Percy's poor clearsight always makes me laugh.

I don't think Chiron is a very good teacher, Percy with one summers training could go up against massive cabins...that says a lot since a lot of Apollo's kids are year rounders with much greater experience... but he only taught Thalia to control the Mist not Percy who objectively needed it more.

Also in this story Percy and Aaron trained at least three days a week, making both much better in combat then in series...

Aaron's last day at the joke that was Meriwether College Prep started off well enough. Being a seventh/eighth grade hybrid he had a mixture of classes from each year so he could move onto highschool in the next year. As a "progressive" school in downtown Manhattan, his classes were not anything great so he was grateful that he already knew most of what they taught. Still it wasn't all bad, they sat on beanbag chairs instead of at desks, and they didn't get grades, and the teachers wore jeans and rock concert Tshirts to work. out. The only bad thing about Meriwether was that the teachers always looked on the bright side of things and the kids were idiots. The school had no discipline or structure and that allowed bullies and abusers to build through the cracks of the system.

The best example of the school's failings especially with Bullies could be seen in English. The whole middle school had read this book called Lord of the Flies, a classic example of the absence of authority and control in children. For the final exam, our teachers sent us into the break yard to spend an hour with no adult supervision to see what would happen. What happened was a massive wedgie contest between the seventh and eighth graders, two pebble fights, and a full-tackle basketball game. The school bully, Matt Sloan, led most of those activities. Sloan wasn't big or strong, but he acted like he was reminding Aaron of a chihuahua only with less potential for danger. He had eyes like a pit bull, and shaggy black hair, and he always dressed in expensive but sloppy clothes, like he wanted everybody to see how little he cared about his family's money. One of his front teeth was chipped from the time he'd taken his daddy's Porsche for a joyride and run into a PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR CHILDREN sign.

Sloan, fool that he was, looked in Tyson's general direction getting a very hateful look from Aaron and Percy. They spent most of their time watching over the poor cyclops as it was, and this time was no different. Being a literal baby in the body of someone in their teens, people thought it okay to abuse and torment the poor guy, so watching over him was a full time job.

"Leave him be Sloan." Aaron kept his tone light, knowing the Tyson was more then capable of defending himself but the poor dear shouldn't have had to.

Sloan ignored the advice and threat snuck up behind him and tried to give him a wedgie, and Tyson panicked. He swatted Sloan away a little too hard. Sloan flew fifteen feet and got tangled in the little kids' tire swing. "You freak!" Sloan yelled. "Why don't you go back to your cardboard box!" Tyson started sobbing. He sat down on the jungle gym so hard he bent the bar, and buried his head in his hands.

Aaron just sighed, walking over to pull Tyson into a hug, patting his back softly while glaring hatefully at the idiot that was Sloan.

"Take it back, Sloan!" Percy shouted, his hands balled into dangerous fists. It was almost funny, Sloan had no idea that both of them were trained in combat, both hand to hand, wrestling and with weapons. They could, individually, put him in an early grave in seconds. He just wished Percy would give in, as it was Aaron was damn close to it.

Sloan just sneered at them. "Why do you even bother, Jackson? You might have friends if you weren't always sticking up for that freak."

Percy flushed bright red. "He's not a freak. He's just…"

"A kid, more sensitive then most but you will leave him alone Sloan." Aaron wasn't a hero, he didn't have to stop himself. "You and I will go a few rounds if you keep your shit up." Sloan paled, Aaron was easily half a foot taller then him and built. The fat he used to carry had burned away, mostly, leaving him well muscled and strong from the triweekly sparring sessions between Aaron and Percy. He weighed one hundred and eighty pounds and a good portion was muscle that peaked through his tight shirt. Other then Tyson, Aaron was the biggest kid in the school. "Try me, I dare you."

Sputtering, Sloan recoiled for a moment before a hand gripped his shoulder, making him look at the goons he carried with him... of which there seemed to be a lot more.

"Just wait till PE, Jackson, Mathews" Sloan called. "You are so dead."

Pulling away from Tyson, he stepped towards Sloan and the boy actually started to rush off...

"Is it just me or are their more of them... and their big?" He looked at the idiots walking away with the embarrassed Sloan, they were huge. Each of them almost rivaled Tyson in terms of high and size, and they radiated a sense of... "Huh, there's something odd about them. I can't put my finger on it..."

Eventually First period ended and the main teacher, Mr. de Milo, came outside to inspect the carnage. He pronounced that we'd understood Lord of the Flies perfectly. We all passed his course, and we should never, never grow up to be violent people. Matt Sloan nodded earnestly, then gave me a chiptoothed grin, earning him more hate from Aaron. He promised to sock the boy the moment the school year was over, right in his ugly face.

Percy and Aaron had other concerns however, mainly a sobbing Tyson.

Percy, being a tad closer to the Cyclops, leaned in. "Come on Tyson, I'll buy you an extra peantbutter sandwich if you stop crying."

The near radiant look that crossed Tyson's face was painful, that something so simple would mean so much to him was almost painful. "I … I am a freak?" he asked his deep voice filled with a child's tremble.

"No," Percy promised, gritting his teeth and looking at Aaron for backup. "Matt Sloan is the freak."

Grabbing Tyson's hand, knowing how much he enjoyed contact, Aaron squeezed tight. "Your a big strong boy, that's it. He can't managed to add up to how awesome your super Cyclops strength is. He's just jealous cause he looks like a squirrels butt."

Tyson almost snorted, looking with his big round eye. "You are good friends. Miss you next year if … if I can't …" His voice trembled.

"Don't worry, big guy. It'll be fine." Percy's guilty expression was almost painful to watch.

"We'll figure something out if they don't. Maybe we can get you to live with us, and you can go to another School with us."

Tyson's eyes quivered with loving tears. "I... I can't I... "

Poking the sweetheart's nose, he got a giggle out of him. "Sally knows your a Cyclops sweetness, she doesn't care."

"Wait she does?" He looked baffled and confused.

They both nodded, with Percy speaking next. "None of us care about that, your a good friend Tyson."

"Maybe... maybe I can then."

"Maybe kiddo."

"""

Math was next for Aaron, and sadly he wasn't in a position to beam Sloan in his ugly face, but he did have the chance to peak through his spell book some more and practice with his runes. He was working hard on them since they were needed to evolve past his current level and start to branch out. He was almost done with the basics. They would unlock enchantments, curses, hexes, cures and construction magic. Even wards were tied into Runic magic! It was his fondest goal to cast a powerful spell over their house to keep them safe on a permeant level, so Percy could stay home without having to always be around Tyson to be safe. Maybe he could sell the Runes to the kids in CHB in case Luke actually managed to start a war.

Biology was next for him and thankfully they didn't have to dissect anything, they just spent their time watching a dumb video on biological processes like death and b birth. It wasn't even an interesting video and two kids fell asleep. Still it was their last day and so he gritted his teeth and endured until it was over, making a point to once again practice his runes as much as he could. It was really the only thing he could actually do, magically speaking, that didn't expend tremendous power ( for him anyway) and still be productive.

Thankfully this boring video wasn't meant to be forever and so he was soon let out and on his way to the Gym Lockers. It was time for PE. It was the best day for him, if nothing else he would get the chance to beam Sloan in his ugly face with a ball and get away with it. Their Gym teacher was basically a human mummy, he wouldn't even notice. Unfortunately, the gym uniform at Meriwether is sky blue shorts and tie-dyed T-shirts which Aaron tore into as fast as he could before waiting for Tyson. He knew the boy needed someone to guard the door for him, and Percy really got annoyed with having to do it even if he tried to hide it.
Tyson, seeing him, all but sprinted into the weight room to get dressed, a thankful look on his face. The sight broke Aaron's heart, he knew why Tyson did that. His back, beyond the hair, was covered in dozens of horrible scars like he had been clawed up by a big cat or dog.

People had picked on the boy before about it, but when they did he snapped and started tearing off locker doors in a fit. It was a terrifying sight and in fact was the moment that Aaron had been prepared to slay Tyson, thinking the Cyclops had shown his true nature... only he was right just in the wrong way. He wasn't showing he was a horrible monster but a child throwing a tantrum. He sobbed the entire time, shaking when confronted close to passing out from exertion and stress. It was a hell of a sight.

"Thank you, Aaron."

"Not a problem, sweetness."

When we got into the gym, Coach Nunley was sitting at his little desk reading Sports Illustrated. Nunley was about a million years old, with bifocals and no teeth and a greasy wave of gray hair. He radiated some kind of energy that just left Aaron exhausted, maybe it was reminder of his technical mortality? Maybe it was disgust and indigestion? Who knew, either way he hated the old man.

Then again, he hated most things about their shithole of a school.

Matt Sloan, to the surprise of no one, said, "Coach, can I be captain?"

"Eh?" Coach Nunley looked up from his magazine. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Mm-hmm."

Sloan grinned and took charge of the picking. He made Percy the other team's captain, but it didn't matter who he picked, because all the jocks and the popular kids moved over to Sloan's side. So did the big group of visitors. On Percy's side he had Tyson, Corey Bailer the computer geek, Raj Mandali the calculus whiz, and a half dozen other kids who always got harassed by Sloan and his gang... and, naturally, Aaron who cracked his knuckles, enjoying the rare chance to show of his earned physique. Tyson-he was worth half a team all by himself, and Aaron personally was worth at least five kids easy since he had been training with Percy... however that advantage was taken down by the visitors on Sloan's team. Each of them were almost as tall and strong-looking as Tyson, and there were six of them. Matt Sloan spilled a cage full of balls in the middle of the gym.

"Scared," Tyson mumbled. "Smell funny." Percy and Aaron looked at him, a horrible feeling in the pit of Aaron's stomach.

"What smells funny?" Percy didn't seem to be making the connection

"Them." Tyson pointed at Sloan's new friends. "Smell funny."

It made sense and Aaron froze turning to Percy. "Grover would say that."

Percy looked confused for a moment. " But that would mean... oh crap." He reached towards the sides of his pants, paling. "I have no pockets."

They new what that meant, and Aaron jangled his bracelets. " I have mine but were are in public."

The visitors were cracking their knuckles, eyeing us like it was slaughter time. Their forms shimmered and Aaron's eyes widened, the Mist around them was too potent even for him to see through. The instant Sloan blew the whistle, his team ran for the center line. On the other side, Raj Mandali yelled something in Urdu, probably "I have to go potty!" and ran for the exit. Corey Bailer tried to crawl behind the wall mat and hide. The rest of his team did their best to cower in fear and not look like targets.

"Tyson," Percy said. "Let's g-" A ball slammed into Percy's gut and he sat down hard in the middle of the gym floor. The other team exploded in laughter.

Tyson yelled, "Percy, duck!" Percy rolled as another dodgeball whistled past my ear at the speed of sound. Whooom! It hit the wall mat, and Corey Bailer yelped.

"Hey!" Percy yelled at Sloan's team just as Aaron grabbed the ball that had just been thrown, summoning a thread of magic and focusing on his spells. "You could kill somebody!"

"I hope so, Perseus Jackson! I hope so!" Joe bob, according to his name tag, almost seemed to grow as he said Percy's full name. He and the freaks around him swelled to a massive size and in an instant the Mist that had been tightly curled around him evaporated and they were no longer kids.

They were eight-foot-tall giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms tattooed with snakes and hula women and Valentine hearts. Matt Sloan dropped his ball. "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who …"

The other kids on his team started screaming and backing toward the exit, but the giant named Marrow Sucker threw a ball with deadly accuracy. It streaked past Raj Mandali just as he was about to leave and hit the door, slamming it shut like magic. Raj and some of the other kids banged on it desperately but it wouldn't budge.

Magic was involved and Aaron knew he was screwed.

"Incante: Accelero!" He threw the ball, and the spell took effect, tripling the speed of the throw to the point where it slammed hard into a giant, getting them to stumble and look at him in shock. "Redi!" The very same ball returned, flying across the ground to his hand via his new favorite spell to use with his arrows. Having a returning weapon was vital in this kind of battle. "Accelero!" He tossed the ball hard, watching the magic triple the speed until it slammed into another giant's face, getting him to fall flat on his back.

A noticeable drain to his magic actually turned out to be a good thing, making Aaron kneel with a pant, causing a ball to go flying above his head.

He heard one of the giants, apparently responding to Percy. "And lose our tasty morsels? No, Son of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!" He waved his hand and a new batch of dodgeballs appeared on the center line-but these balls weren't made of red rubber. They were bronze, the size of cannon balls, perforated like wiffle balls with fire bubbling out the holes. They must've been searing hot, but the giants picked them up with their bare hands.

"Shit, Laistrgonians!" Gathering his strength, Aaron cast his hands out just as one threw one of the firey cannonballs. " Sanctus!"

Like a net, his magic washed across the air slowing the ball from bullet speed to something more akin to what a paintball would fly at. He felt his stomach swirl as the net of magic drained his power mystical energy.

Percy screamed out as the ball soared past him, Corey!" Tyson, unafraid and powerful, pulled him out from behind the exercise mat just as the ball pounded harshly against it."Run!" I told my teammates. "The other exit!"

"What would that have done had I not slowed it down?" His question was empty but he new the answer.

They ran for the locker room, but with another wave of Joe Bob's hand, that door also slammed shut. "No one leaves unless you're out!" Joe Bob roared. "And you're not out until we eat you!" He launched his own fireball. Their teammates scattered as it crashed harshly against the ground, leaving a harsh divot in the ground.

Another fireball came streaking toward Percy. Tyson pushed him out of the way, but the explosion still blew him head over heels.

"Stop with your magic, sorcerer! This isn't your fight!" With hate and anger, the tallest of them, Joe Bob, glared at him and threw a ball at blinding speeds. The magic wavered under the assault, weakening considerably as he dodged the blast, rolling with the motion. "We will enjoy eating you as well!"

He glared at the monstrous man, hatefilled and frustrated at his natural limitations and praying that none of these poor kids would end up a meal. They didn't deserve that, no one did. "Back off, beast, this isn't the place to eat."

"Percy needs help!" Tyson's voice yelled out from somewhere behind him, just as two firey balls were thrown by two of the nameless beasts, right past Aaron and at wherever Percy was.

Aaron was too slow and tired to see what he was doing but he heard Percy scream out. "Tyson!"

Then two firey balls rocketed forward, right past him once again and right at the two giants. Tyson's voice screamed out the entire time, "BAAAAAD!" as the bronze spheres exploded against their chests. Their bodies burst into flame and dust, leaving little behind.

They had a chance.

Shaking his bracelets, Aaron summoned his trident and buckler, praying the Mist would cover them up since they were enchanted. "For Posiden!" He bellowed out, hoping it would stroke his stepfather's ego at a little, and charged the giants, ducking under fire filled balls and jab at them. The first one, Marrow Sucker, didn't even defend himself as Aaron thrust his trident forward, piercing his stomach, forcing him to kneel long enough to get slammed in the chin with a hard buckler.

The force was strong enough that the Giant actually burst into flame, a flame that seared off Aaron's forearm hair.

"My brothers!" Joe Bob the Cannibal wailed. He flexed his muscles, anger and the wrath of a thousand suns danced in his eyes, even as he dodged Aaron's jabs and swings. " "You will pay for their destruction! First you, Sorcerer!" He swatted against his buckler, a painful strike that sent a pulse through Aaron's arm and almost made him drop his shield.

He wished he had his hoodie, it would have protected him against the Giant's attack more then he was.

"Tyson! Look out!" Another comet hurtled past Aaron, shattering his slow spell entirely as it exploded behind him. T

Kids were running around screaming, trying to avoid the sizzling craters in the floor. Others were banging on the door, calling for help. Sloan himself stood petrified in the middle of the court, watching in disbelief as balls of death flew around him.

"Victory will be ours!" roared Joe Bob the Cannibal. "We will feast on your bones!" Reaching back, he managed to get past Aaron's guard, slamming home against the mortal's chest with enough force to send him back, ass over tea kettle, knocking him flat out...

…But only for a moment, the sound of another explosion woke him, making him stand quickly, ignoring the searing pain in his chest. His vision swirled before him but he saw Joe Bob, facing off against an angry Tyson, fist for fist. Percy was creeping around, his sword Riptide was in his hand and he was approaching from the back, a wise look in his eye as he did so. He waited, watching the two giants as they dueled, loud thuds filling the already loud gymnasium.

But that didn't matter, he had worse things to worry about.

To his shame, Aaron fell to his knees, hand over his chest, chanting with the little last bit of his magic. "I have to heal this, I think he cracked my ribs. If I don't, I could puncture a lung... I wish I had an offering for this hymn or at least something from my collection of potions... damn it." He felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest with every breath, he swore he heard the cracked ribs rubbing against each other. Trying, and mostly failing to ignore the pain and struggle to breathe more then a harsh wheeze, he chanted a hymn to Apollo. "Cura erat et curanda, o Apollo, Aesculapius ex forti Pater, Domine, et lux ex Sole; Restituere id quod est confringetur: in nomine meo, me iubes caro et supplex oro, ut mihi succurras in hoc opus." He groaned out the words, biting through the complex hymn in dead Latin.

Thankfully he at least felt his own magic react, sending warm healing magic through out his flesh, his hands glowing a soft purple as they radiated magic into his skin, muscle and finally bone. Broken blood vessels screamed at him as they slowly fused together. His ribs, which where definitely broken, did the same but with a much louder and more painful scream...

And that jerk of a god, Apollo, never offered a drop of his power despite the spell invoking his aid.

Aaron would remember that.

Standing for a second, Aaron quickly fell to his knees as a rampant bloody nose and horrific headache overtook him. He coughed, something that aggravated his barely healed ribs, and cursed. "I used too much power, I drew on my lifeforce... damn." The world swirled more, a blackness almost took him and he felt his very spirit quiver in his damaged vessel. Just like the summer before, when he broke the magic of Hephestus, he almost damaged his very spirit.

This wasn't good.

Thankfully he heard a beautiful sound. "And you, lay off my friend."

Turning up, he saw her, battered but beautiful. The smartest Demigoddess there was, and sort of a good friend of his...

Annabeth Chase.

'I missed her.' He shocked himself by admitting, but it was to be expected. They had been exchanging letters, as had Percy, over the last year. She was excited to share her journeys with her dad, visiting monuments and she was oddly eager to hear all about his journeys with magic. A friendship had fully developed between them at this point.

"Annabeth …" Percy stammered out from his place next to her and Tyson and a very barely conscious Sloan he presumed she knocked the fuck out. "How did you … how long have you …"

"Pretty much all morning." She sheathed her bronze knife. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you, but you were never alone."

"The shadow I saw this morning-that was-" He watched as his brother's face turned beat red. "Oh my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?"

"There's no time to explain!" she snapped, though she looked a little red-faced herself. "I just didn't want to-"

"There!" a woman screamed. The doors burst open and the adults came pouring in.

"Meet me outside," Annabeth told Percy, before turning to Aaron with a warm but panicky smile. " Come one... ohAnd him." She pointed to Tyson, who was still sitting dazed against the wall. Annabeth gave him a look of distaste that Aaron fully understood. . "You'd better bring him. Hurry!"

She put on her Yankees baseball cap, which was a magic gift from her mom, and instantly vanished. Aaron envied that object, wanting it for himself.

"Percy Jackson?" Mr. Bonsai said. "What … how …"

Over by what was apparently now a broken wall, Tyson groaned and stood up from the pile of cinder blocks. "Head hurts."

Matt Sloan was coming around, too. He focused on me with a look of terror. "Percy did it, Mr. Bonsai! He set the whole building on fire. Coach Nunley will tell you! He saw it all!"

Coach Nunley had been dutifully reading his magazine, but just my luck-he chose that moment to look up when Sloan said his name. "Eh? Yeah. Mm-hmm." The other adults turned toward Percy.

Aaron had enough. "Nunley wasn't paying attention, you know what Sloan is like. If you want to look at someone look at the kid who drove his dad's car into a kids playing sign. He was throwing Moltav Cocktails with those idiots he brought with him, They ran off though... right Percy!" His words, filled with the weakest strain of magic he was able, was enough to get Percy's eyes to widen.

His training kicked in and he nodded, snapping his fingers, forcing the Mist to obey his will. Percy's magic, while barely trained since he struggled with the mental complexity needed for magic, was extremely powerful and the simple pushing of the Mist was something he could manage. Still it wasn't perfect, but Sloan's record and attitude were a powerful thing. They wanted him to be the bad guy since he had been so often, and it was this was forced the Mist, a nearly visible ripple through the air, to wash over the adults who turned to Sloan and charged, anger in their eyes.

They may have liked to look on the bright side, but this was too much and their anger took over.

The kid yelped, looking utterly terrified as his own memories were swayed by the Mist. He now believed he had done just as Aaron had said.

Distracted and out of the way, The adults never noticed Aaron, Tyson and Percy all but charge out of the broken wall, hoping the Mist would keep in strength as they left.

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was so hard to write, I hate writing action scenes since I just lack the eye for them. I think the changes I made felt within character though...

Accelerate

Return

Slow

Ease and heal, oh Apollo, mighty father of Asclepsius, Lord of Light and the Sun. Restore what has been broken, in your name I command my flesh and beg humbly that you aid me in this task.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.