Warning note:

I am a US Marine who's going to be chopped for deployment in a few months. When that happens, I'll probably be out in the field more than garrison, so hopefully this work will be done by then.

I will say this though: standing a twelve hour post gives you ample time to write. It also messes up your sleep schedule.

Also, I own neither Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any subsidiaries thereof.

Percy

Even by my standards, this was turning into a weird day. Well, time travel does that. But you'd think that there would be some sort of cosmic balancing, right? Hey, you literally went through hell, and in leaving you kind of missed your exit by about fifteen years, so we're gonna throw you a bone. Nope. Sorry. Just kidding. Guess what, we got a new ordeal for you!

High School. In the 90s.

Well, it's partially my own fault anyway. You see, I was the one wandering around in broad daylight, obviously school age and not in school. You see, I was more concerned with finding a way to get food back to Annabeth than with really watching my surroundings. Or, maybe it was because I was just as hungry. Or maybe because, growing up in New York, I had grown used to a police force with more to be concerned with than truant kids.

Which is how I was arrested, spent the day in jail, where they forced me to bathe (Okay, that I cooperated with), fed me (same), and forced me into Sunnydale High (Despite my protests, they did take me alive).

I was planning on ditching as soon as I had the chance, but during the in processing, they gave me a meal card for lunch. I held it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Apparently, because the police could find no record of me, I became a ward of the state. It made no sense to me either, but after going hungry for three weeks, I wasn't complaining.

They stuck me in a halfway house that was easy as hell to escape from. The old lady who ran it didn't give a rats ass that I was never there. I had other things to occupy myself with.

For starters, my one ally was someone I never would have expected to be.

Cordelia

Okay, I don't want to have to go over this twice, so listen up:

I used to be like you. Okay, maybe more glamorous and beautiful and all around better. But normal, nonetheless. Did I ask to be brought into this world of demons and magic? No. And I don't appreciate being dragged into it.

Okay, if it's a choice between being dragged into it and being dead, I will take the dragging anyday.

Here's what happened. I was out partying it up at the Bronze one night, staying up late and having some fun. I met the guy who was absolutely yummy and chatted him up. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him. I just shook my head and powered through. Last call comes, and I say good bye and go to my car. But the guy won't take no for an answer, right? So he follows me out the door, and that's when trouble begins.

I try to open my car door, but he slams it before I have the opportunity to get in. Well, now the gloves are off, I think. So I turn around to tear him a new one and his face has gone thundering ugly. I don't care how bad the light is in the club, there was no way I'd miss that. I screamed, and he threw me to the ground. I kicked him were it hurt and ran for my life.

I didn't get very far when his friend found me. And he looked even uglier.

He grabbed my shoulders and threw me through the door of one of the industrial buildings. What is it with monsters and throwing me? Didn't their mothers ever teach them not to play with their food? Ugly 1 quickly caught up with us and the pair advanced on me.

And then a figure landed behind them. At that point I was too frightened to really care. I started caring a lot when the third guy drew a glowing sword and beheaded Ugly 1.

Ugly 2 ducked and punched Sword guy in the face, sending him to the floor. Sword guy rolled and brandished his sword, making Ugly 2 take a step back and let loose a sick growl. He didn't see another one with a knife come up behind and cut his head off. Except, this one I could see clearly.

It was a girl, pretty, but in dire need of a shower and clean clothes. Her eyes flashed, and the look she gave me reminded of the look that I saw a math geek give an equation he found interesting. And then she looked at Sword Guy, her movements twitchy and sudden.

"Percy?" she said. Her voice cracked, like she didn't have a whole lot of control over it.

Sword guy stepped into the light, his sword disappearing. It was Jackson from school. The homeless guy who threw that other loser through the window. He looked at the crazy girl with such affection that I felt like I was intruding, "Annabeth?" he said, "You okay?"

Her head jerked to me, "She saw us."

"Yeah," I said, "And can I say, weird much? I mean, who carries a sword around? Wait, where'd it go?"

Jackson had that deer in headlights look. He gulped, snapped his fingers, and said, "You didn't see a sword..."

"Yes I did," I said.

"Energy in the air," the blonde said, "Interferes with Mist manipulation... you're doing it wrong... I want peanut butter."

"She not all there, is she?" I observed, and his eyes flashed, "Hey, I call them as I see them."

"She's right," Annabeth said, "Not here, not Tartarus... where are I?"

"Sunnydale," Jackson said, "Remember, this is where we-"

"Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death," She interrupted, "Death is Timeless..."

"I'm getting confused just being around her," I said, "What is going on?"

"She has that effect on people," Jackson said, "This all started the day I sliced my math teacher in half..."

And so he told me everything.

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