Awesome reviews people! 39 for chapter 2?

And Envelope 123said:

Love the Annabeth in this! but she can't be that short. She's at least 5'9 & Percy's 6'3 or something (I got this from Wikipedia) but yeah awesome chapter. Can't wait for you to update :D

What I meant by that statement was she was shorter than Percy. But thank you for clearing tha up for everyone! I would expect her to be about my 5'7 or 5'8 ish. I know it's not really short, but Percy's a little taller, at about 6'1. Thanks!

As I walked through the double wooden doors into the cafeteria, I was engulfed with the sounds of people talking and laughing and a quite mouth watering aroma. I quickly surveyed the large, white cafeteria. The blue tiled floors where completely spotless and the round, gray tables scattered around the room were filled with teenagers eating and talking.

A hot food bar sat to the left with kids standing in line to get food that smelled like heaven itself. It definitely was not public school lunch. A salad bar filled with colorful fruits and vegetables sat on an island in the middle of the room. Most of the adults went to it (apparently all old people diet) but there where a quite a few students mixed in with them.

I stealthily slipped in line for the hot food bar, the warm aroma of garlic bread and italian food calling for me. I stood behind a tall, muscular guy surrounded by girls. He had shaggy blonde hair and tanned skin, from what I could see. The girls around him were all trying to get a word to him, fighting and pushing the others out of the way; it was like a bunch of animals all focused on the same thing, competing for attention. But the boy was only answering them with minimal responses; none of them could exactly keep a real conversation going. The boy seemed slightly annoyed by them and turned around, trying his best to avoid their interrogating questions.

My eyes widened as I noticed a jagged, white scar cutting down side of his face. The boy seemed to notice my small gasp, because he looked at me with a scowl on his face and turned around, facing his adoring fans once more.

Even though the food in the cafeteria looked amazing, the lunch lady was the typical grouch you see at most public schools. She just gave me my plate and mumbled "next", not caring if I necessarily liked anything on the plate or not.

I fought the urge to send her an extremely dirt look.

I turned around towards the cafeteria and took my first whole look at my peers. Now that I had my delicious food, I came to the second part of the lunchroom nightmare for every new kid: who to sit with.

I hadn't eaten lunch in the cafeteria yesterday because of a stupid new student meeting, a complete waste of my time, so I had to face my fears today.

I looked around at the sets of tables; Nico and Grover were unfortunately no where to be found. I noticed the Stoll brothers and Will sitting at a table in the back, farthest from the teachers. That was probably a good thing, considering the Stoll's hunger for mischief. Annabeth sat at a table with Thalia and Juniper near the middle of the room. Juniper whispered something in her ear, glancing in my direction. Annabeth turned around and searched the lunchroom, her curls jumping from one shoulder to another. When she saw me standing there like an idiot, she gave me a polite smile, but moved on searching for whoever she was looking for.

I officially had no where to sit.

I didn't really feel like using the energy to being nice to strangers, and there were no empty tables. With a long, exasperated sigh, I directed my attention to a colorful mass that caught the corner of my eye.

On the stark white walls were dozens dazzling paintings, clearly created by someone with exceptional talent - or an ability. I could see stunning sunsets, magnificent mountains, and exotic flowers. Bright, eccentric colors jumped out of the barren walls, demanding the attention of the eye. They were daring and intriguing, beautiful beyond belief. I was mentally sucked into the paintings: standing on the beach, feeling the soft snow catch in my eyelashes, hearing the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the pavement. A haze formed over me, clouding my senses; I was in another place, another time. The paintings reached out to me, engulfing me into their exquisite surroundings-

"Percy?"

I turned around to see a concerned-looking Grover staring at me.

"Try not to look at those," he suggested, glancing up at the artwork, "They're mixed in with an 'intriguing' ability,"

I sent him a highly dazed, confused look.

"Don't ask," he replied, "Just follow me."

Grover lead me straight down the middle of the cafeteria, through the tables and tables full of kids that I was certain would never talk to me. We walked past Annabeth's table, but her back was to me, and I wasn't sure I had the guts to say hello.

A hand clamped my shoulder and harshly pulled me down in the nearest chair.

"What took you so long, Percy?" Nico asked, "We've been waiting for you!"

I was sitting at a table I had noticed earlier. Will, Connor, and Travis sat across from me, all putting down whatever mischievous invention they were making out of garlic bread and half-heartedly listening. Grover and Nico sat at my sides, waiting for my answer.

"I was talking with Annabeth," I answered nonchalantly.

Nico's eyebrows went sky-high.

"Annabeth Chase?" he asked with a laugh, "The girl who just beat you up?"

Grover smacked his arm for me, "He came close!"

Nico continued to laugh.

"Still!" He exclaimed, "And what were you two talking about, anyway?"

I shrugged, "She said I was cute."

Everyone's jaw dropped to the floor; apparently it came as a surprise to them. They were all speechless.

"Anna-Annabeth Chase told you you were cute?" Grover repeated, as if I had just told him I was an alien.

I nodded. What was the big deal about?

"THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HANGING OUT WITH US?!" Nico exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air with his eyes wide as they would go.

Almost the entire lunchroom stopped talking and looked over at us as if we were crazy. Of course, out of all people, I caught the gaze of Annabeth, who sent me a harsh, confused look.

I grabbed Nico and Grover by the wrists and dragged them into the hallway, everyone's eyes burning into my back.

So much for keeping a low profile.

After lunch, I went to my classes. Personally, Goode was the most unique school I'd ever gone to, and that's saying something because I went to some really unique schools. But this, this was unique for the good. The teachers all had their own personalities, the rooms were interesting and different; it was mind-blowing. But the first thing I noticed about all my classes is that all of them were with Annabeth. I couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a creepy thing.

The only class she wasn't in was math, but her name was on the attendance. Why she didn't show up, I didn't know; she was just in World Cultures with me and perfectly fine. I sent Grover a confused look, and he whispered that he'd tell me later.

It was on my mind for the rest of the day.

But for the classes Annabeth was in, she'd still catch my eye, but give me a smile instead of a glare. Even though it was small and barely noticeable, it was still made her look even more beautiful. It softened her piercing eyes a little and made her look slightly less intimidating.

After a long day, I tiredly opened the door to my cabin and immediately dropped my stuff right on the floor, not caring at all that it was right in the entrance.

I looked up and sighed from the kitchen, taking in my surroundings. I thought it was weird to stand in your kitchen and see your bed, completely made and perfect.

Wait... made?

I took in my surroundings again, paying more attention this time. I had only been there for a short time, but I still had left my messy mark when I had left this morning. The entire place was clean: bed made, counter wiped, clothes folded neatly. It seemed as if housekeeping from a hotel had come through, except they actually cared about it being clean.

Something white caught my eye and I glanced down at the kitchen counter. A small note was stuck on, a perfect typed message on it.

Meal Plan

Please neatly write down what you will need in the kitchen for the next week and stick this to the outside of the front door. Thank you for your cooperation.

Weird... but convenient.

I quickly searched the cabin up and down for a pen and wrote down a few snacks I knew I couldn't live without.

I half-heartedly grabbed my backpack off the floor and lugged it to the small desk on the wall, preparing to start the painful ritual people these days call homework. I pulled all the heavy books from my locker and dropped them on the floor with a satisfying thud before I lost interest all together.

I lazily walked into the fully stocked kitchen and searched the cabinets up and down, opening each and surveying what was inside. I finally found some fake instant macaroni and cheese and made it using the tap water from the sink and the only kitchen appliance I knew how to use: the microwave. I spent about 10 minutes searching all the drawers for a fork before realizing it was in the drawer right in front of me. Typical.

I carried the bowl with me to the desk and plopped down in the chair, facing the fact I needed to do my homework.

Just my luck, the moment I put my pencil down on my geometry homework, the led snapped right off and flung somewhere on the carpet. I dropped it with a drastic sigh and picked up my backpack, searching for another pencil.

No matter how much I dug for it or took things out, I couldn't find a spare.

I guess Mom was right; I do loose pencils easily.

In a moment of desperation, I opened the desk drawer to see if there was anything there. I was shocked by what I saw.

The drawer was completely full.

A stack of what resembled yellow files was pushed up against the side, all quickly stamped with big, black letters. In the front was a small bottle of black liquid. I carefully picked it up, confusion clear on my face. The label read invisible ink. With my mind spinning, I turned it around in my hands before setting it back in and digging farther into the drawer, curiosity getting the best of me. I pulled out a map from the back and slowly opened it. It was littered with messy, red circles; barely legible numbers; and small, compacted writing on the sides. I tried as hard as I could to read it, but my dyslexia kicked in and I had to close my eyes to stop my head from spinning.

I placed the map back and took out one of the files from the front. Before I could open it up, a photo fell out and onto the floor. I bent down and picked it up, turning it over.

It was a photograph of Grover.

My head spun with confusion and mobs of questions swum inside my brain. I opened the file quickly and flipped through the pages, not believing what I was seeing.

The first page was all of Grover's personal information, including date of birth, social security number, parents, and his ability. I felt as though I was invading his privacy, but I was so confused I kept going. The next few pages were full typed reports on Grover's past, all the important things he had been through and the stages of his life. After that there were pages and pages of photos of Grover in daily life: eating at a restaurant, walking on the sidewalk, riding in the car. It was all so weird.

I closed it quickly and put it down, reaching hungrily for another one, not realizing what I was seeing. There was one for everyone: Thalia, Juniper, Will, Travis, Connor, and Nico. There were more files, but I stopped. My head started to spin for the thousandth time in those few minutes.

Why were these files in my desk?

I dug through the drawer again, searching for anything that could give me answers. My hand found something cold and metallic in the back and pulled it out. I held it to my face and examined it. It was a key. There was no number on it, no indication of what it could open.

I quickly jogged past the kitchen and over to the front door, opening it and jamming the key into the keyhole.

No matter which way I turned it, it wouldn't fit.

I closed the front door and went to the bathroom door.

The exact same thing.

I searched the room around me in desperation, but there were no other locks in the cabin. I took a deep sigh and looked down at the key in my hand, wondering what the heck it could open. What was I going to do with a lost key, anyway? I walked back over to the desk and threw it in the drawer, hastily shoving all the other files in and closing it as fast as I could.

Questions and confusion swam through my mind, but I set that aside; I was too tired. I decided I would tell Grover and Nico in the morning and that was that.

I sat back down in my chair and picked the books up off the floor, grabbed a pen, and resumed my geometry homework, ignoring the blaring questions screaming in my head.

The next day I was awakened by my alarm, thankfully not Grover again. I took a quick shower and put on some clothes I found in the closet before rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for breakfast. I was finally satisfied when I found a box of Lucky Charms and pursued in eating all of the marshmallows out of the box while packing up the homework I had finished late last night.

My mind couldn't help but wander to the mysterious files in the desk. As I set my math textbook in my bag, I distantly wondered if I had in fact dreamed the entire event last night and was completely fooling myself. To make sure I wasn't going crazy, I put my last notebook away and carefully reached for the drawer. Slowly pulling it open, I peered inside, some anxious hope welling inside of me.

Sure enough, standard yellow files stared back at me.

I closed the drawer harshly, my fears reassured. For some odd reason, I kind of wished I had been going crazy.

I grabbed the backpack off the chair and swung it over my shoulder, making my way to the door and setting the marshmallow-free box of Lucky Charms on the counter before leaving. I shut the front door behind me, not bothering to lock it, and made my way over to Grover's cabin.

I knocked twice on the door and instantly heard frantic shuffling inside.

"One minute!" I heard Grover call through the door.

He emerged from the door, backpack hastily thrown over his shoulder, curly hair clearly unbrushed.

"Hey," he greeted half-heartedly, eyes still foggy from sleep, shutting the door behind him and walking past me to the sidewalk.

"Hey," I responded, closely following him from behind.

He took the lead one step ahead of me and rubbed his eyes, the silence of tiredness welling in between us. he was wearing jeans and a shirt that looked suspiciously like he one I had seen him wearing the first day, but nothing about him had changed. Except maybe his hair. It needed professional help.

"Hey Grover," I asked, a memory flooding into my head, "Yesterday. Annabeth didn't come to math class. You promised me an explanation."

Grover nodded, perking up a little bit, but still not much.

"Our math teacher, Mr. Jones," he explained, "despises Annabeth."

I looked at him, clearly taken aback. Yesterday Mr. jones had come across as a nice, fun-loving guy. He had laughed and made jokes and patiently helped those who didn't understand. To tell the truth, he had been one of my favorite teachers I had met that day.

Annabeth, Annabeth seemed like a great student. She was smart, she listened, she practically absorbed information without any effort at all. Why would he hate her?

"Why?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Nobody knows. Annabeth's great at math and everything; she always gets As. But as soon as she walked into class on her first day, Mr. Jones exploded, "Grover threw his hands in the air and waved them around, "He started yelling at her, screaming. Some people say she just skips and takes the quizzes and test in study hall."

"She doesn't seem like the skipping type, " I reasoned, looking over at him.

Grover looked back at me, eyebrow raised, eyes dead serious.

"Trust me," he reassured, "coming from someone who was there, if Mr. Jones yelled at you the way he yelled at her, you would skip too. "

That took a moment to sit in my stomach.

What could Annabeth have done to make Mr. Jones despise her that much? What could Mr. Jones have done to make Annabeth skip class? I'd had my fair share of teachers yelling at me, I wasn't exactly the teacher's pet, but I'd just learned to cope with it and hold my anger in any way I could. On few occasions it got me expelled, but I never skipped class. The whole situation seemed a bit odd.

"Hey guys," Nico greeted, meeting us up at the massive, grand doors of the athletic center.

"Hey," Grover and I chorused in unison as we pulled the door back, entering the lobby.

Sound bounced off the walls of the room, screeching of shoes on the floor and bouncing of what sounded like a basketball echoed from the gym. Laughter and split-second commands from athletes filled my ears as we carefully moved our way through the crowds and into the locker room.

I weaved through the lockers and found the same one I had occupied yesterday, skillfully putting my combination in and yanking the lock downward as hard as I could. It popped open without a doubt.

"Ready for a rematch, Percy?" Nico asked, throwing his shirt over his head.

I laughed, "Ready as I'll ever be."

We all quickly changed into the "suitable clothes for combat" and tossed our school clothes into our lockers, slamming them shut behind us. I followed Grover out the door, walking through the bleak, puzzling Maze to the Combat room.

Travis, Connor, and Will sat on the mats on the floor, clearly in a casual, masculine conversation. Chiron was nowhere to be found; his desk sat empty in the far, dark corner, and the girls were apparently still in the locker room. Nico, Grover, and I joined everyone on the floor, plopping ourselves down next to the Stoll brothers.

"What's up guys?" Will asked, acknowledging our presence.

"Hey Perc, "Travis called out, nodding at me, "That was pretty cool what you did yesterday."

I laughed, "I lost."

"I'm not sure anyone's ever come that close though," Will pointed out with a friendly laugh.

"That's what I said!" Grover exclaimed.

We all turned as the doors opened behind us, the girls stepping inside the classroom. Annabeth had her hair thrown up in a hasty ponytail, a few strands refusing to cooperate with the rest and falling into her face. She quickly tucked them behind her ear and caught my eyes, acknowledging my presence.

"Ladies," Connor greeted, waving them our way, "Looking gorgeous as usual."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and took a seat beside Will.

Thalia gave a dramatic sigh, taking her place beside Annabeth.

"Wish I could say the same about you, Stoll," she teased with a big, fake smile.

Connor put his hand over his heart in mock hurt as we all laughed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

The doors to the Combat room flew open and Chiron stepped inside, no-nonsense and authority radiating off of him. He briskly walked to the center of the room, right in front of our little circle.

"Good morning class, " he greeted.

"Good morning, " we chorused back.

Chiron fetched a piece of paper from his pocket, efficiently unfolding it so he could read what was on the inside.

"Well, " he began, "from yesterday's entertainment, " he glanced up at Annabeth and I, "We now know Percy is ready for our level, even though he just transferred. That works out well, so we can skip 3 weeks ahead, "he quickly folded his schedule again and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Today we will learn different ways evade and become a restrainer, starting with getting out of someone's grip and restraining someone in a grip."

"Isn't that simple?" Juniper reasoned.

"Vaguely. What if someone much stronger than you has you in a grip? Especially the ladies. I don't mean to be sexist, but unfortunately men are genetically built to be stronger. I doubt any man could restrain any of you, but I want no doubt at all."

"And boys, work with me here, you can work on your grip. What if you're restraining a skilled fighter, man or woman? Sometimes things such as that cannot be taught,but need to be lived."

"We will work today two at a time," Chiron instructed, "Boys VS girls, because I know that brings joy to the adolescent population. Are we clear?"

The class nodded, quickly jumping to our feet.

"First up, Thalia and Will."

They both walked to the front, cheered on by the rest of the class. They stopped and faced each other, just as Chiron had asked. Thalia had a smirk on her face, clearly amused by the entire situation, and Will's forehead was scrunched up, worry evident on his face.

"Now Will, " Chiron instructed, "please restrain Thalia. "

The Stolls let out a few immature wolf-whistles as as Will walked up behind Thalia, wrapping his arms around her. Thalia looked clearly uncomfortable in his grip, but confident in her ability to get out. Will looked determined, but still slightly nervous.

"Ready," Chiron said, "Set. Go!"

Thalia instantly elbowed Will in the ribs, knocking the wind out of the poor guy. He grabbed her hand and held it with an iron grip, earning a displeased look on Thalia's face. She jerked to the side with all her weight and abruptly jerked to the other side, attempting to throw Will off. He held on though, his face twisted with determination.

Thalia kicked him in the shins and Will attempted to hoist her off the ground so she wouldn't have any leverage, but Thalia's eyes widened when she realized what he was doing and she clipped him in the back of the knee. They both went sprawling on the ground, Will on top, but Thalia jumped out from under him while he was still dazed, springing to her feet.

"One point for the girls!" Chiron bellowed.

The girls cheered and Will looked up, still dazed.

"Next up, Thalia and Nico!"

Nico put a hand out to Will, hoisting him to his feet.

"Good luck man, " Will said to Nico, rubbing the back of his knee as he walked back to the rest of the group.

I desperately held onto a thrashing Thalia, wincing as she jammed her elbow into my stomach. I jerked her to one side, trying to dishevel her myself, but she immediately threw herself to the other side and caught me off guard. I lost her by one arm and she spun so I had her at literally an arm's length. I desperately grabbed her wrist with my free hand and pulled her back into me.

"Time!" Chiron yelled, looking at the watch on his wrist, "Almost Thalia, almost."

I let go of Thalia and she jerked away from me, shooting me a not-so-nice look as she walked over to our peers.

"Nice try, Thalia," I heard Juniper say as Thalia plopped down next her on the floor.

Thalia waved her off, clearly peeved to say the least.

"Let's see, "Chiron began, "Last but not least, Percy and Annabeth."

Our eyes locked on each other at the exact same time. Finally, an opponent worthy. A small, discreet smirk come onto her face and, for some reason, I my heart sped up. She gracefully got to her feet in one motion and everyone's eyes fell on us.

"Rematch," I heard Travis whisper.

She walked over, arrogance clearly in every step, and took her place next to me. She had beat me yesterday and was determined to do it again today. Her shoulder brushed mine, her skin warm and sending sparks up my arm. My head spun; I was going to have to fight this girl?

All attention was trained on us. The Stolls were trying to contain their snickering, Thalia seemed unimpressed, and I swear I saw Grover praying in the corner. Why Annabeth and I were last again today probably had something to do with Chiron. But here we were, same situation, same intensity.

"Well, " Chiron broke the silence, "Are we going to get on with it?"

I nervously turned my head to look at Annabeth. She was already looking at me, gray eyes swirling with excitement and a small smile playing on her lips. She was ready; I wasn't.

I mentally slapped myself for being an awkward person.

"Ready, set, go!"

I snapped myself awake and grabbed at Annabeth, catching her by the arm and pulling back. She rolled in the opposite direction of where I was pulling, dragging me right along with her. I caught her by the waist this time and pulled her in, my arms encasing her.

All of the sudden, I was aware of everything about her. She may have seemed small and lean in my arms, but she made up for it in fight. I could feel the muscles in her thighs flexing against mine as she tried to kick my legs out from under me, and her heart pounded in her stomach were I kept my grip tight.

She jammed her elbow into my stomach, sending flashes of pain to my brain; I knew that was going to hurt later. She threw herself violently to the left, pulling me with her, and in a moment of frustration I jerked her as hard as I could to the right. Both she and I were momentarily stunned by my aggression, but it only seemed to fuel her even more.

She threw all her weight at me, sending us both toppling to the floor.

I hit the floor heavily on my back, letting go of Annabeth in the process. Pain shot up my spine as Annabeth gracefully rolled off of me and darted to her feet in a split second. Panic took over my limbs and I grabbed at her ankles, tripping her pulling her back down, landing across my stomach.

She tried to scramble up this time, dazed from the last fall, but I grabbed her waist this time and puller her flat against my chest. Determination pumped through my veins; I would win this. She fought violently against me, but I pinned her hands and arms to her sides and instinctively wrapped a leg around hers to keep her down.

She was panicking now; I could feel her heart in overdrive and every move she made was seemingly out of desperation. She jerked her head back, hitting me square in the jaw.

"That's enough!"

I stopped instinctively, letting all pressure on Annabeth go. As if she had knew it would happen, she rolled off me in an instant and jumped to her feet. Her chest was rising up and down as she took in breath and the curls around her neck were wet with sweat. Her face was hardened with defeat and she kept her gaze on Chiron, not even looking down at me.

Chiron briskly motioned to me, "Percy wins."

Cheers broke out from my peers, whoops and hollers filling the combat room. I gingerly sat up, my body screaming and aching, and pressed my hand against my bruised jaw. I had won, but all I felt was beat up. Hands on my back and shoulders pushed me to my feet, a little against my will, congratulating me the whole time.

Through the crowd of excited peers, I laid eyes on Annabeth. Her face was hard and defeated as she rotated and examined her wrist, slight embarrassment from her earlier arrogance clear in her eyes. She was disappointed and far from happy.

"Class dismissed!"

A firm hand clamped my shoulder, making me jump.

"Nice job, man!" It was Will.

Connor and Travis followed quickly behind him.

"Amazing! Nice Percy!"

Over their shoulders, Annabeth was grabbing her stuff off the floor, waving Thalia and Juniper to go ahead without her. She was licking her lips, agitated and distressed.

"Thanks guys," I answered halfheartedly, locking my eyes on Annabeth.

I knew I should say something to her, to both ease her anger and keep myself off her hit list. I hadn't meant to hurt her, only to win.

I took a step towards her, only to be stopped by Nico and Grover.

"Day 2 and you already did it?" Grover asked, amazed. His head was right in between my line of vision of Annabeth.

"That's awesome!" Nico punched me on the shoulder, congratulating me.

Only half paying attention to what they were saying, I lightly pushed past them.

"Thanks guys," I said halfheartedly as I made my way over to Annabeth.

She was glaring into one of the mirrors on the wall and messily fixing her ponytail, her jaw set and eyes filled with bitterness. On normal circumstances I wouldn't have approached a girl who looked as scary as she did right then, but my feet moved forward with a mind of their own.

Annabeth locked eyes with me in the mirror, watching me approach her, and swiftly turned around. As I stopped in front of her, my heart pounding, she brought her hands back down to her sides and stared me down. Her stormy eyes were cold and daring me to do as much as mock her for her defeat. Her muscles were horribly tense and she was clearly ready to defend her pride in any way possible.

"You almost got me."

It was the first thing to blurt out of my mouth. I had only said it to break the silence. But it was true; she had put up one hell of a fight. Something flashed in the back of her eyes: confusion, shock. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she looked at me as if I was absolutely insane. I swallowed, my body language screaming awkward and completely unsure how she took it.

"That's what you say to me?" she asked, bewilderment evident in her voice, "You beat someone who's never been beat before, at all, and THAT'S what you say?"

She looked baffled, searching my face as if I had to be kidding her. I was confused; what else was I supposed to say without her killing me in my sleep?

"Well," I stated, reaching back and scratching my neck, "It's true. You were kind of amazing."

She raised an eyebrow at me, unimpressed, "Kind of?"

I stood there dumbfounded for a moment, staring right at her. When I snapped back in it, I quickly cleared my throat, panicking to find some way to take it back.

"Ok, a little more than kind of." I laughed awkwardly.

She gave me a weird glance, gray eyes swirling, then seemed to let it go. Her muscles seemed to relax as she looked me over, her pride coming back in. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding; I hadn't screwed everything up.

She reached down and grabbed her bag of the floor, meeting my gaze as she stood.

"You weren't so bad yourself, Jackson."

With a smirk and a sidestep, she was out the door, leaving me standing by myself.

Everyone else had already made their way to the locker rooms; the only ones left in the room was Chiron and me. Chiron had his back to me and was shuffling papers on his desk, not acknowledging my presence. The room was uncomfortably quiet, and since it was only my second day, Chiron wasn't exactly someone I could just start up a conversation with. I quickly made my way to the door, wanting to get out of there as fast as I could.

"Percy."

The sound of Chiron's voice stopped me dead in my tracks. I looked over, my hand still on the door, and gave him my attention. Chiron set his stack of papers down and turned, his stare piercing and serious as he met my gaze. It took a lot to make a 6'2 boy to feel small, but he sure did it.

"Good job today," his words were kind, but his face was hard, "I'm expecting a lot from you this year, Percy."

I nodded, taking his words in. The moment Chiron turned back to his papers, I was out the door.

After I changed back into my regular clothes, I met Grover and Nico at the outside of the Athletic Building to got to our next class.

"Social and Environmental Interactions?" I read from my schedule.

Some kid shoved past me, bumping my shoulder, and I had to look up from the schedule and give him a dirty look.

"It's all about people statuses, personalites, all that kind of stuff plus environmental tree hugger stuff." Nico explained, fighting to get us far enough away from the crowd.

"It's not too bad," Grover reassured me, "Most of the time we don't do anything. Mrs. Mires is never there."

Nico opened the door to the Science Building and we ushered our way in quickly, stealthily darting through the crowd. The main hall was brightly lit this time of day, all the windows were open, and an occasional squawk or chirp was heard from the birds overhead in the rafters. Trying my best to keep sight of Nico and Grover, I pushed over to the side and made myself as tall as I could. I watched them turn down a slightly empty corridor and set myself off again, almost falling when I made it to them.

Nico turned the knob on a big, wooden door and pulled it open, shoving us all inside behind him.

The room reminded me of one of those businessy board rooms that you see in movies; the walls were navy blue and there was a large oval table in the centre of the room. A whiteboard and small desk sat at the front of the room, but both were blank and empty.

Already my classmates were scattered around the table: kids I hadn't seen before and kids I vaguely noticed from my previous classes. Interrupting my moment of scouting out the classroom, Grover grabbed my elbow and pushed me into the seat next to him. I slammed down into it rather ungracefully and jarred my poor brain.

I stared at the seats at the seats across from me. Sure enough, there sat Annabeth Chase. She was in her normal clothes now and those blonde curls were still up in a ponytail, but she wasn't looking at me. She was facing the board and completely zoned out, probably caught up inside that brain somewhere. My stomach churned at the though of our last conversation; she seemed to be okay, but then again it was Annabeth. After 2 days of knowing her, I could tell she was completely unpredictable.

The large wooden door opened behind me and a middle aged lady stepped in, closing the door behind her. She had dyed blonde hair cut into a little short bob and a smile was on her face. It was a nervous smile, but it was a smile, and in every way she looked harmless.

As I had zoned out, all of my peers had taken their seats. The teacher made her way behind all the chairs to the front of the room and turned to face us, taking a short moment to fix her skirt before clearing her throat to get our attention.

"Hello, " she began, giving a small wave, "I am Mrs. Mires, your Social and Environmental teacher."

The class was surprising silent as we waited for further instruction.

"This class is spent through a series of projects you will do, all revolving around Social and Environmental topics. In previous years we have spent this class cooped up in this room, but at this age we have decided to change that; all of your Social and Environmental studies will be outside of the classroom without teacher supervision. We hope that this will give you a more personal experience."

"The first project of the year starts today. I have partnered you all up already, so don't get too excited about being with your best friend. The project is to find 50 things you already didn't know about your partner. I currently don't have a deadline, but when I do I will inform you. So you and your partner will spend this class anywhere you would like at Goode getting to know each other. And trust me, you have to get to know your partner well to get 50 personal things."

"It will be graded. Now here are your partners."

I listened intently for my name as she began to read off her list of partners. I prayed that I could be with Grover or Nico. It was bad enough that I was the new kid and knew nobody, but now I had to personally get to know everything about a random stranger; I wasn't sure I was up to that.

As she continued to read names, my stomach dropped and I heard Grover and Nico's names called. That was it; I was going to be with someone I didn't know. I hoped they weren't some judgy kid that didn't give a damn about anybody or even a kid smelled and rambled on and on about nothing. Thinking about it was torture; I was clearly setting myself up for the worst.

"Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

Yayyyyy! Percabeth quality time! And what was in Percy's drawer? Did I spell drawer right? I hope so. Anyway, REVIEW :)

***revised 8/9/14******