So y'all remember how you wanted a boarding school AU? Well here it is! Sort of. So instead of it being boarding school it's regular high school but it has a very similar plot to what I had planned originally. But I wanted to work with more family complexes and with boarding school they really wouldn't have a chance to interact with their parents. And as such here we are. The beginning is kind of slow, introductions and all. But things will get going I promise you. Right now I don't have an update schedule yet, but I will, today is officially my first day as a senior in high school, and as such first semester especially I will be so busy I'll want to claw my eyes out. I think that's it... Enjoy friends.

Annabeth

"We all fight our own private wars"

I wake up. I breathe in, I breathe out. I open my eyes, even though I don't want to. I get up, knowing that at least I have something to do. All summer I haven't needed to move, I haven't wanted to move. I'd get up at noon and I'd grab my laptop, I'd watch youtube videos, I'd avoid leaving my bed if at all possible.

One could say I'm depressed. But I prefer to say that I don't know what the fuck I'm doing with my life. That's reason enough for me.

I shower, and sit on my bed, waiting to be completely dry. I run my fingers through the matted, wet knots that I call hair, watching water droplets flick onto the floor. I clutch my towel tightly, unconsciously of course, and when I realize this, I release my grip just slightly.

I get some clothes on; jeans and an old t-shirt that I don't realize has a hole in it until I've pulled it on. After lazily picking a different shirt, spending an eternity pulling off the first shirt, and then pulling on the next one, I head downstairs.

"Bye honey, I'll see you tonight." My dad says, walking past me to leave for work.

"Bye." I say under my breath, stepping aside to let him pass by. Snatching a banana from the bowl of fruit sitting on the kitchen counter, I attempt to escape to school.

"Annabeth. Do you want a real breakfast?" My mom asks in a contradicting tone. She's not paying much attention to me, aside from her glance over her iPad. A pile of pancakes is sitting ever so tauntingly in front of her.

"I'm fine with this." I tell her.

"Are the boys ready for school?"

"I don't know." I shrug, peeling my banana.

"Well, could you go check?" Rolling my eyes, I head down the hallway and knock on the door to my brother's room. They're twins, so they have to share a room, not that they mind too much. They did share a womb after all.

"Hey losers, you ready for school?" One of my little brothers, Bobby, opens the door. He's spiked his hair and smells so heavily of axe I physically gag. "Oh my god Bobby, are you trying to fumigate the school or what?"

"You're just jealous." He says smugly, shouldering his backpack.

"Oh totally jealous of a twelve year old." I sigh, "Where's your brother?"

"He's coming."

"Get in the car."

"Can I drive?"

"No."

"It was worth a shot." He laughs, heading to the car. Sixth graders, ugh. Looking into the room, which is covered in laundry and video games, I see Matthew trying to pick a shirt.

"Dude, you have a dress code, just pick a shirt and let's go." I say.

"Annabeth, you don't get it. I have to look good."

"For who?"

"All the girls from Lincoln and Creek."

"Why?"

"I'm getting a girlfriend this year."

"You're twelve."

"I know." He nods throwing on a uniform grey polo.

"Let's go."

"It's not like you're in a rush to get to school or anything. Calm down." He snickers at me and starts rushing out to my car.

Suppressing a groan, I follow them out to the garage. Bobby's in the front seat; the moment I turn on the car he's going through the radio stations. He and Matthew comment on. Every. Fucking. Song. Every last one, as if I care that Taylor Swift is hot but her music is too girly.

Having fought my way through middle school parents driving their precious little devils to their first day of middle school I'm finally rid of my brothers at least for the day. Tonight we'll have Family Taekwondo, I'm not looking forward to it.

Parking not too close to school and not too far away, I walk into the building wishing that I could freaking disappear. I find my locker, the same one I've had for all my years at Goode. I'm a senior, by the way, forgot to mention that. I'm sorry.

Anyway, after having neatly organized my locker, I grab my first two text books. First period English, second period Physics. Making my way to the English hallway, I pass by the usual burn outs, still reeking of weed and poor life choices, only to find my English room filled with the Anime Club. Ours are the gross kind of geeks that always seem to carry a stack of Pokemon cards and pretend to be busty warrior women on their World of Warcraft accounts.

I slump to a desk in the back, trying to hide as they conclude their meeting on which conventions to attend. The nerds have been flushed out by the time the first period bell rings. The class fills up with students; some are obviously taking AP English just to take an AP course. I pull out my phone to start reading. Don't tell anyone, but I'm obsessed with dystopian novels. I know, what a high school girl of me. I'm reading the Selection series right now. I can't even tell you why I'm in love with it. I just am.

Class begins with teacher introductions and icebreakers. My least favorite thing in the world is ice breakers. But they end soon enough. Our first assignment is to check out Great Expectations from the book room and read the first four chapters. People seem shocked that we have homework on the first day of school. I'm relieved; Dickens is just mind numbing enough to make me feel like I'm in a coma while doing my assignments.

She tells us about some project we'll be doing through out the course of the book, and before I know it the bell signals the end of first period. Only six more hours to go… approximately.

I slump in my seat the moment I get to physics, my eyes stuck to the black board. I hope that this day just ends faster. The sooner I get to sleep the better.

"What is it?" I hear from behind me.

Coming out of my trance I turn to my left where the voice came from. "Can I help you?" I see a boy in a grungy looking light blue beanie, tufts of wild dark hair poking out the bottom; his eyes are squinted, focusing intently on the black board.

"I don't see it, what's got a pretty girl like you so interested in a stupid blackboard?" He turns to smirk at me.

"What's a burn out like you doing in AP Physics?" I ask with a hint of sarcasm.

He puts a hand on his chest as he chuckles. "Obviously I'm looking for a smart young lady to court."

"Obviously." I shake my head.

"Well, I didn't know I sat next to the classroom princess." He laughs again, clearly humored.

"Your mistake." I find myself feeding him.

"That's what you call it."

"And what would you call it?"

"Simple destiny darling." He winks. "And before you ask, no I don't pull this shit with all the girls."

"Aren't you dating what's her face?" I ask, having examined him long enough to recognize him. Well, I mean I've usually seen him sucking face with Rachel Dare, artistic prodigy and annoyingly one of the nicest people I've ever met.

"Not anymore. She ditched me for art school."

"So, you dumped her."

"No, she dumped me. Said she was going to Paris and was going to come back a different person."

"Like you cared about that."

He laughs again. "What does that mean?"

"I was half convinced your tongue had to be down her throat at least three hours a day. Almost like you two had a contract instead of a relationship."

He shakes his head with a smile. "My name's Percy, in case you were wondering, Princess."

"Annabeth."

"Princess Annabeth." He marvels, "What a perfect fit." I feel my breath hitch in my lungs as class begins. This teacher has the voice of a sad computer, and after almost nodding off about five times, the bell rings.

Percy stands up, "So where's your next period?"

After half a second I decide, fuck it. "Economics."

"May I escort you, princess?" He bows his head jokingly.

"You can follow. If you can keep up."

Smiling teasingly we walk out into the hallway. "So, you've been coming here, for...?"

"All four years."

"Really?" He nods, "Impressive."

"You?" I ask.

"This will be year three."

"Did you move here, or just change schools?"

"I used to live in the city, but my mom moved us." He says almost too casually.

"In the city?"

"Yeah, New York City. But she wanted a quiet life."

"Oh, that's cool." I am so awkward, kill me. "This is my class." I say.

"Are you sure it's not at the smoothie shop next door?"

"Pretty sure." I crack a smile.

"Well, maybe you'll be there for lunch. We might just have that class together too." With a sly smirk spreading across his lips, he reenters the flow of high school hallway traffic and disappears.

I slug my way through my next two periods, the monotony is unfathomable. Believe me. I decide on a whim to head on over to the smoothie place across the street, just casually. You'll never guess who I see there.

"Well, well, well, look who it is." Percy approaches from one of the lime green colored booths.

"I thought we might have this period together." I don't know why I'm doing this. Maybe I'm just so desperate to not be alone that I'll play into the first asshole that bothers to speak to me. Or maybe it's my crippling need to be accepted that pushes me to be social when all I want to do is read a book.

"You thought right." He chuckles, "Come on I already ordered."

"For me?" I snort.

"Of course for you; princesses can't be bothered to deal with common people."

"Then tell me why on earth I'm talking to you?" I say with a smug smile following him to the table.

"Desire for the unexpected." He says, leaning back in his seat.

"Must be." I fold my arms over my chest.

"So, princess, what'd you have last period?"

"Pre Cal."

"Disgusting."

"Need it to graduate." I sigh, resting my head on my knuckles.

"That's the only reason I'm taking theatre. I hear you."

"Fine arts credit?"

"Yup."

"Ew."

"Yup. It's not all bad. Theatre's just not me."

Nodding I say, "If it makes you feel any better, at the end of today I have family night."

"Oh my heart goes out to you."

I laugh, "It's well appreciated." He gets up to grab what he ordered and sits back down, shoving a strawberry kiwi smoothie at me. "I'm good." I shove it back.

"Then at least take it so you don't hurt my feelings." He gives me a smirk. I'm noticing that untrustworthy half smile might just be his signature look.

I grab it and raise the cup to him. "For your ego."

"Thank you." He chuckles.

"Do you like science?" I ask.

"Yeah, but not physics." He shrugs.

"Why not?"

"Too much math and mechanics. I like biology."

"I prefer architecture myself."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised." I look at him skeptically.

"You strike me as more of a reading type."

"I like reading, but I prefer building."

"Hm." He nods, taking a sip of his smoothie. "Do we have anymore classes together, princess?"

"Well..." I pull out my schedule. "Next period is architecture."

"Nope."

"Sixth period study hall."

"That we do." He smiles at me. "I guess you lucked out."

"Maybe. We'll just have to see." I glance at him over my schedule. I notice his eyes are like the shimmering sea, and I immediately hate myself for thinking that. I really have stooped to a new low if I'm getting novelesque about fucking eye color.

"What else you got?"

We discuss schedules and classes before heading back to school. He walks me to my next period and leaves for Algebra. I find my seat quickly and painlessly. Class starts with no trouble at all, until trouble comes waltzing in.

"Can I help you?" Mr. M asks the lanky, awkward looking kid who has barged into our computer lab. This kid looks so confident, with a swagger so off balance he might as well be walking on ice. His skin is dark and his askew curly hair is even more so.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm in this class." He hands Mr. M his schedule.

"Yes, you are. Do us all a favor next time, Mr. Valdez, and be prompt to class."

"Sure thing." He snickers, taking a seat in the back of the class. Aside from the fact that I'm fifty percent sure he's building a bomb in the back of the class, time passes quickly enough. He's been drumming his fingers all period and the rhythm of it is now stuck in my head.

I make my way to the library with the sinking suspicion this guy is following me. I bury that thought down deep, and hurry to study hall.

"Slow down there, princess." I hear a heavy chuckle pop up next to me.

"You just love showing up out of nowhere, don't you?" I say, turning around to see Percy catch up with me.

"What can I say? It's a specialty."

"That's what you call it."

"And what would you call it?"

"An inconvenience." I find myself laughing hollowly. "I prefer to know when I'm being hunted."

"Who says I'm hunting?"

"What would you call it then?" I ask.

"I call it the Jackson snatch 'em."

"Excuse me?"

"It's how I pick up girls, works every time."

"I'm sure."

"Well I mean, it hasn't failed me yet."

"And I thought you said you didn't use that on all the girls."

He opens his mouth and then starts laughing. "I'm gonna be real with you. I haven't hit on a girl since Rachel. So… Yeah."

We take a seat in the library at one of the large tables. There are already too many people in this library for my taste and some people I particularly don't like. First of all that kid from architecture did follow me, he threw his stuff down on one of the tables and is now stuck on his phone doing god only knows what.

Then there's this kid that I haven't mentioned before, probably because I don't really know him, I know of him, but I don't know him. His name is Frank; he's this brooding overweight asshole. Picture this, first day of sophomore year I walk into the cafeteria and see some seniors picking on him because he's wearing an oversized hoodie in the middle of August. The next thing I know, Frank has this guy's face shoved into his lasagna. Nobody messes with him anymore, no one even talks to him if they don't have to.

The last one I know makes me grind my teeth just by looking at her. Piper McLean. It only took her one semester to be branded the school's biggest slut. She's slept with half the football team, at least a third of the basketball team, the theater troupe, probably even some of the golf team. If the rumors are true, that's twenty seven guys to date, probably more if it's a habit she picked up from wherever the hell she came from. I wouldn't put it past her. I heard she could get the class out of homework in Mr. Long's class if she wore the right shirt.

I hate girls like her, they're just so processed by society, always buying crop tops with bullshit written all over them, and complaining about how animals are people too. No I can't say I've ever had a conversation with her, and I know it's not good to be so judgmental, but come on; everyone knows this person. The processed bitches that let Victoria's Secret and Aphrodite Boutiques powder their noses with lingerie and cover them in overpriced perfume.

Percy and I take a seat at one of the large tables, far away from the ones that are already inhabited. "So, what are you working on?" He asks, pulling his backpack onto his lap.

"I have to write a diary as I read Great Expectations."

"Yuck."

"Don't like the classics?"

"I don't like Dickens. Or books in general, if they're not audio books. I have bad dyslexia and a really short attention span."

"Oh... That sucks."

He shrugs, "That's alright." I look up over my book to see Piper, stood up talking to Frank in an outfit that cannot possibly be dress code. Shorts that in no way shape or form could even dream of reaching her finger tips, a shirt that covers her midriff sometimes. God I hope they don't become a couple. That would be both disturbing and terrifying. Just as that thought filters through my mind, in walks Jason Grace, the school's perfect little prince. And when I say that, I really mean it. He's kind of perfect in everyway. Perfect athlete, perfect grades, perfect family…it's almost unfair. Almost. The shit I've heard about him when he's drunk is astounding, and not in a good way.

"Hey, are you following me?" Piper asks when he's in hearing range. The sound of her voice pisses me off.

"You wish." He chuckles, setting his things down at the table directly in front of Percy and I. Burying my face back down in my book, I try to block out the rest of the world…and it doesn't work, at all.

There's a shuffling noise, which prompts me to look up I see a girl who happened to be following him. This small dorky looking black girl, with untamed dark hair and a look of absolute fear plastered to her face. "Hi Hazel, how've you been in the three periods I haven't seen you?" Jason asks her with a smile.

"I-I've been alright." Hazel shrugs rubbing her arms self-consciously. I feel bad for this terrified little thing, she's exactly how I'm feeling inside, only I'm twenty times more pissed off usually.

"Of course she's been alright, she met me." Piper chuckles.

"Ye-yeah." Hazel nods. I definitely feel bad for the poor girl if she had to interact with Piper at all today.

Percy laughs, "Could you keep it down over there, someone's trying to study." He nudges my whole arm, bringing far too much attention to me than I'd prefer.

"No problem man." Jason assures him.

"And I should listen to you, because?" Piper is trying to either flirt or tease him and I don't care which one it is, but I don't like it.

"Older, wiser, more beautiful." Percy smirks at her.

"Older and more beautiful I'll give you, wiser is up for debate." She chuckles. God she disgusts me, with her pretty hair, and perfect figure. Why is her stomach so flat? That's anatomically impossible.

"Why don't you sit down with us and I'll give you a good old fashion Socratic Discussion." Percy taunts her.

"You're on." She says, sitting across from him. Jason and Hazel sit on either side of her.

"Hey Frank!" Percy shouts, "Get your butt over here."

Oh God we're going to get killed aren't we? I bury myself in my book. I fully expect to find a constable in the kitchen, waiting to take me up. But there was no constable there-

"Hey, nerd girl." I look up to see the kid from architecture sitting beside me. "We're playing a game called get to know people who are real and actually your age."

"That sounds thoroughly uninteresting." I say, "And besides, this is study hall, not social hour."

"What's the difference? It's the first day of school, who does homework the first day of school?"

"People who intend to graduate." I scowl at him.

"Lighten up princess. It's time for icebreakers. Sixth period study hall, I'll be your teacher." Percy says, looping an arm around my shoulders.

"Oh good God, I'm going to fail with you as my teacher." Piper snorts.

"So, here's how this will work, introduce yourself, and then we'll play two truths and a lie. I'll start." He sits up, "My name is Percy. I am a swimmer, I love cats, and my favorite book is Call of the Wild."

Frank gives a confused face. "You don't read."

"Dude." Percy chuckles. "You pick that over cats?"

"Hey cats are great." Leo says, "I should know, I have three of them."

"I don't love cats." Percy says before looking at me. "Did you think I loved cats?"

I shrug, "At this point probably."

"Unbelievable." He rolls his eyes. "Alright Frank, you go next."

Frank sighs, leaning back in his chair. "Hi... I'm Frank."

"Hi Frank." The kid beside me teases him.

"Um... I'm a wrestler. I have a guinea pig. And I love math."

"Bull shit." Jason says. "No one likes math."

Piper looks up at him. "I like math." I scoff unintentionally. "What's funny about that?" She asks me, mesmerizing eyes land on me, innocence hanging ever so adorably. Why is she so pretty? It's not fair that she's so pretty and such a bitch.

"Nothing." I say.

She gives me a once over before Frank admits that he hates math class. I don't know what shocks me more, the fact that he smiles or that he has a guinea pig.

"I'm Jason. I have a dog. I like to draw. And my sister is my best friend."

All of us sit stumped for a minute. "Two truths Jason not two lies." The kid beside me says.

"I did say two truths. You guys just don't pay attention." He says.

"What's there to pay attention to on the first day of school?" Piper slumps onto her knuckle.

He shrugs, "Do you give up?"

"You don't have a dog." I say finally. "There's no dog hair on your shirt."

"Very good." He nods to me.

I pretend to not be as excited as I am that I knew which one was the lie.

"So, I'm Piper. I get nervous during presentations. I like to sing. And I am really good with directions."

After a moment of silence Percy says. "You don't get nervous doing anything. You've been in theatre for three fucking years."

"That's actually one of the truths." She says. "I'm in theatre for tech, not performance."

"You're bad with directions aren't you?" The kid beside me smirks triumphantly.

She chuckles nodding quickly. "Thank you." She nudges Hazel. "Your turn."

"Oh... Uh. I'm Hazel. I'm seventeen years old. I just moved here. And... I don't know what else to say."

"Lies." Percy says. "Because you are an interesting person with tons to say. Really you should have thought up a better lie." Hazel blushes as the guy beside me pipes in.

"What's up everybody. I'm Leo. I'm hilarious. I like to build things. And teachers love me."

"Really?" I ask. "That's your lie?"

"What is?" He looks at me curiously.

"That teachers love you."

"How'd you guess?" He asks smacking the table.

I roll my eyes and sigh before saying. "Hi, I'm Annabeth. I have a perfect record. I have a black belt in taekwondo. And I want to be an architect."

"You didn't lie." Percy says.

"Yes I did." I assure him.

"You don't have a perfect record. Nobody does." Piper smiles at me, folding her arms as she leans back a bit.

"Wow, how'd you guess?" I ask.

"I'm very perceptive." I doubt that.

"What blemishes are on your record? A B in one class? Maybe an unexcused absence?" Percy teases,

"I got suspended for punching a kid."

"Same." Frank snorts.

"No way. You? Princess Annabeth." Percy's got a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"He told me I played basketball like a girl. So I punched him, I told him I hit like a girl too."

"Slay girl." Piper smiles at me, I restrain myself from vomiting on the spot.

"Now can I read?"

"Absolutely not." Jason says stealing the novel from in front of me and tossing it over his shoulder.

"We are still in a library you know." I slump forward onto my knuckles, Percy's hand creeping up my back.

"And who in the world cares?" Piper asks.

"Not I." Leo says.

"Same." Percy chuckles.

"Well I care about my grades." I sigh.

"Grades spades, worry about it later." Leo tells me.

"No."

"Um… Yes." He nods. "Come on, what's our first project teach?"

"Hmm…" Percy muses for a second. "Try our very hardest not to piss each other off."

"Well, all of us just failed." Jason laughs.

"Your face just instantly enraged me." Percy says laughing.

"TALK!" Leo groans, laying himself on Hazel.

"Um, please stop." She says softly holding her hands up by her head.

"Love me."

"How about no?"

"Leave my precious angel baby child alone." Piper pushes Leo's head off of Hazel.

"Leo, don't make me send you to the principal's office young man." Percy heckles him.

"You'll never take me alive!"

I tune out the conversation trying, instead, to focus on something more mind numbing. I pull out my phone and start reading again. I manage to wade through the rest of the period, only occasionally listening in on the conversation going on around me.

Sluggishly, while being pursued by none other than Percy, I get myself to seventh period. By some miracle I manage to escape to my last class of the day without the green eyed devil following me there.

Charles Dickens has been conquered for this homework assignment. I pack the book away when I hear a soft, "Hey."

Looking up I see a huge puff of unruly curls.

"Oh, hey Hazel."

"Could I, um… sit next to you?"

"Of course." I nod zipping my backpack up. "How's your first day been?"

"Good… I'm really glad I ran into you. I've been kind of lonely… Well I mean, the first half of the day. Except for when I met Piper at lunch. She let me sit with her, so that was nice."

"You think Piper McLean is nice?" I ask.

"Well, I mean yeah. She helped me out a lot after lunch. She told me she just moved last semester so she… Why?"

"I'm just going to warn you right now, Hazel. Piper is nothing but trouble."

"How do you know?"

"It only took her one semester to sleep with a quarter of the now senior class."

"So…?"

I chuckle, "Basically, she's a whore."

"Just because she's a whore doesn't mean she can't be nice."

"I guess, but I mean... She hasn't really given me a reason to like her. You know?"

"Fair enough… I guess."

After a moment of hesitation I ask. "So where'd you move from?"

"Alaska."

"Oh, what part?"

"Anchorage."

"Why'd you move?"

"I wanted to uh… be closer to family."

"That's cool. Do you like it here?"

She gives a half smile. "It's a lot quieter here. I like that."

"Quiet, a hundred miles out of New York City?" I ask but keep up a smile.

She starts playing with some of her hair. "You wouldn't believe the things you hear in the middle of nowhere."

Class starts then, I only took Sociology because it sounded interesting on paper, but the class sounds like complete and utter bullshit. I'm lucky that school ends soon, and so I grab my backpack in a rush.

"Going somewhere important?" Hazel chuckles.

"I have family night." I sigh, "It's stupid."

"Oh… That sounds nice."

"Well, it sounds great in theory. In practice, not so much. I'll see you around?"

"Definitely." She smiles as I walk out of the classroom. Rushing to my car, I chuck my things in the back seat, and speed back home. The boys are there before me, middle school gets out earlier than high school, and they are glued to their PlayStation. I grab a box of crackers and eat a bowl of them while I work on my pre cal assignment. God I hate math. Really, really hate it.

"Home." I hear from the front door. I basically ignore my dad until he comes into my room. "Whacha up to?" He asks.

"School."

"Nothing from colleges?"

"Nope." I pop the p at the end of my sentence.

"Okay… Dinner at five."

"Got it."

"Be ready to leave before six."

"Mhm." I can feel the tension grow right before he closes my bedroom door. I feel like I can breathe again when he's left.

About an hour later I'm sat at the dinner table eating too dry chicken and Kraft mac 'n cheese. The boys talk about how cool they are or whatever. My dad talks about some of his students and the other professors he works with. Then my mom tells us about some new project she's working on and how it's huge for her company. Then they look at me.

"So, Annabeth, how was your first day?" My dad asks, shoving a forkful of chicken in his mouth.

"It was okay."

"Did you make any friends?"

I put down my fork, "Yeah."

"What are their names?"

"Uh… Percy."

"Percy what?"

"I don't know."

"Do you have any classes together?"

"Yeah."

"What classes?"

"Physics and study hall." I don't know what I was expecting from my either overly enthusiastic or completely nonchalant father.

"Any girlfriends?" The boys snicker at that.

"Hazel."

"She sounds nice."

"Is she hot?" Bobby asks.

"Robert." My mother scolds him.

"Oh yeah, she's really hot." I roll my eyes.

"Annabeth's a dyke!" Matthew snorts so he and Bobby can cackle.

"Boys that's enough." My dad says sharply, which immediately gets them to quiet down. I'm actually kind of impressed, they've only been in middle school one day and already they've expanded their vocabulary of insults. "Apologize to your sister."

In a grumbled unison they say. "Sorry."

"Like you mean it."

"Sorry." They say louder.

Conversation drops after that, we eat in silence and then we all pile into the family car to drive to taekwondo. I'm luckily in a different class from the rest of my family, having a black belt and all, so I get some alone time.

We get home, I change into pajamas, and I finish my homework. At ten o'clock I lay down to sleep. With the lights off, I breathe in, I breathe out. I blink at the ceiling, and I wait.