AN: Hello again! This is my updated version of Sandy Holmes... It's a lot better. Thanks again to NoneOfYourBusiness for pointing all the issues out. This chapter would be nothing without you!
Hey, I'm Sandy. Sandy Holmes. No, I am not related to that Sherlock guy. I'm cooler than him.
Any who, I've been going to Yancy Academy for a while now. A long while. Like, since the second grade. Yancy is a school for – and I'm quoting the brochure here – "troubled kids in Upstate New York." Brilliant, eh?
Well guess what. I'm not just troubled. I am troubled. I have this weird case of dyslexia that only effects my writing, and I'm schizophrenic. Fun stuff.
And I didn't want to go through this. In fact, I would have killed to have been any other person. The only good thing that came from me being away from my family was Trudy, my best friend. Grover is pretty cool, too, because he's kinda nice to me. Of course, later, I found out he was nice to me because he knew that I… well, let me tell the story before I ruin it.
So one day, the sixth grade went on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I've been there a couple times, but the Greek and Roman exhibit opened a couple weeks ago and I hadn't gotten the chance to check it out yet. I was pretty psyched that we were going and I would get credit for it. Talk about heaven on earth.
I have always been interested in Greek mythology. It's the one class I'm actually good at. Trudy, on the other hand, doesn't really get why I like it so much. At least, until a few months ago. All of a sudden, she wants to know everything about the Greek gods and heroes. I guess passing this test meant a lot to her.
On the bus to the museum, Trudy and I were debating which one was hotter; Heracles or Paris.
"C'mon," I said. "Paris. Even his name is hot!"
She nodded in agreement. "But Heracles was part god. And the strongest man alive. That has got to count for something."
"True…" I trailed off, which didn't happen often. "But Paris was a total bookworm. One of the wisest men alive, they said."
She frowned. "I thought that was Odyssey."
"Odysseus," I corrected. She waved her hand dismissively. "And yes, but Paris was destined to marry the prettiest woman alive, Helen. And she totally fell for him."
"Humm…" Trudy mused. "I guess he's got to be pretty good looking if Helen fell for him."
"I know, right?" We laughed when we realized we were arguing over which false character was the better-looking.
"Say," Trudy started. "Why do you know so much about all this?"
I would have told her it was because I was living it, but even I didn't know that yet.
"I read. A lot. Unlike some illiterate people at this ludicrous school."
She kind of looked like I had just hit her upside the head with our textbook.
"That's it," I heard Percy say. I looked over to see Grover pulling him back into his seat, curly hair full of peanut butter and ketchup.
I didn't know him all that well, but Percy Jackson was definitely the trouble maker in our class. He had both dyslexia and ADD, which wasn't that uncommon in our school. He had floppy-mop hair – as Trudy calls it – his green eyes were filled with rage as he looked at Nancy Bobofit, the class idiot.
Trudy and I watched at a safe distance. Nancy was laughing her head off.
"Hey, you think Percy is as hot as Paris was?" Trudy asked, turning to me.
"Whoa!" I said, in a whispery voice. "You like Percy?"
"Nah, I just think he is really hot when he's mad."
I laughed and looked at him. I guess he's pretty cute. The way his hair is all insane is kind of adorable, and his eyes… Wow. His eyes. I never really noticed it before, but his eyes are, like, glowing.
"Uh, Sands?"
I turned back to Trudy. "Yeah?"
She pointed at me, and then at Percy. "What was that?"
I blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I-" she stopped and shook her head. "Never mind. It was nothing."
Just about then, we rolled into the museum parking lot.
First, let me tell you about the fact that I am a world class stalker.
Okay, perhaps stalker is a somewhat strong word. Spy is better.
Yeah. I'm a spy. And I don't mean I am a retarded seven year old that pretends with a fake gun and black yoga pants. I'm the real deal. Kind of.
So when I saw the fountain water reach out and snag Nancy, I figured I was in for an amazing spying adventure.
Trudy gasped. "Did you see that?"
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "It was like it grabbed her."
Trudy and I watched, along with all the other students, as Mrs. Dodds appeared behind Percy.
Mrs. Dodds pointer her frail, but long, finger at Percy's nose. "Now honey."
"I know." Percy waved his hand. "A month erasing workbooks."
The air was filled with oohs at what Percy said. I threw my hand over my mouth. That was not something you say to Mrs. Dodds. Unless you're Nancy, she'll kill you.
Mrs. Dodds' eyes narrowed. "Come with me."
Grover attempted to interfere and tell Mrs. Dodds it was him that pushed Nancy into the fountain, but I'm pretty sure she saw it for herself. I'm pretty sure she was growling, too.
Percy glared at Nancy and looked at Mrs. Dodds, who was now waiting by the door of the museum. Wait- how'd she get there? She was just standing ten feet away from me…
Percy must have been wondering the same thing, because he double-taked when he saw her.
That's when I decided I needed to follow him.
"Hey, Trudy, I need to go to the bathroom. Will you come with me?" I asked, extra loud.
She smiled in understanding. "No way, girlfriend! You're on your own."
I love Trudy.
You see, we have this system. She knows about my stalk- I mean, spying. If I say I need to go to the bathroom, I'm on a mission. If I say restroom, I actually need to, you know, take care of business. We've been doing this since we were in the fourth grade, when I discovered the Gallagher Girls series and started training myself.
As Percy walked after Mrs. Dodds, everyone crowded around Nancy in her drenched clothing. I strayed toward the museum, innocently heading to the bathroom. Of course, I wasn't actually going to go in. I skidded to a stop a few feet from the door and watched Percy walk towards Mrs. Dodds, who was now far down the hall. I found that weird. Never had Mrs. Dodds ever made an attempt to move faster than a slug. Now, suddenly, she was moving faster than me. With schizophrenia (As the doctor thought it was), I move pretty quickly.
After Percy was close to her, I slipped off my shoes and padded after them. That's one great thing I learned, you are a lot quieter in your socks.
I noticed that once Percy got within ten feet of her, Mrs. Dodds would shoot down the hall again. I kept my distance, but I was starting to get dizzy. Mrs. Dodds' image kept flickering, and what I saw was not pretty. Well, the original wasn't all that pretty, either, but this Mrs. Dodds was plain scary. Every once in a while, I'd see a giant creature with bat wings and huge claws. Every time she turned and smiled at Percy, I saw yellow fangs, not her normally perfect pearly whites. I figured this was just my schizophrenia acting up, but I wasn't so sure.
Finally, Percy walked into the Greek and Roman exhibit, the door slamming shut behind him. I rushed up and tried the door, but it was locked. I could only see shadows beyond the frosted glass door, but I could hear everything I needed to.
"You've been giving us problems, honey."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did you really think you would get away with it?"
Get away with what? What'd Percy do so wrong? I mean, he shoved Nancy into a fountain, big deal. It sounded like she meant he did something bigger.
"I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."
"We are not fools, Percy Jackson. It was only a matter of time before we found you out." I'm pretty sure I heard growling now. "Confess, and you will suffer less pain."
There was a really long silence. In vain, I tried to see through the glass better. I just saw Percy's shadow slowing backing up.
"Well?" Mrs. Dodds demanded.
It didn't sound like Percy had any idea what she was talking about, either. I tried the door again, but of course, it was locked. I looked down the hall and saw an emergency door into the exhibit. I ran to it and tried it. Open.
Inside, there was the joining room into where Percy and Mrs. Dodds must've been. There was a partial wall where they were separated. I heard a voice and skidded to a halt once I got around the corner.
Just in time to see Mrs. Dodds turn into a shriveled bat.
"Oh, my gosh," I muttered. I was getting ready to slam my head against the wall, put a crowbar to my eyes, anything to get this image out of my head. I fell over once, trying to get away. I saw Mr. Brunner throw Percy a pen that changed into a three foot sword. Percy only looked surprised for a second before slashing Mrs. Dodds in half. She disappeared into dust.
I scrambled out of the emergency door I came in and ran down the hall into the girls' bathroom.
And, like I always do when my schizophrenia acts up, I blew chunks.
I wiped my mouth off and quickly gargled some water. Ugh. I hate throwing up. It makes me feel so powerless.
It wasn't until after I walked out of the bathroom that I realized I had dropped my sneakers in the Greek and Roman exhibit. It gave me shivers just thinking about going back in that room. I knew I had to, though, so I trudged down the hall.
I peeked into the exhibit through the main door, not wanting to see another Mrs. Dodds, whatever she – no, that – was. I saw Mr. Brunner's motorized wheelchair in the corner, umbrella still sticking out on the back. I found this weird, because he was paralyzed from the waist down. No way could he get up.
After that, I saw these mannequin legs lying haphazardly near the wheelchair. Okay, I thought. It's a museum. That's normal.
Then, I saw Mr. Brunner. Except it wasn't Mr. Brunner. It was Mr. Brunner with the bottom half of a horse. He was talking to a boy I recognized as Grover, except he had hooves. No feet, hooves.
Hooves.
What did my mother put in my pudding?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I exclaimed. "Hooves? What the hell is-"
That's when things went black.
"Sandy? Sands, are you there? Are you okay?"
My eyes fluttered open. I saw Trudy and Grover leaning over me.
"Fine, just fine," I grunted, sitting up. My head throbbed, and I threw my fingers to my temples. "Gosh, I had the weirdest dream. What just happened?"
Grover gulped. "Well, you kind of just… passed out."
"That's normal. Doc says that'll happen when my schizophrenia freaks out. Where am I?"
I looked around, seeing the exhibit I had passed out in.
I shook my head. "Never mind that question. How long was I out?"
"Five minutes." Mr. Brunner came buzzing toward us in his wheelchair. "We should go. Percy should be getting worried, Grover. Seven minutes to go to the bathroom is pushing it."
"Right," he muttered, getting to his hooves.
….Hooves.
Again.
He was heading out the door when I found my voice. "Grover?" I managed to choke out.
"What's up?"
I swallowed. "I think you forgot your feet."
He looked down and cursed. He limped over to the Converse he had been wearing before and wrestled them on. Except he wasn't limping. He was trotting.
I felt dizzy. "What is going on?" I asked Trudy.
She sighed. "Well, I don't really know how to explain. I mean, I've never been good at it. Maybe Chiron…" She stopped, realizing what she had just said.
"Chiron?" I blinked. "He's trainer of heroes, right? And he was a…" I looked at Mr. Brunner. "A centaur."
Suddenly, things started to make sense.
"Oh, my gosh, what is going on?" I didn't want to say it. Saying it would mean it's real. Real is not good, at least not in this situation.
Mr. Brunner spoke. "Sandy, this is going to be hard on you. Are you sure you want to-"
"Just tell me!" I snapped. I flung my hand over my mouth. I was so getting detention.
When I thought he was going to issue me a week of in-school suspension, he just sighed. "Well, I suppose I have no choice."
Trudy gulped.
"Sandy, you are different."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I figured that out, Mr. Brunner."
He frowned. "More different than the rest of them. You have a gift, Ms. Holmes. Something that sets you apart from almost all other mortals out there."
"Mortals?" I asked. I was about to call him insane. He was human too, right?
…Right?
Mr. Brunner was about to speak when Trudy exploded.
"Sandy, Greek gods are real! Why do you think I care all of a sudden?"
I blinked. "What?"
"The Greek gods, Sandy! You know, Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hades, Apollo, Aphrodite… They all exist!"
I got up and looked at Mr. Brunner. "What kind of drugs is she on?"
"Sandy!"
"What kind of practical joke is this, huh?" I asked. "I just threw up and passed out within fifteen minutes. I don't appreciate this."
"Ms. Holmes, this is not a practical joke." Mr. Brunner said. "It's very much real, and I expect you to believe it."
Just then, I was about to call him an idiot. That would have gotten me in huge trouble, so I'm kind of happy he stood up.
But then my brain went crazy. Mr. Brunner can't stand.
He got up out of his wheelchair, but he kept going. And going. Until a huge horse body with a Mr. Brunner torso sticking out the top was standing before me.
I thought I was going to pass out again, but this time my brain just registered it normally. As if it had known all along that my Latin teacher was a horse.
"Oh, my god."
"Gods," Trudy corrected.
I glared at her.
"What?" She said defensively.
"But then, if Mr. Brunner is a horse-"
"Centaur," they all corrected.
"Centaur," I repeated. "Then what was Mrs. Dodds? Wait, was she a fur-"
"No!" Grover yelped. I almost forgot he was there. "Don't say that!"
Trudy nodded. "Call her a kindly one. Names are powerful."
"Okay, so Mrs. Dodds is a kindly one," I said, getting used to the name. "Mr. Bru- er… Chiron is a centaur, Grover is a… satyr, right?"
He just nodded. "You're pretty fast."
I grinned for the first time since I followed Percy. "I know my Greek… not-so-mythology, I guess."
Trudy laughed, which reminded me that she was my best friend. That's a good sign. That means not my entire world is falling apart.
"So, Trudy, what are you?"
Her laugh stopped. She looked at Chiron, then back at me. "Well, I'm a, you know. A demigod."
My jaw dropped. "You're half god? You told me your dad ran off when you were really young!"
"Which he did!" Trudy said quickly. "I mean, Apollo's a busy guy, and-"
"APOLLO? You made it sound like your dad was a scum bag! All those times I cursed him under my breath…" Something dawned on me. "Oh, my gosh, all those times I got sunburned for no reason! I've never been fair skinned until I learned swear words!"
Trudy gaped. "Sandy! You cursed at my dad?"
"What?" I realized I had been thinking out loud. "No! Of course not! I mean, he's Apollo! Only an Idiot would curse him." I laughed nervously and scratched the back of my head.
Grover was covering his mouth, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, shut it, Goat boy," I muttered. "I'm in shock."
I snagged my sneakers and the three of us walked out of the exhibit behind Mr. Brunner. I mean, Chiron. Gosh, that's going to take forever to get used to.
AN: This is the thing I had for chapter two for, like, an hour. I decided to tag it onto here.
Hi!
I would like to thank NoneOfYourBusiness for reviewing. Unfortunately, since they do not have an account, I can't tell them this personally, but I'd like to thank them none the less. So I'm here to publicly thank and apologize to NoneOfYourBusiness.
I had no idea how terrible this was. Re-reading it, I realized how right you were. Sandy was way too in the know. When Chiron tells her about the Mist and her gift, she should have been freaking out, not calmly taking it all in. That's nothing like what I meant to do. And you are also right in the fact that the first part was totally cliche. I'm terrible at beginnings. I'll try and rewrite that. Also, I am going to change the "Half-blood" line to "Demigod". Sandy will probably know what that means, but Half-blood is stretching it. A lot.
NoneOfYourBusiness, I really hope you read this. I will be totally changing the first chapter and the second one will be up soon. The first chapter is almost exactly like in the book, but the second and so on will have almost nothing to go with the PJO series, since Percy is no longer in her life. It will be how she deals with everything else in her life. In fact, she never even goes to Camp Half-Blood, since she's mortal. She will, however, encounter Grover a couple times later. But that's another story.
Once again, I want to thank you so much for reviewing. You really opened my eyes.
~SJC
