Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1. I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER

Zeus pauses in confusion and once again all eyes turn to Percy who flushes at the attention. Sally looks towards her son in amused bewilderment and the others look on in confusion and silence, which Thalia breaks.

She snorts shaking her head at Percy. “That’s just such a Percy chapter title.” That sends snickers ringing through the rest of the group and Percy flushes even more.

“Once again” he says glaring at Thalia “I didn’t write this.” He paused thoughtfully “and what is with you using my name as an adjective”

“Well,” Nico snickers “I mean sometimes you’re just so” he drags out the “o” circling his hand in front of him like he was trying to think of an accurate descriptor “Percy” he said fighting back a smile.

Percy turns his glare towards him which just makes him and the rest of the crowd giggle even more.

As the laughter dies down Zeus starts reading again.  

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

The group immediately sobers at the declaration.

If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth and try to lead a normal life.

“That won’t work” Sally whispers and Percy shoots her a wry not so comforting smile.

“I know mom, I just maybe if some of them didn’t know like if they had had a bit more time” he trails off and goes quiet turning away.

The other demigods shift uncomfortably and the atmosphere dims causing the gods to look around the room in discomfort taking special care not to look at any of the gathered demigods.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.

“Check, check, and check. Wow Prissy it’s almost like you know from experience.”

Percy laughs a bit sounding slightly bitter, “yeah its so weird,” he says playing along “it’s almost like I know exactly what I’m talking about.”

The atmosphere lightens as the mortals all laugh.

If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.

“Why would a normal kid read this” Rachel ask.

“I don’t know I didn’t write this” Percy replies already getting annoyed with saying that and they’re only a couple sentences in.

But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

“Oh spooky and cryptic, fun.”

“Shut up Leo.”

“Wow rude I thought you were the nice one Perce”

“Shut up Leo” Annabeth says.

He puts his hands up in the universal peace-making sign and quiets down.

My name is Percy Jackson.

“Oh really I thought it was Gerald.”

“Why Gerald.”

Thalia waved off his question and Percy frowned in annoyance.

I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

“Private school huh. Fancy how’d you swing that,” Leo asked.

“Scholarship kid. I’m pretty sure they thought I was some sort of charity case all things considered.”

“Percy” Sally spoke up indignantly “you aren’t a charity case.”

“Mom to them I definitely was.”

Sally opened her mouth to reply, thought for a moment, then closed it. When she thought back to the teachers and administration there, how they looked at her whenever she visited, she thinks Percy was right.

Am I a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

“Percy” Sally sighed at her son.

Said son smiled sheepishly at her, “sorry mom I don’t think that anymore”

“Do you not think that anymore because you’re not troubled” Jason asked, “or because you aren’t a kid anymore.”

Percy ignored that question.

I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it,

Sally raised her eyebrow towards her son at the word miserable and he once again elected to stay silent.

 but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan— twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

“Oh, a museum,” Apollo spoke up. “That sounds like fun” he finished with a bright smile and Athena nodded in her agreement.

“Yeah, sounds like fun” Annabeth said agreeing begrudgingly with her mother.

 Meanwhile all the people who had spent any significant time at a mortal school looked annoyed at the very thought of that field trip

I know—it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.

Annabeth elbowed Percy in his left side in annoyance and Athena sent a glare his way.

Apollo frowned in confusion at that statement. “Why museums are nice.”

Percy rubbed his side a bit and then turned to answer Apollo.

“It’s less going to the museum and more being packed around a bunch of really loud really annoying twelve year olds who don’t understand the concept of leaving people alone or personal space. That doesn’t even begin to count having to stand still in one spot packed together with said kids to listen a teacher who drone on and on about some piece they really know nothing about but still somehow manage to make it the least interesting thing in existence.”

As he spoke Piper, Rachel, Leo, Frank, Clarisse and surprisingly Sally all nodded in agreement at his words their faces scrunched up like they were recalling some truly horrible memories.

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.

“Oh is that the alias Chiron used while he was there,” Annabeth said softly so the gods wouldn’t hear.

Grover and Percy both nod. “Wait” Piper asks quietly “you got Chiron as your teacher that’s so not fair.”

“Eh” Percy starts “extenuating circumstances.”

“Big words” Annabeth snickered and Percy rolled his eyes and leaned back with a sigh. Annabeth laughs lightly and leans her head on his shoulder. Percy says nothing only shifting a bit to pull her closer and she smiles.

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.

Clarisse raised a single eyebrow. “You, not get in trouble I doubt it.”

“What do you mean,” Hermes ask curiously.

“Percy’s a trouble magnet wherever he goes some kind of trouble always follows.”

“So he’s a trouble maker then, a delinquent” Ares states with a vicious grin.

“Not quite a trouble maker” Rachel starts her tone contemplative “he’s a bit too nice for that its more like things sort of just happen in his general area.”

His other friends and his mom all nod in agreement and Percy slumps down in to the cushions a small pout on his lips.

Boy, was I wrong.

See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.

The room goes silent as everyone processes that bit of information staring in some sort of cross between confusion and disbelief at the boy sitting between his mother and his girlfriend. It starts with a snort from Hazel then Leo starts snickering and soon every mortal in the room except for Percy and his mother is laughing, hard. Some of the gods are also chuckling quietly while the rest look on at the scene in slight amusement.

Sally breathes out a quiet laugh at the flush rapidly over taking her sons face.

“You know you never did explain to me what happen that day I just got the call from the school about how you some how managed to blow up the school bus and I had to come pick you up at the battlefield.” She starts to giggle a bit , “everyone was so confused we” she starts laughing a bit harder “we had to carpool some of the students back.” At this point her shoulders are shaking as she, at the betrayed look her son shots her between peels of laughter manages to ask him one final question.

“How on earth did you manage to shoot a cannon through the school bus?”

Percy ducks his head in to his hands with a groan of embarrassment. He looks up avoiding looking to his right at his mom. “In my defense” he starts “why did they leave a loaded cannon around a bunch of ten year olds did they not expect something to go wrong.”

“I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to touch the cannons.”

“Shut up Rachel.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Wait but didn’t it say you weren’t aiming for the bus what were you aiming the cannon at.”

He decides not to answer Grover’s question and only sinks further in to the cushions under him.

 And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.

More laughter from the group of mortals as well as a couple stray chuckles from the divinities and Percy rolled his eyes at their amusement.

“To this day that was the single most stressful thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“What about literally everything else you’ve been through” asked Rachel.

“I stand by my statement.”

“Why” asked Frank.

“The teachers, other kids, tour guide, and the fucking sharks were all shouting at me at the same time to pull a stupid lever.”

“What” Sally stated in shock. “You never told me about the sharks.”

“That’s because I didn’t know it was the sharks at the time. I thought it was the teacher. Everyone kept asking me to just pull something because I kept “taking to long.” As he says this he holds his hands up and bends two of his fingers in makeshift quotations.

“The teacher kept telling me to hurry up read the label, same with the tour guide and the kids kept shouting random levers to pull. I think they thought it was a game.”

His face scrunches up a bit in contemplation. “You know now that I think about it the only ones who were giving me clear instructions were the sharks. I can’t remember what they said but it was something like “pull the second red one to the left” or something like that at least.” He shrugged “I got in trouble at the time because I said the teacher told me to pull the lever which I thought he did at the time, and he obviously didn’t so they thought I lied and did it on purpose.”

“Wait didn’t the teacher know about your dyslexia why’d they keep asking you to read the label.”

“They thought I lied about that too.”

“This makes the story way less funny, now it’s just kinda sad.”

“Thanks Nico I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Wait,” Leo said “that doesn’t explain why the sharks asked you to pull that specific lever.”

“Honestly I’m pretty sure they just wanted to play.”

Everyone turned towards Poseidon, who was examining Percy with interest now, for conformation. He blinked at the gazes from the mortals and cleared his throat.

“Yes yes sharks are very playful animals and many of them are extremely fond of mortals. It makes sense that they’d want to get closer to some of them.”

Most of the mortals weren’t quite sure what to do with that information now.

And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.

“You’re so telling me more later” Rachel said excitedly. “How have you never mentioned any of this before.” Rachel bowed her head in mock reverence, “an absolute legend truly.”

Percy glared her playfully fighting down a smile at her antics. “No” he countered “you’ll just laugh at me.”

Rachel placed her hand over her heart and tried to look offended. “Laugh at you” she said putting on a painfully fake and annoyingly posh accent “perish the thought. Why Perseus” she got a look of annoyance shot her way at that and she did her best to try and look innocent leaning a bit closer to him “why would I ever laugh at the misfortunes of my oldest and dearest friend.”

The demigods, Grover, and Sally were all smiling at their antics, except for Annabeth who frowned annoyed. She shifted closer to Percy and leveled a look at Rachel who goes quiet. Percy stops laughing and goes quiet as well throwing his arm around Annabeth and squeezing her shoulder. The frown remains on her face but she leans in to his touch.

The demigods, Grover, and Sally all seem uncomfortable at the awkward shift from the playfulness to the tense silence before them and Zeus takes this as his cue to continue.

This trip, I was determined to be good.

All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.

Piper scrunched her nose up in disgust. “There are so many things wrong with that sentence I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about we start with that last name, Bobofit, poor girl no wonder she’s a troubled kid” Leo said.

“She sounds like a bully” Hazel said with a frown.

“She was” Grover said.

“With extremely bad taste in sandwiches” Percy agreed.

“Got that right peanut butter and ketchup that’s like an afront to decent sandwiches” Thalia said in disgust.

“Hey is ketchup a type of jam” Jason asked, “because its boiled fruit with sugar in it. I mean it does have other spices and stuff but isn’t that like the baseline of jam.”

“Jason some questions should never be answered” Sally said wisely.

That sent another round of laughter through the group. As they laughed the gods looked on at the children in and others as laughed and joked with each other. It was confusing but pleasant seeing them all relaxed and getting along interacting with mortals even. None of them felt inclined to interrupt the laughter and jokes shared between the mortals, until Zeus interrupted the joke with a growl asking if they were done so he could continue.

Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was *disabled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.

“Thank you so much Percy for telling me how you really feel with such a flattering description.”

“I will not apologize for my private thoughts, but I will say this was like ten years ago,” he paused glancing at the assembled gods “for us anyways and I’ve definitely changed my opinion of you.”

He raised a single eyebrow at Percy “for the better” he asked quietly wringing his hands together nervously.

“For the better” he replied with a reassuring smile.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.

Poseidon gripped the arms of his chair in anger ducking his head downward and glaring at his lap. Then he frowned confused. What was he so angry about nothing had happened so far. His emotions felt like a tangled knot his indifference being over taken by this foreign anger.

He shot his son he supposes, his son from the future. Shaking his head he shot Percy a look and who seemed to be making an

“You shouldn’t kill poor defenseless mortals sea spawn.” Athena said with a scowl.

“Especially young girls regardless of their distasteful actions” Artemis added though her lip curled with annoyance as she said the word distasteful.

Percy stared at Athena blankly for a bit lost in thought. He could feel some annoyance and anger simmering in the pit of his stomach and he frowned in discomfort, the emotion felt strangely muted, no it still felt strong but it felt like a memory rather and something he was experience it sat beside the irritation he felt towards Athena separate but equally as real.

He shook his head pulling himself from his musings and muttered “damn I was hoping I could avoid the whole sea spawn treatment for a bit longer.”

Shaking his head he sighed “Lady Athena and Lady Artemis it was a metaphor I wouldn’t actually kill her I couldn’t even if I wanted to I was only twelve at the time.”

He paused with a frown “actually I’m pretty sure she was like two years older than me cause she got held back once” he thought aloud.

He paused again irritation disappearing as he thought about something and scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. “Wait don’t you guys kill mortals all the time. Including kids.”

The gods all shrunk back at the appalled looks the mortals and Hestia were sending to the them and they all motioned for Zeus to continue reading quickly.

Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."

He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.

"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."

Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.

“Would hitting Nancy have stopped what happened” Sally asked thoughtfully.

“Mom” Percy blurted out somewhere between amused appalled and proud.

“She’s a bully Percy you know how I feel about them.”

Percy couldn’t fight down the smile her response brought to his face and he gave her a quick side hug which she happily returned.

“No I don’t think it would have. Honestly I probably would have just gotten in to more trouble.”

Sally shook her head in disappointment. “What a shame.”

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.

“Really” Nico said with curiosity “you found it interesting.”

“Yeah why’s that so surprising.”

“Percy you just don’t seem like the type” Annabeth said gently. “You’re always say you don’t like school so I- we just assumed you didn’t have any interest in stuff like that.”

“Just because I don’t like school doesn’t mean that stuff like history isn’t interesting” he replied with a scowl “all the teachers are just really bad at their jobs.”

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.

Leo rolled his eyes in annoyance “oh she’s one of those teachers.”

“What teachers” Nico asked curiously.

“You know” Rachel said “those teachers. The ones who decide who they hate immediately upon meeting you because they decided you’re a trouble maker just by how you look.

“Oh,” Hazel nodded in understanding “those teachers.”

Several others who’ve dealt with teachers voiced their muttered agreement while the others including the gods looked on in confusion.

“Is it really like that” asked Demeter curiously.

“Oh yeah definitely” Percy replied “getting a decent teacher who hasn’t looked at your past record and automatically decided you weren’t worth the trouble is hard much less getting a teacher who will actually put your accommodations in to place cause “ADHD isn’t real you just need discipline”

Piper let out a bitter chuckle “or it’s “dyslexia doesn’t exist you just need to read it” she said with an eye roll.

“Oh don’t forget “just stop moving you just need to sit still” added Leo.

“Or it’s “you just need to focus why can’t you pay attention” Um I don’t know miss teacher lady maybe its because I literally have a diagnosed disorder that’s makes it almost impossible to focus” Percy said angrily venom dripping from every word he spoke.

Frank nodded his head in understanding

“You think it’s bad now imagine school in the 30’s.”

Every demigod, Rachel, Sally, and Grover all winced in sympathy at Hazel interjection.

“Is it wrong that I’m grateful my dad decided to homeschool me when I came back home” Annabeth muttered.

Percy waved it off “no just be happy you were lucky enough not to go to school. But yeah that’s why I was loved Ch- Mr. Brunner’s class so much because he actually listened when I needed help or an extension on a project or even if I got to overwhelmed and needed a break.”

Poseidon and some of the other gods noted how Percy had stumbled over his former teachers name and filed that information away for later. It sounded like he was about to say his teacher’s first name maybe he knew him well.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn. She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.

Rachel winced in sympathy and turned to Grover “what did he do to get after school detention for a whole month.”

He frowned trying to remember “I think he tripped and stepped on Nancy’s jacket and ripped it or something like that.”

She turned to Percy a look of horror on her face “And that was enough to get you detention for a month.”

He shrugged and his shoulders slumped down “yeah it was either that or pay for it and that jacket was expensive” he paused and laughed a bit “I think I did her a favor when I ripped it, it was a really ugly jacket.”

“This makes me wish even more that we met before the dam we could have been friends and I could have helped” she said.

Percy smiled “Rachel we would not have been friends when I was twelve.”

She reeled back in shock “wow rude.”

“Not because of you I just was not a very, lets go with social, person before I met Grover.”

“That’s still true though.” Percy shot a glare towards Nico who raised his hands up in surrender.

One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."

“Way to blow your cover goat boy” Thalia said shaking her head in amusement. Only Grover.

Said satyr rolled his eyes at his friend though his cheeks were stained a red.

Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"

It came out louder than I meant it to.

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"

My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."

Percy was subtly rubbing his cheeks which had tinted red under his copper skin. Poseidon was experiencing the same and he subtly tried to catch the eye of his future son inquiringly who was once again actively trying to avoid his gaze. He made up his mind to have a conversation with his future son as soon as possible.

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

Immediately the elder gods excluding Zeus scowled at the memory and Zeus’s tone tinged with amusement as he continued.

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."

"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.

Hera scoffed “Try living it do you know dear father had the most disgusting eating habits” she said glaring at the floor. “And you” she said turning her glare towards her husband “Somehow fed him the most disgusting concoction in your” she sneered “rescue mission.”

Zeus sighed heavily and simply nodded in agreement with Hera. He clearly had this conversation before. He waited nodding a long at set intervals while Hera ranted and during a pause he quickly jumped at the chance to continue reading.

"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."

“Well” Hades said amused “you’re not exactly wrong.”

Hermes chuckled “but that is a gross understatement.

That sent quiet laughter through the gathered gods and Percy flushed burying his head in his hands. “I was twelve” he muttered and felt Annabeth giggling at his side. He sent her a glare and she only smiled.

Some snickers from the group.

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"And why, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover muttered.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.

I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

“Well I know now” Percy said.

“Was that him hinting at things or was he just trying to be like a teacher” Piper asked.

“Honestly its probably both” Grover spoke up in place of Percy.

“But is there an answer” Nico asked.

“The mortals argue that the Crooked One’s story is a metaphor for the folly of pride and a cautionary tale for not trying to avoid the inevitable as well as yet another story of how cleverness can defeat power.”

Everyone stared in surprise at Clarisse awed at her weirdly detailed response and she directed a glare at everyone.

“Why do you have an answer for that question specifically” Percy asked voice slightly awed but mostly confused.

“I had to write an essay about something like that and it’s the answer I chose. Honestly its mostly bullshit but I got a B on that essay so” she responded with a shrug.

“I thought you were a sports therapy major” he shot back leaning forward in his chair.

“Pre-recs are a thing Jackson besides I’m an English minor too.”

“English isn’t a pre rec if you took it in high school” he grumbled sitting back.

“Wait you’re an English minor” Leo piped up curiously.

Clarisse scowled “got a problem with that Valdez.”

He shook his head quickly snapping his mouth shut.

“I always wanted to take English in college your parent must be proud” Sally said smiling warmly at Clarisse. She returned the smile albeit a bit awkwardly.

“Wait does that mean when I asked if you knew anyone who could help with my entrance essay and you said no you were lying.”

“Why would I willingly help you Jackson.”

Percy look at her appalled “You’re the worst you know that.”

“And never forget it Prissy.”

"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach.

“Did we really need the reminder of how gross that was” Frank said looking a little green. Hazel snickered at his side and he mock glared down at her the tips of his mouth fighting against the growing smile.

The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note,

“Happy note” Apollo said amused this teacher sounded familiar.

 it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.

“Typical” Artemis interjected with an eyeroll. Immediately the gathered boys including demigods satyrs and gods voiced their protest. Except for Percy who spoke up silencing the cacophony of outcry.

“She’s not exactly wrong” he said and all the mortal boys glared at him betrayal and he only smiled sheepishly in response.

“See even one of your own agrees with me” Artemis said smugly examining the child who had spoken.

The response to that statement was varied many of the gods scowled before rolling their eyes and choosing to ignore this statement. Apollo glared and chucked a cushion at her head which she managed to dodge without once sparring him a glance. This caused him to sink down in to his seat sulking. The demigods and Grover pouted while ultimately deciding that a response wasn’t worth it.

Percy smiled tightly at Artemis shifting uncomfortably at her words and trying to swallow down and ignore the rising discomfort in his throat. Artemis and Poseidon both took note of this reaction and examined him discreetly.

Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."

I knew that was coming.

I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"

Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.

"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.

"About the Titans?"

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."

"Oh."

"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."

I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C– in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.

“He means well Percy” Grover said.

“I know just at the time it was weird. Like having a teacher work so hard and expect me to do well it was weird.”

“Yeah, teachers like that are cool and all but its always kinda weird” Leo spoke up in agreement.

“I get that like you spent all those years in school where just no one expected anything from you and then all of a sudden someone gives a shit about how you’re doing and trying to make sure you actually understand what they’re talking about. Wild.”

Percy nodded in agreement with Piper “yeah even now I’ve met a couple more teachers like that and its just always so weird. Like I had one teacher in eight grade who like saw I had trouble with the reading and actually sent me the link to an audio version of the book without me asking. Crazy.”

The three voiced their agreement and traded more stories about the care they received from teachers with Rachel and Clarisse chiming in periodically with their own stories while the others listened awkwardly. Athena and Apollo Artemis Hermes and Hestia were all staring at the children in poorly disguised pity. The were all well aware of the type of care teachers were meant to give to their students and Athena and Apollo were both appalled by the lack of care and work put in to making sure students were able to learn while Artemis Hermes and Hestia were all disappointed that some mortals would treat children in such a manner.

Eventually they quieted down once more and Zeus took that as his cue to continue. He started again annoyance seeping in to his tone he was getting very tired of all these interruptions.   

I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.

“Now that I think about it he probably had” Percy mumbled.

Annabeth elbowed him in his side causing him to wince and he shot a glare toward her which she returned. “Spoilers Percy” she chided, and he pouted turning away from her. She sighed and kissed him on his cheek to placate him a bit.

He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.

The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

“A hurricane in December” Demeter said with suspicion and turned to her brothers. “What on earth are you to fighting about that it caused that.”

“Something petty again I bet” Hera hissed out glaring at her husband and brother.

“Or considering the effect it has on the weather so out of season it was probably serious” Hestia chimes in concerned.

“Um without giving too much away you’re both right, like the reason they’re upset was serious but also the reason they’re fighting was kind of petty” Percy answers glancing towards Annabeth and Grover who nod their agreement.

Many of the demigods and Rachel and Sally grow curious at his declaration they had no clue what happened when Percy learned he was a demigod and were expecting it to be earth shattering considering this is Percy. Clarisse also felt her curiosity spike putting together that they would probably be hearing the specifics of Percy’s first quest, the details of which he was stubbornly silent about. Maybe she’ll finally get to find out why her dad hates him so much.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.

Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."

“Truer words have never been spoken” Reyna says laughing.

“Et tu Reyna” Percy says hand over his heart an overly exaggerated look of betrayal on his face.

Reyna only laughed harder.

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"

“You expect to much from him Percy” Thalia said shaking her head.

“Hey” Grover spoke up indignantly.

“At the time I had only known him for about 4 months I know better now” Percy said nodding his head sagely.

Grover shot him a betrayed look and Percy shot him an innocent smile in turn.

I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.

Annabeth turned to face Percy eyebrow raised in disbelief. “You” she said tapping him on his chest “didn’t have an appetite.” She crossed her arms over her chest “I find that hard to believe.”

“I’d been having a bad week at that point honestly I just didn’t feel like eating it happens.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t know why besides this already happened.”

“Just sounds fake.”

“Whatever” Percy muttered while rolling his eyes effectively silencing the conversations and Annabeth laughed a little turning back to the story.

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.

There was a chorus of awes that interrupted Zeus and the god sighted frustrated as he prepared for the onslaught of interruptions.

Percy flushed at the sounds burying his head in his hands. Sally snickered at her sons embarrassment ruffling his hair and he glanced up at his mother still pouting.

“You really missed her while you were at school that’s so sweet” Piper said smiling sweetly. The urge to tease her friend was high and she knew he wasn’t one for the excess attention.

Percy glared at Piper and she laughed.

“Mama’s boy” Thalia said laughing.

“You’ve met my mom you miss her when she’s not around too.”

Thalia laughed again nodding. “Yeah that’s fair” she said turning to face Sally “You’re like the best person Mrs. Jackson.”

Sally smiled a little bashfully at the words “thank you dear. You know you can drop by any time you want. Me and Estelle always love your visits.”

Thalia’s smile softened a bit. “Thanks Mrs. Jackson.”

Zeus examined the smile on his daughters face looking between her and Sally.  

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

“Ugh that is so gross its probably all covered in spit and who knows what else” Piper said her face twisted in to a grimace of disgust.

“Were you okay Grover” Hazel asked worriedly “I know that had to suck” she said reminded of her own bullies from her childhood and her early months in the legion.

“It was gross” Grover started “but I was fine there’s not much a mortal could do that would bother me too much.” He paused “no offense Rachel, Mrs. Jackson.”

Sally waved away the comment and Rachel just rolled her eyes.

“You still shouldn’t have had to deal with that man its not fair” Percy clearly annoyed at the memory of what Nancy put his friend through.

“Yeah we should find her when we get back to reality see how she likes being bullied.”

“Thalia you are not going to find and hurt a mortal” Annabeth scolded.

“Not hurt just emotionally scar a bit” Percy piped up while Thalia nodded in agreement.

“Don’t encourage her” Annabeth hissed glaring at Percy.

He held his hands up in surrender “Fine I was just joking anyways.”

Annabeth huffed leaning back and scooting away from Percy. He let his hand drop from her shoulder and angled his body away from her.

"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

“I hate Cheetos” Percy muttered.

“Same they’re kind of gross” Frank agreed.

“Aren’t you lactose intolerant of course you wouldn’t like Cheetos” Leo piped up amused.

“Cheetos don’t actually use real cheese so it doesn’t bother me but they still taste gross.”

“What do you mean Cheetos don’t have actual cheese in them” Rachel asked looking a little green.

“You didn’t know that.”

“No I didn’t why did you tell me that and ruin Cheetos for me. Oh gods I suddenly have so many regrets” Rachel replied fake gagging.

The kids around looked on at her antics amused.

“What’s a Cheeto” Dionysus asked.

Everyone from the future paused taken a back by the question. Suddenly they were all collectively reminded that the gods before them are from the past. Like really from the past they have no knowledge of modern events and technology and slang and oh my gods what if they start talking in 20’s colloquial not even Hazel will understand those.

Sally gained her baring quicker than the others and while they had a crisis about the logistics of time travel she quickly explained to Dionysus and any other curious gods what a Cheeto was.

Gods this is going to be weird.

I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

“Here comes the anger issues” Annabeth muttered with a shake of her head sending a teasing smile in Percy’s direction. He frowned in response.

“Sorry for being angry that my friend was being picked on” he responded with a scowl.

The smile slipped from her face and she glared at Percy prickling at his annoyance. “You know I’m right” she spat out.

Percy’s frown deepened and he rolled his eyes. “Whatever” he muttered “you’re always right” he hissed out with finality dropping the subject.

Annabeth bristled and leaned back in her chair.

Both demigods seethed Percy shifting in his seat restless with anger that sat in the pit of his stomach from the emotional memory the book projected in to him hurt at Annabeth’s words and regret for snapping.

In his own seat Poseidon griped the arms of his chair tightly irritation at the foreign anger bubbling up from the pit of his stomach. He gritted his teeth taking in shaking breathes. He needed to have a conversation with Percy soon. He seemed to know something he wasn’t telling anyone else.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"

"—the water—"

"—like it grabbed her—"

The anger faded and Poseidon’s head cleared allowing him to absorb the sentence his brother just read. Once again he raked his eyes of his future son in curiosity. He was displaying some impressive unconscious control of his abilities at a rather young age.

“Wait Grover you saw that happened and still didn’t know who his dad was when he got to camp” Clarisse asked in annoyance.

Grover shook his head “I knew, or at least I had a hunch but I wasn’t supposed to say anything to anyone about it because of the oath. Plus there are minor sea and river deities although they don’t come on land much but it was still possible.

“Satyr” Zeus boomed out catching Grover’s attention.

“His name is Grover” someone muttered, and at least half of the mortals shushed them simultaneously and Grover sent a glare their way.

“Yes my lord” he said nervously.

“What’s this about an oath.”

“Well my lord” he starts a bit frowning at the sudden soft humming that fills his ears. He shakes his head clearing it away and starts again “in the future” abruptly he silences his mouth gaping open and eyes glazed over as not a sound escaped from him and then suddenly he gasped bending over clutching his throat coughing and gasping for breath eyes wild.

“Grover” Annabeth, Thalia, and Percy all exclaimed worriedly rushing over to his side. Nico turned towards him patting the satyr’s back as he coughed and hacked in to his open hands.

“Did you forget the warning from earlier” Percy said softly helping his friend sit back up and offering him some water from bottle he had been carrying with him. Grover gulped down the liquid greedily and turned towards his friends when he was done still slightly winded.

“What warning” he manages to sputter out between gasps.

Percy looked at his friend assessing his state and making sure he wouldn’t start coughing again.

“No spoilers” he said gravely “remember everything comes with a price they can’t do this” he says waving his hand around indicating the entirety of the room “without some cost. So there’s rules like not spoiling what happens before the books get to it. We can talk about unrelated things but anything the book covers we can’t say. That’s the entire reason we haven’t said anything, save Thalia of course, that would reveal our parentage.”

“Wait so they’ll just try and kill us so we don’t tell them the future” Nico said disturbed.

“No they won’t kill you” Percy answered “at most they’ll cause enough pain to make you pass out. Granted that also sucks so lets not spoil okay.”

“How could we possibly know if we’re going to spoil anything what if we say something on accident” Hazel asked worriedly lacing her hands together with Frank who rubbed circles in the back of her hand in an effort to comfort her.

“There should be a tell, a sound or something that you and only you can hear before you say something.”

“That explains the hum I heard before I tried to open my mouth” Grover said bitterly.

“Wait” Clarisse spoke up eyeing him suspiciously “How do you know this.”

“Just trust me okay I don’t want anyone else get hurt” he responded carting his hands through his hair in frustration.

Clarisse stared at him silently “whatever” she muttered dropping it.

“Can we keep going Lord Zeus the books will revel everything about the oath eventually. I’m sorry we can’t tell you any more” Percy said plainly taking care to angle his eyes downward not meeting the gods gaze. Zeus in his time was volatile on his best days there’s no telling how he is in the past.

Zeus stared down Percy intensely before he started reading once more.

I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"

“You know I thought she was just a bad teacher but honestly I’m kind of getting evil monster vibes” Piper said eyeing the book with trepidation. She turned to Percy expectantly. He smiled and shook his head.

“No spoilers” he said the smile on his face edging on teasing.

Piper grumbled in irritation but didn’t ask anything else.

"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."

That wasn't the right thing to say.

“Gee I wonder why” Clarisse drawled sarcastically.

“Shut up Clarisse” Percy mumbled pouting.

She and the rest of the mortals chittered at his annoyance.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.

“I appreciate you caring man but I really wish you had told me about her before this happened” Percy said feigning annoyance with his oldest friend.

Grover rolled his eyes to used to Percy’s complaints about the subject of Mrs. Dodds. “Whatever” he said with a sigh. “Stop interrupting.”

Percy laughed quietly at Grover’s defeated expression and mimed zipping his lips.

She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.

"But—"

"You—will—stay—here."

Grover looked at me desperately.

"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."

Nancy Bobofit smirked.

I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.

How'd she get there so fast?

“So we all agree monster right” Nico said nonchalantly. Percy looked incredulously at him as the other nodded their agreement. He knew damn well which monster this was.

“So bets on what it is” Nico said turning away from Percy’s stare. “I’m guessing empousa.”

“Well we know its not a hellhound. There’s no way that they could hide for this long especially as a human” Hazel said contemplatively. “And its probably not a an empousa they usually act quickly. A harpy maybe.”

“I don’t think so” Frank replied “they aren’t usually that intelligent or patient either.”

“Most monsters aren’t typically that intelligent or patient either. Its almost like she was waiting for something from Percy” Thalia said staring at Percy clearly waiting for him to clarify.

“No spoilers” Percy drawled out a delighted grin on his face. He clearly took pleasure and denying Thalia answers. “Besides you should get your answers before the end of the chapter.”

“Yes we’ll have our answers if you just let me finish” Zeus barked and the demigods quieted down.

I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

“Oh I hate that” muttered Leo.

“Honestly that’s a mood” Piper says nodding in agreement.

Everyone who had ADHD voiced their agreement and subsequent annoyances at the assessment.

“I hate it, its worse when I can’t tell what’s real and just feels insane because mythology is fucking insane or something that I just misinterpreted or completely forgot about” Percy scowled as he said this.

“We don’t talk enough about how much ADHD kind of sucks sometimes. It’s great that we get battle reflexes and can be quick thinkers but I could have done without all the memory issues, emotional issues, functioning issues etc.” Nico said sourly.

More voices of agreement rose up from the group and Zeus sent them a glare which quieted them all down so he could continue.

I wasn't so sure.

I went after Mrs. Dodds.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.

I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But apparently that wasn't the plan.

I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.

Except for us, the gallery was empty.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.

Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...

“Wonder what the poor gravestone did to her” Rachel muttered.

“Honestly she probably killed whoever is depicted.”

“Jeez Nico don’t joke about stuff like that.”

“Sorry Piper its just honestly its probably some kid or something who caused her trouble. That’s the only reason I can think of for her acting that way.”

“He’s probably right Piper” Jason said placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. “I know I just don’t really want to think about anyone being killed by some sort of monster.

Nico winced “sorry again Piper I get that.”

“It’s fine Nico I promise I didn’t mean to snap.”

Nico waved away her apology with a weak smile.

"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.

“Something tells me she doesn’t mean bothering Nancy” Leo muttered.

“Hush its getting good” Ares growled.

I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."

Percy swallowed the lump building in his throat and a shiver ran down his spine. He could feel the adrenaline beginning to course through him nerves alight his hand and legs twitching with the urge to move. He tried his hardest to conceal it and turned his attention quickly to his father looking for the same signs of fear he was feeling.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.
She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.

“Think again Percy” Reyna commented.

“I know now” he whined in response sending Reyna in to a round of quiet laughter.

I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shook the building.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

“Confess to what exactly” Demeter asked curiously.

“I’m afraid that would be a spoiler my lady” Annabeth said in a tone she hoped was sufficiently reverent. She was not stupid enough to risk offending any of the gods now that they were out of their own time line.

Demeter nodded accepting the explanation.

I didn't know what she was talking about.

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.

“Wait how can selling candy be illegal” Frank asked curiously.

“Yancy had a strict no soliciting policy for some reason” Percy answered.

“That’s weird” he said

“Yeah I didn’t make the rule though I just broke it.”

Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

Annabeth raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I refuse to read Tom Sawyer that book is boring.”

“That’s fair.”

"Well?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't..."

"Your time is up," she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.

“What the hell is that” Leo exclaimed in confusion. He had never seen a monster like that.

He turned towards Percy expecting an answer but he wasn’t paying him any attention. To busy trying to hide the shivers racking through his body from fear.  

“A fury” Poseidon answered through gritted teeth. He glared at his brother content to let the anger overpower the fear and the energy crackling in his limbs and the desperation to escape. “They only follow the orders of Hades” he growled out anger flaring up at the clearly orchestrated attack on his future child. “So what were they doing attacking a child who wasn’t even aware of his divinity yet.”

Hades stared silently at the fury filled eyes of his brother and merely shrugged. “How should I know this hasn’t happened yet.”

Poseidon glared at Hades but stayed silent knowing the argument was fruitless and giving Zeus the opening to continue.

Then things got even stranger.

“When did those doors get there.”

Zeus paused his reading and everyone turned towards Percy surprised and confused at the sudden unrelated outburst.

“No seriously though when did those doors get here there are so many and this was just an empty room with some chairs before and now there’s like twenty doors scattered around that weren’t here before.”

At his proclamation the people in the room all look around to see that he’s right. Scattered almost haphazardly around the wide circular rooms were many doors all different shapes and colors. Sally counted aloud about twenty in total and everyone glanced rapidly between them in confusion.

No one had noticed there appearance before now.

“Maybe we don’t question the mystery doors Perce.”

“Yeah” Jason said in agreement with Grover “maybe we don’t address this until we absolutely have.”

“There were several murmured agreements and eventually the room was silent again allowing a chance for Zeus to continue.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.

With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear.

Percy felt the air move across his ear where the talon would have been on that day and he shivered at the memory and the cold wind he felt.

I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.

My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.

Percy currently was digging his hands into the skin of his arms desperately trying to stop the shaking. He already wanted this to be over.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

“Not exactly the thing I want to hear before I die.”

“Shut up Leo.”

“Sorry Reyna.”

And she flew straight at me.

Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.

“Wait you’re natural instinct is to swing the sword at the rampaging monster” Rachel asked incredulously.

“Uh yeah” he responded drawing out the last syllable in confusion. “What other instinct is there in this situation when you’re holding a sword.”

“Drop it.”

“Run.”

“Scream”

“Cry.”

“Simply perish”

“Curse out the person who decided that instead of helping me kill the monster he’d just throw the fucking sword at me.”

“Imagine if he threw it wrong and the blade hit your hand instead of the hilt you’d be out of a hand. You could get a hook like a pirate.”

“Nico I’d probably be dead first cause of the, you know, monster trying to kill me.”

“Honestly I don’t think you’d die, you’re too unreasonably hard to kill like a cockroach.”

That comment got him a pillow to the face because for someone who really sucks at archery Percy’s aim is surprisingly good.

“Honestly he’s right you are really hard to kill.”

“Hazel you’re not plotting my murder right.”

“No just you managing to swing the sword in that situation with no training or even any idea of what’s going on is just impressive. A very Percy thing to do.”

“My name is not an adjective.”

“We can change that” Piper chimed in.

“Why do I put up with any of you.”

“Because you love us” Thalia said sweetly.

“Debatable.”

“Rude.”

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.

I was alone.

Percy felt a shiver run down his spine at that line and gripped his arms tightly.

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.

My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.

“You really thought someone drugged you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What” Sally all but shouted in concern.

“It’s fine it was fine drugging is over stating it a little.”

Sally narrowed her eyes at her son who shifted uncomfortably at his mother’s prying gaze.

“I’ll um tell you when we finish.”

“You better.”

Had I imagined the whole thing?

“Oh if only” Thalia said wistfully.

I went back outside.

It had started to rain.

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

I said, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.

“This feels familiar” Rachel started frowning. She had been in way to many of these situations before learning about all the gods. The memories still annoyed her to this day but at least now she has an explanation.

“Yes” Sally sighed “this feels very familiar. Rachel blinked at the agreement before she remembered that Sally could see through the mist too. A smile creeped across her face, maybe she could spend some more time with Mrs. Jackson it would be nice to talk to someone who knows how it feels to go most of your life feeling like you’re going crazy.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, "Who?"

But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.

“Grover have I ever told you that you are a terrible liar.”

“You tell me that literally every time you visit Thalia so yes.”

“Well I’m saying it again. You my friend are a horrible liar.”

“I’m happy he’s so a bad liar” Percy said cheerily “if I wasn’t I probably would have tried to check myself in to a hospital or something.”

Everyone gave Percy a look their expression a mismatch of confused and disturbed. HE only shrugged it off deciding not to expand.

"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."

Thunder boomed overhead.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.

I went over to him.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."

I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.

"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at me blankly. "Who?"

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."

He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"

“What a dramatic end to the first chapter and moving on in to the second where I spent about half a year convinced, I was going insane how fun.”

“Sorry again Percy” Grover winced out guiltily.

“You’re good I mean I’m not actually too happy about the lying but you were the only one who didn’t make me feel like I was crazy.”

“Can we take a break I feel like we’ve been sitting here for hours” Leo whined.

“It’s been twenty minutes.”

“Twenty minutes really I thought it was shorter than that” Nico said surprised standing up and stretching.

“Fine” Zeus grunted out relieved to be free of the interruptions and reading. He will never read another chapter from this book again and is frankly dreading getting through the rest. This doesn’t feel like it’s going to be a quick process.

“We will take a twenty minute break.”

There was a flurry of movement as they all rose from their chairs the mortals heading off to inspect the mystery doors and Poseidon trailing after his future son.