Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson... obviously.

I ran a hand through my hair, attempting to mentally prepare myself. I looked around my desk and glared at the small sign that sat at the front. In neat cursive: Mr Perez, Principal.

Sometimes, my job with kids was... challenging.

Especially when I'm informed that two students, Leo Valdez and Major Torres, were being sent down to my office. I'd seen Major Torres several times this semester, not because he was doing anything bad, but he always had a story to tell about someone. I don't like to pick favourites or stereotype people into one personality, but I've found that Torres is mostly just lying. Of course, none of the teachers can say this because it's always something we should take seriously ('That kid had an Ak-47, I swear!', 'That kid's pencil is a bomb!', etc.)

It used to be sort of a game, see just how convincing Torres could get, right until the other kid broke in with something much more logical. But now it's more rinse and repeat, Torres something absurd, and then there's evidence to say Torres was simply not looking into the situation.

As promised, two students walked in, the tall mass that was Torres and a much shorter, skinnier frame of Leo Valdez.

"Boys," I put on my most serious face. "I understand, Mr Torres, that you believe you saw Mr Valdez here... set fire to something?"

Torres nodded quickly. "Yes, Mr Perez. I was right there in robotics and I saw him set his hand on fire!"

I looked at Valdez, he rolled his eyes (like most people do), but was also smiling. Odd. I checked his hand. No sign of being set on fire.

"Mr Valdez? Do you have anything to say about this?"

Valdez held up his hand. "Does it look like I've been burned, genius?"

I felt my ears go red. "That's enough of that, Mr Valdez. Mr Torres, can you please explain how he could set his hand on fire?"

"Hey, I know what I saw!" I wanted to roll my eyes right then and there, the number of times I've heard him say that...

"I'm not saying I don't believe you," But I'm thinking it, "I'm just trying to wrap my head around how on Earth someone could or would set their hand on fire, not even mentioning the fact that there's no sign of a burn on any part of Mr Valdez's body or clothes!"

Torres was going red in the face by now, from frustration to anger to embarrassment, I'd guess. "Hey, I know what I saw!"

I sighed and hung my head. "Mr Torres, please-"

"My dad's a lawyer, you know!" Torres declared.

Valdez snorted. "Yeah, and mine's Hephaestus!"

"Mr Valdez, there's no need to be rude," Even though I assumed Torres was bluffing as well.

"I'll prove it to you!" The burly boy ran out of my office, yanking out his cell phone. I didn't have the energy to stop him.

Half An Hour Later

A hulking man wearing a suit strode into my office, where Valdez and Torres still were.

"Hello, sir, may I help you?" I asked politely. I could sense a bad feeling brewing in my stomach, something about the striking resemblance this man had to Torres, the way his eyebrows came together to hide his eyes and look infuriated at the same time.

"This your principal, boy?" The man addressed Torres, confirming my suspicion, this was the real Mr Torres.

"Yeah, Dad! He was doubtin' me again!" The boy was nearly bouncing with excitement.

Mr Torres shooed his son out of the seat and took it for himself.

At this point, even Valdez was squirming, and I was wishing I could do the same.

"Look, Mr... Perez," He leaned close, not intrudingly close, but uncomfortably, "I know my boy. And I know he can be a dirty liar sometimes. But I know my boy enough to know when he's bein' serious to his dad. And, when my boy called me just then," He tipped into uncomfortably close, "He wund't no liar just then."

"Well, Mr Torres, I like to believe that none of my students would lie to me, but the evidence behind your son's claim is... scarce," I mentally high-fived myself for not stuttering.

Mr Torres turned to his son. "Was you lyin' to me again, boy?"

The teenager's eyes went wide as saucers, "No way, Dad. This is real," He threw up 2 fingers, "I swear it."

Focusing back on me, the elder Torres gave me a look like, 'Ya see there?'

"I see. Well, I might believe Major," Saying his first name tasted weird, "if there was any sign of Leo's hands being burnt."

Mr Torres' gaze was so intimidating, I barely remembered to feel sympathy when it turned to Valdez.

"Lemme, see your hands," He demanded. Leo turned his hands out, palms up. They were dirty and rough-looking, but there was no sign of burning.

The man's gaze shifted again, this time to his son. "You seein' this, boy? You lied to me? I done told you, next time you get in trouble at school, it'd be off to Military with you."

Sweat was forming on Torres #2's forehead. "Nah, Dad, cross my heart and hope to die, I saw him!"

"We'll talk about this at home," Clearly ending the discussion with his son, Mr Torres stood up and walked out, Torres #2 walking as if it was to his death sentence.

They got all the way to the parking lot before I realised I'd never dismissed Torres from school. Students walking out without leave seemed to be happening a lot this year.

"What a weirdo," Valdez stated/questioned.

"You're dismissed, Valdez." The teen bolted out the door.

I sat and stared blankly at the paperwork on my desk for a long while after that. Torres had a long history of lying to me about the deeds of other students, but he'd never sworn on anything, only insisted. I went back and forth with the evidence, of course, there wasn't much for Torres.

'Let it the hell go, Perez,' I told myself.

So I did.

And that was the day that, of all things, nearly made me want to quit my job of being a principal.

I feel bad about the wait. But honestly, I don't have the energy to type my long-ass apology out right here. So, I'm incredibly sorry. For anyone loyal enough to still be interested, thank you so much.

Hope you all enjoyed.

Thank you to all who viewed, reviewed, followed or favourited.

KEEP BEING AWESOME,

captainMcSchizzle