Hi everyone,

I know I have been a really really really horrible author- I haven't updated in months and kept you guys all waiting. But before you guys murder me, I want to apologize for not updating sooner, I have been really busy lately- I'm thoroughly stressed out by school work and exams and I'm going through a rough spot in my life right now. So, I really hope you guys would understand and stick with me. I promise I would try to update more quickly. And last but not least, I want to give all of you a huge thank you for supporting me and encouraging me to update even though I have been a terrible author! Your reviews, favorites and follows had really made my day! AND PLEASE NOTE, I have said it before and I shall say it again, I WILL NOT GIVE UP WRITING THIS FANFIC EVER! I shall stop here for now and let you carry on reading this chapter that you waited a long time for;)

-Girl Who Believes

Annabeth's POV

I woke up to the shrill ring of my alarm clock at 7am- yes, not 7.01am or 6.59am- it's 7am exactly. [Please read the author's note! I know you didn't...SO GO NOW!] Call me OCD or whatever, but that's how I always liked things to be-perfect. It was the start of another new week, and another week of boring school life, and also yet another week without Percy... It's been three years, five months and nineteen days since he had left, and with each passing day, the guilt and longing had accumulated in the depths of my heart that I have artfully hidden from the world. As I crossed out yet another day from the calendar that I had specially bought to keep track of the days Percy has been gone, I sighed, thinking about those lonely 1264 days-wait, make that 1265 days.

Ever since Mrs Blofis broke the news to me, I didn't have the face to look them in the eye anymore. I never visited them anymore and whenever I saw Mr Blofis in school since he is an English teacher there, I would just hastily greet him and scurry away. The regret was simply overwhelming. I should never have dated Luke- he never saw girls as girls, he just saw them as another trophy to add to his collections to show how popular he was with girls. I should never have neglected Percy, I should never have believed Luke over him, I should never- stop it, Annabeth. The past is already the past, no use dwelling over it and wishing useless things.

I took a deep breath before continuing on my daily routine, and in about thirty minutes, I was ready for school. Just as I was about to pick up my bag, I heard a honk outside. Hurriedly waving goodbye to my parents and twin brothers, I got out of the house and climbed into Nico's black jeep. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust from the bright morning sky to the all-black interior of the jeep. This guy was really over-doing the whole black style. But I was in no place to complain, it's a free ride to school every day anyway. Thalia waved to me from the rear seat while Nico just gave me a small nod when I greeted them. Being around them made me look really colorful and cheerful, and that is saying something. We rode in silence before Thalia broke the peacefulness with a piercing shriek.

"OH MY GOSH! That jerk is coming to school today and he didn't tell us?! I thought he was arriving in New York next Thursday!" Thalia sounded disbelieving, staring at her phone screen intently.

"What who? The asshole from Cali?" Nico asked, smirking. Catching his smirk, Thalia kicked the driver's seat from the back, "You knew about it? And you didn't tell me!"

"He begged me not to tell you-he wanted to surprise you!" Nico sniggered. Thalia narrowed her eyes, giving Nico her infamous death glare. It completely and immediately wiped the smirk off his face.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at their use of language.

"Our cousin. He is attending school with us today, he flew in from California just last night." Nico replied back, glancing at Thalia warily from the rear mirror.

"Oh, the one Thalia said was hot?" I bit my lips, trying to control my laughter.

"Don't you both dare tell him I said that or else…" That effectively shut all of us up.

The rest of the ride to school was silent, except for the occasional banter between the two cousins about whether Green Day or Maroon 5 was better. And I couldn't help but think about Nico and Thalia's cousin, the guy who looked like Percy. But I knew it couldn't be him, the last time I saw him, he was just a scruffy boy. But that was three years ago, a lot of things could happen in three years, right? I slammed that thought down immediately. Idly, I wondered how he is now. Does he have any friends now? Is he happy in California? I shook my head, trying to clear my mind, but my thoughts still drifted back to a certain green-eyed boy, a small part of me still hoping that the new boy could be who I wanted to see so much now.

Soon, we reached school- without Nico and Thalia's hands around each other's necks. Fortunately. I didn't want to break up another fight this early in the morning . And truth to be told, I find them intimidating too. Their death glares sends shivers down my spine, and I have no desire to be the recipient of one.

As we got off the Jeep, I noticed a sparkling red Maserati Spyder that I had never saw before in the school parking lot. It was obviously the new boy's and it was ostentatious, a small crowd had actually formed around it, with the boys staring at it in awe and as if it was some kind of god. I rolled my eyes. It was just a pretty car, with an even prettier price tag. But I guessed he could afford it, his family is filthy rich.

I carried on walking towards the school entrance, with Nico and Thalia trailing behind me. They recognized that car, and it seemed to spark off some kind of excitement in their eyes. Although they were trying hard to fake nonchalance, I could tell that they were pretty fond of their cousin and couldn't wait to see him.

We walked down the hallway towards our lockers when suddenly it struck me. It was quiet, for once. The whole student population was speaking in hushed tones, there was no screaming and shrieking, no laughter and no one talking at the top of their lungs. I raised my eyebrows, not sure of what was going on. I looked back at Nico and Thalia, who looked back at me with equally puzzled expressions, giving me shrugs. We were about to continue our way down when the whispers caught our attention.

"OMG he is soooo dreamy! I am so gonna date that newbie!"

"Cutie with great muscles-"

"Totally hot! I wonder what's his name?"

"I wished he would look at me…"

"He is literally sex on legs-"

What? Who got the girls in the school so hyped up, even Drew and her crew, the school "chicks" or "sluts" as I liked to put it, are interested. And that would only mean he is quite the looker. Could it be… I turned back to stare at Thals and Nico questioningly, and they gave me smirks in return. Looks like Thalia wasn't exaggerating when she said that all the girls back in their previous school was head over heels with him.

Honestly, I was pretty curious about him. And my silent questions were about to be answered when I saw a guy with jet black hair step out of the office, holding a few pieces of documents and what I suppose are his schedules in his hands. He wore a simple white shirt with jeans and converses and a pair of Raybans but it was enough to hook on the girls. I could only see his back but I knew he felt uncomfortable as he was squirming and looking around nervously. Dirty looks from the guys and flirty looks from the girls are all cast in his direction. I was starting to really feel sorry for him, he must be really uncomfortable, unsure of what to do with all the attention.

Just then, he turned around and started walking towards us with a huge and relieved smile, he must have spotted his cousins, people he was familiar with here. As he made his way here, I could understand why the girls were drooling. He was good looking, to say the least, I have to give him that. He had hidden his eyes behind a pair of dark sunglasses, and I had a sudden urge to see them as his face features looked achingly familiar in a way… No, it couldn't be.

He finally reached us and gave us a breath taking smile, hugging Thalia and fist bumping with Nico. "Hey Perce, how's it going?" Thalia asked, a grin on her face. Perce…Percy…No…

"Man, is it usually so quiet around here? He asked, looking around nervously, aware that the whole school was tuning in on their conversation. Meanwhile, I could only stand rooted to the spot behind Thalia. My heart was racing while I clenched my fist tightly, making little crescent-shaped indents on my palm. No…it couldn't be…could it?

While he was busy catching up with his cousins, he had taken off his Raybans, revealing bright green eyes, eyes like the sea. Eyes that had constantly haunted me for the past three years. It was him…it was really him. He must have heard my sudden sharp intake of breath as he moved his gaze from his cousins to me, pinning with intense green eyes, paralyzing me. His eyes widened in recognition as his jaw went slack. Disbelief, utter shock, anger and was that longing was reflected in his eyes, before an imaginary shutter slammed down and all emotions were swept out of his face. He still remembered me. The rational side of me was still in complete shock, while the irrational side of me was jumping in glee. He remembered me!

He seemed to have composed himself, as he extended a hand to me and said, "Hi, I'm Percy Jackson."

Ok so this chapter is finished. I hoped you enjoyed it! Please REVIEW to tell me what you think! Thank you for reading!

-Girl Who Believes