"Settle down class!" The first grade teacher called out. "Today, you will be writing a letter, to improve your writing skills. It can be to whoever you want."

6 year old Percy looked at the sheet on the table. Everyone had already started, their pencils scratching against paper. Percy bit his lip. He wasn't very good at writing.

He raise his hand timidly. Miss Jenna looked up from her book, and walked over to him.

"What do you need help with, Percy?" she asked, brushing her brown bangs away from her face.

"I don't know what to write."

Miss Jenna pondered the situation for a moment. "Is there somebody you would like to meet one day? A famous baseball player, perhaps?"

Percy's eyes widened. "I know what to write."

Miss Jenna smiled. "Good. Now get to work."

The little boy grinned. Miss Jenna was his favorite teacher out of all the other ones he had encountered. The other teachers were always mean to him because he wasn't very smart.

He set his pencil to the paper and began to write. After 45 minutes, he was finished. Percy was proud of himself. He could hardly focus for 5 minutes, much less 45. As he read over his work, he smiled. This was some of the best work he had ever done.

Percy raised his hand and Miss Jenna came over.

"Yes, Percy?"

The 6 year old held his letter proudly. "I finished my letter, Miss Jenna!"

Miss Jenna's smile reached her blue eyes. "That's great, Percy!" She took the letter and read it over. Sadness instantly clouded her eyes. "Good job, Percy." she said with less enthusiasm than before, and handed back the paper.

Percy frowned, Wasn't his letter good?

12 year old Percy sat on his bed in Manhattan. It was good to be back home, after the whirlwind of this summer.

He reached under his pillow and brought a well worn sheet of paper that was folded in half. In first grade, he was told to write a letter to someone he wanted to meet. A few weeks ago, he had gotten to meet that person.

He unfolded the paper, and his brain comprehended his first grade scrawl while he read the letter he had written to his father.

Dear Dad,

I'm Percy. Remember me? You probably don't, because you left my mom before I was even born.

I am six right now, and I'm going to first grade. We do a lot of cool things at school, like make paper snowflakes and learn cool stuff. I have a really nice teacher named Miss Jenna.

Mom doesn't talk about you a lot. She says I''ll understand when I'm older. But Mom does say I look a lot like you. Is that true?

Why did you leave? Mom misses you. She gets really sad sometimes. Right now, she is seeing a guy named Smelly Gabe. I don't like him. Mom doesn't like him either. But she says its for my own good, and that I'll understand when I'm older. She always says that.

Did you know that I have a little sister? Her name is Addy. Mom got her last year. Right now, she is 5. She wishes she had a dad. I wish you could be here to be my dad.

I wish you never left. If you were here, Mom wouldn't be so sad. She would be happy. I like it when she is happy. If you were here, we could have been a family- you, Mom, Addy, and me.

I hope you come back one day. I think you would be a nice dad.

Your son,

Percy Jackson