DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the rights or characters of the Percy Jackson universe. Also if anything that comes up during this seems similar to another person's work, it isn't my intention to copy them. I just sort of go with the flow and hope for the best, but if you enjoy what you see you should stick around. I appreciate feedback so if you have any thoughts, comments, or questions, leave them before you go. Without further delay, I'll let you get reading, enjoy!

AUTHOR NOTES:

Bold - Author Comments

Italicized - Phone Call, Texts, Dreams

Normal - Normal Story

SIDE NOTE: I am not a swimmer in any sense competitive or regular so I hope I get a pass on how poorly any swimming scenes turn out from a Percy or Annabeth POV.

Percy gasped for air as his head broke the surface of the water and his ears were once again filled with the noise of whistles and other voices shouting. He slowly climbed out of the pool as a wave of soreness washed over his body. He always loved swimming and the thrill of competing, but the work that comes with getting ready for the upcoming season is his least favorite part. Ever since his freshman year, Percy has always been the best swimmer on the team and with it being his senior season the pressure is only higher this year. Not only was his own team expecting a lot from him, but Percy also felt his own self-pressure as this was his last chance to be able to try out for the olympic swim team. A sharp whistle cut through the air and drew Percy back to reality and he looked around for the source.

"Alright cupcakes," a sharp voice yelled out, "Bring it in." Percy chuckled to himself as he watched Coach Hedge stomp over to the side of the pool. If someone ever saw Coach Hedge for the first time, they would think he must be a wrestling coach or possibly the football coach. But much to people's surprise he is the head swim coach for Half Blood University. Some people say he only took the position because he wanted to coach football but every coaching spot was filled except for the swim team. Coach Hedge made it clear in Percy's freshman year when he started coaching that this wasn't the case and he actually enjoyed swimming.

Percy has never seen Coach Hedge even get close to any body of water and he hardly notices Coach Hedge actually coaching anything swimming related. Instead Coach Hedge serves as the team motivator, a role in which he takes a lot of pride in and does a good job at that. Everyone gathered around Coach Hedge and he waited until he was sure he had everyone's attention. "I shouldn't have to remind you of the talent we have right here. I look at this group and I see a whole lot of limitless potential."

Percy rolled his eyes as Coach Hedge continued to speak to the group, already knowing where this speech was headed. As good as Coach Hedge was in motivating the team, he was a broken record with his speeches. Percy has heard this speech at the start of each season and Coach Hedge never failed in missing every point he made year after year. Coach Hedge finished his speech and the team went to the locker room to get ready for the rest of the day. As Percy stepped out of the locker room he saw Coach Hedge waiting for him. "Jackson, got a moment," Coach Hedge said in a tone that told Percy he wasn't really asking a question.

"Of course Coach," Percy said as he followed Coach Hedge into his tightly compacted office and shut the door behind him. Coach Hedge sat in his worn down office chair behind his desk and Percy took a seat opposite of him. Percy examined the room and saw the various photos and newspaper clippings that were hung up around the room. He spotted himself in a number of the articles along with a number of his current and former teammates.

"Well Jackson," Coach Hedge said in a tired voice as he leaned back in his chair, "What do you think of the team we got this year?"

"I agree with what you said earlier," Percy started as he folded his leg into his lap. "We got a good group of people who can do a lot." Coach Hedge snorted as he took off his hat and set it on his cluttered desk, running a hand through his hair.

"I know what I said in there," Coach Hedge said as his eyes focused on Percy. "I asked, what do you think," he pressed, putting a lot of emphasis on the 'you'. Percy sat for a moment as he tried to formulate an answer in his head. After a moment he looked back up at Coach Hedge who seemed to be watching him think.

"We are hungry, but we are also inexperienced," Percy said slowly. Almost three quarters of the team were underclassmen this year with a majority of those being freshmen. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but for how competitive the season will be, it will be a rude awakening for those who aren't up to the task.

"I couldn't agree more," Coach Hedge said with a soft nod, "So you agree that the team needs a strong leader to help them get ready." Percy nodded slowly, wondering what speech Coach Hedge was going to pull out now. "Well since we are both in agreement, I guess that means we both agree that you should be the captain of this team." Percy sat back in his chair, slightly stunned wondering if he had heard Coach Hedge right. "Any problem with that," Coach Hedge asked as he cocked an eyebrow after Percy remained silent.

"Not at all Coach," Percy said with a shake of his head, "Thank you Coach."

"Don't thank me yet cupcake," Coach Hedge said as he leaned forward and turned on his computer. "Now don't you have a class to get to." Percy glanced at his phone and cursed at himself as he realized he was going to be late now. He didn't say anything else as he dashed out of Coach Hedge's office and out of the training center. Thankfully, he was on campus so he didn't have to fight through morning traffic but he still had to dash through the growing crowd of students making their way to various buildings. It didn't take long as Percy finally arrived at his building and he ran up the stairs. The door closed loudly behind him as he entered the building and found the classroom right down the hall.

Percy heard a voice coming from the room and he stepped into the doorway to see every single head turn towards him. He scanned the crowd in front of him and his eyes finally rested on Mr. Brunner who had a hard expression on his face.

"Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said in a stern tone, "I was wondering if you were going to be joining us this morning."

"Sorry about that Mr. Brunner" Percy apologized as he slowly walked into the room. "Swim practice went a little bit later than expected."

"I'll give you a one time exception," Mr. Brunner said with a stern voice. "Please take a seat." Percy then scanned the room for an open seat and realized the entire room was filled. All except for one seat right beside a familiar face. Annabeth Chase seemed to recognize that the seat next to hers was the only open one at the same time as the two locked eyes before he walked towards her and sat down next to her. Mr. Brunner wasted no further time as he resumed his lecture. Percy rummaged through his backpack as Mr. Brunner then switched to his powerpoint and he realized he didn't have his laptop with him.

Thankfully he had a notebook with him, however he didn't have a pen or pencil with him. After a few seconds of searching each of the remaining pockets he gave up and sat back up in his chair. He looked around before facing Annabeth and then he softly nudged her arm, earning a harsh stare from a pair of gray eyes.

"What," Annabeth asked with a soft voice.

"Mind if I borrow a pen," Percy asked, "I forgot my laptop this morning." He noticed her roll her eyes before she dug into her backpack and pulled out a singular pen.

"You better not run off with this," Annabeth told him, which was followed by a serious look. Percy chuckled in his head as he realized she was serious with her comment and then he gave her a mock salute.

"Yes ma'am," Percy said, earning another eye roll from Annabeth as they both turned to listen to Mr. Brunner and his lecture. The rest of the class seemed to drag on as Mr. Brunner worked his way through his powerpoint. Finally after what felt like seven years Mr. Brunner glanced at his watch, signaling that the class was finished.

"Well, I think that is about the end of our time together," the professor said as a few students began to pack their things up. "But before you go I want to make an announcement." Percy groaned to himself as he was about to stand from his seat, wanting to leave the class. "Now I don't intend for this class to just be boring lectures the entire time so I want to try and change things up for a chance," Mr. Brunner said as he rolled behind his desk. "This semester we will be doing a lot of partner projects over various topics." Percy wasn't bothered with this as he enjoyed group projects, but as he looked around the room he recognized that a majority of the students were freshmen.

"Now I notice you are already looking to who you assume your partner will be," Mr. Brunner said. "But don't worry, I have already taken the duty of assigning your partners ahead of time." Percy turned his head as the projector screen changed and a Word document popped up, filled with pairs of names. "Now whoever you are paired with will be your partner for the rest of the semester," Mr. Brunner explained. "There will be several partner projects over the semester and it will be worth forty percent of your final grade. So you better get along with your partner or it will be a long semester."

Percy's eyes scanned through the screen as he searched for his name and who would be his partner. Finally he found his, right next to Annabeth's who also seemed to find her name as she let out a mix between a cough and a snort sound. Percy glanced over at her and saw a bewildered expression on her face and she continued to stare at the screen in front of them.

"Mr. Brunner, can I speak with you," Annabeth said as she quickly stood up from her chair and walked over to him.

"We can save ourselves the time Ms. Chase," Mr. Brunner said with a held up hand. "Mr. Jackson will be your partner and that is final." Percy could see Annabeth's shoulders sag after hearing this, but she didn't seem to put up a fight. "You two are my only seniors in the class," Mr. Brunner explained, "So I thought it would be best for both of you instead of being paired with an underclassmen." Annabeth stood in place for a few moments before nodding softly and turning back to Percy. He was still sitting in his chair when they locked eyes and he could tell that she was not enjoying their new situation.

Neither of them said a word to each other as they both collected their things and Percy trailed her as they exited the room. "Hey," Percy called out to her as she made a sharp turn without a second look at Percy. Annabeth halted in place and turned around, raising an eyebrow but not uttering a response. "Can I get your number," Percy asked and realized far too late how that question sounded without any context.

"Excuse me," Annabeth said, taking a small step in his direction. Percy sighed as he held up one hand and then rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Not in that way," Percy explained, "Just so that I can get in touch since we are partners." Annabeth seemed to let her guard down slightly as he explained himself. Percy pulled out his phone and handed it to Annabeth so she could enter in her contact information. He gave a short nod of gratitude when she handed it back and he saved her contact.

"I'll take my pen back as well," Annabeth said in a commanding tone which earned a short laugh from Percy. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the pen and then handed it to her.

"Those must be some expensive pens if you care about them that much," Percy said with a smirk. His attempt to lighten the mood seemed to backfire as he received a scowl from Annabeth in return.

"You better not expect me to do all the work for you this semester," Annabeth said sharply. "I have too much going on for you not to carry your weight."

"Wow," Percy said with a joking smile, "You really think so low of me, I'm hurt." Percy placed a hand over his chest and scoffed to add dramatic effect. Annabeth shook her head and turned around without another word, leaving Percy to watch after her. He just shrugged his shoulders as he turned as well, headed for his car in the parking lot. Thankfully it was a short walk as he parked closer to the building his class was in when he arrived for practice this morning.

As he left the parking lot and drove through campus he noticed Annabeth sat in her car, an annoyed expression still on her face. Percy chuckled as he slipped a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and continued driving. One thing that was for certain this semester, it was going to be a very long semester for Annabeth and a very fun one for Percy.

Ayo, it's me. Thank you for those who have given this an early look and to those who are sticking around with it. Still in the early stages for everything so definitely a lot of things to still develop but hopefully that will all happen smoothly. Other than that, if you have any thoughts, comments, and/or questions please leave them as they are always helpful, thank you!