Dear Oracle,

There's this girl in my homeroom that I've liked for a while. Really smart, really pretty, and REALLY out of my league. A friend told me that I should write to you for advice on how to handle this. I tried asking her for some tips, but they haven't exactly been… effective.

-Nemo


"Get her diamonds," Piper shrugged, waving a french fry through the air for emphasis, "shoes work too. Jewelry. Candy. Expensive stuff that will have you in debt for years. Girls love that."

"Dude, we both know that I can't afford anything like that," Percy sighed in exasperation.

"So? You want a girlfriend, you get a job."

"I have a job."

"You're a lifeguard, and a shitty one at that. That isn't a job." Piper nudged her best friend in the arm. "Check out that one, eleven o'clock behind you."

Percy turned and scanned the classroom, two blondes hunching over a laptop near the most intimidating girl in the state catching his eye quickly. "Jason?"

"Yep. He's in my Honors Government class. Whaddya think?"

"Well," Percy began ticking off fingers, "he's class president, popular, probably helps old women cross the street, and is essentially everything that you aren't. I can see more than one problem with this."

"He's also a gentleman, which is more than you can say about yourself."

"Touché. So, are you going to talk to him or keep staring?"

"Relax, I have a plan," Piper smirked through another mouthful of fries. While Tristan McLean could hardly be reached, his assistant, Mellie, was happy to pick up lunch for the two when asked nicely. The two sat and ate their McDonald's in the ridiculously loud study hall. At the other end of the rows of desks, Annabeth Chase was singlehandedly demonstrating a new budgeting plan to the other student council members, covering for their treasurer, Frank, so that he could spend time with his girlfriend before their next class.

"So if we transfer some of the profits from the Fall Festival and move them," she clicked several keys, bringing a large pie chart onto the screen, "then we can increase the dance committee funding."

"And then we can afford to have formal in May." Reyna gave one of her rare smiles. "Very nice, Chase."

"We still need a theme, for the fliers and decorations we need to order." Jason added. "Annabeth, do you still have the list of options from last time?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I do." She opened a new file and scrolled through her notes. "Looks like our options are 'Black and White', 'The 50's', 'Masquerade', and 'Red Carpet'. What do you guys think?" Reyna furrowed her brow in thought, but Jason only stared intently at some point across the sea o their classmates.

"Still with us, Grace?" He shifted his gaze back to his fellow officers, sans treasurer.

"I was just, um, watching Piper and Percy. Seeing if they were actually doing anything for once." The three subtly turned in their seats to catch a glimpse of Percy with two straws in his mouth, imitating a walrus, while Piper snorted with laughter next to him.

"Charming, aren't they?" Reyna mused.

"Percy's in homeroom with me again this year. He seems nice enough, but I'm almost positive that he hasn't turned in any classwork since middle school." Annabeth shuddered.

"I have French with Piper, but she at least seems to do the work assigned there. I can't see how, the verbs are too complicated for me." Jason sighed.

"You should have taken Latin with Frank and I," Reyna shrugged, "it can actually be fun sometimes."

Their grey-eyed secretary turned back to her laptop as they continued their banter, unaware of Percy's eyes focused on her.


Annabeth literally ran into Percy Jackson on her way out of her Biology class as school let out, causing every book in her arms to drop to the floor.

"Sorry!" Percy leaned down to grab a textbook that she had also reached for, knocking their heads together with a thud. The two groaned and mumbled apologies as they gathered the books. Percy's mind went blank as she stood, nearly his height, and didn't catch a word of what she was saying.

"Excuse me?"

She looked worried. "I didn't hit your head that hard, did I? Should I take you to the nurse?"

"I, uh, No. I just," he held out a thick stack of books in front of him with stiff arms, "you dropped these."

"Thanks for that." She maneuvered the pile into her own arms and steadied them. She lifted her head to speak again before noticing exactly whom she had collided with. "Long time no see, Percy."

"I could say the same for you," He smiled even though he felt like his heart were in his mouth, "how's student council working out for you?"

She sighed. "Still busy as ever planning. Reyna and the guys still have me working until the last minute for everything."

"So like, the same as always?"

She laughed, but paled when her eyes met the clock on the wall. She was going to be late. "Look. I have a meeting in a few minutes, so…"

Shit, she was leaving. He had to say something fast. This may be the only time that they would talk all week. Excuses, think excuses! "Want me to walk you down? I have swim practice today."

"You're still on the swim team?"

Was it really that shocking? Percy felt more than a little embarrassed by her bewildered expression. "Yeah, so I can walk you to your meeting and then head to the gym, since I would be staying late anyways." Please work please work please work…

"Sure, if you don't mind." Annabeth smiled and started down the hallway, with Percy mouthing 'thank you' at the ceiling before jogging to catch up with her.


Dear Nemo,

Your friend was right about coming to me, you sound a little stranded! If you're interested in this girl, just try breaking the ice. Find out some things that the two of you have in common and make some small talk to start. Stay casual and be yourself, and I can assure you that everything will turn out fine. Go get her, fish boy!

-The Oracle, New Roman Times


"What idiot came up with that name? It doesn't even begin to make sense!"

"It's a pun, Octavian," Rachel explained as if she were speaking to a kindergartener, "Times New Roman? New Roman Times? Its perfect! It goes great with the design, and we even have our own Oracle!"

"Romans didn't even 'have' oracles!"

"Oh hush. Now, go review the final copies while I finish up."

Octavian huffed and kicked his swivel chair to the desk that he had claimed in freshman year to begin skimming the newspaper that rested atop of it. Rachel had insisted that he stuck around until six rather than five to finish the issues for the week, while she read through the letters sent to the paper's advice column. "Are you still working on those? In case you haven't gotten it through that obnoxiously red head of yours, these need to be out by tomorrow."

"Will you relax? I have like, three left. How's your stuff looking?"

"Fine, just like how they did when I did them the first time."

"Then go home already, I'll just scan these in with the responses before I close up shop."

Octavian muttered some form of a thank-you and grabbed his backpack, pausing to lean over Rachel's shoulder and study a sloppily scrawled letter on her desk. "What do these idiots even write to you about?"

"They aren't idiots, idiot, they're my adoring readers. The letters that I receive are actually rather interesting." He arched an eyebrow and made a "go on" gesture. She cleared her throat and made a show of shuffling through a fat stack of envelopes.

"A guy who calls himself "Gk", see the little skull, is griping about his new lab partner for the semester, "Nemo" has the hots for a girl way too good for him, and someone waaay too formal to be stuck in here is having trouble with planning some important whatever with one of the sports team captain's."

"Doesn't it feel at all weird to you that complete strangers are writing you these letters?"

"Oh please, it's not like they know its me. Besides, I have a good idea about who they are. Nico di Angelo, the broody kid? He must be the Ghost King, Reyna is the stick-up-the-butt, and Percy is obviously Nemo talking about Annabeth Chase!" she exclaimed.

"So you always know these identities?" She could have been wrong, but she swore that he sounded almost afraid.

"Well," Rachel chewed her lip thoughtfully, "there have been some letters from random people that started coming in after winter break, signed anonymously, you know. Its harder to track them down."

Octavian rolled his eyes and once again made his way towards the door, only to pause. Again. So much for leaving on time. "How many of those did you say that you had left?" "Three or so, they're all in my mailbox over there. Mind bringing them over?"

He sighed dramatically and shuffled over to a purple box near the trash bin, painted with swirls of green and gold. Octavian halted for a moment when he was absolutely sure that Rachel was not paying attention that he did something so idiotic and childish that it would haunt him for nights to come. Not exactly in the way that you would expect, however. The blond dropped a neatly folded piece of notebook paper into the cardboard box and left without saying a word.

"Thanks, asshole." Rachel yelled after him.

"Anytime."