I exited the classroom after being the last student to leave due to frantically scribbling down the notes left on the blackboard. This had become a regular occurrence, so the professor would leave the notes up on the board instead of erasing them due to some clause in the syllabus about compensating special needs students in class. Apparently, being dyslexic and ADHD put me in the "special needs" category.

I was genuinely caught off-guard as I left the doorway and a pair of thick and hairy fists grabbed the back of my hoodie, twirled me around and slammed by back into the white brick wall. Suddenly, all I was aware of was the fact that a hulk of a man was in my face, the stench of cigarette smoke being carelessly covered up by some sickening cologne filling my nostrils.

I knew this guy. He was in the class I had just left. He sat a few rows up from me. How did I know this, since he sat behind me? It was hard to ignore his sneering face as I went to my seat.

I lifted my gaze about a foot to meet Mr. I-Smell-of Cigarette-but-Don't-Want-People-to-Notice-so-I-Drown-Myself-in-Gross-Cologne-and-Am-Also-a-Beastly-Gorilla's face. His yellowish teeth were clenched and his coal black eyes seemed to glow red with anger as he stared down at me.

I puffed out my chest and prepared myself to say something brave sounding and menacing…

"Um, did you need something?"

"What did she say to you?" Mr. I-Should-Brush-My-Teeth-More-and-Am-Also-a-Stupid-Gorilla grunted at me.

"What? What did who say what to me?"

"Don't play stupid, Jackson, even though I hardly think that's an act for you."

Whoa. Below the belt there.

"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about."

He loomed over me like an angry monkey. Dark hair covered every orifice of this guy. Seriously. You think some would get to his head though. I wish I had my Aviators. Mr. I-Am-in-Desperate-Need-of-a-Shave-Everywhere-and-Am-Also-A-Threatening-Gorilla was a thick and burly man. Not someone anyone would want to make angry. His thin white T-shirt had some cigarette burn holes in it, making the red skull and cross bones look like it had been shot multiple times. His black jeans were ratty, runs and holes over the thighs and knees. His shoes looked like he had run through wet tar and then taken a cheese grater to them. The stubble on his face displayed that he hadn't shaved in a few days. Also, in case I failed to mention, he was incredibly hairy. Which reminded me that his name was Harold. So, basically, Hairy Harold the Spectacular Chimpanzee Gorilla Man, had me pinned to a wall asking me something unfathomable about gods-knew-what.

I really did not want to be in this situation.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't scared of Mr. Bald-So-I-Look-Like-Mr.-Clean-Even-Though-I-Am-Certainly-Not-Clean-and-Am-Also-A-Brutish-Gorilla. I just wanted to avoid confrontation altogether. This guy meant business, whatever it was, and he would fight to get the ending he wanted: me smashed into a pulp on the ground. It would raise a few questions when I didn't appear to be feeling anything as this asshole beat me up, due to a certain curse from a certain River Styx in a certain Underworld. Also, being a demigod and having reflexes like a ninja (I've ALWAYS wanted to say that. Don't rain on my parade. You don't have that power anyway. Zeus does) would give me the upper hand. And once again, I didn't want to get into a fight because questions would be inevitable.

I didn't want this. I wanted my college experience to be somewhat normal.

I tried to contemplate a few ways to get out of this situation:

Take the banana out of my backpack and throw it down the hall in hopes that his Gorilla brain would be distracted enough for me to make a get-away.

Scream like a little girl and cover my face as he punched me and just go down right away. Hopefully, he would not continue to pummel me.

That's it.

Whoa-whoa-whoa. I suppose I should backtrack and tell you how I even got in this situation anyway. Let's go back a couple weeks.

Saying goodbye to my mom wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Granted, of course I would miss her, but I had been away from her for long periods of time in multiple situations, mainly, camp, but also when I was 12 and she was abducted by Hades. At least I knew she was alright when I would be leaving.

"I can't believe you're leaving for college, Percy! My son! You've grown way too fast."

"Aw, Mom…"

She had tears in her eyes. She patted my cheek and gave each a kiss.

"Study hard, Percy. Do your best, like I know you always do."

"I will, Mom. Love you."

"I love you, too, Percy."

We hugged a while longer, and she cried a bit more, soaking my right shoulder.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'll see you at Christmas?"

"Yes. Christmas."

"Good. Bye, Mom!"

"Goodbye, Percy!"

I went out the door, Paul kissed my Mom, promising to be back in a few days, and that yes, he would be careful and drive safely. Yes. Of course. No, I didn't forget. Got gas yesterday. Love you too. Bye, Sal.

The drive to Wisconsin was rather uneventful, but incredibly long all the same. I left on August 24, even though school didn't start until September 2. I wanted to get all moved in and familiar with my new apartment and surroundings, and the drive to Wisconsin (since I had a new car and sort of needed it so I wouldn't be flying) would take about 20 hours. Paul (who was going to follow me in his pick-up truck and small travel trailer) decided to split that trip up into two days: we'd drive halfway, stop in Cleveland, Ohio for the night, then continue on until we got to Menomonie, Wisconsin. Then Paul would drive back to New York and be back before his school year started.

It went flawlessly, and even better, no monsters made an appearance, which was shocking. I wasn't usually lucky enough to get anywhere on an interstate route without something ugly making an appearance.

Rachel wasn't lying when she said the apartment was a nice one. Holy Hades it was awesome.

It took a few trips to get all my stuff up to the 5th floor. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't be there to help move me in. She had some scholarship stuff to deal with at Stout before the year started.

After Paul and I got all the boxes and bags in the apartment, it was time to say goodbye. I had told Paul repeatedly that he didn't have to help me unpack anything. I could do it myself, plus, he needed to get started back to New York. We shook hands, I thanked him for helping me move, he wished me luck at school, and then he was off.

As soon as the door was shut, I began to give myself a self-tour of the place, stepping over my bags and boxes. Rachel had taken the liberty of hanging her artwork up on the walls, giving it a very colorful and lived-in feel. My stuff was currently in what I guess was the parlor. There was a coat rack to my left. Venturing further down the short hallway, I came into a large, open area. To my left was a carpeted area with a large couch, an ottoman, a big screen TV, and a small coffee table. To my right, the carpet met abruptly with a tiled area that lead to the kitchen and eating area. There was a table with three chairs, a breakfast nook with two higher chairs, a granite counter, wooden cupboards, and an assortment of kitchen utilities and appliances. Very nice.

If you went to the left through the carpeted area, you were met with another small hallway with a bathroom on the right, and a bedroom further down. That bedroom was pink, and the bathroom was a bright sunny yellow. I could only assume Rachel had made them hers. At least, they better be.

Pink and yellow didn't suit me so well.

I guess that left me with the left. I made my way back through and ventured down the small hallway. The bathroom on my left was blue. Perfect. My bedroom was green. That would do. My room was carpeted, had a bed that was lofted, a desk underneath the bed, a dresser in my closet, and a few countertops to put more stuff on. I went over to the window and opened the curtains, allowing the remaining sunlight to pour in. I stared outside at the view. There were a few other apartment buildings across the road, but it was a genuinely nice looking neighborhood. Trees lined the sidewalk, some flowers were still growing-

"ARRRGHHH!"

I jumped and turned away from the window.

"PERSEUS JACKSON, IF YOU DO NOT MOVE THIS STUFF NOW, I WILL KILL YOU."

Rachel Elizabeth Dare. My new roommate.

I quickly ran out of my room and down the hall into the parlor. Rachel was sprawled, belly down, on a few of my duffle bags. One of her feet was resting on top of one of the boxes. The other was buried under more bags.

She looked up, her face red, her hair frizzled in annoyance.

"Perseus…" she started.

"Um, hi, Rachel. Sorry… I um, was just giving myself a mini-tour. Very nice place. Er, can I help you up?" I tentatively started to make my way towards her. She held up a hand.

"I've got this."

I watched, amusedly, as she attempted to maneuver through my stuff and get a firm footing, which took a few tries, as she kept stepping on bag straps and slipping unceremoniously back down.

"I'm going to have about 57 bruises after this."

"You didn't predict this?" I chuckled. "First you'll trip onto the ground, and find your face smashed into a mound, of Percy's stuff because he's just gotten here, then fall again onto your rear…" I uttered in an eerie voice.

"Percy… you know it doesn't work like that…" Rachel growled warningly, albeit amusedly.

"Sorry, sorry…"

I held my hands up in surrender and then reached out my hand as she stepped over boxes and bags. She grasped it firmly, and I helped her over the rest of the stuff.

She ripped her hand out of mine and brushed herself off, still looking rather miffed about the whole ordeal. When she looked back up at me, she crossed her arms in front of her, and leaned to her right, putting more pressure on her right foot. She cocked her head at me and just stared.

"I said I was sorry Rachel… I mean… I just got here."

A small smile started its way onto Rachel's face.

"I'm more angry at myself to find that I can't stay angry at you for long, even though you found it funny to make fun of the Oracle." She grinned.

"It's what I do. I piss Ancient Greek things off. It's a talent I've honed over the years."

Rachel laughed and walked over to me and threw her arms around my neck bringing me into a hug. I hugged her back, just as excitedly.

"It's great to see you, Percy. Happy belated birthday! How was your party? How's Annabeth?"

"Good to see you, too, Rachel. My birthday was great. My dad came. Very unexpected. Annabeth's doing fine. She called me a few days ago to say she'd gotten to school alright. She said orientation sucked, the first day of classes was really boring, and that four guys in her psychology class are hitting on her. Basically, normal stuff."

"Good to hear. I'm glad you guys are on good terms. It sucked seeing you guys like that at Camp, even if it was only like a week. But still. Hey! I got some Chinese cuisine! Hungry?"

"Starving." I smiled.

"Great! I haven't had the chance to really do a lot of grocery shopping. We can do that this weekend… after dinner we can unpack your stuff and get you all settled in. I should also give you a tour of Menomonie tomorrow… it's pretty great…" Rachel continued to spew off random things as she unpacked the Chinese food. We sat down at our table (Rachel made a big deal out of getting plates out of the cupboards and silverware out of the drawers "It's our place, Percy! Isn't this great?" "Yeah, Rachel… but you're only getting cups…" "Shut up, it's awesome!")

We went through the meal rather quickly, but still were sitting for about an hour and a half just catching up and talking about whatever. Rachel was excited to be starting all her art classes at Stout, but was upset about having to take general courses as well.

"I want to be an artist. I already know this. Why do I have to take useless courses like math and science still? I thought that was what high school was for!"

"Rach… that's just how it goes."

"I know, but still. It's stupid."

"Yeah."

"What do you have in store for the semester?"

I had my schedule memorized by now.

"I've got an English class and math concepts class on Mondays and Wednesdays. I have physics and biology lecture on Tuesdays and the coinciding labs on Thursdays. I don't have classes on Fridays."

"You lucky shit. I have so many credits this semester…"

And that was how it was.

We got me unpacked little by little in the next few days. The majority of unpacking was done that night, but just the big stuff. I started to organize things and find a place for everything throughout the next couple days. Rachel and I took an epic grocery outing, and she drove me around showing me all the major places I would need to know: outlets, clothing stores, convenience stores, gas stations, the works.

By September 1, we finally started to feel really moved in and set, which was a good thing, as we both had school in the morning. We both went to bed rather early, even though we both knew we wouldn't be getting much sleep. The first looming day of college can do that to you.

I woke up the next morning at 9. I had class at noon, but it would take a little over a half hour to get to Eau Claire from here, so I had to eat breakfast, and be out the door by about 10:30. I wanted to leave early, in case I got lost, plus be kind of early to my first class. It was a two hour one. And it was English. Great.

I walked into the English lecture hall at about 11:50. Okay, I had gotten a little lost. There were about 15 students in the classroom already, which had only four rows of seats with five seats in each, rising at a steady incline. A girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes glanced up at me from the second row (I mean really, who sits in the first row? People who want to get called on in class, that's who), looked down, then looked up again really quick. She leaned over and whispered something to her friend, who had a lighter brown tone to her hair and brown eyes. They both giggled a bit. I decided I wouldn't be sitting by them. However, my seating choices were extremely limited.

"Hey, come sit by us!"

Shit.

"Um, okay." I decided to be nice. It was my first day, and I wanted to meet people. But they had laughed at me for some reason.

The dark brown haired girl scooted over so that I would be forced to sit in the middle of them. Even better.

I plopped down in my seat and took out a notebook and pen, then began to twirl in over my thumb.

"I'm Kara." The one with light brown hair said, smiling at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the darker haired girl's eyes flash a little, and she glared a bit at her friend. She placed her hand on my forearm, directing my attention to her.

"I'm Hannah. What's your name? Where're you from?" she gave a pointed look at Kara, who had stiffened next to me.

"Um, Percy. My name's Percy. I'm from New York."

"New York? I love it there! Are you from the City?" Hannah.

"Around there, yeah."

"Like, oh my god. I was just there this summer!" Kara.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I got this bag."

She showed me a bag that had "New York" written all over it.

"You're too tan to be from New York." She grazed her fingernails up to my bicep. "You look like you're from California."

"My girlfriend's from California."

This revelation threw them off, but did not deter them.

They continued to tell me things I really didn't care about. I figured out right away that they weren't looking to be my friend at the moment.

"…You're an attractive guy, Percy… Girls love tanned, thinly muscular physique…dark, messy black hair with dreamy green eyes…"

Rachel's words from this past summer rang in my memory. These girls were flirting with me, not trying to genuinely get to know me so we could be friends and be all buddy-buddy this semester. I was still nice, of course… maybe they would get the message and we could actually be friends. I'll just keep reminding them I have a girlfriend.

"I only care for one, though."

"Good for you. But that won't stop other girlies from being on the prowl. Ready to POUNCE!"

Gods. Please just make them stop.

My prayers were answered as the professor, a short man with thick black glasses, graying hair and a scraggly beard walked in.

"Good morning class," he said with a slight southern accent, "I'm Dr. Hanson. Welcome to English 104, Essay Writing and Fiction Analysis."

The rest of the hour went by rather slowly. Dr. Hanson showed us a Powerpoint which he called "The Hanson Powerpoint" which was basically a presentation about himself, glorifying him and making him seem way better and smarter than us since he had PhD (which to me, just stands for "Piled Higher and Deeper"). If he was such a prestigious professor, why did he have to prove it to us? I felt like standing up and saying, "Well, I'm the son of Poseidon, and could command your water bottle to douse you with water, so there."

I almost tuned completely out until he said something that jumped me out of my open-eyed nap.

"…we will be analyzing and studying a variety of fiction materials, including legends like King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and mythology, like Norse and Greek mythology."

I almost choked, but ended up in a coughing fit. Both Kara and Hannah put their hands on my arms and asked if I was ok.

The professor asked as well.

"Are you going to be alright there, Mr…?"

I finished coughing and gulped in some air.

"Jackson. Percy Jackson."

"Mr. Jackson. Do you need some water?"

Did I need some water. Guy had no idea who he was talking to.

"Well, actually no. The concept you so bluntly put as Greek "mythology" forced me into a coughing fit, and I most certainly don't need water, as I am the son of Poseidon, so I think that disproves both your ideas there."

Instead:

"Nope. I'm good."

"Alright then. Let us continue…"

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Mr. Jackson?"

Time for an Annabeth moment.

"Are we going to discuss the idea that to some, mythology is belief and truth, as well as discuss the main concepts of why certain cultures and peoples may have thought up and practiced these beliefs?"

The professor just stared at me. I could feel the rest of the class doing so as well.

"You bring up an interesting idea, Mr. Jackson, I'm impressed and slightly thrown off!" He smiled and nodded his head at me. "I will try to incorporate as much of that into our studies as I can…" he seemed really impressed by me.

Finally, it was 2 o'clock and time to go. I gathered my stuff together and squeezed my way through the aisle and out the door.

"Percy!" I heard a female voice shriek at me.

I turned around to see Kara jogging up to me.

"I was just wondering…"

"Percy!"

I looked away from Kara to see Hannah jogging up to me.

"You are so smart, Percy! Please be my study partner this semester! I'm so bad at reading!"

"Hannah! I was going to ask him to be my partner! Percy! Be my study buddy!"

I looked from one girl to the next.

"Um, why can't we just study in a group?"

"OH MY GOD PERCY! YOU'RE A GENIUS!"

Whatever. Seriously, I think Annabeth would be laughing right now to see this. I couldn't wait to tell her. She'd crack up.

"Um, sure. When we start getting assignments, just… let me know if you need help, and we can find a time to study in the, er, library."

"Okay!"

"Sure!"

They both took out their cell phones and proceeded to ask for my number. Instead, I took out my own and asked for theirs, then told them I'd text them with mine.

Haha.

After that, I went to a vending machine to get a snack. Must remember to pack food for myself. I had math in a half hour, so I sat on a bench outside and ate my Doritos and drank my Fuze.

2:25 found me in a classroom that had lab tables. Wasn't this math? Whatever. Each table had two spots at it. I took a seat at one in the middle, next to a guy with dirty blonde hair who was sketching on the front of his notebook. He was rather good. I was jealous. I took mine out as well, but would not be gracing him with my sketching skills. Class was in five minutes, and students were still filing in.

The guy next to me turned to face me.

"Hey."

I looked at him.

"How's it going." I responded.

He held out his hand, I shook it.

"Name's Nick."

"Percy."

"Freshman?"

"Yeah."

"Me too, man. I heard this prof's hard core though."

"Yeah? What's her name…?"

"Dr. Logan. My brother said she's an absolute witch. Gives out a bunch of homework, grades really hard. I mean, come on. This is a math concepts class. Not calculus. Am I right?"

I laughed. "Yeah. Well, I came to college knowing it was not going to be any picnic, that's for sure."

"True that, bro. Whoa…"

He grabbed my arm and brought me closer to him.

"Check out that piece of work! Woo! Hot stuff, right there." He jerked his head at the direction of the door where a girl had just walked in. She had black hair and brown eyes.

"Please sit in front of me, please sit in front of me…" Nick muttered to himself. I looked at him amusedly and just smiled shaking my head.

"What? She's gorgeous! Don't you think?"

"I have a girlfriend. I'm not really looking at how pretty other girls are."

"WOHO! Percy's got a girl! What's she like?"

"She's smart, beautiful, fun… she's my best friend. I've known her for about 6 years."

"Wow, man. Impressive. Got a picture?"

I took out my cell phone and showed him the wallpaper image.

Nick's eyes bugged out.

"Wow! She is beautiful. What's her name?"

"Annabeth."

"Good for you, Broski. Seriously. I'm happy for you, man." He clapped me on the back.

I shrugged, putting my phone away. The girl with black hair walked past our table. We made eye contact. She smiled at me and blushed.

Great. Here we go.

"DUDE! She's totally into you. No fair. You've got the looks."

"Dude. She just smiled."

"Man… you gotta be more alert with this stuff!"

He proceeded to tell me about how a guy can tell a girl is into him.

I pretended to listen. I truly did not care. A girl who says "You drool when you sleep" can just as easily become your girlfriend.

"…You think you could make friends with her then convince her to go out with me?"

"Wait, what?"

"That girl. Make friends with her and convince her to go out with me."

"I, uh…"

At that moment the professor walked in. Her red hair was pulled into a tight bun. She had horn rimmed glasses that gave her an angry-looking appearance. She straightened her dress jacket and smoothed out her matching skirt. She was wearing a tie that tucked into her jacket. I could see pi symbols adorning it.

Math geek.

Or, in my terms, just obsessed with the letter "P."

"Good afternoon, class. Please push your tables together with the pair's next to you." She walked around the room, telling which tables to push together.

Nick's and my table would be pushed together with Black Haired Girl's and another girl who was sitting next to her with white blonde hair.

"Yes!" I heard Nick mutter.

"These will be your groups for the semester. I'm handing out folders to each group. Each is color coded. Inside, you will find today's assignment, the course syllabus and a sign-in sheet in the three pronged section. It will be your responsibility to sign yourself in, and record any missing group members. In the left pouch, you will find daily notes and assignments. In the right pouch, you will be required to put in your completed assignments. I will not take any late assignments. Late equals a zero. Please turn your things in on time. We will be having group exams, as well as individual exams. The group exams are to track how well you work with a group. Individual exams are to track your personal progress. Please take 10 minutes to get to know your group. Please say names, your class, where you're from, and what you plan to do in the future. I will be coming around to learn each of your names."

Everyone started to talk around us. I looked at each of my group members.

The black-haired girl spoke up.

"Well, I guess I'll start. I'm Miranda Thomas, um, I'm a freshman, I'm from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and I want to transfer to UW-Eau Claire after this to become a nurse."

Nick was hanging onto every word that came out of her mouth. It was quite entertaining.

"Nice to meet you, Miranda," I said, giving her a smile.

Miranda looked at me and smiled back, completely oblivious to Nick's attentions.

The blonde girl went next.

"I'm Jackelyn Sanders, I'm from Chicago, and I would like to… oh yeah. I'm a sophomore. And I would like to major in business back home in Illinois."

"Good knowing you, Jackelyn. Do you go by Jackie? Or Jackelyn?" I asked.

"Jackie, actually." She smiled. I nodded.

"I'm Nicholas LeRoy. Call me 'Nick.' I'm a freshman, I'm from Columbus, Ohio, and I want to get into a school where I can study to be a lawyer."

Was this guy joking? Maybe. I still hadn't figured this guy out.

Miranda and Jackie didn't seem too sure either.

"Uh, cool." Jackie said.

To Nick's dismay, Miranda looked over at me.

"What about you?"

"Oh! I'm Percy Jackson. I'm a freshman, I came here from New York, and after I get my generals done I want to transfer down to Florida and be a marine biologist."

"Marine biology? Cool! You really like the ocean then?"

"You could say it's pretty much a part of me." I smiled at my own personal joke.

"I swam with dolphins, once. When I went to Sea World a few years back. It was a great experience. Have you done anything like that?"

"Actually, yeah. A few times. My dad loves the ocean too, so I've had a few opportunities to try some things out."

"That is really cool, Percy."

Nick kicked my leg under the table and gave me a pointed look.

I got the message.

"So. A lawyer, huh?"

Miranda sulked in her chair a bit and grudgingly looked at Nick who was beaming at her.

"Yeah! Hopefully, I can keep my grades up and apply to Harvard or something."

"You need really good grades to get into that school. And a lot of community service work on your resume." Miranda stated. Jackie just chuckled.

"I've got some community service…"

I wondered doing what.

"And your grades?" Jackie asked.

"Well, they're…"

"Did we get to introduce everyone at this table?" Dr. Logan stopped by our table and asked.

"Yes, we did." Miranda answered, smiling.

"Fill me in, won't you?"

All of us told her our names. She nodded at us.

"What do you hope to learn from this class?"

Everyone stared at her, dumbfounded.

I decided to come up with a load of B.S. and make it sound like another Annabeth moment.

"I hope I can understand how and when to graph certain equations, and to know how to analyze the graph's outcomes." I told her.

"Very good, Percy. We'll actually be going over that after the midterm." She seemed pretty satisfied with that answer and moved onto the next table.

"Wow. Good one, Percy. I almost had a heart-attack," Nick elbowed me softly.

Miranda agreed. Jackie just smirked at me.

"You just thought that up out of the blue."

"Pretty much." I smirked back.

"Nicely done." Jackie held out her fist and I bumped it. I liked Jackie already.

"So Percy…" Miranda began.

"Yeah."

"What part of New York are you from? I was in the Big Apple for the Broadway performance of Wicked a few years back."

"I'm actually from the City."

"Nice! What made you want to come to little old Wisconsin for school? Why not NYU?"

"Well, I wanted to get away, you know? And this seemed like a decent Tech School, and since I'm only here for two years, I mean, I guess I just wanted to get out of New York. I've had a lot of experiences there." Did I ever. "I figured it was time to find somewhere new."

"That's really brave of you, to come all the way here…" she reached out and patted my hand.

I heard a loud coughing behind me. I turned and came face to face with an extremely hairy guy who had his head shaved. He smelled like cigarettes.

"Um, yeah? Did you need something?" I asked.

The guy just snorted and flipped me the bird.

I turned back to my group, who had seen the whole thing.

"Er, I made a new friend."

They laughed.

Class went by rather quickly. I kept feeling the guy behind me looking at me darkly. What was wrong with him? Seriously.

The next day, I had two science classes. They seemed relatively easy, kind of similar to the high school courses. Good thing I saved my notes and brought them with me. I could use them as a reference (Annabeth kept me from putting them through the shredder and then burning the scraps.)

I learned that the labs for both classes, though, were like three hours each. Not. Cool. Was not looking forward to that.

Jackie was in my physics class. We buddied up right away.

Miranda and Mr. I'm-So-Hairy-I-Rival-Cousin-It-From-The-Addams-Family-and-Am-Also-A-Malicious-Gorilla were in my biology class. When Miranda sat by me, I saw Hairy Man glare in our direction as he walked through the door. I'm telling you, someone shoved a pointy stick up his ass or something.

"What's with that guy?" I asked Miranda.

"I should've told you yesterday in math, that's my ex-boyfriend, Harold Richards. He's really possessive… and kind of abusive. He seemed sweet at the start, but then his real self came out. I broke up with him after he tried to get me to… you know, do it. He still thinks we're going out, and he calls me all the time and tries to get me to talk with him. I really can't stand him, and wish he'd leave me alone."

Great! I was being placed in the middle of a pre-existing feud. Thanks, Miranda. Now Mr. I-Treat-Women-Badly-and-Am-a-Hulking-Gorilla doesn't like me by default because I'm sitting next to you. Awesome.

"You'll protect me from him, won't you, Percy?"

"Um…"

She hugged my arm to her and out of the corner of my eye I saw her give a pointed look at Mr. Hairy Man. He fumed in his seat and turned away, slouching forward. But not before giving me the bird again. If he did that one more time, I was going to show him a nice dark place to put that finger, mainly, his asshole.

So, two weeks passed. I got to know more of my classmates. Jackie and I studied a lot together. She was really brilliant at physics. I was getting homework done correctly and on time, taking good notes, also studying with Kara and Hannah (Kara had finally accepted the fact that I wasn't interested, and started treating me more like a friend). I was finally feeling really comfortable with my schedule and routine.

However, with the passing days, the looming tension built between Miranda, Hairy, and me.

This brings us to our previous predicament, and where we came in.

Mr. I-Have-No-Clue-About-the-Concept-Of-Personal-Space-And-Hygiene-And-Am-Also-A-Massive-Gorilla shoved me back against the wall again.

"What. Did. Miranda. Say. To. You." He growled, emphasizing each word by knocking me back and forth against the wall repeatedly.

So that's what this was about. During work time in biology today (Miranda and I were lab partners), Miranda had asked if she could talk to me after class. Of course I said sure.

So, as all the students filed out, I stayed behind and copied some notes off the board that I had missed. Miranda sat next to me. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the Hairy Hulk was slowly gathering his stuff together.

"Percy," murmured Miranda.

"Yeah."

"Um, Harold came to my apartment last night. He was trying to get in. I just know it was him."

"Did you call the police?"

"I was afraid to… I… I don't know what to do! This is really beginning to creep me out…"

"If it happens again, you should call the police. Make sure your doors and windows are locked. Do you have a roommate?"

"No… which brings me to my next question… will you stay at my place this weekend?"

What?

I glanced over at Hulk. He didn't appear to have heard or to know what was going on, but he was a bit tense.

"Um, I'm not sure that's really, necessary… I mean… this will…"

"Please, Percy?"

"I can't do that. I'm sorry, Miranda. Just do what I advised. This should all blow past. You'll be fine. Or, you can go stay with a friend for a bit. You have other girlfriends to stay with, correct?"

"…Yeah." She seemed a bit put out.

"Stay with them for awhile. Call the police, and tell them what's going on. I'm sure they can fix things. But… just be careful. I'm sorry I can't do more… but look out for yourself."

Miranda smiled.

"I understand, Percy… and thanks… I… thanks." Miranda hugged me, and then made her way out the door. She was closely tailed by Harold the Hairy Hulk.

"Miranda?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah. What did she say to you? Did she say anything about the other night?"

"The night you tried to break into her apartment? Bad move. Leave her alone. You guys are over, or is your gorilla brain too small to process that information?"

"You little piece of steaming shit."

"You talking about your breath? Because that's the only thing remotely close to steaming shit."

Harold took a swing at me. I timed it out just right and ducked. His knuckles cracked into the wall with a sickening crunch. Harold howled with pain and held his hand. I pushed past him and started down the hall.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, JACKSON!" He began to run after me. I looked around desperately for anything that might help me.

A drinking fountain, or 'bubbler' as it is commonly referred to here in Wisconsin, was to my left. I closed my eyes. Harold drew closer.

A familiar and ticklish weight pulled at my gut. I could feel the power building up.

With a resounding explosion, the drinking fountain burst, spraying water everywhere right as Harold trudged through the area. He slipped and fell on his ass quite ungracefully. He glared at me, trying to get back up, but slipping and losing his footing every time. I saluted him.

"Leave Miranda alone. I won't be so easy next time."

I turned and made my way out of the building.

Sometimes I wish I could tell people why they shouldn't mess with me… but I can't. I can only do what I do, and maybe mention that they should stay away from me.

I was back at my apartment a few hours later, lying on my bed.

"Hahaha! You did what? That's awesome, Seaweed Brain!"

"Yeah! He just kept slipping and sliding… it was great. I wish I could have taped it for you."

Annabeth was laughing so hard, I could hear her trying to cover up her snorting on the phone.

"…Oh man… absolutely brilliant… wow. Haha!"

I let Annabeth calm down.

"How are classes (haha) Seaweed Brain?"

"Good. I'm getting stuff done on time, and things really make sense. I mean, it takes me longer to do my homework 'cause I'm dyslexic, but I get it."

"That's great, Seaweed Brain! I'm so proud of you."

"How about you, Wise Girl? Outsmarting upperclassmen, probably."

"Actually, yes. And I'm paying dearly for it. I get asked out at least three times a day."

I cracked up.

"I know! It's ridiculous! I answer questions in class that even they can't answer, and then I ask questions that the professor can't answer… and suddenly I'm just the most popular girl in the school! The professor literally left class one day, and yelled behind him "Why don't you just teach the class, Miss Chase. I'm clearly not needed anymore."

"Does he hate you?"

"No. He had me come to his office, and we had a nice conversation. He wants me to be his assistant for a building project he's been designing. I shared some ideas, and he thought they were marvelous."

"That is so awesome, Annabeth! That'll look great on a resume… you're getting yourself recognized early. You'll probably graduate early 'cause they'll realize you're just a little architecture prodigy."

"Haha! Too bad I can't put 'redesigned Olympus' on my resume. That would turn some heads."

"Right? The same reason I can't put 'saved mankind' on mine. Too many questions."

"Too true, Seaweed Brain."

Annabeth yawned.

That made me yawn.

"Hey, Wise Girl. Do some research about yawning, will you? I know it's contagious when you're by the person, but on the phone? Really?"

"Okay, Seaweed Brain. Will do. I'm gonna get going. I have a quiz tomorrow I still have to study for. Talk to you soon?"

"Definitely. Good night, Wise Girl. I love you."

"I love you too, Seaweed Brain. Have a good night!"

"You too. Bye."

"Bye."

Poor Annabeth. She had a quiz. And it's only, what, September 20? Barely a couple weeks into the semester. Well, I guess not for her. Almost a month! Gods.

Oh, shit.

I have a quiz tomorrow, too.

It'll be a long night.

AN

Hello Lovies. I decided to put up the next chapter because I love you all so much. In fact, completely disregard my system. It's stupid. I'll post when I can, because I'll be writing when I can. No need to make you all wait any longer than necessary. And until Mid-July. Seriously. Who came up with that idea? Oh yeah. Me.

Next chapter will be posted when I get the time to write it!

Stay tuned… the ball's about to start rolling…

Also, any recognizable character belongs to and is copyright of Mr. Rick Riordan.