Hi! So, this story is AU. If you don't like AU stories, well, you allready clicked on it, so might as well read it. You might like this one!

The quotes at the beginning of each chapter should always have something to do with the chapter. Whether it's small or big, it always has something to do with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. Just this plot and a few OCs.

Chapter One

Annabeth

It's funny how the people who hurt you the most are the ones who promised they never would.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

Love can be a beautiful thing. It can make you feel like you're at the top of the world, like nothing can knock you down because the person you love is by your side. It can make you feel beautiful and wanted. It makes your life worth living. You're not just another face in the crowd. You mean something to someone.

But love is dangerous. It messes with your mind. It makes you believe you can't live without your loved one. In ancient times, people died for love. Love caused the Trojan War in ancient Greece. Nowadays, lost love breaks a person's heart and ruins their life. I know. It did mine.

I fell in love once. He was all a girl could ever want; or so it seemed. He broke my heart and I never thought I'd see love begin again. Until it did.

OoOoOoOoOoO

I navigate through the busy streets of Manhattan, squeezing between citizens and dodging pedestrians. My book bag hits my right thigh with everystep I take.

"are you sure you're alright by yourself?" my dad asks over the phone. "New York is a busy place. Do you really want to live there?"

I roll my eyes. "Dad, I'll be fine. I'm seventeen years old. I can take care of myself."

"But are you sure you want to live there?" he asks again. I can hear the worry in his voice. It makes me smile.

"There's no high school back in San Francisco that offers a better architecture program than Goode High School in New York does," I point out. "If I do well here, then maybe I can get a scholarship and become a famous architect."

Of course, I don't tell my dad the real reason I moved to Manhattan. I can't even confront it myself. Everytime I think of what happened, my heart is stabbed and a new wave of pain hits me.

My dad chuckles. "If this is what you really want," he answers. "But remember, if things get tough there, you still have a home with us. Don't forget that."

I smile. My relationship with my dad has always been rocky. My mom had abandoned me and my father when I was a baby. He remarried when I was six or seven and they had twin boys a couple of years later. I've always felt like the outsider. Whenever my dad says stuff like that, it makes my insides get warm. I'm still his daughter no matter what.

"Thanks, Dad. Love you," I say.

"Love you too, Annabeth. Have a great first day." The line goes dead and I put my phone back in my bag. It's a beautiful fall day in New York. The pedestrians stand on the sidewalk and offer me two-for-one deals and buy-one-get-one-free exclusives. I just smile and say no thank you. The air is crisp and cool. The wind is strong today, blowing leaves through the streets and tickling my face. I pull my coat closer to my body. Today, I', wearing a loose tan tanktop with a brown leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and plain brown ballet flats. My curly blonde hair is up in a ponytail. I had checked my appearance this morning about five times. I wanted to look decent during my first day at a new school.

I tranferred from San Francisco High School to Goode High over Thanksgiving break. Goode offers an excellent architectural program, whereas the high school I used to go to didn't even have one. At least, that's what I told my dad. What he doesn't know is that I'm not running to something, but away from something.

Or rather someone.

I arrive at Goode High School. It is bustling with students hurrying to get to class. My stomach twists nervously. I brush a strand of hair behind my ear and start walking to the front office. I can feel people's eyes watching me as I walk. It makes me feel self-conscious and I pull my coat tighter around.

I finally make it to the office. A small lady with her brown hair up in a bun is sitting at the front desk, typing up something on her computer. When she looks up at me, her eyes shine and she smiles widely. She has an aura of friendliness surrounding her. I smile back.

"I'm assuming your Annabeth Chase?" she asks. Her voice is clear and gentle, like wind chimes.

"Yes, ma'am," I answer.

"Welcome to Goode," she says. "I'm Tracy. Let me just find your schedule..."

Tracy walks over to a filing cabinet and starts sorting through files. I look around the small office. On the wall are pictures and awards. I've heard that Goode has an incredible swim team, but this is the first time I've ever actually seen it. Trophies with gold plates saying, "Goode High School First Place" are displayed on shelves. Awards for individual team members are on the wall. Mixed in with those awards are pictures. I see pictures of guys diving into water. There's a guy holding up a trophy and a guy wearing two medals. I look at the picture of the whole team. They're all lined up, still in dripping swin trunks. There's a boy in the middle holding up a large trophy, who I assume is the captain. He has raven-colored hair which hangs down in his face. He's smiling widely, which lights up his green eyes.

"Oh, here it is," Tracy says.

I twirl around. "What?"

"Your schedule." She hands a paper to me. "It's got your locker number and combination on it also. I hope you have a great day at Goode."

"Thank you," I say, walking out the door.

When I get inside the hallway, I look at my locker number. Locker 231. I navigate through the bus hallway just as I did in the streets. And, of course, I run into someone.

"I'm sorry," I apologize and look up. The girl I ran into has long black hair and clear blue eyes. Whenever she smiles, she reveals perfect white teeth.

"No biggie," she says nicely. "Hey, aren't you the new girl?"

"Yeah," I answer. I'm all ready known as the new girl? "Annabeth Chase."

"Silena Beauregard," Silena states. She smiles again. "Pretty name. So where's your locker?"

"That's what I'm trying to find," I admit. "This school is so big."

Silena takes my schedule to see my locker number. "Oh!" she exclaims. "You're not far from me!" She grabs my arm and drags me down the hallway until I'm looking at Locker 231.

"Wow," I say. "Thanks, Silena."

"No problem," she says smiling. "So what's your schedule?"

I look down at my paper. It reads:

First Hour: Calculus
8:30-9:20

Second Hour: World Studies
9:25-10:15

Third Hour: Chemistry
10:20-11:10

Fourth Hour: Free Period
11:15-12:05

Fifth Hour: English Literature
12:10-1:00

Lunch
1:00-1:35

Sixth Hour: Architecture
1:40-2:30

Seventh Hour: Gym
2:35-3:25

Silena looks over her shoulder. "We have first hour together," she says. "And second, third, and seventh. And, of course, lunch."

I open my locker and throw my coat inside. I follow Silena through the hallway.

We get to class and my hands are sweating, my stomach turning. I've never been to a new school before. I sit down in the back next to Silena and start twistingmy hair, like I do when I get nervous. The bell rings and a young woman gets up in front of the class. She looks to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She has long curly red hair and bright green eyes. When she smiles, she shows a set of perfectly straight, white teeth.

"Good morning," she says loudly, getting everyone's attention. "We have a new student today. Miss Annabeth Chase, would you please stand up?"

I look warily at Silena, who smile encouragingly. I stand up.

"Welcome to twelfth grade Calculus," the teacher says. "I'm Mrs. Thompson. Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

I nod and say, "I'm seventeen years old. I transferred here from San Francisco Public Schools. My family still lives back in California. I'm living with my grandma."

"Are you single?" a guy in the back asks. Snickers sweep through the room.

Peyton," Mrs. Thompson says disapprovingly, "be quiet. We don't want to make Annabeth uncomfortable."

I smile and sit down, but it was too late. I was already uncomfortable. I close my eyes.

He had asked me that same question when he first met me. He had said it in a joking way, but when I looked into his eyes I saw that he was serious. Not long after, he promised he would never hurt me.

But it was all a lie.

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

It was the same routine every class. The teacher introduces me, I talk about myself, I sit down. It was a long, painful day, full of flashbacks from my past life.

After fifth hour, Silena led me to the cafeteria. We were standing in line to get food when she decided to interrogate me.

"So," she says, "back at your old school. Did you have a boyfriend?"

I look down at my plate and try to ignore the sharp pain in my heart. "No," I lie.

"You're lying," she states. "You did have a boyfriend! What was his name? Was he cute? Are you still together?"

I force a laugh. "Wow, Silena. Obsessed much?"

"Are you still together? Can I meet him? I need to approve of this guy!"

I take a deep breath. "No. We broke up about eight months ago."

Silena gave me a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. Breaking up is always hard. Unless he was a jerk. Then it's fun."

I laugh, for real this time. "I have to agree with you." We pay for our food and Silena leads me to her and her friends' table. I haven't met her friends yet and I'm kind of nervous. Will they like me? Will they think I'm a complete idiot?

We get to the table and I realize that I had nothing to worry about. They're all smiling at me in a friendly way. There's a girl with frizzy red hair and bright green eyes talking to a beautiful girl with long dark hair and dark eyes. They both give me dazzling smiles and the red-haired girl pats a spot next to her, gesturing for me to sit there. A boy wth dirty blonde hair and grey eyes like mine sits next to the dark-haired girl. He's reading a book and seems to be deeply engrossed in it also. Two guys sit next to him. One is small with curly brown hair and blue eyes that sparkle with mischief. He gives me an impish grin and winks at me. The other boy is big and buff. He has a buzz cut and and dark, yet kind eyes. Everything about him, from his grease-stained t-shirt to the blueprints he's drawing, tells you he's good with mechanics. He smiles at me, but his whole face lights up when he sees Silena next to me. "That's my boyfriend," Silena whispers. I nod, ignoring the jabbing painin my chest.

Silena and I walk to the two spots at the table. I sit next to the redhead and Silena sits next to her boyfriend.

"Hi!" the redhead says. "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare, senior at Goode High School, and the next Leonardo da Vinci!"

"I'm Annabeth Chase," I say just as dramatically, "senior at Goode High School, and an aspiring architect!"

"Really?" Rachel tilts her head to the side and smiles. "An architect? That's so cool! Maybe we could be partners one day! You could design a fabulous building and my artwork will adorn the inside, letting the world know-"

"Ahem," Silena says, interrupting Rachel. "Rach, you should really join the drama club. You'd be amazing."

"My heart belongs to the paint and canvas," Rachel states melodramatically. "Without it, I'd be like a shepherd without his sheep, a dog without his bone, a moon without-"

"Anyway," Silena interrupts again, "this is Reyna." She gestures to the dark-haired girl. "She's quiet at first, but once you get to know her, she opens up more."

Reyna smile at me. "Hi, Annabeth. I like your name."

I return the smile. "Nice to meet you, Reyna. I like your name also."

"This is Malcolm," Silena says, pointing to the boy reading the book. Reyna nudges him and he looks up. I'm surprised by how much he looks like me. We have the same storm-grey eye color and the dark, full lashes that frame them. We have the same tan skin and and build; small and petite, but fast and strong. His eyes analyze me, taking me in and calculating what I'll do next. I do the same thing to people. The only difference between us is our hair. He has dirty blonde, whereas I have golden locks.

"Hi," Malcolm greets me. "Annabeth, right?"

"Yeah," I say, glancing at the book in his hand. "The Hiding Place, huh? You like World War ll?"

I grimace. I meant for the question to be friendly, but it came out as an accusation, like I was accusing him of reading about Hitler's actions and enjoying it. Well, when I blurt stuff out like that, I blame my ADHD.

Malcolm laughs. "Nah. We're reading this is English. 'Taking a break from Shakespeare' as Mrs. Taylor put it."

"Oh," is all I say. He must be in a different class than I am. I just came from English and I didn't have a Mrs. Taylor or heard about reading the Hiding Place. I had Mr. Blofis and we were doing a unit on Greek mythology.

"I'm Leo!" the guy with curly hair exclaims. He twitches and is drumming the table with his fingers, telling me that he's most likely ADHD.

"Annabeth," I introduce myself.

"And this is Charlie," Silena says, nudging her boyfriend. "Or Beckendorf, as everyone else calls him."

I study Beckendorf. There's something different about him. The way he looks at Silena, like she's the most important person in the world and he's terrified of having her slip through his grasp. And the way he keeps a protective arm around her, sending out a silent message that if any guy touches her, he'll be turned into tomorrow's lunch. I take a shaky breath. That's how he used to treat me, before he threw me out with yesterday's garbage.

"Hi," I say, forcing a smile. "I'm Annabeth."

"I got that from all the other introductions," Beckendorf says, grinning. His voice matches his appearance; gruff and strong. I smile. I like this guy already.

"So, Annabeth," Silena starts, "did you have a boyfriend back at your old school?"

I suppress a groan. She still hasn't dropped the conversation from earlier. "I told you before," I tell Silena, looking down at my plate, "I didn't have a boyfriend."

Silena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but it was obvious you were lying. So I want to know what happened between you two."

I don't meet her eye. I came here to forget about him, not to be reminded every second of what happened and what I lost.

I'm saved. When I look up at Silena, I catch someone's eye. A boy across the room is looking at me. He's tall with raven-black hair that brushes his long, dark eyelashes. His eyelashes frame his deep sea-green eyes that are locked on my grey ones. He's surrounded by people: a guy with dark curly hair like Leo's, a younger girl with long dark curls cascading down her shoulders. A guy with a buzz cut and a babyish face is holding her hand. Another guy with blonde-cropped hair and electric blue eyes was holding hands with a beautiful brunette with choppy braids and kaliedoscope eyes. A small girl with red hair and pointy ears was standing close to the boy who looked like Leo. Finally, a punkish looking girl with spiky black hair and the same electric blue eyes as the blonde boy is talking to someone over on the side.

But the boy with green eyes, I think I've seen him before.

"Omigosh!" Silena squealed. "I can't believe it!"

I tear my gaze away from the other kids and to Silena. I blink innocently. "What?"

Silena's smiling so wide, it takes up almost her entire face. "You..him..eye contact..ah!"

Rachel seems to have caught on because she was grinning at me.

What are they smiling about?" I ask Reyna.

Reyna smiles at me. I'm getting really tired of all the smiling. "That's Percy Jackson, captain of the swim team, and, like, the most popular guy at Goode."

That's where I've seen him! In the front office this morning, when I was getting my schedule. "Why are they laughing?" I ask Reyna.

"Rachel used to be a part of his group," Reyna stated. "Have her explain it to you." Then Reyna pulled out a science textbook and laptop and started doing homework.

I turn to Rachel. "Care to explain?" I say.

"I used to be a part of his group," Rachel explains. "Well, I had a crush on him. I tried for what seemed like forever to get him to ask me out, but he never did. He doesn't even look at other girls. Well, until now."

"What do you mean, 'until now.'"

Silena rolled her eyes. "It means he's taken an interest in you!" she explains.

I blush beet red. "Oh."

Silena's about to say something else, but the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. I hurry and grab my things to go to my next class: architecture.

As I'm walking out of the cafeteria, I feel as if someone's watching me. When I turn around to look, a pair of sea-green eyes avert their gaze and look at the floor. I take a shaky breath and walk out of the cafeteria.

I hope you liked it! If you didn't, I promise it'll get better! I have everything all planned out, and I'm pretty excited about it.

Who do you think the "he" is? I think it's pretty obvious, but then again, I am the one writing it...

I post verses after most chapters. It's just kind of my thing. Here's one:

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you what the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27