Chapter 2

SO. MUCH. LOVE.

Like seriously I only put this up and there was over 20 views within the first two hours?! Like is this how it works on this sorta thing?! Don't mind me, I'm just a lil bit naive.

As always, PJO wouldn't be here without the amazing works of Rick Riordan.

I awoke at an ungodly hour, sweat and tears mingling on my face. Arai. Curses. Why did you leave me? Gasping for air, I crawled towards my smartphone, desperate to contain my rising hysteria.

Before my very fingertips, the air shimmered. An Iris Message. It spoke softly, as if aware of the others still asleep. "Receiving Iris Message from Perseus Jackson, Manhatten, New York-"

"Accept, accept," I gasped. Puffy white clouds parted to reveal my boyfriend, shirtless and slumped against a bathroom door. His hair was a birds nest and his eyes were bloodshot. Nevertheless, he gave me his trademark crooked grin. "I thought we weren't talking until tomorrow."

I laughed, but it came out a broken, choked sob. "I was just about to Facetime you."

"Synchronised nightmares," Percy joked weakly.

I felt anger flare. "Don't you dare joke about -"

"Wise Girl, you know I wouldn't do so carelessly," Percy said solemnly. "Anyway, I just wanted to check you were - you were alive."

I was about to start yelling at him for his ignorant joke until the last sentence struck me. Percy was rarely the one to wake the other up - mainly because his nightmares were about my death, and when he woke up I would be there. But I wasn't there so he obviously panicked.

"It's okay," I said feebly.

"What about you?" Percy spoke in the same comforting tone he used when I would sometimes scream the pair of us awake.

"The arai," I shrugged. "Can we talk about something ... happier?"

"Definitely," agreed Percy. "Do you start school tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Yup." I reached over to the nightstand and picked up my enrolment forms. " 'Harbour Academy' ..." I flipped through a brochure. "It looks okay."

"You can tell me all about it," Percy said. "Meanwhile, I have the feeling I'll get yelled at by some old mortal friends."

I grinned. "Just hope they don't judo-flip you."

Percy showed his fingers crossed. "I am. See you."

"Bye. Love you."

I swiped through the IM, placed the enrolment papers back on my nightstand, and fell back onto the pillows, almost immediately drifting off to sleep.

My alarm woke me up this time - not nightmares. I hurried to the shower, successfully nipping in before anyone else did, then while I was still in there I brushed my hair and got dressed. My outfit was hasty; jeans, new black Converse high-tops and a fitted t-shirt that gradually changed from white to dark blue. When I went back to my room, I pulled my hair into a high-ponytail, shrugged on a charcoal sweater and packed my backpack with enrolment papers and new textbooks.

When I went downstairs, I found Dad and Helen already in the kitchen. Dad sat at the breakfast bar, reading a newspaper as he sipped coffee, and Helen was pouring milk into several bowls of cereal.

"Here, Annabeth," said Helen, pushing a bowl expertly towards me. It skidded across the bench and landed in my palms. Mmmm. Cornflakes, with honey and strawberries. I spooned some into my mouth, mumbling my thanks. I made a mental note to buy a stack of food to donate to my mother, to make up for my lack of sacrifical portions.

"Nervous?" asked Dad.

"No," I said. It was the truth. How hard could a mortal high school be, after being one of the first demigods to ever survive Tartarus?

Dad smiled, as if he thought I was lying. "I can drop you off, if you want."

I swallowed a mouthful. "Thanks, that would be great." My smartphone rattled on the benchtop, buzzing as it lit up with a text notification. It was from Piper. Have fun at what's supposed to be our idea of nightmarish! :D

"Who's that from?" asked Helen.

"Piper," I said, sliding my smartphone into a pocket.

"Piper?" Dad mused. "Haven't heard that name before. Who's her godly parent?"

I saw Helen tense, and it surprised me; then I realised that the topic of demigods hadn't arose yet. I hoped Helen wouldn't be as cruel as last time.

"Aphrodite," I said.

"Interesting," Dad replied. "I thought you didn't like the Aphrodite cabin."

"Most of them," I said. "But Piper's more a daughter of Hermes. Just wait until you meet her."

Harbour Academy was modern and expensive looking. The carpark looked across a courtyard choked with milling students, who slowly trickled through a pair of doors into what I assumed was the main school building. To the right of the courtyard was a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a track oval. To the left was an auditorium and another two buildings that probably had more classrooms.

"Ready?" asked Dad.

"Yeah," I said, reaching down and grabbing the strap of my schoolbag. "See you later, Dad."

The car door swung open and I stepped out. Pale sunshine did little to warm my skin, but I didn't stray near the car. I shut the door and approached Harbour Academy, trying to look confident and cool-headed.

I headed towards the main building that the vast majority of students were filing into. To be entirely sure, I darted over and tapped the shoulder of a girl about a year younger than me, with warm brown skin and sleek brown hair. "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" asked the girl, turning from her friend to face me. "Hi, are you new?" She spoke with a Hispanic accent, and smiled at me.

"Yeah, I am," I said. "I was just wondering where the main office was."

"You're walking straight towards it," smiled the girl.

"Thanks," I said. I had been right.

The girl gave me a final grin, before I hurried away, into the main building. The entrance parted into two corridors: one was bustling with freshmen and lined with lockers, and the other appeared to be the main office.

I walked over to the main office and stood patiently behind a frizzy-haired girl with a lisp and thick glasses. "Hanna, you know we're not allowed to call your mom during work hours." said the secretary to her. "It's only a bit of gum. Go ask the nurse to cut it out if it bothers you so much."

Hanna scowled at the secretary, let out a wail, before turning around and flouncing away.

"Sorry about her," the secretary said to me. She was young, with honey-brown hair and dressed like a teacher for first graders. "Are you new here?"

I nodded. Why could everyone immediately recognise me as a new kid? "Yeah."

"Name?"

"Annabeth Chase."

The secretary nodded, before reaching over and fishing out a plastic sleeve. When she handed it to me, I saw the sleeve contained a timetable, a map of the school, locker number, and a pink note to announce that I was new.

"Most of your classes are in this main building. After lunch, which is in the cafeteria on the first floor of the other building with the black roof, we have a school assembly in the auditorium."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Have a nice day," said the secretary crisply. I stepped out of the main office and headed towards the senior locker areas, which was located several corridors away. I made my way there hastily, found my locker, and shoved in the textbooks I wouldn't need. My first few periods were AP Math, World Histories and Calculus. Homeroom was in the science labs in the same building as the cafeteria, and my teacher's name was Dr. Sparks.

I hurried towards my homeroom; I was a few minutes late. I knocked on the door smartly and it was opened by a guy who could have inspired the 'mad scientist' cliché himself; a grubby lab coat, snowy white hair that had been spiked out as if electrocuted, and thick spectacles through which he peered curiously at me.

"I'm new," I said, and thrust the pink form into his hand. Dr. Sparks read the note, before stepping back and ushering me in. "Hello, I am Dr. Sparks, science and homeroom teacher. Please, introduce yourself to the class."

I swallowed my nerves and rose my chin, eyeing the class. A group of boys dressed like businessmen sat in the first row, staring at me so intently that their robot gliding around on a desk had crashed to the floor. The second and third rows were occupied by a mish-mash of students, and the last two seated an array of jocks and cheerleaders.

"I'm Annabeth Chase," I said boldly. "Clearly, I'm new. I moved here from New York yesterday."

"Wonderful," said Dr. Sparks. "Annabeth, please go sit next to Dana Redwood."

*Shuffles feet nervously* Like it?