Chapter 1: To Help A Friend
My eyes opened to the unwelcome glare of neon lights proudly declaring the time. I blinked slowly while staring at them. The image of "9:45" burned into my retinas. It was an odd hour to wake up at on a Tuesday in the summer, but then again I'm kind of an odd person. I blinked twice more rapidly, becoming aware of the weight of my sheets. They were as heavy as a lead blanket. Yep, it was destined to be another day in bed for me. As I rolled over to face the ceiling I heard my phone buzz. In the dimly lit room the harsh glare from its screen blinded me, even from an angle. I slowly rotated back to my nightstand while brushing my hair out of my face. My phone had received a message; it was from Jason. Inwardly I groaned. Jason was my best friend but we nearly always had work to do when we were with each other. Over the course of the summer I think we spent one day relaxing at his house with some other friends of ours, playing games and watching movies. One day out of the whole summer. That should tell you something about the guy. Whenever one of us had to get ahold of the other it was always for some sort of work, and I really did not want to do anything of the sort right now. Summer is nearly over for us. School starts in 2 weeks and I already had plans of doing nothing for all of it. I guess if he's trying to reach me in the morning though it must be important. I unlocked the screen and opened my messages.
"You have 1 unread message". Oh joy.
I opened it. It read: "Hey did you forget about the meeting today? All of the officers are meeting with Chiron at 1pm in his room."
Well crap. I had forgotten. I didn't think that Jason was actually going to force me to follow up on this, I thought it was a joke.
3 Months Ago:
I sat down at my usual table in the cafeteria. There were plenty of other students moving around during lunch, but none wanted anything to do with me. I was fine with that, more table space for me. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my brown bag. PB&J, yum. My mom wanted to make me tuna sandwiches but I told her I couldn't eat them. It just felt wrong to eat a fish, even if it was dead. We made do with other meats, but sometimes it was good to go back to basics. Before I took my first bite I noticed Jason making a beeline for me from outside. As the two flavors mixed and whirled in my mouth, he took a seat across from me.
"Hey Percy how are ya?" Jason asked with a smile. I finished chewing and swallowed.
"Pretty good, what's up with you? You seemed like you were in a hurry just now". His eyes narrowed.
"I need to ask you for a serious favor. You remember that I'm going to be an officer of the Mythology Club?".
The Mythology Club was one of the few things on campus that I was a member of. Aside from the student body that is. Anyways the club has a few officers that help run things with the advisor, Mr. Chiron. Near the end of every school year we have elections to determine who becomes an officer the following year. There are several requirements for eligibility such as commitment, GPA, how long you've been a member, etc. I joined the club midway through the year and had a blast, but that wasn't nearly long enough to become an officer. There's also only ever one sophomore elected each year, and they're usually handpicked by Mr. Chiron to be president of the club in their senior year. Since Jason and I were both sophomores, and Jason had been a member since he started high school, everyone assumed he would end up being president during his senior year.
"Yeah you're practically a shoe-in for that. What does that have to do with me?" I wondered. He uncapped a water bottle from his bag and took a swig. His blue eyes locked onto mine.
"I've speaking with Chiron about this year's potential candidates and we're unsure how the club will be run in a few years". Oh right, Mr. Chiron likes being addressed by his last name only. I need to start doing that. It would help if I didn't refer to him as Mr. Chiron every time I think about him. "Specifically, who will be helping me when I'm in charge in 2 years" he continued. "To that end, we both want you to run for an officer position this year".
I froze. Like, literally froze. Jelly started oozing onto my fingers as I held my sandwich inches from my open mouth. It took me a few seconds to process what he was saying. "You want me to help you run the Mythology Club?".
Jason smiled, flashing his perfect set of white teeth. "That's what I would like, yes. Are you up to it?".
It was an unexpected proposition. I tend to shy away from leadership roles, especially at school. The last time I was in charge of anything was back in elementary school when I was captain of a soccer team during recess. Some girls thought it would be hilarious to push me into the ground and feed me things they found in the nearby pond. They taunted me and got everyone else outside to call me "Seaweed Boy". I was so embarrassed I sought sanctuary in books and spent all my free time reading instead of playing with others. So yeah, I'd rather not be in charge of something again. But this was coming from Jason, my best friend. If he's serious about needing help then I'm probably his best bet. I would never let any of my friends down, especially if they're counting on me.
"All right, I'll do it" I managed to mumble before engulfing large portions of my sandwich.
"Great, I'll tell Chiron! And thanks Percy, it means a lot", he said sincerely.
Present Time:
Well I guess I have to go, I don't want to let Jason down. I sent a reply telling him I'd meet him there, then let out a yawn. Doesn't mean I have to like leaving my bed.
"Thanks again for the ride Mom" I said. Sally Jackson smiled.
"Now Percy you know you don't need to thank me for everything I do" she winked at me.
"True, but it's the right thing to do. At least that's what I think you'd want me to do" I replied. She leaned over and ruffled my hair.
"Do you know when you'll be done today?" she asked.
"Not a clue, but hopefully not later than 4" I returned. Sally kissed my forehead.
"Go get them tiger!" she said happily.
"Yeah okay Mom, it's just a meeting. But will do." I exited the car and began walking through the deserted parking lot. Well, not completely deserted. In the far corner of my eye I could make out the outlines of two cars, but the fog obscured me from any chance of identifying them. I made my way to the front entrance of the school. The entry doors had a covered walkway in front of them supported by a dozen or so columns with an arched roof. I always got the sense that I was walking into a building from ancient times when I entered the school. Except for the gum stuck to the ground and water fountains located just inside the doors. After entering the school you're placed in a hallway that goes directly to the opposite end of the school. There are several perpendicular halls that take you to different wings of the school, like the Science Hall or the Math Hall. Mr. Chiron's classroom…err Chiron's classroom was located in the Language Hall at the far end of the school. The Language Hall was an offshoot of the Science Hall so it often smelled like something was burning. As I walked towards his room I made a note to myself to talk to Jason about containing that odor. Voices echoed towards me from around the far corner of the Science Hall.
"Haha yeah I just finished writing mine last week. It sounds so stupid and I have no idea what I'm talking about" one voice pierced through the air.
"I'm not doing that at all. I'm just worried about the first day of English class. I didn't read anything we were assigned over the break" a lower voice complained.
"Speaking of English, have any of you gotten your schedules yet?" asked a third voice.
I was only several paces from the corner at this point.
"Nah I heard they're going to start giving them out next week" said Jason's familiar voice. I smiled as I rounded the corner. A small group of people were standing outside of Chiron's classroom, their heads turned towards me. I met Jason's eyes with a nod, and glanced at the others one at a time. The lower voice I had heard belonged to the long, lanky guy with unkempt black hair. Prominent black circles sat beneath his eyes, and I had a feeling they were going to stay there for a while. He stared at me blankly as my attention fell upon the girl next to him. Jet-black spiky hair and ripped jeans signaled a rebellious nature, but her startling electric-blue eyes made me reconsider my analysis. She was someone I did not want to cross, and someone I did not want to disappoint. Her intense stare made the hairs on my neck stand up straight as my gaze fell to the last member of the group. Blond curls dangled over her forehead. She was standing at her full height but had to look up to make eye contact with me. When she did my smile faded. Her eyes were a stormy gray and seemed to always be moving. I had never seen a pair of eyes like that in my life. After a few moments the clouds seemed to lighten, and her eyebrows arched upwards.
"Is he okay?" she asked no one in particular. Jason walked over to me and shut my open mouth.
"Yeah he's fine, probably still yawning from waking up late" he replied.
"Hey! How would you know anything about that?" I retorted. He smirked.
"I've know you for 2 years now, you sleep whenever you get the chance".
"Yeah yeah.." I mumbled, admitting defeat. The girl with the spiky hair looked at Jason expectantly.
"Is this the new officer? He looks vaguely familiar" she wondered.
"Ah yes, how could I forget?" Jason cried. "Let me introduce you all to Percy Jackson".
The girl who last spoke turned to me with a smile. "Hey I'm Thalia, President of the Mythology Club".
The guy who had been staring at me since I arrived spoke up: "I'm Nico, Treasurer for the club".
I turned to the last girl. Grey clouds greeted me. "I'm Annabeth. Jason and I are both Vice Presidents of the club".
I looked to Thalia, a confused expression on my face. "Where does that leave me?". She smiled.
"You're going to assist everybody".