't fully finished the drill for it.
Annabeth was running around the band, away from Percy. Every measure the band played, Percy's heart beat even louder in time with tempo of the song. He knew Mr. D was watching as he chased Annabeth around the 50 yard line.
She looked beautiful like always in her costume, then all too soon for his liking she did her fake trip in the routine and Percy hurried to catch her, wrapping her around his arms. As the song crescendoed, the two soloists inched closer to each other as the audience sat on the edge of their chairs. Annabeth had no idea what was happening but she didn't want to get out from his arms. But-this wasn't part of the routine!
Percy knew he had a task to finish, and with one last look in her eyes, he knew he wanted to do it, it wasn't an obligation for him anymore. His lips landed on hers at the exact sforzando in the end. Percy didn't want to let her go. He visualized a different scene for their first kiss, but this was near perfection.
Before she could react and run away, Annabeth felt his soft lips land on hers, kissing her. The kiss felt like a dream and she soon began kissing back thoughtlessly. It felt as if they were alone together, but the exact opposite was true. What would Mr. D say? Oh gods, how would the judges react to this? This was NOT part of the routine!
Thalia kept her cool as she stared at Percy and Annabeth but she was torn between laughing like crazy and killing her idiot cousin and his stupid hormones.
Soon, the applause from the audience got louder, bringing them back to reality and reminding them that the show wasn't over just yet.
Annabeth pushed Percy away and ran off to the other side of the field. The band remained in their drill spot for the last twenty seconds of the show before stepping away.
The loud applause continued as Thalia called her band to mark time, keeping her calm stance for her band. The hundred or so members who witnessed the kiss snapped to attention at Thalia's signal, but they couldn't believe what they had seen just on the field a minute ago.
Still, nobody said a word until they made it to the buses to change.
The guard girls-besides Annabeth-could feel the drum line boys' eyes on them. It wasn't really looking at them but more of watching to make sure they didn't steal anything from their bags.
As the girls were changing, all of the boys were patting Percy on the back, congratulating him in having enough guts to do it, or giving him luck that he won't be killed in the next ten minutes.
Meanwhile, Annabeth was trying to read the faces of the staff and the alumni. They were all laughing, smiling or watching their recorded performance on their camera or phone. She knew Aphrodite would be thrilled-she was right. Her dance instructor could not stop smiling and jumping. This confused Annabeth even further. But her thoughts kept going back to the kiss and how it was almost perfect.
Mr. D called the band to gather them once everybody except the leaders were changed into their band t-shirts. He had a smile on, startling everyone.
"Nice work, probably one of the best yet. But clearly the show isn't finished so there is still a lot to do. But nice work. I'm not going to yell at you for now, maybe practice on Monday." Mr. D walked away, but stopped shortly, "Oh, and nice job on the kiss, Percy."
Loud whoops and oohs erupted around Percy and Annabeth. Percy definitely felt his cheeks turn red as he stared at Annabeth.
"Alright, go talk to your sections then get the snacks the booster brought." Aphrodite said. Everybody went to their individual sections to speak with their instructor. Annabeth spoke to her own section that there were a few mistakes and one or two drops, but it didn't matter anymore. They had finally made their debut as a new and improved color guard.
"You were wonderful, Annabeth," Mrs. Jackson told Annabeth after her meeting with her section. Annabeth had forgotten that Percy's mother was a booster parent, and like the other parents, had watched her kiss said son on the field. She was about to say something but Percy interrupted her.
"Hey, mom," Percy greeted while hugging his mom. Mrs. Jackson released Percy and put him right next to me, looking at us with proud eyes. At that moment Annabeth didn't want to be anywhere near Percy, but she didn't want to say anything to hurt Mrs. Jackson's feelings either.
"Great performance, you two." Hearing that from the woman warmed Annabeth's heart, considering that her parents hadn't been able to come to the competition. "I must go help with the other parents. Have fun!" She left after whispering to Percy something inaudible. Once she left, they were left with just each other. Oh no. The rest of the band had already gone ahead to buy food and prepare for the award ceremony.
Luckily, Aphrodite approached them, getting rid of the awkward silence. "You two were perfect! And, may I add, for each other too. Who cares about the number one rule of dating in marching band," she giggled before walking away.
Percy and Annabeth just stood there, looking in opposite directions. Annabeth was becoming distraught over the situation. She loved that kiss that apparently Mr. D had been in on in, but she knew shouldn't be feeling this way. He was with somebody else, he had kissed somebody else only a week ago. Then there was the rule Aphrodite had so callously reminded them of again. They both definitely knew that when they returned on Monday their respective sections were going to give them a really tough time.
"Annabeth," Percy said softly. The gentleness in his voice surprised Annabeth, but she tried brushing past him. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from walking. She turned to see the big and vulnerable green eyes that belonged to her partner; with the phantom mask away, she could see his handsome face clearly now.
What was there to say after such an event? Annabeth so much wanted to hate him but couldn't because it was a nice touch to the show. Besides that, however, she had felt something spectacular and she hoped that he had felt the same way, too.
Percy slowly leaned down towards her. He waited for her to retreat but she only watched him warily. Slowly, he leaned down again.
"Can all of the leaders of the schools please gather up on the west exit of the stadium for the awards ceremony," the speaker announced overhead.
Percy and Annabeth reluctantly stepped back, knowing that they needed to hurry to get to the stadium. Everything else had to be put aside.
All of the bands were lined by order of performance and were practicing their salute; Thalia began theirs once Percy and Annabeth got in line.
There were a total of 15 bands in the second half of the competition. A few bands in front of them was River Valley. Their drum major turned back and stared at Annabeth. She felt his stare and returned his glare willingly, but the drum major grimaced suddenly and turned forward. Annabeth thought it was her that had scared him off, though it was actually Percy who had.
The other band leaders there were staring at them too, but in a helpless way. They all knew about Goode High School's reputation. They all knew they didn't stand a chance.
"I can't believe their guard actually got good this year," a girl in front of them audibly complained.
"Who is she," another person asked-Annabeth immediately knew they were talking about her.
The speaker soon announced the schools in order; their school was announced last. A loud cheer erupted in the stadium but even louder one arose from the actual Demigod band.
Once again, Annabeth felt right home. Stepping onto the field as a leader felt amazing, something she thought would never happen after transferring to a new school.
The leaders from all the schools formed an arch in the middle of the field surrounding the trophy table.
Everything before their division was a blur, but finally they got to their section, beginning with caption awards.
First was the percussion caption. The announcer named ninth through fifth place, and then, "In fourth place with a score of 79.6 is...River Valley High School." Annabeth held in a chuckle.
Annabeth could feel Percy's anxiousness next to her once the speaker announced the remaining three places.
"In first place with a score of 84.2 is...Goode High School."
I could feel Percy lighten up as he stepped off by himself, saluted, and returned with his big trophy. Though, it was strange seeing him step up with black cape instead of his usual red and gold uniform.
Next came the auxiliary caption. Annabeth waited nervously for Goode High School to be named in the lower placements, but was not called. Once the announcer got to the top 3, she stood there, awestruck at the implication. Percy held her hand for the big moment; the gesture was innocent, friendly and hopefully invisible to everyone else.
"In third place with a score of 80.2 is...River Valley." Knowing that they beat River Valley was a nice feeling; Annabeth didn't bother to glance at them, though. Second place was announced, and then, with a thrill of exhilaration, Annabeth heard her dream come true.
"In first place with a score of 83.9 is...Goode High School." Annabeth couldn't believe it. She stepped out to do her dance/salute and the judge handed her the biggest trophy she had ever seen.
Considering they did well in the caption awards, it was obvious that they did well in the band overall score. To their dismay, River Valley ended up with fourth place overall.
"And in first place with a score of an 84.1 is...Goode High School."
In the end, they ended winning the Sweepstakes awards as well. Afterwards, the leaders marched off to go to their band sitting in the stadium. The entire band was on its feet for the big celebration.
Soon they were walking back to the buses to go home. Percy, however, wanted to catch Annabeth before they left. "Hey, Annabeth-" she glanced at him, scowling slightly-"would you mind…"
"What do you want, Percy?"
He exhaled deeply and ran his hand through his hair. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Now?"
Percy nodded and walked away from the band to go behind the trailer. Annabeth contemplated a bit but decided to follow after him, curious.
Percy had really no idea what he was going to do but he did the one thing that felt right at the moment: he kissed her on the lips, catching Annabeth off guard again. She stumbled back a little but soon began to kiss back. A rush of sparks emerged between them but the kiss ended all too quickly for their liking as they heard the bus engine go off.
"Congrats, Wise Girl," Percy whispered and winked at her before running back. Annabeth shook her head; this boy would never stop driving her crazy. Flustered, she hastily walked back to greet her team and stepped on the bus. Oddly enough, Percy was sitting on the front seat- a seat that belonged to her.
Good thing it was only a half hour ride. . .
PERCABETH! And they all lived happily ever after..the end...
NOT! This story is far from over because the drama just barely started!
WHOO They got 1st in their first competition! Let's all give a round of applause for our favorite marching band! I bet all of you were expecting that huh? Anyway, they are now one competition closer to champions where they face off against the Marching Romans!
LET'S NOT FORGET! Percabeth finally had their first kiss! Mr. D is a sneaky fella huh? Now what will happen if Annabeth finds out that the kiss was intentional and staged by Mr. D and Percy? But clearly Percy wanted to kiss her right? Do they still hate each other? AND let's not forget Annabeth witnessing Percy kissing Rachel as well!
Lots more to come in the future chapters coming this year!
Terms:
Bibbers: another term for pants of the marching uniform
Auxiliary: another word for color guard as a section; used in the judges' scoring sheets and awards
Caption awards: individual section awards during a competition
Sweepstakes awards: an awards given to the band with the overall highest score of the competition in all sections
For those not in band, I hope I described it thoroughly about what happens during a marching band competition. It was really difficult because a lot does go on, but if you have any questions, ask or google it, sorry. And for those in band and understand, it was hard but fun writing this chapter. It brought me back to field season and I hope it brought you, the reader/band geek, back too. And I know I left out parts because competitions varies depending on circuits and regions in America but I hope I gave all the chaos that happens during a competition some justice.
Again, check out my PJO one shot if you haven't already!
It was a real pleasure writing this chapter but this chapter literally would not have been possible by my beta, Dessert Maniac! Thanks a bunch!
Please show some love and review! Tell me what you thought and how will it be when they all return on Monday?