Hey its me again! Sooo sorry for not updating in a while! I've had loads of homework and I've been busy. Second chapter woohoo! I might be able to update sooner than a week. Btw Bold is the story.

Disclaimer: I dont on PJO Rick does... :(

Chapter 2 No ones POV

Once everyone got settled down Percy began to read.

"Chapter One I accidentaly vaporise my pre-algebra teacher"

"O-okayyy" Said Nico.

"How do you accidentaly vaporise someone?" Asked Hermes. But Pery just shrugged.

Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.

"No one does! All you do is get attacted!" Exclaimed everyone.

"Is it really that bad?" Asked Poseidon.

"Pretty much.." Answered Percy. The gods looked sad.

If you're reading this because you think you might be one my advice is:

"EVERYONE! HIT THE DECK! COVER YOUR EARS!" Shouted Nico and Thalia.

"Oh come on, guys! My advice isnt that bad..." Percy trailed off wondering is it bad?

"Back to the book please!" Said Athena.

close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mum or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.

Annabeth snorted "Like thats going to work".

Being a half-blood is dangerous.

"Check" Said Chris.

It's scary.

"You have no idea" Said Will.

The gods and godesses with children paled slightly.

Most of the time it gets you killed, in painful nasty ways.

The demigods who fought in the war looked down remembering all the lives lost.

If your a normal kid,reading this because it's fiction great. Read on. I envy you for being able to read this and believe none of this ever happened.

"Thats deep Perce." Said Travis.

But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.

"Oooooooh!" Connor tried to mimick a ghost. Silently, Nico shadow travelled behind Percy, and shouted in his ear.

"BOO!" Quicker than a heartbeat, Nico was pressed up against a marble column, with Riptide at his throat.

"Percy! It's me NICO!" He shrieked.

"Sorry! Battle instincts I guess..." Percy released Nico and capped Riptide. The Gods were staring in shock at Percy.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

"You didnt warn-" Travis was cut off by a slap from Katie. Apollo and Demeter started snickering.

My name is Percy Jackson.

"Oh my gods! Really?" Asked Thalia. Note the sarcasm.

"Oh shut up Pinecone face!" He retorted.

I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

Am I a troubled kid?

"YES!" Shouted all the demigods that knew Percy.

"Understatement of the year!" Annabeth said.

Yeah. You could say that.

"See? He even agrees!" Thalia said.

"Yeah well no one disagreed!" Retorted Percy.

I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it,

At this Poseidon throwned. Miserable?

but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

"FUN!" Shouted Athena and Annabeth.

"What person does that?" Asked Ares. Most people stared at him in shock. He listened?!

Percy snickered earning curious glances.

I know-it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.

Annabeth and Athena huffed.

"It is not boring!" Athena said,

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.

"Who?" Asked Jason.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair.

"Hey, isn't that C-" Started Leo.

"THE COOKIE MONSTER!" Interupted Nico.

"Man, I hate that guy!" Said Percy.

"Why?" Asked Annabeth.

"He is a cookie thief." Answered Percy, in a duh tone. People began to snicker.

He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class.

"AWESOME!" Shouted Leo, Travis, Connor, Hermes and Pretty much every boy in the room.

"Boys" Artemis muttered.

He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.

"YOU SLEEP IN CLASS?!" Demanded Athena.

"Uhhh... well..not anymore" Percy stuttered. (is that how you spell it?)

"Good" Said Athena.

I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.

"Jinxed it!" Leo said.

Boy, was I wrong.

"I hope there's some action!" Said Ares.

See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.

At this, everyone started laughing, some even crying with laughter, or even rolling on the floor- I think you know who those people are.

"I love this kid!" Hermes said wiping a tear from his eye. Once everyone calmed down, Percy started to read again.

And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind- the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.

Cue more laughter.

"Oh Percy..." Annabeth said shaking her head.

And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.

"Aww!" Everyone complained.

"More!" Shouted Connor.

"I'll share more stories after this chapter." Replied Percy.

This trip, I was determined to be good.

"Like that'll happen" Said Thalia.

All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit,

Percy made a growling noise in his throat which everyone heard. Why is she so bad?

the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.

"WHAT?" Shouted Thalia and Annabeth. Isn't that the satyr who failed to save Thalia? Thought Zeus.

Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.

"Wow. I think he'll like that description!" Said Nico.

"I was twelve!" Argued Percy.

"Stupid satyr. Almost blowing his cover." Muttered Athena.

Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair,

Hearing this, Percy, Annabeth and Thalia growled.

and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation.

Annabeth facepalmed.

"What did you do?" Asked Apollo.

The headmaster had threatened me with death

"WHAT?" Shouted Poseidon.

by in-school suspension

"Oh..." Said Poseidon sitting back down on his throne.

if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

"I'm going to kill her, " I mumbled.

"Do it!" Said Ares.

Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter. "

"Poor Grover." Muttered Thalia.

He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it. " I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.

"Awww!" Complained Ares.

"You're already on probation, " he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens. "

Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.

Poseidon paled slightly.

Mr Brunner led the museum tour.

"Ooohhh!" Said everyone, finally figuring out why Percy was snickering earlier.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for the past two thousand, three thousand years.

"Oh much longer than that, boy" Said Athena.

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting,

"Percy!" Snapped Thalia.

but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up,

"Couldn't you of said it in a kinder way?" Asked Annabeth.

"Well... no" Replied Percy.

the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.

"Hmmm" Thought everyone. Where do I know a Mrs. Dodds? thought Hades.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

Hades eyes widened. It was Alecto? I hope Poseidon isn't that mad!

"She sounds mean" Said Apollo.

"She was" Replied Percy.

"A nervous breakdown?" Asked Poseidon.

From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was the devil spawn.

"No Percy, it's not you. Its Nico!" Said Thalia.

"Yeah Per- Wait i'm not a devil spawn!" Said Nico. Everyone started snickering. Which turned into laughter. And even more laughter. So Percy decided to turn back to the book.

She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.

"oooh!" Said the Stolls.

"Oh yeah? Well I bet you had worse!" Retorted Percy.

"No we didnt!" Said the stolls.

"Travis did!" Said Connor.

"No you did!" Argued Travis.

"GUYS! CUT IT OUT!" Shouted Katie, breaking the twins apart.

"Thanks Katie!" Said Percy.

One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight,

"Wow..." Said Artemis.

"Yeah that is quite harsh" Agreed Hermes.

"What did your mum say?" Asked Poseion.

I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."

"Grover!" Chorused everyone.

"I knew that satyr was no good!" Muttered Zeus.

"Dad! How can you say that? Grover is the most sweetest, kindest and brave satyr I have ever met!" Said Thalia and everyone agreed with her, and glared at Zeus- who shrunk back down in his throne.

Mr Brunner kept talking about funeral art.

"Talk about depressing!" Said Apollo.

"I know right?" Said Percy.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"

"Yeah Perce!" Said Nico, fist pumping the air. Thalia rolled her eyes. Boys.

It came out louder than I meant it to.

Annabeth, Poseidon, Athena, Thalia, Katie and Aphrodite facepalmed.

"Of course it did, seaweed brain." Muttered Annabeth.

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Must've been embarrassing for you" Said Travis snickering.

"Yeah it was" Said Percy.

"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"

"LOL!" Said Hermes.

"DAD! STOP EMBARASSING US!" Souted the stolls.

My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."

"Oh. my. gods! Percy is using his manners?! What has the world come to?!" Shouted Thalia, dramtically looking up to the sky, and kneeling on the floor.

"Like father, like daughter" Whispered Hades to Poseidon.

"I know. He should be the god of theatre!" Poseidon whispered back.

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

"10 drachemas (Did I spell it right?) Percy doesn't know what it is!" Said Travis to Connor.

"Deal!" Replied Connor. Katie shook her head. Will they ever learn?

I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"HA!" Said Connor. Travis reluctantly took 10 drachemas out of his pocket and gave them to Connor.

"It had to be that one!" Grumbled the Gods/Godesses who experienced it.

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."

"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and - "

"GOD?" shouted Zeus.

"Peace Brother! I'm sure Mr Brunner will correct him." Zeus sat back down in his throne.

"God?" Mr Brunner asked.

"See?" Said Poseidon.

"Titan," I corrected myself. "And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters - "

"EWWW!" Said Aphrodite. Cue eye rolls.

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.

" - and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."

"The biggest battle in Greek history, and you summed it up in two sentences." Said Piper. (Sorry! Forgot about Piper and Leo and Jason! I'll include them in the next chapter.)

Some snickers from the group.

"Why are they laughing? He got the answer correct?" Asked Annabeth.

Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids. '"

"And why, Mr. Jackson, " Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted!" Shouted Hermes, Leo, The stolls and Apollo.

"Busted, " Grover muttered.

"WE THINK LIKE A GOAT!" Exclaimed Hermes, Leo, The stolls and Apollo.

"Shut up, " Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

"That must've been funny to watch!" Said Thalia gleefuly.

"It was!" Said Percy

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong.

"GO CHIRON!" Shouted nearly everyone.

He had radar ears.

"More like horse ears" Said Percy. And then everyone started to chuckle.

I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir. "

Everyone stared at Percy.

"What?" Asked Percy.

"Do you know the answer now?" Asked Nico.

"Pfft of course!" Exclaimed Percy.

"I see. " Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

"Happy note?" Said most people, while others said "Who could eat after hearing that?".

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doo-fuses.

"OF course they are!" Said Artemis.

"But you LUUUVVVV US!" Said her twin.

"No I dont! Boys are arrogant pigs!" Shouted Artemis. All the males in the room had a hurt expression on their faces.

Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson. "

I knew that was coming.

"Finally! Something Percy knows!" Exclaimed Thalia dramatically.

I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"

Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.

"He probably has" Muttered Piper.

"You must learn the answer to my question, " Mr. Brunner told me.

"About the Titans?"

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it. "

"Oh. "

"The typical Seaweed Brain response" Laughed Annabeth.

"What you learn from me, " he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. "

I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.

"It was for the best" Said Poseidon.

I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman per-son who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped. But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No-he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.

"I know them now!" Said Percy, interrupting himself.

I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.

"He was" Said Athena.

He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.

The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas.

The gods/godesses looked at Poseidon and Zeus.

"What?" Asked Zeus.

"We want to know what you were arguing about" Said Hermes.

"Well we dont know! It's in the future!" Said Poseidon. Now the Olympians looked at the future demigods.

"Not saying a word" They said.

We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurri-cane blowing in.

"It must be really bad" Said Jason. You have no idea, thought Percy.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.

"Of course" Muttered Poseidon.

Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.

"Did it work?" Asked Nico.

"I dunno, probably not." Answered Percy, shrugging.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah, " I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius. "

"No truer words said Perce." Said Thalia. Percy just grumbled.

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"

"Everyone burst out laughing and rolled on the floor. Even Hades chuckled. Once everoyne got settled down, wiped the tears from their eyes, and picked their chairs up, Percy began to read again.

I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.

"Sally?" Asked Poseidon.

"Yeah" Answered Percy.

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.

"OMIGOSH! Can I build one?" Asked Leo like a 5 year old getting sweets.

"I can help son." Said Hephestus. They shared a smile.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

Everyone groaned.

"Oops. " She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray- painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

"EWWW!" I think you can guess who said that. "SHE NEEDS A MAKE-OVER!".

"You have the weirdest descriptions ever!" Laughed Nico.

I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper.

"Yeah but knowing Perce, that wouldn't help." Said Katie. Percy paled slightly, this was when they would probably figure out that Poseidon was his father.

But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

A wave? Athena thought.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

"YES! SOME ACTION!" Screamed Ares.

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

"Monster?" Asked Poseidon.

"..yes" Said Percy, not wanting to make his dad worried. But Poseidon paled.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"

"-the water-"

"-like it grabbed her-"

"POSEIDON!" Zeus roared. "YOU BROKE OATH!". He got out his lightning bolt and prepared to zap Percy.

"STOP!" Defended Poseidon. "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO KILL MY SON! You have two children right there" He pointed to Thalia and Jason.

I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc. , etc. , Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a tri-umphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester.

"Now, honey-"

"I know, " I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks. "

"NO!" Screamed Hermes and the stolls.

"Never-" Started Hermes.

"Guess-" Said Connor.

"your-" FInished Travis.

"PUNISHMENT!" They chorused. Cue eye rolls.

That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Of course it wasn't" Muttered Annabeth.

"Come with me, " Mrs. Dodds said.

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her. "

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.

"Poor goat" Said Apollo.

She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood, " she said.

"But-"

"You-will-stay-here.

Grover looked at me desperately.

"It's okay, man, " I told him. "Thanks for trying. "

"Honey, " Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now. "

Nancy Bobofit smirked.

Percy's friends and Poseidon growled. He tightened his arm around Annabeth's waist.

I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.

"Ooooh scary" Snickered Ares.

"Uhh Lord Ares, it's really scary." Said Nico.

"Come on then Worm, give me your best shot." Percy gave Ares his extra deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare, and he got so scared he peed himself. Ares flashed out the throne room.

"Dude! That was FREAKIN AWESOME!" Exclaimed Leo.

"And terrifying!" Squeaked Piper.

"Thanks" Said Percy.

Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.

"How did she get there so fast?" Asked Poseidon.

How'd she get there so fast?

Everyone chuckled.

"Like Father, Like son." Laughed Apollo.

I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.

"It's not that." Said Annabeth.

I wasn't so sure.

I went after Mrs. Dodds.

People groaned.

"Why?" Asked Poseidon, worried for his son.

"Sorry" Percy smiled sheepishly.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.

I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.

"CHIRON!" Exclaimed the demigods and Poseidon.

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.

But apparently that wasn't the plan.

I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.

Except for us, the gallery was empty.

"No witnesses." Said Athena.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.

Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...

"She probably did" Said Hades. He earned a few curious glances.

"You've been giving us problems, honey, " she said.

I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am. "

Even Thalia was too scared for her cousin to make a joke.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.

I hope not. Thought Poseidon. He gripped his trident so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson, " Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain. "

I didn't know what she was talking about.

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't... "

"Your time is up, " she hissed.

"Hissed?" Squeaked Poseidon.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.

"YOU SENT A FURY AFTER MY SON?" Shouted Poseidon.

"DAD!" Percy shouted. "IM ALRIGHT! JUST CALM DOWN!" Surprisingly it worked.

Then things got even stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"A pen?" Asked Artemis.

"A pen" Comfirmed Percy.

"What does a pen do?" Asked Zeus.

"You'll see..." Said Percy grinning.

"Is that riptide?" Whispered Annabeth.

"Yeah" Percy whispered back.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.

With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.

"Riptide!" The demigods exclaimed. That pen had saved their lives countless of times.

Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.

Everyone held their breath.

My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

"Percy won't give up easily." Said Thalia.

And she flew straight at me.

Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.

"How does that come naturally?" Asked Jason. Percy shrugged.

"Yeah well, Percy here, is the most skilled swordsman in the last 300 hundred years." Said Annabeth proudly.

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Everyone cheered and let out the air they didnt realise they were holding.

"PERCY RULES!" Shouted the stolls. Percy grinned at them.

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.

"I can't believe your first monster was a fury, and you didnt even get hurt!" Said Piper.

" I wish it was some other monster, less dangerous. No monster at all would be good." Said Poseidon.

I was alone.

There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.

My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or some-thing.

"Magic mushrooms?" Asked Chris.

"Well I didnt know you guys would be reading my thoughts!" Defended Percy.

Had I imagined the whole thing?

"Dont let the mist affect you" Said Athena.

I went back outside.

It had started to rain.

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt. "

"Who?" Asked most people.

I said, "Who?"

I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.

"Ahhh. Mortal minds, so easy to affect." Mused Hermes.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

"I bet Grover will spill the beans." Said Thalia.

He said, "Who?"

But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.

"Not funny, man, " I told him. "This is serious. "

"So serious" Said Poseidon.

Thunder boomed overhead.

"Dramatic as always" Laughed Hades. Yeah. Laughed.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, read-ing his book, as if he'd never moved.

I went over to him.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson. "

"Classic" Laughed Hermes.

I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.

"Sir, " I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at me blankly. "Who?"

The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."

He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"

"Now that, is how you lie!" Exclaimed Hermes.

"Boys." He said pointing to the stolls and Chris. "Give the satyr lieing lessons when you get back to camp."

"Gladly." They smiled.

"Alright, who wants to read next?" Asked Percy.

"I will" Said Poseidon.

And Poseidon began to read.