NICK
Nick James knew his life was messed up. But until he came to Camp Half-Blood, he didn't know just how messed up it was.
I'd better back up. Nicholas James was a student in New York at a boarding school called Battery Boarding School for Problem Teens. He had no one at the school. He had gotten kicked out of six boarding schools the past six years. He looked good, with blue eyes, and kind of light brown hair. But what he did was what made everyone treat him like a freak.
He never remembered touching anyone, but whenever he got angry, the person or thing that he was angry at seemed to be hanging in the air. The only two people who didn't treat him like a freak were Riley Benward and Daniel Redmond.
Riley was a girl who didn't like to be one of the crowd. But maybe that was just as well. She was always getting into trouble for having a bow and some arrows out at all times. Daniel, or Danny as he liked to be called, was always drinking. Like, drinking wine, drinking.
The first thing he could remember asking them was, "Do you think I'm a freak?" Their answer was, "No. I don't know how you keep getting busted…" Something along those lines. Nick was ADHD and dyslexic. He easily forgot things.
Here at BBSFPT, Nick James was a walking detention ire. He got more detentions than memories. All he got were detentions.
Riley and Danny were no different. They'd all gotten detentions, but not all on the same day. Sometimes only Nick and Riley got detentions one day, the next Riley and Danny, and after that just Nick and Danny. Nick thought that was weird.
He also found it weird that the math/detention teacher, Mrs. Watts growled hungrily whenever she didn't get all 3 of them in detention on the same day…so that was pretty much every day. He bumped into Riley and Danny coming off the stairs.
Lost in his thoughts, he stumbled into them. He exclaimed in surprise when he saw them.
"Riley! Danny!" he exclaimed. He gave each of them a high-five, and then said, "What are you guys doing here?" Riley and Danny exchanged glances, then said harmoniously, "Detention."
Nick paused. "Both of you? Mrs. Watts has been trying to give us a detention all on the same day. I guess today she succeeded."
Danny finished his juice box, then said, "The old crackpot probably wants to give us a medal for getting the most detentions, but couldn't do since we've never gone to detention together before."
Riley cracked up at that, and then said, "We'd better go before she gives two medals!"
Nick laughed, then muttered to himself, "Quite a coincidence, indeed. I wonder…" he said.
He then raced at top speed toward his friends, the detention hall, and…maybe certain death.
He just didn't know that yet.