PERCY POV

"Good morning class." My teacher, Mr. Blofis, said as he walked through the door of the classroom.

The class responded with tired murmurs and the pausing of iPods.

As he walked towards his desk, he slipped a five dollar bill with a sticky note on my desk.

Angry dog ate your lunch. Don't tell your mother.

I almost laughed, typical Paul.

"Today class," he began slipping off his jacket, "We are going to begin our next unit. Any guesses on what that will be?"

As usual, the class was silent wishing they had ditched.

"Mark, do you have a guess?"

Mark was the class delinquent. "I don' know. Some book?"

Wow. That was his best answer yet this year.

"And what book would that be, Sarah?" Paul asked.

Sarah looked from her lap, oblivious to what was going on. A bluish glow sat on her chin, telling the world that she's texting. She responded with her usual, stupid response. "Uh, 69?"

The rest of the class laughed. Paul was not amused, and I was busy trying not to be called on.

"Percy?"

Dammit. I chose the first title that came to mind.

"1984?"

"Closer, as that's actually a book title. Any other guesses?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Today, we will begin The Odyssey."

I tried to hide it, but I perked up a little because Greek mythology was the only thing I actually understood in this class. Paul noticed my burst of excitement and smiled.

"Does anyone know who wrote the Odyssey?"

Not a single hand went up. I would've raised my hand, but class rule was everyone had to answer a question once before anyone could go twice. Stupid rule, but at least everyone has to get caught off guard in this class.

"How about our new student, Tina, do you know who wrote the Odyssey?"

I turn to the new girl. I didn't notice her before; she had her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her pretty brown eyes were hidden behind glasses. A scent drifted from her body (peppermint?) and through the Mist, I saw her monstrous side.

Her hair, which was on fire, was extremely bright against albino skin. Her red eyes and fangs looked blood thirsty. Under her desk and beneath her skirt, were two mismatched legs. One was appeared bronze and prostatic. The other, was a donkey leg.

Great, do all Empousai go to Goode?

I resisted the urge to attack her with my sword, Riptide. If I was caught attacking a new student with a lacrosse stick, I'd get in pretty big trouble.

"Homer?" She asked

"Yes. Well done, Tina." Tina smiled like a lucky dumb blonde.

Paul walked around the class room passing out copies of the book.

"For the rest of the period, please begin reading part is also your homework over the weekend."

When I got my copy, I in all honesty tried to read it, but being a dyslexic demigod, English isn't easy for me. In the end, like the rest of my class, I gave up. I set the book down and laid my head on the desk.

Paul was no doubt looking at me disapprovingly, but hopefully he understood. He knows I'm dyslexic. He's seen me get frustrated over the menu at McDonalds.

When the bell rang, I got up and handed him back the book.

"Want me to take it home for you?" he asked.

"You can just return it to the library. I have a dyslexic friendly copy at home." Not a lie but not the whole truth. In the rare time I could use this excuse, teachers assumed the pages were black with white lettering, or some other contrast change to the pages. Wrong! My books at home were written in ancient Greek, the only language I could read without searing headaches.

"I've never seen it on the bookshelf." He said.

"I keep it my closet." I walked away and headed to my next class before he could ask me anymore questions.

Throughout the rest of the day, I noticed that Tina the Empousa was in every one of my classes.

Yep. She's definitely after me.

When the final bell rang, she followed me. I walked into the English classroom just before the senior class got up to leave, so thankfully, I didn't get run over.

As they left, a few greeted me with friendly heys.

"You ready Percy?" he asked.

I was about to say yes, but then I heard a growling behind me on the other side of the door.

"Actually," I said fidgeting with Riptide, "I'm meeting a friend after school today. I'll see you at home."

I ran out before he could question me. Tina was right on my tail and I could sense her ready to pounce on me.

I heard Tina whistle behind me. "Bones, come here boy!" A hellhound appeared (shadow travel probably) from nowhere walking right beside her.

When we were off school grounds I uncapped Riptide seconds before she attacked.

I accidently aimed for her leg. The bronze one, and just resulted with a loud clang and a large dent. I threw off my backpack and braced myself for another attack.

She barreled towards me bull style. I side stepped using the same techniques I used with the Minotaur.

Instead of trying the same tactics, she swung her bronze leg out and knocked me to the ground. I fell on my back.

She tried to jump on me, but I rolled out of the way and knocked her down. I stood over her and slashed my sword over her until she turned to dust in the wind, literally.

I turned to the hellhound. It was at least twice as big as Mrs. O'Leary, with sharper fangs, and no love in its eyes.

It attacked. I dodged and slashed, but the dog wouldn't back down. After minutes of this, it hit me. I was stuck belly up under its paw, with his claws digging into my chest, and Riptide inches from my hands.

My friend and study buddy, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, popped out of nowhere doing her signature move. She threw her blue hair brush at the dog, and kicked my sword to me.

I picked Riptide up and stabbed the dog which exploded into yellow dust. Rachel came over and helped me up, I capped Riptide, and then I noticed we had an audience.

I saw the looks of a dozen students in fear. Behind them, in the parking lot, I saw Paul standing by his car staring at me, opened mouthed.

Rachel picked up the hair brush, grabbed my hand, and pulled me down the street.

"Seriously Percy?" Rachel asked as we stopped in an alley, "Three Empousai and hellhound in less than six months?"

"Seriously Rachel?" I retorted, mimicking her, "You think I control the monsters that attack me?"

She looked at me for an explanation.

"I don't choose for the monsters to come, you know that. It's not my fault I'm a child of a major god. What I'm really worried about is that this is the second time Paul saw me attack a girl, and run from the crime scene with you."

"You mean you haven't told him yet?

"No. I haven't had the chance, or the reason, to tell him yet."

"Well, here's your chance, here's your reason." She pulled out what appeared to be smashed lemon squares from her pocket, Ambrosia. "Eat this, go home, and tell Paul."

I stuffed the godly food into my mouth and stood. My minor wounds disappeared instantly. I turned to exit the alley.

"Wait!" Rachel said.

I faced her expecting some kind of motivating speech. Instead she was digging through her backpack. She pulled out a water bottle and dumped the contents over my head.

I thanked her sarcastically.

"No problem," she said smiling, "thought you could use a salt bath."

I turned and left the alley. I walked about a block and saw Paul parked in his Prius. He looked up and saw me. He waved his hand, gesturing for me to get in.

I could run away again, but that would leave him with an even worse impression of me. I reluctantly got in avoiding his gaze. I saw my backpack in the backseat.

Paul scanned me. Holes were in my shirt, dried blood stained my limbs, yellow monster dust stuck in my hair.

PAUL POV

In truth, Percy looked awful. Blood stained his arms, his clothes were torn, and some kind of yellow dust was stuck in his hair.

I tried to word in my head what I wanted to say, so many questions. Are you okay? Why'd you attack that Tina with a bat? Why'd you run off?

Instead, I asked a simple question that had been on my mind since I met him. "Is that a new fad or something?"

He looked up in confusion. "Is what a new fad?"

"That streak in your hair, is that a new fad?"

"Not that I know of, I'm always the last person to hear of fads, I never start them."

"Why do you have it then?'

"Immense stress and pain." He said bluntly.

"Is that how Annabeth got her streak?"

He nodded. "Same exact way."

Percy reached behind him and pulled a canteen from his backpack. He took a drink and he appeared to feel better. His cuts suddenly didn't look as bad, and he didn't appear as tired.

"Back at the school, what did you see?"

"What?"

"What did you see?"

"I saw you beating Tina with a bat. Then a German shepherd attacked you. Rachel through her hair brush at it, and kicked the bat back to you. You beat up the dog, and ran off with Rachel."

"Of course," he muttered to himself, "make me the bad guy."

"Why were you doing that?" I asked him.

"I… I don't know if I can explain without you sending me to an asylum."

I looked at him trying to decide if he was kidding or not. He wasn't.

"Give it a day or two." I said, "Talk to me when you figure out what to say."

Percy looked away and nodded. "Okay."

A/N: R&R!