For some reason, I'm in the mood for an AU one-shot, so let's see how it goes. My last two one-shots ended up angsty when I was aiming for humorous.

In other announcements, it's officially my 3rd year on this site as of today.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians as you can quite clearly tell from my writing style.

"Attention!" The woman standing straight-backed in front of the ranks privates barked, getting the attention of the lazy stragglers in the back of formation. Today was the first day of official marine training and as with all new crop, they looked like they were fish out of the sea, resembling nothing more than inexperienced children. Previous to this day, they had rehearsed the formalities and etiquettes involved with being a marine. Now started the real training.

"Yes M'am!" They chanted in unison, saluting in perfect synchronization, as though it had been rehearsed a multitude of times. That was, of course, the case. It had been rehearsed till it was ingrained in every marine's mind, ingrained insofar as to do it without hesitation if woken up from deep slumber.

The stern countenance on the woman's face remained as she walked through the first row of privates, her swaggering stick hitting the ground with a loud thud every time she stopped in front of a marine. She would scrutinize each closely, leaning in till she was eyelevel with him to readjust his scarlet and gold insignia.

The marines stood in perfect attention as she passed by, announcing loudly, "Officers, listen carefully. I will not repeat myself. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes M'am!" They replied in the same monotonous tone.

"Being deployed is something that none of you will understand till you are out there on the field. You are left to fend for yourselves. As you train, you will learn to be independent of one another, unable to rely on anyone. So, don't take this as a joke since you will only be reducing your own chances of survival. As of now, your training has officially begun. I shall be your commanding captain and if I receive any reports of inappropriate behavior, the consequences shall be much worse than just being booted out. All those stereotypes about the marines are the baddest of the bad? Every single one of them is an understatement. This place will change you till you don't recognize yourselves anymore. Now, if you're already starting to falter, I suggest you leave. The marines can't stand weaklings. Understood?"

"Yes M'am!"

"Yes Captain!' She corrected them, resolving not to forgive the mistake next time. It was the same with every batch of new recruits, bright-eyed excited the first day. Things began going downhill only after the first week; the only reason they even lasted a week was the hope that they would become more accustomed to training. That was the biggest delusion every created by man. Training was different every day. There was no way to neither encompass nor predict all the possible flaws in a field mission till the time came.

As she contemplated the speech she had just given, she stopped in front of one of the new recruits. His eyes were the same tone of green as the sea had been on her first field mission, the same churning of emerald green with the start contrast of the stormy, black pupil.

The man had a strong jaw, not a hint of emotion shown in his face. There was hint of stubble lining the jawline, showing that he hadn't shaved in a while. His jet-black hair fell messily to the side, clearly against the rules. Apart from the apparent mistakes, he was properly dressed, even knowing the perfect slant angle upon which to keep his hat aligned. His uniform was properly pressed, tucked in, showing the slight strain of abs against the fabric.

The straight line which had formed Captain Chase's hard lips dipped down in disdain. She took a cursory look at the name printed, "Jackson."

"Yes M'am—Captain!" The man saluted once.

"Did you not get the itinerary?"

"M'am?" The confusion clouded his sea green eyes as his eyebrows contorted, not sure what his superior was referring to.

"How the hell did you get in here without shaving?"

"M'am, I—"

"You what, Jackson?"

"I was in the Navy."

"Does that make you feel high and mighty? Do you feel that you're above the Marine's rules just because they were slightly lax in the Navy?"

"No, M'am."

"I won't stand upstarts, Jackson!"

"Yes M'am."

She rapped her swaggering stick once on the ground as she continued with inspection. As she proceeded through the lines, only one face appeared to her, the face of the man with sea green eyes. There was something about him that intrigued her, a deeper hidden mystery. He was unlike the other recruits. He had mentioned being a part of the Navy, but why switch? There was something about that man that unnerved her.

As she finished inspection, she directed the recruits to their respective boot camp battalions based on district. Captain Annabeth Chase returned to her office, sitting in her hard-backed chair as she kicked her boots up on the chestnut desk. She removed her Captain cap, placing it on the side. She could feel the relentless beads of sweat embedded in her short, chopped, blond hair. Just as she was about to get up, she heard a quiet knock on her door.

"Come in."

What surprised her was her visitor. It was none other than the new recruit that had been on her mind: Percy Jackson.

"What do you need, Private?"

"Captain Chase," he began, showing some emotion for the first time, uncertainty, "About earlier…"

"You want to apologize? Apology accepted. I don't have time, but if I catch you once more Marine, I will make sure you are deported."

"That's not what I came to say."

Annabeth Chase raised one of her eyebrows slightly, "Oh…?" She noticed that the man was still standing at her door, unmoving. "Take a seat, Jackson. It's bothersome to have to look up at you." She noted carefully as the man made his way over, his left leg clearly limping in an unorthodox fashion. He didn't once in pain as though it were a habitual occurrence.

"Jackson, what did you do to your leg?"

"M'am, don't you remember?"

"Remember what, Jackson?" She asked more venomously than she had needed to. Annabeth Chase watched as the man said nothing, as though he had anticipated her response. "What are you referring to?"

"It's not of concern now, but I was instructed to give you this," he held out the envelope he had been holding in his hand.

Her curiosity was yet to be satisfied, only adding more to Jackson's enigmatic persona. Was he mentally unstable perhaps? She waved the thought as insignificant as she took the letter. From the seal, she could tell it was a letter of recommendation. So, the man had connections.

She broke the seal easily as she began to scan the contents:

Addressed to Captain Annabeth Chase of the Marines:

Due to a special request on the part of Navy Captain Perseus Alexander Jackson, we have accepted his request to transfer to this branch of the Marines, due, in part to his exemplary service on behalf of the Navy.

Sincerely,

Ray Mabus

Secretary of the Department of Navy

Annabeth Chase stood jaw dropped at the man in front of her. He had declined the position of Captaincy to join the marines as a private, the lowest rank? She had one simple question, "Why?"

"Why not?" he countered, an undecipherable twinkle in his eye, "You see, Captain Chase, I have my reasons for joining the Marines. There is no need to dig deep into that. Let's just say that when the time comes, you will be the first to know." With a wink, he turned around to leave. "Oh, and one more thing Captain, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

And…Once again, my one-shot didn't end up as what I wanted it to. I know I said I wasn't going to start another story, but it just came to me. I'm going to keep the chapters at this length, but updates may be random.

So, questions that may have arisen: how did Percy get hurt? And why did he decline his position in the navy?

Anyway, what I need to know now is whether this story is worth continuing or not. Let me know in a review. If I'm discouraged by the response, I might just not continue and focus on finishing a 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant before this month ends.

Read, review, fave, follow.

~TJ