CH 1

A/N: Hey everyone! This is an AU story. That means no Greek gods, no monsters and no hurry. Annabeth and Percy's relation can go smoothly in this world, or can it? Well, we'll see.

Anyways, let's begin the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Annabeth's POV

I was walking down a street, not knowing where I was headed. The night was dark which made it hard to see clearly, and the tears rolling down my eyes made it even harder. I was heartbroken by what I'd just seen. Luke had been making out with some girl in his bed. I was devastated. I had nothing left. So I ran away from there, unable to take in the sight. I never thought he'd cheat on me, but I had been wrong. I kept walking with tears stinging my eyes, the scenes I had just witnessed playing over and over in my mind.

Suddenly, I was blinded by two bright lights coming my way, a car honking loudly. Death, I thought peacefully. I welcomed it. I wanted it to embrace me, swallow me in. It would be better than the harsh reality I'd have to live with. And so, I kept walking, not wavering from my path, the car coming closer every moment. I closed my eyes, ready for it, but something crashed into me, and I was knocked aside just before the car could squash me to death.

"Hey, what the heck were you doing?" It was a guy. "Trying to get yourself killed?"

I couldn't see clearly due to the tears, and also due to my sudden hit on the head as I fell. My eyesight started blurring, and as I passed out, my last sight was the concerned face of that boy who had saved my life.

I woke up to find myself lying in a comfortable bed, and noticed that it was morning. Bright light flooded inside from the window, washing over the pale blue walls. A familiar looking person was dozing in a chair beside me, but I couldn't quite recognize him. He was curled up in a ball, his head resting on his knees. All of a sudden, my memory came back to me, and I remembered what had happened the previous night. That guy, he had saved my life. I tried to get up, but pain shot through my head, making me cry, "Ow!"

He stirred at the sound, and lifted his head up, rubbing his eyes. I was momentarily startled by the color of his eyes- sea green- when he opened them and looked at me, bleary eyed.

"Oh, hey, you're up." He croaked in a sleepy voice, getting up from his chair, still rubbing his eyes with the knuckles of his right hand. "I'll be back with breakfast."

"Wait, where am I?"

"Huh?" He was still sleepy.

"I asked, what is this place?" I said each word clearly and slowly, as if asking a toddler the reason why he stole his friend's candy.

"My bedroom, I guess?"

What? I couldn't believe it. The nerve of this guy! "What the hell am I doing in your bedroom?"

"Uh… you were-" I cut him off in mid-sentence.

"Oh, I know. I know all about guys like you who stalk girls in the night and then kidnap them. You thought I was helpless, and it was a good opportunity, didn't you?" My volume was increasing as I searched for my phone, getting off the bed. "Well, you're wrong! I'm NOT helpless and I'm going to call the cops, and then you'll-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I was just trying to help! I am no stalker, and I know you're not helpless. You're a modern twenty-first century girl and all. If you want to leave, fine. I'll drop you home right away. But for Zeus' sake, stop making wild accusations!" He said all that in one breath.

I softened up a bit and glared at him for a while in silence. I thought about what had just happened and felt embarrassed.

"So," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "Uh… d'you want breakfast? Or should I just, y'know…?"

"Breakfast would be nice," I said in a small voice. My stomach rumbled, but thankfully, he didn't hear it. He just smiled, and it dazzled me. It wasn't a perfect smile, a bit lopsided, but it was amazing.

"Stay here, I'll be back in five minutes." He dashed out of the room.

I mentally scolded myself for freaking out. It was stupid. As I sat alone in the room, my thoughts drifted away to the events of the previous day. The images of Luke making out with that unknown girl flashed in my mind again, and tears swam into my eyes. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying, but my eyes landed on the bracelet Luke had given me, and I couldn't control myself anymore. I lay back and started crying, sobbing uncontrollably.

I heard footsteps and looked up to see that guy entering the room with a tray in his hands, sandwiches and two cups on it, smiling. When he saw me, his face morphed into shock. Quickly putting the tray aside on a table, he ran to my side. "Hey what happened?"

I just cried. Generally, I was not a crier, but this time, I just couldn't take it. It was too much for me. I curled up in fetal position, buried my head in my knees, and cried harder. No one could help me. "Just leave me alone."

He hesitated for a second, but probably decided he couldn't do anything. "Okay," he said quietly. He went to the table, picked up the tray and put it on the bedside stand, while I looked up momentarily. "When you feel like eating, the tray's right here." He took his cup and started towards the door. "If you need anything, um… I'm in the lobby."

It took me a long time to get a grip on myself, but finally, I stopped crying. Putting the breakfast tray in my lap, I started munching on the sandwiches, drinking the milk afterwards. I tried to concentrate on other things. My family, gods, they'd be worried like hell! I quickly got up and left the room, my head still hurting, but not as much as last night. That guy was sitting on the couch, watching Dexter's Laboratory in mute mode. I cleared my throat so that he'd acknowledge my presence.

He turned around to look at me. "You Okay now?"

"Yeah." I said, looking down.

"I should drop you home, then." He stood up. I don't know why, but something inside me felt bad about leaving. I know, weird.

He took the keys and we left the building. We made our way toward a black Lamborghini Spyder and he unlocked it, which made me wonder why he was living in such a small apartment if he was rich enough to own that thing. I sat in the comfortable shotgun seat, admiring the interiors. As he put his hands on the steering wheel, I noticed scratches and wounds on the back of his hand. It looked as if the skin had been rubbed with a very rough sandpaper or something even worse.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked, pointing at his hand.

"Oh, that's nothing." He waved his hand like it was not a big deal. Then I remembered. When he had pushed me off the car's way, he had put his hand behind my head to prevent it from hitting the sidewalk. I felt grateful. If he hadn't done that, I would've had a major head injury.

"So, where to?" he asked.

"Puddyfoot street, Crown Heights."

"Brooklyn," he said with a smile.

We drove in silence for a while. Then he spoke up. "You know, that was pretty extreme, what you were trying to do last night. I know life can be hard sometimes, but suicide is no solution."

I lowered my head sheepishly.

"Why were you doing it anyways?" he asked casually.

I looked up at him angrily. "That's none of your business."

"Oh," he said, surprised by my tone. "Yeah, right."

Silence again.

"Look, I'm sorry," I said, finally breaking the silence. "I didn't mean to be rude, but it's something personal."

"Sure, no problem." He didn't look at me again, and we drove quietly. I tried to imagine what my parents would say. Dad would be very worried, Vienna- my step Mom- would be mad, and my brothers- stepbrothers actually, but I never mention it- would tease me to death.

"Where to now?" I was jerked out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I said absent-mindedly. "Uh… take the next left."

He kept following my directions until we stopped in front of our house. We parked in the driveway, and I saw Bobby and Mathew playing in the garden. When they saw me, they were confused, but then they looked at the driver seat, and twin evil smiles appeared on their lips.

"Mom," they both yelled. "Annabeth's back home."

My Dad and Vienna came out of the house in a matter of seconds. I got out of the car, glared at my brothers, and moved towards my parents. The guy put the car in reverse and he had pulled out barely a couple meters when my Dad called, "Oh no, young man. You don't." He stopped the car. "Come here."

I got nervous about what would happen. I was sure that by that time, all of them would be wildly inventing things in their minds. I'd kill Bobby and Mathew as soon as I get the chance.

He stepped out of the car and walked up to my father. That was the first time I looked at him properly. He was tall and had a strong build; was probably around sixteen, just like me; had an enviable tan, messy black hair, and startling sea green eyes. He was, in all senses, what those stupid cheerleaders would call 'hot'.

"Now, will anybody explain to me what in the name of Christ happened?" asked Dad loudly. "Where have you been all night?"

None of us spoke. He looked at me for an answer, and I just squared my shoulders.

"Uh… your daughter here," he said cautiously. "Well, um- she fainted on the road last night. So, ah- I took her to my apartment as no one was around to help."

I looked at him surprisedly. He hadn't mentioned what I had tried to do the previous night, and I was very grateful for that.

"What?" My Dad had a look of complete shock on his face.

"Dad," I started to say. "It's not-"

"Let me get this straight," he grumbled angrily. "You are telling me that you spent a night with this stranger?"

"Not with him, Dad," I said defensively. "Just at his apartment. And besides, it's not my fault. I was unconscious, remember?"

I shouldn't have said that, because then he turned to face the poor guy, his expression unreadable. The guy looked unsure about what was about to come, but not at all scared. My father glared at him, but he didn't back down, just stared back calmly. And the next moment, Dad was hugging him.

"Thank you, son! Thank you for saving my daughter," Dad said thankfully. "Who knows what could've happened, had you not found her."

He was caught off guard for a second, looking utterly surprised by my father's reaction. I couldn't blame him. I was shocked, too. When Dad let go of him, he said, "No problem, sir. It was my duty."

They shook hands and he turned to leave.

"Wait," said Vienna. "We can't just let you drive away like that, now can we? You should stay for breakfast, dear."

"Yes," agreed my father cheerfully. "That's a good idea."

"Oh, that's very kind of you, ma'am." He smiled. "Thank you, but we've already taken breakfast. So, I must me leaving."

He turned around and walked back to his car, turning back on his way to say, "And don't faint like that in the middle of the street again."

He sat in his car, and all of my family waved at him. Vienna called, "Make sure you drop by for a meal next time, dear." He just smiled and drove off.

With a jolt, I remembered something. I hadn't even thanked him! I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even say a 'thank you'. It was really embarrassing.

"Annabeth, let's go inside." My Dad went inside the house. I stared at the empty space where that guy had been standing just seconds ago. I turned around and went inside, sighing. How would I ever thank that boy who'd saved my life?

A/N: So, here it is. Tell me what you think. Thanks!