This is two pages, I'm impressed with myself also I need sleep I don't own the characters.

How in hades are you supposed to teach a design class when none of the students have even been in a workshop to begin with? Seriously, Annabeth talks so highly of her class and how "astute" her students are, whatever that means.

"Not only can I keep an eye out for other half bloods but I can have a peaceful environment to work on my blueprints and even teach a new generation to love architecture and blah blah blah"

Anyway, long story short, Annabeth teaches a design class where a bunch of twelve year old kids sit around and design buildings, bridges, rocket ships, anything to their heart's content.

But, she has to go on leave for a few months so who else to teach kids engineering and shop than a son of Hephaestus himself?

I stumbled into my first day ten minutes late, and a group of twenty something kids at wooden tables started to quiet down a bit when they saw me walk in with boxes of metal, bronze, and machine parts.

"Sorry I'm late class." I grunted placing the boxes on the ground. "My girlfriend couldn't figure out how to use the coffee maker, anyway I'm Leo Valdez and I'll be subbing Anna- I mean Mrs. Jackson until she comes back. Anyway, just do whatever you were doing and I'll be in the shop or whatever."

Teaching was easy.

I practically had a set routine.

Show up at seven and set up the shop for a bunch of eighth graders to mess around with wood and nails so they can "build bridges" as in talk to their friends or sleep for the period. Piece of cake.

Then spend the next three hours trying to build, fix, upgrade whatever order that needs to be done.

After that try to avoid the English teacher that keeps trying to flirt with me in the teacher's lounge. Like I needed more reasons to hate reading.

Then spend eighth period trying to entertain the seventh graders who have little motivation to work on their blue prints.

And then there's ninth period.

Oh Gods

Where do I start?

Well, it's a sixth grade class and it's the very last period of the day. As in eighteen hyper twelve year olds who not only finished their 'big project' the last day Annabeth was teaching, but will make anything and everything into a distraction or a game.

I respect their resourcefulness.

Now, don't get me wrong. I can handle a bunch of kids who act like they've eaten a bag full of sugar, I was one of those kids. But it's my 'duty' I have to deal with.

"Keep an eye on anyone who might be a half blood. It's possible they haven't been claimed yet. So far there hasn't been anyone but I still have suspicions and-"

"Annabeth I got this, I can handle some little kids"

"Okay just...don't cause any fires, or make seemingly impossible inventions, and don't tinker around the kids because then they'll want to know how to do it or see it and it'll just be a mess of cover ups and disappointments and keep an eye on the ninth period class okay. Don't do anything crazy this time around, it's not the Argo it's middle school design class."

"Don't burn anything gotcha."

So ninth period is never exactly the best class of the day.

That little routine lasted three weeks at best.

I was working on a personal project, something I almost never had time for these days.

It was a lion. A fully automated, full scale, lion with sensors on its mane to scan its surroundings and whatever other bells and whistles I decided to put on there. Of course I wasn't stupid enough to bring celestial bronze with me to class. There would be an uproar. So the simple solution was to make whatever I could out of normal steel and 'normal' materials. I was working on that in shop one afternoon while the class was either summoning underworldly creatures or playing duck duck goose. One of the two.

"What are you doing?" I was startled by the voice and practically jumped out of my skin. Thank Hephaestus I didn't drop the welding wand.

I took off my mask to see a small girl in a red sweatshirt and shorts with her black hair pulled into pigtails. What was her name...Aria? Ally? no it was definitely Aria. "Woah, first off no going into the shop without safety glasses ever." I pointed her over to the shelves where Annabeth kept everything neat and orderly, that was until I started to use the shop. Aria put on a pair. "Second off you don't surprise the guy with the welding torch. Either you could get burned or the-the"

How do you explain machine parts to a twelve year old?

"The thingie the welder is using could get messed up."

"Wait couldn't you get burned aso?"

"that's besides the point. Why aren't you talking to the kids or playing..." looking out into the classroom where chaos spurted might've not been the best idea. I could already hear Annabeth scolding me, which by the way is terrifying "whatever that is."

She simply shrugged, "They don't really like me."

I've been there…

"So…" she continued on, "can I help?" Aria had that spark of ambition, knowing most of the people who had that spark, she would end up getting her way regardless of my answer.

"Okay fine but when I'm welding make sure you stand far away from me, and pull up your sleeves. You took the safety test right? and got a waiver signed?"

She nodded

"Okay so this right here is a personal project of mine." a proud smirk appeared on my face as Aria gave a face of amazement. "and is eventually going to become a lion,"

"Why a lion?"

"Stop asking 'why?' and start asking 'why not?'. First rule of inventing. Anyway,you know what an

automaton is right? So we need a basic structure first, that's what I started on here…"