I made a few tweaks in the first chapter (10/3), if you care. They're semi significant, but you can figure them out if you don't care to read that monstrosity again. Note at the end of the chapter if you make it that far, disclaimer here: This is a work of fan fiction using the world and some of the characters created by Rick Riordan. He owns them, I don't.

No. Way.

Nonononono. You have got to be kidding me.

Cassie stared wide-eyed in shock. This was not happening.

Gover! Yancy!

She was in the freaking Percy Jackson story, wasn't she!?

Cassie blinked in disbelief before trying to compose her expression.

I've gone insane. I'm crazy. This is… This is…. This can't be happening.

Cassie wished she wasn't surrounded by people so that she could shake her head clear, or laugh, or scream, or bang her head against a wall- anything, really, that would make it all make sense.

But she couldn't, and Grover was just a few feet away, so she forced herself to take a breath. Just one thing at a time.

Deep breath. Oh my gosh. Grover. Act normal. She instructed herself, Say 'hi' to Grover.

"Hey," She greeted.

Nailed it. It had sounded totally normal; not the totally freaked and panicked tone that she expected to burst out.

Grover gave a friendly "Hi" back, but he didn't seem interested in her because his gaze didn't linger on Cassie for more than a moment.

"Grover," Dr. Kravosky stated, still smiling, "I have your new schedule right here, sorry about the confusion with it yesterday."

Grover thanked the man and told him that it had been no problem.

"Can I ask a favor though?" The principal continued, and of course, you can't say 'no' to the principal. Grover was no exception and Dr. Kravosky continued, "This is Cassie, she's in your grade and is just starting here this semester, would you be willing to show her the cafeteria and keep her some company while she gets some dinner?

Cassie blinking wide-eyed at Grover. That was Grover-Freaking-Underwood, standing not five feet from her. Grover Underwood!

Grover turned to her and Cassie snapped her gaze away, hoping he hadn't noticed her staring.

She focused on the desk next to her, her heart pounding. No way…. No way… She couldn't believe it.

And now, she would be having dinner with one of the most, if not the most, famous satyrs ever. Cassie inwardly grimaced. Or, at least, kept it as inward as she could. This would be just great. Trying to keep her cool in front of the Grover. In the Yancy Academy. Where the Chiron taught. Where the Percy Jackson went to school!

Or is this before Percy got to Yancy? Cassie paused. Or…After? No. Grover went looking for Pan after the first book didn't he? It couldn't be after… And it couldn't be before, since Grover was a 6th grader in the book.

Gah! The book. Cassie was in a book! This was insane!

And… She realized, a little bit exciting. A lot a bit exciting. Woah.

"Sure," Grover told the principal. He turned to Cassie to see if she was ready to go.

Cassie forced herself to focus back in the moment and said goodbye to her mom as they embraced each other one final time. "Call me anytime," Ms. Barton told her daughter again. "I love you, sweetie. Have fun, okay?"

"Love you too, mom. I'll talk to you soon,"

Cassie probably would have teared up at the thought of leaving her mom for so long, but as she and Grover started walking down the hall, her mind was racing far too much to be sad.

She was in a book! A freaking book! One where she knew what was going to happen! She could change everything!-

No! Cassie immediately stopped that train of thought. The good guys won in the end, why would I want to change anything? Even the tiniest thing she did, just a single conversation, could change the outcome, couldn't it? But… What if me being here already changes everything? No... Cassie mentally shook her head. She was just some random kid. Her being there didn't matter. She wouldn't even see Percy after this school year, would she?

Cassie froze mid-step, eyes wide. Oh my gosh. Oh my…. No way-…. Cassie wasn't just some normal kid, was she? At least, not anymore.

Cassie had never met her father. She knew her mom and his relationship had been short. Ms. Barton didn't try to hide the fact that he hadn't been around for her birth. Cassie had never cared much though, that's just the way her mom was; she wasn't the type to settle down and she and Cassie had done just fine on their own.

But now… Now Cassie was dyslexic. She was dyslexic and had never met her dad, who had left before she was born. She didn't think she had ADHD, but still… There was no way… No way… Was there?

And if she was, then she would definitely be involved in the story. And she could still change everything if she let something slip. I can't…. I can't tell anyone, can I? Cassie took yet another deep breath.

Grover turned when he noticed Cassie pausing, "Do you want me to help you carry those?" He offered, nodding towards Cassie's bags.

The stupid question nocked her back into the present and she raised an eyebrow questionably. Grover, you're on crutches, she mentally thought to him, and out loud, "I'm okay, but thanks".

Cassie adjusted her suitcase like it had been the reason she stopped and the two continued towards the cafeteria. Okay, okay. Small talk. Cassie thought as she followed, Just… Not about anything Camp-Half Blood related. No gods, no monsters, no Percy… No Percy. So what was she supposed to talk about!? This was going to be so awkward, they would end up sitting in silence the whole time, and-

"So how was your winter break?" Grover interrupted her thoughts. Cassie's shoulders fell from the release of tension Oh yeah, that's what normal people talk about. She could do that.

"It was nice," What a lame reply, "Wish it was longer though," Cassie could have punched herself. Stupid response. Stupid. She chided herself, but then decided it didn't matter since that was a normal answer, right? Complaining about school? Cassie knew she was thinking too hard.

"Haha, yeah," Thank… The gods… Grover was polite enough to fake amusement.

Thank the gods… The gods! Cassie couldn't believe she was using the expression.

"You did come a day late though, it was longer than all of ours"

Cassie supposed so, but jumped in before Grover could say anything else and directed the conversation away from her, "So, how was yours?"

Once Cassie had gotten a simple plate full of baked beans and some corn from the cafeteria worker still cleaning up from dinner, she and Grover went to sit down across from each other at a table near the door. Cassie was able to keep him talking easily enough (And she did have her mouth full most of the time so she didn't have to talk much), but she didn't learn anything too helpful. Grover had gone home for the holidays. He had hung out with friends and was excited to be back. His favorite class was Latin, and his favorite teacher was Mr. Brunner.

Surprise, surprise, Cassie thought at that.

"So do we have any classes together?" Grover asked. They both put their schedules sideways on the table to compare.

English… Pre algebra… Earth science. P.E., social studies… Cassie could have ripped the paper in two. It wasn't impossible for her to read, but it was more difficult than it should have been. Cassie was so used to being able to race through books though that the new impediment irritated her immensely.

She was pleased to see that all of her classes were ones that she remembered taking last semester, so she hoped that she wouldn't be behind everyone else…. Except for her last class of the day: Latin.

Cassie didn't know a word of Latin. Well, maybe 'Carpe Diem', but she didn't think that really counted. She would definitely be behind everyone else in there.

"Just Latin and English," Grover told her, "And I think my friend Percy is in your math class. There's a new teacher this semester. Percy hates her."

"Mrs. Dodds?" Cassie blurted, not needing to read the name off of her schedule. Mrs. Dodds the fury? Cassie was once again reminded that she was in a whole new universe. No way. No freaking way.

"Yeah…She kind of terrifies me," Grover blushed a little at the confession.

Cassie tried not to smirk at his slight embarrassment for admitting that. She didn't want to belittle him for being a wimp though so she tried to respond with her own confession, "Latin kind of terrifies me", even though it wasn't the actual subject that she was worried about, but the fact that she would be a few month behind everyone else in the class.

Grover perked up at that.

"Oh, well," he said slowly at first, "I'd be happy to help you if want. I'm pretty good at it."

Cassie was almost beaming as she started to clean up her mess from her meal and answered excitedly, "That would be great!"

Grover gave a sheepish smile in return and they started walking towards their rooms.

Cassie thanked him for keeping her company at dinner, and she apologized for interrupting his night.

Grover was nice and polite enough to say it was fine, and told her the girl's dorms were "Just down this hall".

He was also nice and polite enough to walk her all the way to her new room.

"Well, thanks again," Cassie told him as she stopped in front of the door with her name, along with five others, on it. "It was nice meeting you,"

"Yeah, nice meeting you. And I'll see you tomorrow I guess,"

"See you tomorrow. Goodnight,"

"'Night"

Cassie turned to the door and took a breath. This was it, about to meet all her new roommates. She nocked. A freckled girl with red hair answered a moment later.

She looked pretty friendly; she had a delighted smile when she saw Cassie and greeted her with an excited, "Hi! You must be Cassie!"

But Cassie instantly got bad vibes from her. Still, she smiled back and answered that she was, and went inside to meet the other girls and get settled.

The redhead who had greeted her at the door said her name was Nancy. Cassie could only assume it was Nancy Bobofit and her shoulders immediately slumped. Well this is going to be a fun semester, she decided sarcastically.

Most of the other girls seemed nice enough though. A couple helped her unpack the few things she had brought, and they all stayed up past curfew getting to know each other and explaining Yancy to Cassie; which teachers were good, where everything was, which boys were the cutest….

Cassie was so distracted by her new friends that by the time they decided to finally go to sleep, she had almost (but only almost) forgotten about her new… Situation. She was so exhausted though, that when her head hit the pillow she immediately fell into a deep, blissful sleep.

But it didn't stay that way.

The faintest of voices tried calling out to Cassie. Its sound slurred and soften by the time it got to her, hardly a whisper.

"Cass..."

Cassie didn't know where she was. It felt like she was floating, but it was pitch black, darker than she had ever seen before, so for all she knew she was still in her bed.

"Cass..pia..."

But Cassie couldn't really feel her body. She knew it was there, but she felt... Limp. Disconnected from it. Like her brain was the only thing that was working.

"Cassiopia"

Cassie's eyes darted around to search for the man, the voice finally coherent enough to make sense of the name it was calling. "What the heck?"

The voice didn't answer her though. It didn't say anything again, and Cassie began to worry. "Hello?" She asked tentatively, afraid of what creatures might be out there.

What was going on? She couldn't see anything. Now she couldn't hear anything besides her own voice. No ringing in her ears, no sound of blood pumping through her skull. It was as if all of her senses had stopped working. She couldn't smell. She couldn't feel; No gravity, no wind, no heat, no cold; Just an empty void.

She began to panic, and called out again, "Hello?"

There was still no answer. Cassie began to feel very alone, the nothingness beginning to terrify her. What was happening!? She needed something, anything to break the lack of sensations.

"Hello!?" This time Cassie screamed it. Her heart rate was accelerating. The emptiness all around her scaring her more easily than any nightmareous monster possibly could.

When she was sure she was about to start break down in fearful sobs, the voice called out again. Louder, this time, with a booming clarity that made a small part of Cassie wish it would go back to being silent. The voice was terrifying. Dangerous. Even with just that one simple word he kept repeating. That one name.

"Cassiopeia..."

Cassie's eyes flew open.

Her breath came in heavy pants and she felt her heart pounding in her chest at a million miles a minute. Cassie's eyes darted around her room, finally able to take in information and she instantly began to relax. The bed- she felt the bed. Felt the gravity keeping her on it. She saw her roommates begin to stir, noting the cause as a shrilling alarm clock at the end of the room.

It was okay, it was just a dream, she reassured herself, and after a few moments getting her vitals to slower rates, she felt almost fine again.

The girl on her left, she forgot her name, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched.

Time for school, Cassie supposed, and sat up as well, not giving anymore thought to her nightmare. She had scarier things to worry about: her first day of school.

And about just what the heck was going on. It didn't take Cassie long to remember her situation. Apparently her roommates weren't morning people, which disappointed Cassie since she was an early riser and already wide awake. The quietness of her new friends though gave her time to think though. Why would she, of all people, Cassie wondered as she brushed her teeth, be the one to end up in the Percy Jackson universe? And why was she there? What was the point?

She decided that she was right about keeping it a secret from Chiron... Mr. Brunner... Because there was really no point in telling him or anyone else. Not at the moment, at least. And she still didn't want to even be there. Why would she ever involve herself? The good guys won in the end, and she didn't want to risk messing that up.

What would she even change, anyways? It's not like anyone important dies, Cassie thought indifferently, and instantly rebuked herself. Tons of people died! She reminded herself of the final battle in New York. That Apollo kid on the bridge...

Cassie was even more ashamed at her uncaring thought when she realized she couldn't really name anyone who died. These were real people now, not just some fictional book characters. She thought should feel sad, that she should want to prevent their death.

Except for Luke and Silena. Cassie thought scornfully, knowing that she was acting callous but not being able to help it. They deserve what they got... Unless, she speculated, I'm supposed to change that... Make them... 'See the light'... To stay on the good guy's side...

Cassie shook her head at the idea, instantly deciding that was stupid and cliché. She almost laughed out loud. Cliché. She had been dragged into the world of Percy Jackson and didn't think she should stop Luke and Silena from turning bad because it was cliché?

Cassie told herself she was an idiot. And decided that none of her ideas mattered right then anyways. Whatever caused her to end up there, whoever, she corrected herself uncertainly, might have brought her there for a reason. There was no way she was dropped into Yancy to end up at the beginning of the series by coincidence. If whoever did it wanted her to change something, they would tell her, she decided.

She could either wait for some instructions to come, or figure it out once it even became relevant. But Cassie realized she had almost a whole semester of nothing much that would happen, so she decided that right then, the only thing she could really do was go and get some breakfast.

Most of her classes weren't bad. Yancy was a school for "delinquents" as everybody was quick to label themselves (Something Cassie thought was a bit odd), and so class sizes were small to make it easy on the teachers. There were only about a dozen students in each of her classes, which unfortunately increased the chances of the teacher calling on her exponentially.

The teachers seemed nice enough though. Well, except for Mrs. Dodds, obviously, but like Grover said, Percy was in the class with Cassie and fortunately (for Cassie- not for Percy) Mrs. Dodds hated Percy. She completely ignored Cassie in order to make him miserable.

In Mrs. Dodds' defense though, Cassie decided Percy was a little disrespectful. He got up to 'sharpen his pencil' at least twice every class and 'whispered' to his neighbor very indiscreetly. Cassie knew he had ADHD, but she decided he was still a little rude to her.

Which only made Mrs. Dodds dislike Percy even more. Which made Percy dislike her even more, which ended up creating a never ending loop. Cassie ultimately decided their mutual distaste was mostly his fault though, and it wasn't just because of who his father was.

Cassie didn't try to talk to Percy much at first. What would she say? "Hey, I'm Cassie. Oh, no, I know who you are. You're Percy Jackson and your mom is Sally and your dad is Poseidon, god of the ocean. Want to know your fatal flaw?"

Yeah, she didn't think so either.

She also avoided him since he also sort of intimidated her. It was Pecry-freaking-Jackson for gods' sake! He was also in her English and social studies class though, so she couldn't avoid him entirely, and she couldn't avoid Grover either, especially since they somehow ended up sitting together at a few meals the first week. It would have been rude of her to stop talking to him after he was one of her first friends there,

Latin turned out to be a lot of fun. Chiron, Mr. Bruner, Cassie found herself having to mentally correct constantly, was actually a really great teacher and he was completely understanding of her being totally lost in his class. Overall life at Yancy wasn't too hard, and Cassie found herself easily falling into a routine at her new school.

And for a while, it all felt normal.

And then, towards the end of the school year, they went on a field trip.

I wrote that first chapter on a whim, like I mentioned, and wrote this one still with no idea where the story would be going. I have great excuses for why this one took a while, but I know you guys don't actually care. I know you do care that this chapter needs so much more TLC than I gave it though. Sorry it's still sloppy, but it would have been a couple more days if I didn't post it now. I'll fix it someday.

Lastly, if anyone is interested in a very low-key beta-ing gig, please shoot me a pm or mention it in a review.