A/N: I'M ALIVE! I decided to surprise y'all by posting something on a random day. Enjoy!

        Annabeth was as still as a corpse as she laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was the end of summer, and of course her boyfriend of three years just had to break up with her before college started. It was supposed to be the year where they're finally free and officially adults, ready to explore NYC together. But now it'll be a year of awkward avoidances, where they try not to make eye contact and ignore each other when possible.

        Finally, after three hours of useless sulking, Annabeth sat up on her bed and looked around her room. The room that she already rented for college. The room that she rented for them. Annabeth's art supplies were already strewn across the small flat, and on the bare wall was a picture of them. His arm was wrapped around her waist, and his blond hair reflected the sunlight. 

        Then something in Annabeth snapped. She looked at her paint brushes, pallets, and canvases, and was alarmed that she felt scared of them. She was scared because painting did not give you a definite end; it does not warn you beforehand how it will look. Painting was like diving into the unknown, and Annabeth had once bravely stepped in, not caring how anything will turn out as long as he was with her. But now he wasn't, and Annabeth did not want to gamble with the unknown again.

        She slid off the bed and began to gather up her paint brushes and canvases. After forming a pile of her art supplies next to the supply room, Annabeth began to gently put her old friends inside. When all her paints and pallets and canvases were inside, Annabeth stood up and gave one last lingering look at her past passion. Then she closed the door and rested her forehead on it.

        Why did Luke have to leave?

;

        Annabeth walked into her architecture class with her head held high and an aura of confidence. The professor didn't even acknoledge her when she walked in, and her other classmates were scrambling for paper and pencils. Annabeth decided to sit down next to a punk looking girl, and the girl merely gave her a sideways glance. 

        Thanks guys, I feel so welcomed. Annabeth thought.

        Once the lecture started, Annabeth was in the Zone. And yes, with a capital 'z'. She delved into the world of buildings were you can plan what you build and everything can be neat and precise. It's the opposite of painting, and to Annabeth that's a relief.

        But something just had to make the professor stop talking, and Annabeth was back on earth.

        "Young man, skateboards are not allowed in classrooms!" the professor, Mr. Hartford, scolded the boy who had apparently glided into the classroom on his wheeled vehicle. The boy had ruffled black hair, and a confused look on his face.

        "Why do you have buildings and math on your board?" the boy turned to look at the class, as if they had an answer.

        Mr. Hartford rolled his eyes. "This is architecture class. Don't tell me you signed up for this without the knowledge of what architecture is."

        "Oh!" exclaimed the boy. He gave the professor a lopsided grin. "No wonder. I'm looking for the marine biology room."

        Annabeth already disliked the boy. First, he just barges into the classroom, wasting Annabeth's time. Second, he's probably the most immature being on campus, and thirdly, he was unpredictable. The thought made Annabeth shudder.

        The boy gave a salute to Mr. Hartford and glided out of the classroom.

;

        It was New Years Eve. Turns out the punk girl that sat next to Annabeth in architecture class actually tolerated Annabeth, and asked her to go to Central Park with her friends. Thalia, the punk girl, said to meet her at Central Park at around 10 o'clock. 

        "What if I don't see you guys?" Annabeth had asked.

        Thalia had only smirked. "Oh, trust me. You won't."

        Now Annabeth was strolling around Central Park, bundled up in a long white coat and gloves,  and silently fuming about Thalia's lack of response to her question. Nothing spectacular that was supposed to have signaled Annabeth to her friends caught her eye yet, and after 30 minutes of searching, Annabeth just gave up and sat down on a bench. Being bored, Annabeth decided to go use the restroom before the fireworks show.

        Yellow signs pointing to the direction of the restroom led Annabeth a bit out of Central Park. She heard the noise of thousands of people chattering slowly start to fade into the backround, until she was in a little corner looking at a dusty old woman's restroom door. Hesitantly, Annabeth began push open the door, but a noise caught her attention. It was like as if something had been knocked over.

        Annabeth poked her head out from her little alley, and saw that boy who skateboarded into her architecture class. He was fumbling with the big fireworks, and setting them up in a line.

        "Just what are you doing?!" Annabeth screeched. If the boy was a delinquent, then he could destroy New York City with a bunch of fireworks.

        The boy paused from his lining up of fireworks and looked at her with a look of surprise on his face. "I'm getting the fireworks ready?" 

        "Oh." Annabeth's shoulders relaxed. "I've never seen people actually lighting up the fireworks."

        "Yeah, I volunteer to do it every year," the boy said proudly. Then he gave a considerate look to Annabeth. "Hey, I've seen you before."

        "And I've seen you before," said Annabeth. "You glided into my architecture class."

        "Right! No wonder you look familiar. I've seen you on campus." The boy had a lopsided smile plastered on his face, and Annabeth noted that he didn't seem to have the bad boy aura.

        "The name's Percy." The boy extended a hand from his ratty Northface jacket for Annabeth to shake.

        "Annabeth," she said as she grasped his hand.

        "This is getting a little too formal for me," Percy admitted sheepishly. "Usually when I meet people I take them out for ice cream."

        "Ice cream. For every stranger you meet."

        "Well, duh! What else do people bond over?"

        "Wow, Percy. I've known you for not even two minutes and I'm tempted to walk away slowly."

        "Oh, please. As if you could resist this fabulosity."

       Annabeth rolled her eyes with a hint of a smile etched on her face. Thirty minutes in and needless to say she was charmed. It was like as if you hated cherry candy, because it's cherry and you hate cherry. But somehow your friend makes you eat it, and suddenly everything you knew about cherries just wipes from your mind, and you're suddenly addicted to it. You can't get enough of it. That's how Annabeth feels with Percy. At first she wanted nothing to do with him, and while the logical part of her brain is screaming at her DON'T GET ATTACHED TO HIM!!!, her irrational mind is screaming GO FOR IT!!!

        Somehow, too soon, the watch on Percy's wrist beeped, and Annabeth was startled out of her dreamlike state. Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

        "Why's your watch beeping?" she asked.

        Percy grinned. "The fireworks show is about to start."

        "Oh really?"

        "Watch this magical painter blow your mind."

        "I doubt if you could draw a decent stick figure," Annabeth scoffed and smirked at Percy.

        "You're right. I'm a suckish artist," Percy said. "But I can paint the sky pretty darn good."

        With that, he took a lighter from his pocket and began lighting the ends of the fireworks. Soon, one after the other the fireworks exploded in the sky, painting the sky a million shades of color, and people all around Annabeth were screaming 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!' 

        Then something hit Annabeth. She was spending the first seconds of the new year with Percy, this guy she barely knew yet wanted to know all about.

        Percy turned back to Annabeth with a proud smile on his face, and Annabeth took a good look at his eyes. They were the most marvelous shade of sea green, and dang, Annabeth was a sucker for beautiful eyes.

        "You liked it?" Percy asked, his grin still glowing.

        Annabeth wanted to say I like you, but that was totally out of character for her. Shouldn't a person get to know the other before saying things like that?

        Annabeth finally settled on, "Yeah, it was okay."

        Seeing the indignant look on Percy's face was enough to send Annabeth into fits of laughter.

;

        A week later, when classes finally started back up, Percy frantically waved at Annabeth to get her attention. In response, Annabeth smiled and walked up to him.

        "Ice cream. You and me, at Mitchell's."

        Just that was enough to brighten Annabeth's day.

;

        "Come on, Annabeth! Only a little bit more."

        Annabeth groaned. Percy had led her into the forest at 9:00 in the evening when she had a class tomorrow made her internally mad at him. 

        "I don't even know if you're leading me out here to kill me or something, Percy."

        Percy looked back at her, with his flashlight still glowing in front of him. "Annabeth, you've known me for, like, three months. Do I seem like the kind of person that kill people on a daily basis?"

        "Yeah, you kind of do."

        Percy shot Annabeth a look that said 'meanie' and continued on with their trek through the woods. The light of the moon was grazing upon them, and the shadows of the trees created eerie designs on the forest floor. Soon enough, a little lake opened up in front of Annabeth, and a little canoe sat on the dock.

        "What-" started Annabeth, but was cut off.

        "I just thought I'd do something special. Come on!" Percy said as he jogged towards the canoe. Annabeth followed, and Percy slowly put the canoe onto the lake. He helped her get into the boat like a gentleman, and climbed in himself. Percy rowed them about a few yards to the center of the small lake, then they rested their backs against the bottom of the canoe, so they were looking at the stars. 

        "Percy, I still don't understand-"

        Percy made a 'shhh' sign with his finger and pulled out a small remote from his pocket. He pressed the large red button.

        A sizzling sound came from the bank right of Annabeth, and she turned her head to look. A trail of smoke led up into the sky, and soon Annabeth's whole line of vision was filled with color. Her eyes widened.

        The fireworks were a mix of dazzling patterns and eye boggling colors, turning her brain into a pile of mush. Minutes later, then light died, and Annabeth blinked. Percy was staring at her, as if waiting for a response.

        And so in response, Annabeth wrapped her arms him and kissed him. His lips were soft yet firm, and his hands were reassuring against her back. After what only seemed like seconds, they broke apart for air and rested their foreheads against one another's.

        "So I guess we're together now?" Percy whispered against Annabeth's lips.

        Annabeth laughed breathlessly. "No, Percy. I kiss guys because I feel like it."

        "Sassy today, are we?"

        As Annabeth lay huddled up in Percy's arms, she's not so afraid of the unknown anymore.

;

        It was a sweltering day in the summer, and Annabeth pulled back her hair into a ponytail. Wearing a t-shirt and jean shorts, she turned to ask Percy something on the couch, but he was already asleep. Teenage boys. He'd only been awake for 5 hours and he's already crashing on the couch. Annabeth rolled her eyes. She walked across her small flat and kissed Percy on his forehead.

        It was then that Annabeth's fingers itched to paint the contours of his face, the shadows casted by his long eyelashes, and the dips and curves of his muscles. She slowly turned and walked towards the closet with her art supplies and unlocked the door. Going back and forth between the living room and the closet, Annabeth set up a canvas, a pallet with paints in it, three different paint brushes, and a water bucket.

        Annabeth learned to not be afraid. Don't be afraid of the future and its unpredictabilities, but move ahead. Grow from your experiences, and become a better person.

        She sat down and began to paint.

A/N: AND DONE! WOOHOO