Hi!
this was based off the prompt to write about a character meeting an old teacher.
i kind of didn't follow all the rules.
enjoy!
-SOS
Of Shark Pools and Old Teachers
When Annabeth asked me on a date to the Long Island Aquarium, I almost declined.
Not because I didn't want to see marine animals. Not even because I didn't want to hear all the voices of the fish screaming for me to let them out.
Nope.
It was because that place used to be called Marine World, and for those of you who don't know, I had a little incident there a while back...
It must have been fourth grade. I was a real troublemaker back then. I still am.
Anyway, I was just dreading going back to that aquarium. What if the workers still recognized me? What if they threw me out?
Annabeth knocked on my cabin door. "Anyone home? It's time to go!"
I ran my fingers through my hair and opened the door.
"I'm ready," I said, feeling anything but ready inside.
We took a taxi to the entrance of the aquarium. I was trembling by the time we stood in front of the doors.
"Hey, Percy, are you okay? You don't look so good." Annabeth's voice sounded far away.
I shook my head to clear it. "I'm fine. Let's go inside."
We entered, and started walking around.
First, we looked at the map.
"Oh, look, Percy! There's a Poseidon's Treasure Room! Let's go there first!" Annabeth exclaimed.
"Okay," I mumbled. "But just know that my dad had nothing to do with this..."
Inside the exhibit, there were shark eggs. It was really cool, I had to admit. But I was too worried about anything happening to me to concentrate.
Annabeth glanced at the map.
"Let's walk by the shark pool," she suggested.
I gulped, but followed my girlfriend to the walkway by the shark pool.
We sat in the chairs by the side, watching a group of children on the catwalk. We could hear them talking and laughing.
"Hey, Andy, have you ever been here before?" a boy who looked about ten addressed a girl with curly orange hair and a pink t-shirt on.
The girl, who must have been Andy, laughed. "Um, no. You think the orphanage could afford to send me here?"
"I guess not," the boy agreed, and walked away.
Andy, looking curious, snuck away into the corner. She reached her hand behind somewhere and suddenly the whole class was inside the shark pool.
"Oops!" she said, a little loudly.
"Andromeda Mathews!" the teacher shouted. "You are in very big trouble, young lady!"
As a worker helped the class out, Andromeda, or Andy, laughed.
"This isn't funny!" the teacher yelled. "You're expelled!"
Andy stopped laughing. Instead, tears formed in her green eyes.
The teacher made sure all the kids were alright except for Andy, who stood in a corner, alone.
"Has this ever happened to you before?" a student asked.
"Yes, a long time ago. His name was Perseus Jackson." The teacher looked even more furious.
Percy, hearing his name, looked up. The teacher started heading over to him. Her name, he recalled, was Mrs. Del Maestro.
"You never told me you did that!" Annabeth hissed in his ear.
Percy just shrugged.
Mrs. Del Maestro stuck her finger in Percy's face.
"You're still alive, I see!" she squawked. "Well, congratulations! I hope you never get a good job."
Percy resisted the urge to tell her he'd saved the world twice.
Annabeth stood up.
"Come on, Andy," she said. "Let's go."
And then Percy, Annabeth, and Andy walked out of the aquarium.
On the taxi home, while Andy was snoring on Percy's shoulder, he looked at Annabeth.
"Why?"
"She's a demigod. No parents, and a troublemaker. What more can we ask?"
"Okay."
And at the end of the day, all they had acquired were some memories and a new demigod.