The Basket Cases

Summary: Percy moves to New York, hoping confronting his past will heal him. Piper runs away from home, hoping her past will just leave her alone. Annabeth solves chemical equations instead of her own problems, and Jason struggles with unrealistic expectations, while Reyna juggles with unrequited feelings. The story of a drowning, melodramatic swimmer, a sociophobic genius, a wannabe rebel, a workaholic future CEO and a judgmental one-sided-love-story heroine. Growing up sucks.

A/N: Yes, I stole the title from The Breakfast Club.

Note: Edited, 26/12/14

Chapter 1: Heaven is Overrated

"She acts like summer and walks like rain

Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey, hey"

-Drops of Jupiter, Train

Piper

It's all about change, Piper reminded herself. It's about change and growing up. She clutched the pair of scissors in her hand tighter. Her long, brown hair fell like a smooth curtain framing her face, and she felt like crying when she remembered what exactly she was about to do. She touched the tips of her eye-brows, where her skin was still sore from her new piercings. Her fingers danced over the dry surface of her cheek and reached her second piercing, right at the edge of her chapped lips.

She rubbed it sightly. Her mother would have a heart-attack if she saw Piper now, with her three face piercings and long black dragon tattoo, that ran down the entire stretch of her left arm.

She flinched slightly.

It's about change change change.

The rest-room smelled of sweat and urine. The walls were graffitied with obscene pictures and smudged lettering that she could barely make out. Though, it was comparatively clean to some of the other petrol bunk rest-rooms she had seen.

The train to New York was supposed to leave in two hours. Piper knew if she wanted to completely wipe out any trace of who she had been five days ago, she would have to do it now. The bottles of hair dye littered the floor. Blue, red, green, purple- she had a rainbow to pick from. She fingered her bangs and rolled the scissors in her other hand contemplatively. She had always loved her hair. When she fucked up her face and her arm in that sleazy tattoo saloon three days ago, it hadn't mattered much to her. But her hair-

- her hair was a different issue.

She stared at her dirty reflection in the mirror.

She looked pretty.

In one swift snip, she cut off her bangs. They fell into the yellow sink. She stared at them and then back at the mirror. Her hair near her forehead was disfigured but she could hear it, there's my pretty girl, so pretty, just like mommy.

Not pretty. Never pretty.

She didn't want to be pretty.

Piper began cutting.

Percy

Goode High was a mixture of geeks and jocks and loners and weird-people-who-didn't-have-a-category-to-fit-into. It had guys smoking near the bleachers, and nerds exchanging info on the Asian Stock Market, and people having sex in empty classrooms.

It was a mess and fucked up and just the place for Percy Jackson to come back home to.

Poseidon stopped a block before the school. There was silence in the car.

"Goode's a pretty good school yeah?" he said lightly, smiling at his son. "Your mom was ecstatic when you got in."

Percy stared outside the windshield.

"Goode has a pretty good swim-team," he muttered and Poseidon frowned. "I should be going to Public school, not some fancy, hot-shot Private one."

"Says the hot-shot himself," Poseidon joked. Percy didn't laugh. "C'mon kid, your mom's happy, the school's good, you've got nothing to complain about."

"Goode has a good swim-team," Percy repeated. He turned to look at his father. "I was supposed to join the swim-team remember? First year in High School was supposed to be my year. The super-cool freshman bursts in and destroys everyone on the swim-team."

Poseidon laughed.

"So you can be the super-cool senior who kicks everyone's asses."

Percy sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt. "No dad, I can't."

Poseidon sighed. He leaned forward and fumbled through his jacket for what Percy was sure was a cigarette.

"Look, I know this wasn't how it was supposed to turn out…."

"No this is exactly how it was going to turn out," Percy interrupted. "We both know that. I mean, what were we even thinking?"

"Percy…" Poseidon trailed, lighting up his cigarette. Percy opened the door of the car. "Look dad," he said. "This is it. Everything's over. We're back where we started." He gestured to the road. "We're in New York now. California's over, Florida's over, London, Paris, Tokyo- we're never going back dad."

Poseidon took in a deep drag. Percy kicked a rock on the road. "-and, and I'm sorry I'm being a fucked up piece of shit now, because, because I haven't gotten over it yet."

His voice cracked.

Poseidon sighed. "You're not-"

"I think I'm going to leave now," Percy interrupted in a low voice. "See you later."

Poseidon sighed.

"Have a good day in school, Percy."

He raised his hand and waved at him through the window, as Percy proceeded to walk towards his new school- Goode High.

Being back in New York reminded him about how much shit he had missed in the last couple of years. The city had changed so much, the smells, the people. It seemed as if everyone else had moved on except him. It was different being back to the city that had raised him. Of course, no one would know him anymore, which Percy was very grateful for.

The city was electric and all-encompassing, and always changing changing changing. It was a good place to become a new person; the city would rage and blow around you in a way that hid who you were and molded who you could be. Percy liked that, liked the possibility he could be someone new now.

The entrance of Goode high loomed before him.

The school authorities weren't informed of his arrival. Well, technically they were, but they only knew Percy Jackson: the kid with ADHD, dyslexia and a broken shoulder; not Perseus Olympus: USA's upcoming champion in swimming who suddenly out-of-nowhere retired after near win in the London Olympics. Reading his school records (albeit lack of school records) would have filled them with gloom- great one more stupid teenage nut-case to take care of, not awe, like reading the accolades of Perseus Olympus would have inspired.

Though the story of Perseus Olympus was an anti-climatic one; after seven-hundred-and-thirty-days, three months and sixteen hours of waiting, they realized the miracle boy wasn't going to swim anymore. He had lost his bag of stardust and wonder. And bam! he and his dad/coach moved back to New York, to his mom, who had been so happy to see them. Gone were the swimming pools and medals, and in were the books about Calculus and World History.

He hated it.

Entering the corridors of the fancy school, with brick walls and banners and stupid posters that said 'Don't Do Drugs' like teenagers actually cared, Percy tried to find the school's office without actually having to converse with anyone. He was running late, so most of the students had already arrived. However since it was the first day of school, so no one actually gave a shit about him, all caught up in the gossip and drama of summer. Percy dreaded the second day of school; people would start to notice.

Luckily the entrance of Goode had a huge map with everything marked on it. He tried memorizing the way there, grimacing as the pretentious names of some of the rooms flew around his head because of his dyslexia. Approximating the location, he began walking towards his destination.

Turning a couple of corners, he saw the office at the edge of the corridor. A tall, slender girl stood conversing with an old lady, whom Percy assumed was the secretary or something. He walked towards them.

The office lady glanced at his direction.

"Ah Mr. Jackson," the she called out. "I was just about to send out a search party for you." She laughed.

Ha, ha hilarious.

He smiled anyway. "I'm sorry for being late ma'am." The one thing he learnt from crazy press conferences was how to deal with people, make them happy, make them feel that he thought every single one of their questions was important. Percy thought it was very stupid really- the small talk and the fake smiles- but Rachel and Poseidon always made a great deal out of it.

Rachel. Rachel. He missed her.

The lady waved her hand. "Not a problem, not a problem. At least you're here now."

The girl who was talking to her had fallen silently. Up close, Percy could see that she was very pretty, with striking grey eyes and long, blonde hair. When she noticed him staring at her, she immediately looked down at her feet.

"I'll just get you your schedule and requirements and stuff, and you can be on your way," the lady said. "Oh and you'll need a map too right?"

Percy smiled sheepishly. "I'm not very good with maps."

She stopped and glanced down at the file in her hand. "Ah, dyslexia. Hmm not a problem, I'm sure I can get you a guide or something." She turned a couple of pages. "Yes," she muttered, "You'll definitely need a guide." Percy tried ignoring the condescending edge her tone had taken. The office secretary looked up and smiled. "Just give me a second honey."

"Take all the time you need ma'am," he replied, faux-sweetly. Luckily the lady did not notice.

However, the girl standing next to him hid a smile under her hand.

He waited impatiently for the lady to come back, tapping his foot. The girl shuffled slightly, arranging the books in her hand over and over again. Percy noticed heavy Chemistry and Maths books in the pile, and assumed she was one of those reallysmartkids. He remarked, "Those books must be really heavy."

The girl looked up, startled. She stared at him for a few moments, before shaking herself out of her surprise. "I guess. I just don't notice their weight," she said quietly. Percy stared at her, incredulously. "Those must way like a ton!" She flushed a slight red. "More like three and a half kgs," she said. "It's not that bad."

"Mmmhmm." Percy shook his head. "You nerds are crazy."

Before she could reply, the office secretary came back.

"Here you go dearie," she chirped. "There's your schedule and a map just in case."

Percy nearly grimaced at her mega-watt smile, but he gave her an extra sugary smile instead. He knew she didn't mean any harm, and she was just being nice. But, Percy didn't want people to be nice.

"Thank you," he said and took the papers. The lady patted him on the hand. She then turned to the girl. "And I'm sorry Annabeth, but I can't cancel your application like that. It's sent directly my Mrs. White, and there's no way I can send an email on behalf of the school to get you removed. I'm afraid you have to speak to Mrs. White yourself."

Annabeth gave a downcast nod. "It's fine Mrs Peters, thanks anyway." She glanced up at the clock above the door. "Umm, I better be leaving now. I've got AP Trigonometry."

Mrs Peters nodded. "Okay dear."

Annabeth glanced at Percy. He tilted his head in her direction. She shook her head slightly, and began walking down the corridor.

Mrs Peters suddenly called out, "Ahh Annabeth!"

"Yes ma'am?" she asked reservedly. Percy shifted slightly. The office's lady's face had taken a softer, almost fond look.

"Would you mind showing Mr. Jackson around?" she asked. Annabeth turned red. She said coolly, "I don't think-" she paused, when the lady gave her a pointed look. "Okay I will." She looked resigned.

And Percy did not want a guide, not at all.

Mrs Peters turned to Percy. "Annabeth will show you around today. If you have any questions, please do ask her."

Percy nodded. He glanced at Annabeth again. She was staring at her feet, her knuckles turning white with the pressure with which she held her books. Percy nearly raised an eyebrow: what was her problem?

The office lady looked victorious. Annabeth slowly began walking towards Percy. When she passed the secretary, she gave her bright beam and imperceptible thumbs-up. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

When she reached Percy, she gave him a curt nod and gestured to the corridor and began walking. Percy shrugged and adjusted the strap of his bag.

Now, he had very very little experience with the opposite sex. The most crucial teenage years of his life were stolen away by his love for water. And okay, he maybesortof, probably fooled around with a few girls in his life, but girls like Annabeth? Never hung out with in his life.

But he was curious anyway.

"So you've been in New York all your life?" he asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. The corridors were emptying out slowly as classes started.

Annabeth replied quietly, almost curtly, "Yeah. Born and raised here."

Percy nodded. "Cool."

They fell back into silence, before Annabeth broke it awkwardly. "So what brings you here?"

Percy shrugged. "You know, just stuff. Mom lives here," he answered vaguely. Annabeth, fortunately did not press. She nodded and satisfied with the fact that, yes, she made conversation, fell quiet again.

She pointed out the labs and a few classrooms occasionally, but other than that the two steered away from proper conversation. She asked him for his map and schedule and compared it with hers.

"Okay, so we don't seem to share too many classes except Greek. Most of your classes are in the same building, so you shouldn't really have a problem finding them." She looked at his schedule intently. "We have Greek before lunch, so I'll show you the cafeteria then. Okay?"

Percy nodded absently. "Yeah okay."

When they finally reached Percy's classroom, they paused. Percy ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, thanks, I guess." He smiled.

Annabeth looked down and picked at her cardigan. "Yeah- yeah, no problem," she muttered. Percy glanced at the slowly filling classroom. "So I'll see you later?" He asked awkwardly. She nodded and turned around.

Percy watched her retreating back. She paused for a moment and turned around. "Hey Perseus?" she called out impassively. He cocked his head in her direction. "You should probably ask what sport we're learning in gym," she said quietly. "You might not like it."

Percy narrowed his eyes as she walked away. What did she mean by that?

Sitting down in the corner of his new classroom, ignoring all the stares he was getting, it struck him: he had never told her his actual name.

Annabeth Chase confused him.

Piper

People were staring at her.

Of course, she couldn't blame them: face piercings and rainbow coloured hair was not the norm in a fancy, private school like Goode. Maybe if she had chosen to stay in public school, her appearance wouldn't have meant a big deal, but here, she was pretty sure she was going to get shitty lectures from teachers and students alike.

She sighed. What was she even doing here?

Right, she had ran away from home to get here. New York seemed like the ideal city then, chock blocked with people she could blend into. Except the only school that accepted her, no questions asked, was Goode High. Being the daughter of a world-famous actor did give her lots of perks like, enough money to afford a, shitty but good enough, flat in the city, admission into fancy schools with the single phone call. The only problem was that the school authorities knew exactly who she was, even if Mellie has been very eloquent in telling them to shut up about it. That sort of sucked, but she knew she would have to deal with it.

She heard a girl snigger about her hair: ohmygosh look at that thing.

She clenched her jaw, screaming at her wouldn't be good for either of them.

She turned a corner and found two people making-out like their lives depended on it. A tall, well-built blonde guy had a brunette pinned against the wall, their hands running everywhere.

Piper felt mildly disgusted.

She cleared his throat. She knew the office was somewhere beyond this corridor according to the map in the entrance, and she wasn't going let two hormonal, needy teenagers to make her use the long way to get there.

The pair stopped their face-sucking briefly.

Piper gestured to the corridor. "May I?" she asked mockingly. The girl scowled at her.

"Pardon me?" she asked contemptuously, cocking her head to the right. The blondie ran his eyes down her body. Piper fought the urge to shiver slightly: the boy was hot. She instead stared resolutely at the brunette.

"I was just wondering if you both would be gracious enough to let me pass through the corridor," she sneered.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Do I even know you?"

"Maybe," she answered vaguely, with a wicked smile. "I am, after all, very famous." She was, wasn't she? Tristan McLean's precious darling.

But they didn't know that.

The Brunette rolled her eyes. "You do know piercings aren't allowed in this school right?" She stared at her clothes derisively. Piper snorted. Yes, she wasn't hot-girl material and looked like those kids you saw hanging around the mall smoking and wondering which shop they wanted to lift later.

But hell she'll be the one running away in a fight.

"Do you know skirts as short as that aren't allowed either," she sneered back. The girl was wearing a pretty short skirt- about mid-thigh, revealing her long, as much as Piper loathed to admit, sexy legs.

The girl laughed.

"You're new here aren't you?"

"And the award for best observation goes to you!" she exclaimed sarcastically. The Blondie next to her shifted slightly. Piper noticed his fancy clothes, branded ones, the kind her dad wore when he went out. Rich boy eh? she noticed idly. So are they like the rich boy, hit cheerleader cliche couple?

The girl tilted her head, and her long, brown hair, slid effortlessly to fall down her right shoulder. "Whatever, Mrs Juno will have a field day when she sees you."

Piper shrugged. "You deal with the consequences of your actions right?"

The girl stared at her. She stretched her arm foward. "Reyna," she said. Piper took her hand. "Piper McLean." She glanced at the Blondie, he was staring at her intently.

"What?!" she snapped out. To his credit, the boy did not flinch. Instead he said smoothly. "Your hair: it's pretty cool." Piper touched the tips of her bangs self-consciously. "Thanks," she said awkwardly. "Your shirt is cool." The boy laughed. "Gee, at least someone appreciates formal wear." He turned to Reyna. "See? My shirts are cool."

Reyna's lips curled into a half-smile. Piper noticed her eyes were looking at the boy very affectionately. "Whatever, I still think they're weird as hell."

The boy turned to her. "My name's Jason; nice to meet you."

Piper nodded.

"I need to get to the office," she said. "I'll leave you both to your face-sucking then." Reyna rolled her eyes, while Jason gave her a sight grin.

"I'll see you later then, Piper McLean," he said, wrapping his right arm around Reyna's waist. "Yeah okay," she replied hastily, not wanting to witness their make-out session again.

"I suggest you remove those piercings," Reyna called out, patronizingly.

"And I ignore your suggestion," was her reply.

A/N: Hello everyone.

Yeah, I'm editing the story, three chapters in, for two reasons.

1) I FINALLY HAVE SOME SEMBLANCE OF A PLOOOOTTT. So, obviously, to reflect that, I needed to change my sucky, plotless chapters.

2) I have decided that if I want to make this story work or make sense, some characters have to go. So it is with a heavy heart, I bid adieu to Frank and Hazel. I adore them, but I don't think I can do justice to their characters in this story.

NOW QUESTION TIME: I'm thinking of eliminating Leo and Nico too. Nico, because his character is just AMAZING and I realllyyyyyy want to write him perfectly and throw enough light on his growth. I don't think I can do that in this story. And the problem with Leo is that I don't know how to fit him in. I don't want to write Caleo, because I sadly don't ship it, and fitting solo Leo in this story is hard.

BUUUUTTTTT If you guys really want Leo and Nico in, I can find away, though they both will probably be side-characters solely existing to help solve the problems of this story's main characters. WHICH IS JUST AJBHDWNKDNBJVUCQB. Nico maybe maybe maybe, I'll bring in much later with Thalia, but if you want Leo, he has to exist from the beginning. OPINIONS PEOPLE.

Anywayyyssss here you go: an edited, hopefully faster updated 'Basket Cases'.

Reviews are wonderful! :3

Lots of love,

Dragonseatingme

Disclaimer: All rights go to Rick Riordan