My name is Percy Jackson. I was born blind. Some things I don't understand. Oddly enough I get colors. I don't get why people treat me like I can't do anything because I'm blind. I can get to the bathroom perfectly fine, thank you. It's not like it's hard, all bathroom's stink. No matter what, and if they don't then it's the biggest smell of air freshener, most likely lavender scented.
Grr, I'm talking about the bathroom again. Okay, anyway. I'm twelve years old. I go to Yancy Academy. My roommate is Grover Underwood. It's a school for special kids: I'm blind, he's crippled. Mom tells me I have black hair, as black as darkness. She tells me I have sea-green eyes.
Back to colors. It's a simple process really: red-fire (hot things), blue-water (most wet things), white-snow (I live in New York so snow is something very familiar), green-grass, yellow-sun, orange-oranges, purple-Barney (not as crazy as it seems), and so on. No, I don't see complete darkness. I use colors to make the world I feel with my other senses.
I turned at the sound noise in my room, making Grover shriek. "For Christ's sake Grover! Announce yourself in the room!" I exclaimed. You don't understand how much this happens to be honest.
"Sorry Percy." Grover said. "Bla-ah-ah! Why is your cane so hard?"
"So I can whack Nancy Bobbfit." I joked.
"Anyway, Mr. Brunner wants to see you." Grover said. "He's in his room."
"Okie dokie. If I'm not back in an hour, I got lost." I said, stepping into my sneakers.
I walked down the halls, taking the second right, down the stairs, the first left, then the third door on the left. It took three weeks for me to memorize the school's floor plan. I felt around for for the handle, feeling the cool metal on my fingers. I knew two things about Mr. Brunner: he likes to wear brown(kinda like mud) and he is in a wheel chair. I felt the cane touch the wheels of his wheelchair. I started drawing up the room: four rows of five desks, his big desk in the from, his wheelchair against the desk, the dark Sky in the Windows.
"Mr. Brunner?" I asked.
"I'm here, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said.
"Grover said you wanted to talk to me?" I asked.
"I just wanted to know about your winter break. Did you do anything special?" Mr. Brunner asked.
"I had a guys' Christmas with Grover," I said.
"A what?"
"We stayed up all night and watched Christmas movies, slept during the day so we weren't forced to do any work, then did it all again." I said. "And the best part was that Gabe was away all break. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason." he sounded nervous.
00000
For a few months, strange things were happening. My math teacher, Ms. Dodds, went berserk on me at the class trip after I 'accidentally pushed' Nancy Bobbfit into a fountain. Even though I didn't push her. And then everyone acted like nothing happened. Just last night, end of summer, I broke the news I got kicked out of school to Mom. She took me to Montauk. Then Grover showed up, with a goat, and then we were racing to some camp.
Then this thing attacked us. It was big and smelly and angry. Very. Very. Angry. I heard Mom scream, and felt the air chill around me. It was a clear bad sign. And then I ran into a tree. And if that wasn't bad enough, something stuck into the tree near my head. I could feel the thing breathing loudly on me. Grover bleated like he does, or maybe it was his goat. I don't really understand how he got here so fast, and with a goat. Then the thing barreled off, I got up on shaky feet, feeling something poking out of the tree, pulling out and thrust it in front of me. Then I passed out. I guess I woke up a few times. When I finally woke up, I caught the scent of enchiladas and grass, and knew it was Grover. "Grov?" I muttered.
"You're alive!" Grover exclaimed. "Thank gods you're alive. You feeling alive? Okay?"
"Yeah." I said, sitting up on a bed? "Where am I?"
"Come on, I know exactly who will explain." Grover said.
"Where's your goat?" I asked.
"Goat?" Grover asked. "Oh. Well Percy, I'm not mortal. I'm more of a satyr."
"Half human half goat? Like Brunner taught us about?"
"Exactly. Come on." He put my hand around the handle of my cane.
Grover was half goat? He moved really fast, which was the only reason why I believed him. There were people around too. They were talking and laughing loudly. "Steps at four minutes." Unfamiliar place, I had no idea how many steps there were. There were three. Figured that out when I tripped on the last one. Someone, a girl, let out a snort. "Don't be rude, Annabeth," Grover said. "He's—" I whacked Grover in the legs with my cane. Or at least I hope it was Grover. Don't worry, it was.
I got back on my feet, taking a few cautious steps. "Wait, white cane, red tip. He's blind?" the girl, Annabeth asked. This area smelt like the grass and trees did, so I assumed we were outside. It smelled awfully like wine and alcohol, with a faint smell of an animal. "Yes I am blind." I said. I took another step, my cane hitting something, the vibrations in the air sounding like how it does when it hits Mr. Brunner's wheelchair.
"A blind demigod? There's a such thing?" Annabeth asked. She sounded somewhere to the right, a little in front of me. I turned to the sound.
"A demigod? Who's a blind demigod?" I asked.
"Annabeth." Mr. Brunner's voice came in a warning tone from in front of me.
"Mr. Brunner? Okay what's going on?" I asked.
Then he told me about how the Greek gods he taught about were real and how apparently I was a demigod. And he's a centaur. Why I believed it I don't know. I wasn't hallucinating, because it'd be more dream-like and dreams and reality a very different. So then, Annabeth was walking mr through the camp, telling me what was around. "Hey Annabeth." I said. "Can I ask you a couple of questions?"
"Uh, sure." she said.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twelve?"
"Are you tall?"
"Slightly taller than you."
"What color is your hair?"
"I'm blonde."
"You know blondes are consider dumb right? But you contradict the dumb blonde stereotype by being a daughter of Athena."
"Thanks." she said.
"What color are your eyes?"
"Gray."
"What type of grey? Like the gray of pencils? Is it a light gray? Is it dark?"
"My brother says when I'm angry and serious or anything that isn't cheerful or happy, which is quite often by the way, that it looks like Zeus up the storm clouds in my eyes. Other than that, they're often confused for as an ugly, pale blue."
"Is your shampoo scented? Cause if not I have no idea what smells like lemon." I heard her sniff something deeply.
"I didn't even notice it was lemon scented." she said. "Is that all for the interview."
"Do you know what tried to kill me earlier?" I asked more quietly. "It smelled terrible, and was bit and drooled and angry and did something to my mom and put something in a tree."
"Oh that." Annabeth said. "Yeah you fought a Minotaur. And won."
"Half man half bull thing?" I asked, and she hummed a yes. "What is with things and being half man today?"
"Well, you sent it back to Tartarus by stabbing it with its own horn. That's what stuck in the tree. And your mom. Well...the Minotaur got her. I'm sorry." she said, saying the last part quietly.
"How about I take you to Luke?" she asked after I was silent. "He's the Hermes Counselor."
"Why would I go to Hermes?" I asked.
"Hermes is the God of travelers too. They take in visitors, unclaimed children, and they can tell where you're from or where you belong." Annabeth explained. "Do you mind if I hold or hand to guide you? I wanna get there before dinner."
I shrugged, then felt something soft but firm take a hold on my left arm. "Wait a minute, you've been at nine this whole time? I thought you were at like eleven or fifty-seven."
"What?" she asked, confused. "Like, on a clock?"
"Yeah." I said.
"You know clocks. But you've never seen a clock."
"I've never seen colors but I know what they are. Or have an idea."
"Intriguing. We will talk more later. We're almost to the Hermes cabin."
"Direction?" I asked.
"Eleven o'clock." she said. "You should've told m you navigate by the clock. It would end helped me on the tour."
Without any warning, I tripped on the steps, feeling the hardwood on my cheek. "Oh my gods." Annabeth said, her voice directly in front of me. Which was weird cause I was on the ground. Unless I pulled her down with me. "Sorry. Forgot about the stairs Percy." In response, I groaned.
"Annabeth, I see you're getting to know a new camper, if you know what I mean." A chilly, nonchalant voice said from above me. With a rush of wind, I was pulled back to my feet. "I'm Luke, new kid."
"Percy." I said, extending my hand in the direction of his voice. I felt my hand pushed down, then myself being embraced in a hug. The vibrations of a heartbeat were close to the top of my skull, which meant Luke was really tall. And he wore a lot of body spray.
"Thanks for the help," Annabeth muttered, pulling me free. "Luke, we need your Hermes magic to see what cabin to put Percy in."
"Come on in." Luke said, opening a creaky door.
Annabeth held onto my arm as we climbed the three steps. "Don't tell them about me, okay?" I whispered to her.
"Sure." she whispered back. "Good thing you dropped your cane outside. Hopefully the Stolls don't steal it."
We stepped into a room that smelled completely like an airport. I once went to an airport on a career day field trip. I could tell it was more than just me, Annabeth, and Luke in there. "Look alive, Cabin 11, meet our new camp member, Percy—what's your last name?"
"Jackson." Annabeth said before I could answer. I know she's smart and all, but I never told her my last name. Someone whistled from the far corner.
"Chase has found herself a boy toy. Cabin 10 will be ecstatic." A wispy, calm voice said.
"Shut it, Connor. I should've kill you when I had a chance." Annabeth said threateningly. I could picture how scary she looked, cause she sure sounded scary. In a more, calm voice, she said, "Percy, that's Connor Stoll. The younger, more annoying Stoll."
"But yesterday you said I was the most annoying." Someone said in a whiny voice.
"That's Travis, the older, almost as annoying Stoll. They're the Stolls I was telling you about." Annabeth said. "Connor tried to kill me with a prank so I nearly killed him, if it weren't for Luke."
"What'd he do?" I asked.
"He put a spider in her bunk." Luke said.
"You do not mix Athena kids with spiders." Travis said.
"I still have the scars." Connor said.
"And I'm not afraid to give you more," Annabeth said in a threatening voice.
"So, let's see what cabin Mr. Jackson belongs too." Luke said, clapping his hands together. "Take a seat over there."
"Two o'clock, twelve paces." Annabeth muttered so quietly I barely heard.
I turned slightly to the right, then began counting the paces as I walked. My leg hit what I'm guessing and hoping was a chair, and I sat on it. "So, we're just gonna ask some questions, get some DNA, do some physical exams." Luke explained. "Annabeth, you aren't needed any longer."
"My apologizes, Luke, but Chiron has assigned my to Percy so I'm staying here." Annabeth said.
"Okay." Luke said. "Percy, could you take off your glasses? Eye color helps with the discovery. Like Apollo children and Hermes children usually have blue eyes, Athena children usually have gray eyes, etcetera."
"Okay." I said nervously, pulling off my dark glasses.
"Woah." Connor said from directly in front of me. "Are you? Why are not—I don't get it. Annabeth."
"I can tell them now?" Annabeth asked, and I shrugged. "His eyes aren't focusing cause he's blind. See the specks of gray? Sometimes they have just gray eyes. But his are more green than gray."
"I guess that rules out Athena." Travis said.
"He could get his eyes from his mortal parent." Luke suggested.
"My mom has blue eyes." I pointed out. "And brown hair if that helps."
"So that rules out the goddesses." Travis said.
"Nuh uh. It could've been a lesbo." Connor said.
"What goddess do you know is lesbian? What demigod is the product of a same sex relation?" Travis argued.
"Kayla in the Apollo cabin." Connor argued. "Plus, Aphrodite just goes after hot people. And Athena goes after smart people."
"If I may interrupt, it's a guy." I said. "My mom told me he was lost at sea. Disappeared before I was born."
"Your mom knew him? Cause that would he—"
"Shut up Connor." Annabeth hissed. "There was some...difficulty getting him to camp."
"Difficulty?" Connor asked.
"They were being hunted by a Minotaur, Percy killed it then passed out. Grover had to drag his heavy ass all the way to the infirmary, FYI."
"I am not heavy!" I said in defense.
"And before Percy could kill the Minotaur, it was able to send his mother to Hades' Realm." Annabeth finished.
"Your mom knew the Minotaur was there?" Luke asked, and I just shrugged.
"I didn't even know the Minotaur was there. I just knew when it came cause it smelled terrible, when it killed her, and when I passed out." I said.
"Okay. Well go back to your mom later." Luke said. "You being blind is really gonna effect this. The Fates must really want to punish your godly parent."
"The only person who went through this much turmoil was—" Conner stopped talking abruptly.
"So Percy, do you like school?" Luke asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"I hate school with a passion." I said, making someone laugh. "I've now been kicked out of seven schools in seven years."
"Seven?" Annabeth asked in shock.
"I don't think any more schools in New York are gonna accept me." I stated.
"What'd you do to get kicked out?" Luke asked.
"One time, I accidentally aimed a cannon at our school bus on a field trip." I said. "And I may have pulled the wrong lever at the shark exhibit on another field trip and we went for an unplanned for swim. More recently, I pushed this girl in a fountain. But I swear I didn't touch her. She was making fun of Grover cause of his crutches and I told her to back off and then she was in the fountain. Some of the kids said it was like the water grabbed her though."
"Interesting." Luke mumbled. "Do you travel?"
"Nah," I said. "We never really had enough money. Except we went to the beach every once in a while. That's..uh...that's where we were before..." I felt Annabeth take my hand and give it a soft squeeze. Just as fast as she had done it, she let it go.
There were more boring questions about all the things I had done with my life. They took blood out of a vein on my arm, then kicked me and Annabeth out. She got me my cane, then started walking again. I had to move fast to keep her pace, and only stopped when I tripped her on accident. Okay, I tripped her. I guess she fell. But she grabbed my arm and flipped me over, something cold on my neck. "Oh shit, sorry." Annabeth said quickly, moving the cold thing from my neck. "I didn't think you were still following me. And then you scared me. Sorry."
"Uh..." I stuttered.
"Gods, sorry Percy." Annabeth said, pulling me up. "Are you okay?"
"I guess." I stammered. "Was that a knife?"
"Oh, yeah." she said shyly. "We should get you a weapon. A sword or something."
"I can barely operate a cane properly. I've literally hit Grover thirteen times with this thing. And I tripped you. I have no hand-eye coordination. What am I supposed to do with a sword?"
"I am the Daughter of Athena, there is nothing I can't do."
"I'm blind." Because, the blind card convinces people that I can't do anything. I only use it when I really don't want to do something.
"Then your other senses should work even better." Annabeth said happily. The blind card doesn't work on Annabeth Chase. "Come on, let's go to Chiron."
I groaned as she grabbed my hand (very forcefully if I may add) and dragged me to Chiron.