A/N:
Wow! I'm amazed at the response I'm already getting on this story! Thanks to all who have been reviewing thus far. It's encouraging to know people like how this is written and how I'm presenting it. I'm flattered that you all want to see this continue, and it will. I'm having fun working on this little project. And if there's any X-Men fans, be sure to check out my story collaborations I'm working on with MarvelMaster616. One is on Archive of Our Own titled Rewrite the Stars. Another is my headcanon on here titled Peace in Our Time.
DC-MarvelGirl 1997
Chapter 2 – Piper, Percy, and Leo
As the head counselor of the Poseidon cabin, Percy's main duties as a counselor included Pegasus riding lessons for the younger children, canoe lessons, and swimming lessons. Being connected to the sea and equestrian animals, the younger campers looked to him for all these things. And it just so happened that his final lesson of the day was his Pegasus riding course, which he led with Blackjack – his Pegasus of choice.
Dismounting, he turned to the young campers, most of which were younger children of Demeter, Apollo, and Iris. The kids were all as young as eight. He was grateful the only lessons he had left were Ancient Greek and sword-fighting, both of which he and Annabeth were in together. But those didn't take place until before the dinner hours. That left him and his friends spare time to read out of his journal, again.
There was a part of him wondering whether he'd regret letting the Seven and Nico read into something so private. But he recalled Annabeth's words from the other night of how they deserved to know. It wasn't just his history. It was theirs. And for all Percy knew, the future generation of demigods would be reading from his journals as part of their history classes at camp.
"Good work, everybody," he said as he petted Blackjack's face. He whinnied in delight as Percy slipped him a doughnut – which Percy managed to get from the Stoll brothers. Blackjack happily ate his jelly doughnut as Percy grabbed his reigns, leading him back to the stables.
Thanks, boss!
Percy managed a smile, guiding Blackjack along to the stables. After ensuring that Blackjack was free of his saddle and reigns and safely away in his stable, Percy made sure to follow through with the grooming, cleaning the Pegasus's hooves and brushing his mane and fur. Once satisfied that Blackjack was properly cared for, he left the Pegasus stables and went to the dining pavilion, where lunch was served. Annabeth even managed to slip away from the Athena table to sit next to him, her hand sliding into his.
"How were classes?" she asked softly.
"Long," he replied, accepting her kiss to his nose.
"Are you okay? With the others reading more from your journal?" she asked.
Percy swallowed. "I can't hide everything from them," he said. "For all I know, my stories will be in the camp history books, Annabeth. I have to be okay with it. Even if it means revealing things that are unpleasant."
Annabeth squeezed his hand gently. "I know you'd rather forget some of it," she said, her voice soothing.
Percy sighed as he ate his bowl of chili. Once finished, he pushed his bowl away and allowed the Naiads to take it away.
"Might as well get to the lake," he said, leading Annabeth to his cabin to grab his journal, knowing which entries would be read today. And his cabin being right by the lake, it was convenient. It allowed him to go for late-night swims when he needed to clear his head – that was if the harpies didn't catch him breaking curfew. He grabbed his journal off the floor next to his bed – where Jason had left it, and he led Annabeth towards the lake, where the others were waiting for them.
Taking his seat on a picnic blanket Leo had laid out, Percy stared off at the calm waters of the lake. He considered ripping off his shirt and taking a quick dive into it. But he also knew the others were eager to read the next passage.
"Who's reading?" he asked.
Piper took the journal from his hands. "I'll go," she said.
Percy nodded, watching from the corner of his eye as Piper opened it to where they left off last time. But everyone got the sense that what they were about to read was something bad.
"The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue," she said. "Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city."
"Father seems pretty pissed," murmured Jason, shuddering as he looked over at Percy.
"He had great reason to be," Percy whispered. "He's cut me a lot of breaks – half of which I don't deserve. That's my uncle being merciful. And I think Dad had a little to do with that, too."
The lake seemed to tremble in response – an answer from the Sea God himself. Percy managed a faint smile.
"Dad, I know you're listening," chuckled Percy.
Jason sighed. It still surprised him how well he and Percy got along. Their fathers were rivals on Olympus – to a point. Their personalities should have clashed. Yet somehow, Percy was his best friend – his confidant in every sense of the word.
"I figured maybe it was global warming or something –" said Piper, continuing to read.
"Global warming my ass," said Frank, shaking his head.
"At least we know the cause behind unnatural weather patterns," commented Nico. "We have our parents and distant relatives to blame."
"Especially if they have a bad day," Jason said, looking towards the sky, thinking about not just his father Jupiter, but his older sister – a member of the Hunters.
Piper continued. "– because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in."
"What was my dad so pissed about?" wondered Jason.
"Oh, you'll find out. It was not fun, either," Annabeth murmured, moving to sit behind Percy so she could wrap her arms around him tightly. Percy grabbed her hands and kissed her knuckles as her lips pressed against the top of his head.
"I can imagine," commented Jason. "Dad doesn't need a lot to make him angry."
The thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Sorry, Father," Jason said, sighing. Though he didn't sound very sorry. "But you know it's true." The thunder rumbled again. He just rolled his eyes, which caused a flash of lightning to appear.
"Okay, Jason," said Nico. "You've said enough to piss off the man in the sky."
"Before I thought that was the Lord – the one from Christianity," Jason said. "I guess Jesus Himself was a myth created by the gods."
"Nobody else seemed to notice," said Piper, continuing to read. "Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse –"
"Are these guys kids of Hermes?" Leo inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"If they were, I'd hate having to live with them. I think the Stolls would too," Percy groaned. "And in case you're wondering, the only friend I had at that school was Grover."
"I can't say I blame you," sighed Hazel. "I wouldn't blame you not wanting to get mixed up in that."
Piper sighed, glancing up so they had her attention. "Can I continue?" she asked.
"Sorry, Pipes," Percy sighed, tightening his hold on Annabeth's hands as Piper continued.
"–And of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing," Piper read. "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."
"Percy, to your credit, you're not a loser," Annabeth said. "A total Seaweed brain, but not a loser. Don't think so low of yourself."
Percy sighed. Sometimes, he wondered why Annabeth believed in him so much, even though he was an average at best student.
"What do you want from me?" he asked her. "I was twelve! And I didn't get why I was being pushed so hard to do well. All I ever did was try. But it was never enough. It was bad enough having a history teacher who called me "stupid" in the middle of class at least once a week!"
Annabeth's eyes went stormy as she said, "I'll find this teacher and have a nice talk with him," she growled, her voice sounding almost primal – like a momma bear.
"Not necessary, Wise Girl," sighed Percy as he felt Annabeth's curls brush against his cheek.
Piper glanced at them before continuing to read. "'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.'"
"You're a genius in a few areas," Annabeth murmured into his ear. She kissed his neck softly and he relaxed in her hold.
"Glad you think so, Wise Girl," he murmured back. "Just be glad I put up with you calling me a Seaweed brain. No one else can, but you."
Piper continued with, "Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to five me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, 'Can I have your apple?'"
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Typical Grover. He eats almost nothing! But if it's an apple or a tin can –"
"Or cheese enchiladas," Hazel said. "He's like me when I smell Creole gumbo. Gods, I'm craving it."
Everyone cracked a grin at that before Piper continued, a smile playing on her lips. "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."
"Awww, Momma's boy," teased Nico, grinning in Percy's direction.
"You would be if you had a mom like Sally Jackson," grinned Annabeth, a chuckle going past her lips.
Piper cooed slightly as she watched Annabeth and Percy kiss softly. "She'd hug me and be glad to see me," she read. "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 –"
"I would do the same thing," said Annabeth quietly.
"– and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me," Piper continued. "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 café table."
"At least when he's in human form he gets a sweet ride," commented Nico, grinning. "It almost makes me want one."
Everyone laughed at that, grinning at each other before Piper continued. "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 staling from the tourists – and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap."
"Please, tell me you made that bitch pay," groaned Nico.
"I agree! I hate this girl!" said Hazel.
"Listen to what happens next," Percy said, grinning at his friends.
"'Oops.' She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos."
"You're real good at being visual with your descriptions," Frank commented, his face wrinkled in disgust.
"That's what I thought at the time. I'm a truth teller," Percy said right back, leaning further into Annabeth's hold as Piper continued.
"I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, 'Count to ten, get control of your temper.' But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears."
"Seriously?" asked Jason.
Percy cracked a smile. "The sea doesn't like being contained. You can't stop it even if you tried."
"Unless you're Annabeth," teased Nico. "You tamed him well."
"It takes a special kind of girl to put up with this sea brain," grinned Annabeth playfully, running her fingers through Percy's hair. "Not many can."
Percy smiled sheepishly as Piper continued. "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!" cheered Nico, clapping. "THANK YOU!"
"Way to go, Aquaman!" grinned Leo, laughing.
"I swear I didn't mean it!" Percy said, but even he laughed right alongside Nico as Jason started cracking up. Frank laughed so hard, he shook slightly. But he had to stop himself with a slight cough before Piper continued to read. Only what she read next sent them all into uneasiness.
"Mrs. Dodds materialized next to me. Some of the kids were whispering '–Did you see –' '– the water –' '– like it grabbed her –'"
"So, I guess that was your mutant moment," commented Nico.
"I'd almost prefer being with the X-Men than this. The worst they have to deal with are humanoid robots and anti-mutant politicians," Percy said. "Our life is worse by comparison. No one in the mortal world will ever know of all we'd done."
"But it's for the best. Otherwise, we'd not only have monsters after us. We probably would have the US government after us. Then we would be the real-life X-Men," commented Annabeth before Piper continued with reading.
"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, ect., ect., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. 'Now honey –'"
"Let me guess?" murmured Jason. "This is where things start getting weird, right?"
Percy nodded, shivering as Annabeth held him even tighter in her arms. She whispered cooing noises in his ears to soothe him. Clearly, Percy's first encounter with this monster had left an effect on him.
"'I know,' I grumbled. 'A month erasing workbooks.' That was not the right thing to say."
"Oh, you think?" Hazel retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Never guess your punishment!" groaned Frank. "That's the worst thing that you can do! Especially in the presence of monsters, water boy!"
"How was I supposed to know?!" Percy asked, exasperated before Piper began to read again.
"'Come with me,' Mrs. Dodds said. 'Wait!' Grover yelped. 'It was me. I pushed her.'"
"Grover the MVP," said Jason, a smile playing on his lips.
"He really is," sighed Percy. "But at least he tried."
"Still wasn't enough," murmured Annabeth.
Piper swallowed hard before continuing to read. "I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death. 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. I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare."
"Yours is almost as good as mine," grinned Nico.
"Nope, yours is far better," Percy replied.
"It's all in the eyes," grinned Hazel as Piper leaned against Jason.
"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 at me impatiently to come on. How'd she get there so fast? I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I knew 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," Piper read.
"I bet you twenty drachmas that counselor was a monster," commented Jason.
"Oh, gee!" Percy groaned. "I'm sorry! I didn't stick around long enough to find out! And you know what? I really don't wanna know."
"I feel sorry for the next half-blood who goes to that school," sighed Frank.
"Can we continue?" Piper asked, but even she grinned a little at the banter between her boyfriend and friend.
Percy nodded. "Read on, Pipes," he said.
Piper swallowed before continuing to read aloud. "I wasn't so sure," she said, before adding to herself, "You were totally right to doubt that, Perce."
"I know now," Percy sighed as Piper continued.
"I went after Mrs. Dodds. 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. Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop."
"Oh, how I wished that was my punishment!" shuddered Percy, feeling Annabeth holding him even tighter as she kissed his neck softly. Piper continued to read. But even she seemed to be afraid of what would happen. She bit her lower lip on Percy's behalf.
"But apparently that wasn't the plan," she said. "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. 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 along with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it . . . 'You've been giving us problems, honey,' she said. I did the safe thing. I said, 'Yes, ma'am.' 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."
Percy tensed considerably. He still to a point had nightmares about Mrs. Dodds to this day. And Annabeth couldn't blame him. She just brought his hands up to her lips and kissed his knuckles before rubbing her fingers against them.
"Continue, Piper," she said.
Piper nodded, but her own voice shook with nerves. Her palms grew sweaty as the journal seemed to grow heavier in her hands. "I said, 'I – I'll try harder, ma'am.' Thunder shook the building. '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."
Frank and Leo gave Percy surprised glances. "I didn't know you had it in you," Leo commented.
"I had to make money for my bus and taxi rides home, somehow," Percy reasoned as Annabeth untangled their fingers so she could rub her hands up and down his arms. Piper continued reading aloud. After these next couple pages, they could move onto the next chapter.
"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," Piper said.
"Annabeth eventually made me read it," sighed Percy, grinning sheepishly before allowing Piper to continue.
"'Well?' she demanded. 'Ma'am, I don't . . .' 'Your time is up,' she hissed. Then, the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbeque 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."
"The Fury," murmured Nico, shuddering slightly.
Percy closed his eyes, inhaling deeply as Piper kept on reading.
"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. '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 days."
"Riptide," murmured Jason, sighing as his girlfriend kept on reading.
"Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes. My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword. She snarled, 'Die honey!' And she flew straight at me."
Percy seemed to grow pale as Piper continued. He closed his eyes tightly as Annabeth rocked him slightly. The Seven remembered that Percy was still scarred from his time in Tartarus – his time in there brought back the worst of everything, including this. Piper didn't hesitate to lean her hand on his arm softly. She couldn't blame him. Just reading the passage scared her, too.
"It's okay," she murmured, her voice laced with charmspeak. At the sound of it, Percy calmed considerably so Piper could continue.
"Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword. The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss! 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 was alone. There was a ballpoint pen in my hand. Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me."
"Okay . . . that's just weird," Leo shuddered.
Percy nodded in agreement. "The first monster I ever fought," he murmured. "I'd rather not see her again."
Annabeth nodded, leaning her chin on the top of his head. She ran her fingers playfully through his hair as Piper began reading once more.
"My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something," Piper said.
"I wish that had been it," Percy murmured, his voice still trembling as the memory remained fresh in his mind.
"Had I imagined the whole thing?" Piper read. "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.' I said, 'Who?' 'Our teacher. Duh!' I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about. She just rolled her eyes and turned away."
Everyone glanced at one another. They all knew that that was the Mist at work. Only Percy at the age of twelve didn't know that. He'd been oblivious about his birth . . . the life he would lead . . . why he was so hyperactive and why he couldn't read something so simple. And with that in mind, Piper wrapped up reading the rest of the chapter.
"I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was. 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.' I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading 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 you own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson.' 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. Dodd on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?'"
With that, Piper concluded reading, swallowing hard. Glancing at Percy, she saw the color return to his face. But his hands trembled slightly, as if the thought of Mrs. Dodds – the Fury Alecto – still scared him to death. But Percy swallowed hard, reaching his hands forward.
"Can I read next?" he asked her.
"Are you sure you want to?" Piper asked.
Percy nodded. "Yeah," he said.
Piper simply handed him the journal, allowing Percy to glance down and begin reading the second chapter. It was titled "Three Old Ladies Knit The Socks Of Death."
"The Fates," whispered Annabeth. "We thought for sure that when they appeared, they were referring to Percy. Grover was so certain."
"But they weren't?" guessed Piper.
Annabeth nodded. "We didn't find out until four years later," she whispered.
Percy swallowed hard, beginning to read. "I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced hat Mrs. Kerr – a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip – had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas. Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho. It got so I almost believed them – Mrs. Dodds had never existed. Almost. But Grover couldn't fool me."
"Never," commented Annabeth. "He's the worst liar in the world."
"Now that we all agree on," said Hazel, nodding at Percy to continue.
"When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying," Percy read. "Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat. The freak weather continued, whichc didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room."
"Wow . . . just when I thought Dad couldn't get more pissed," murmured Jason.
"Well, if you want to discuss technicality, that would be Poseidon's doing," Annabeth whispered. "He and Zeus were having some very bad fights during that time."
"But why?" asked Leo. "What could've pissed them off that badly?"
"You'll find out," whispered Percy, before he continued to read. "A few days later, the biggest tornado every spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year. I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time."
"I don't blame you," whispered Piper sympathetically. "If I almost got killed, and I was told by everyone that person didn't exist –"
"It makes you feel like there's something wrong with you," Annabeth agreed. "You think you're the only one. We've all felt that way."
She began brushing her hands up and down Percy's arms again, allowing him to continue reading. Percy swallowed, reading, "My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class."
"I did, too," Annabeth said.
Percy turned and looked at her incredulously. "You, Wise Girl?"
"I attracted a lot of monsters at the age of six," Annabeth explained. "I would scream so much in the middle of class due to a teacher being a monster, that the principal would come and get me to the office. And my life at home wasn't good either. The tension between my dad and my step-mom made World War II look like a small disagreement. All I wanted was for school to be a distraction from it all. But it just made things worse."
Percy nodded. "I can buy that," he said, aware of Annabeth's past. He began to read once more, tensing slightly. "Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot."
Leo, Frank, and Jason began laughing hysterically. Annabeth just giggled uncontrollably, saying between gasping breaths, "You . . . You called him a drunk!"
"Really? That's what it means?" Percy asked, managing to laugh slightly as Jason slapped his knee.
"That was good!" laughed Frank. "That was really good!"
"I was frustrated with a lot, okay?" Percy defended.
"Yeah, okay. That goes beyond frustrated," Leo said, shaking his head. He had to wipe a tear from his eye as Percy coughed slightly, determined to continue.
"I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good. The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Fine, I told myself. Just fine. I was homesick," Percy said.
Annabeth sighed, leaning another affectionate kiss to his head. She knew Percy felt the exact same way about Camp Half-Blood. It was his home in more ways than one. His only friends were here. Members of his extended family were all here. And she knew how much he missed it whenever the school year started. Whenever they left to start a new year at school, it felt as though a part of their hearts were cracking. But she also knew how much Percy loved his mother, step-father, and half-sister, and how even when he was away from them for a week, he missed them. And she knew he wouldn't admit it, but Percy also missed Thalia just as much.
"I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious step-father and his stupid poker parties," Percy continued, his tone laced with an underlying bitterness the others didn't expect. The way he said the word "step-father," he said it as if it were acid on his tongue.
"I thought your step-dad is a good guy," said Nico.
"This was before Paul," whispered Annabeth, her grey eyes going stony. Fire seemed to blaze within them. "Before, things weren't good. But I never knew the full extent."
"Well, either way, you're going to know when you read this," Percy whispered. "I'm sorry you have to find out this way."
Annabeth tensed considerably at that. What had Gabe Ugliano done that Percy hadn't told her about? But she decided to hold off on her feelings of rage towards Gabe until they got to that point. She just tilted Percy's head towards her and brushed her fingers against his lips softly.
"Continue," she whispered gently.
Percy nodded, going back to reading. "And yet . . . there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me."
The others either snorted or chuckled at that.
"Oh, I'm sure Grover would love to hear you think he's helpless," Frank retorted.
Percy turned and glared at his distant relative. "Don't you dare say a word to him, Frank!"
"Lips are sealed, man," Frank promised, gesturing for Percy to continue.
"I'd miss Latin class, too – Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. As Exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him," Percy read. "The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards."
"I hate that," murmured Jason.
"Me, too," whispered Annabeth. "I'd wake up every morning in a panic attack just thinking I'd have to read something out loud. And my spelling test scores were atrocious. I got kicked out of my kindergarten school because of fights I'd get into with my teacher."
Percy nodded in agreement, sighing before reading. "There was no way I was going to remember the differences between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it. I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around under my shirt. I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his test. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried."
Percy closed his eyes, clearly remembering. It had been one of the most frustrating times of his life, not knowing who he really was or why he couldn't string a simple sentence together on a piece of paper. And as Annabeth kept on rubbing his arms gently up and down, he slowly grew more relaxed in her hold. Only she could have such an effect on him and make him feel this way.
"I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said '. . . worried about Percy, sir.' I froze. I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult," Percy said.
"I really can't blame you," said Leo sympathetically.
"Especially if it's something bad," Piper added.
"Oh, it was," Percy muttered, before continuing. "'. . . alone this summer,' Grover was saying. 'I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too –' 'We would only make matters worse by rushing him,' Mr. Brunner said. 'We need the boy to mature more.' 'But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline –'"
"Wait, the summer solstice?" asked Piper. "What about that?"
"Hang on," said Annabeth. "We're getting to that soon."
"'Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can.' 'Sir, he saw her . . .' 'His imagination,' Mr. Brunner insisted. 'The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that.' 'Sir, I . . . I can't fail in my duties again.' Grover's voice was choked with emotion. 'You know what that would mean.' 'You haven't failed, Grover,' Mr. Brunner said kindly. 'I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall –'"
Piper and Jason both paled considerably. Hazel and Frank both had looks of worry in their eyes. Leo looked as though he were about to be sick. And Nico's eyes went wide. Annabeth just held onto Percy a little tighter, keeping him secure in her arms.
"The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud. Mr. Brunner went silent. My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall. A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow," Percy said, his voice tight.
"Wait . . . so you almost found out that –?" Leo started to ask.
Percy nodded. "I hoped that it was just a horrible dream," he said. With that, he continued to read. "I opened the nearest door and slipped inside. A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. 'Nothing,' he murmured. 'My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice.' 'Mine neither,' Grover said. 'But I could have sworn.' 'Go back to the dorm,' Mr. Brunner told him. 'You've got a long day of exams tomorrow.' 'Don't remind me.' The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office. I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm. Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night. 'Hey,' he said, bleary-eyed. 'You going to be ready for this test?' I didn't answer. 'You look awful.' He frowned. 'Is everything okay?' 'Just . . . tired.' I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed. I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing. But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger."
Percy concluded the paragraph, closing his eyes. Swallowing hard, he looked as though he didn't want to continue further. But they still had some time before their next round of activities. And the others wanted to continue. Leo extended a hand out.
"May I?" he asked.
Percy nodded, handing Leo the journal. Leo cleared his throat and began to read.
"The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside. For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem. 'Percy,' he said. 'Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's . . . It's for the best.' His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing noises," said Leo. His face went red as he whispered, "I really hate that girl. I'm glad she landed on her ass in the fountain."
"So did I," grumbled Percy, nodding at Leo. "Just keep going."
Leo nodded as he kept reading. "I mumbled, 'Okay, sir.' 'I mean . . .' Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. 'This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time.'"
"And he was right," whispered Percy. "Mortal schools were never the place for me. This is where I belong. My life . . . everything is here."
Leo agreed as he read. "My eyes stung. Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out."
"No, you were destined for something greater. You're one of a kind." Annabeth's voice dripped with a level of pride, love, and adoration as she pressed a soft kiss against his shoulder. It was enough to make Piper coo again, her eyes soft and gentle as she looked at them. "You just didn't know you were going to be the hero – my hero at that."
Percy managed a smile as Leo continued. "'Right,' I said, trembling. 'No, no,' Mr. Brunner said. 'Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say . . . you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be –' 'Thanks,' I blurted. 'Thanks a lot sir, for reminding me.' 'Percy –' But I was already gone."
But before Leo could read further, they heard the conch horn signifying that their lessons and activities would be resuming. And as Percy looked at the others, they knew this would have to wait until later.
"After dinner," he said. They all nodded, rising to their feet and brushing themselves off. And as Annabeth and Percy went to return his journal to his cabin so they could go to do a little sparring before sword fighting, Annabeth squeezed at his hand gently. Her brilliant smile felt reassuring.
"I'm gonna kick your ass, Seaweed brain," she teased.
"You're on, Wise Girl," grinned Percy, throwing his arm around her as they went back to his cabin – which in turn became hers.