Annabeth
It was five in the morning but Annabeth was up. She was freaking out about the first day of school. Annabeth Chase had helped Chiron with all of the train schedules. The New York kids would be arriving first. Then the kids from other states would start pouring in. Jason Grace would help her welcome the new students and some old-timers, Reyna, Thalia, Charlie, and Luke would be in other corners of the school helping out lost kids and carrying some heavier luggage.
Speaking of Jason Grace, he knocked on the door of Annabeth's room and said "Hey, Annabeth? Chiron wants us to come to his office. He and Ms. Lupa want to talk to us."
Annabeth said, "Coming!" She threw on an orange, black and white letterman jacket, the colors of C.B.S.T.T., and opened up the door. Jason and Annabeth started walking to the office.
She and Jason went way back. Both of them weren't exactly "troubled" but had rough home lives. Chiron took them in when they were both children and said that they could be good influences on the kids here. A little dose of normal. It didn't exactly make people open to being friends with them though. People called them goody-two-shoes, nerds, and some other names. They really only found friends in the old-timers, the staff, and each other.
"Any idea why they need us?" Annabeth asked.
"You know how Chiron is on orientation day. Tons of last-minute applications, lots of kids coming, and the inevitable lack of deodorant. Ms. Lupa is normally pretty chill though which is good. They counteract each other that way." Despite only being fifteen, Jason was wise beyond his years. Annabeth was sixteen but still considered Jason her equal.
Thalia Grace, Jason's sister, rounded the corner with Luke Castallen in tow. "And then afterward we can-" she stopped talking when she saw both of them. "Annabeth! Jason! Shouldn't you guys be preparing for the newcomers? Annabeth you should at least put on makeup for all of the boys who will fall in love with you on sight," Thalia teased. Annabeth blushed and both Jason and Luke crossed their arms.
"Over my frickin' dead body," said Luke.
"Don't worry Luke. I'll punch them in the mouth," Jason said.
"What's wrong Jason? Jealous?" Thalia asked innocently.
"For the last time Thalia. I am in no way attracted to Annabeth!" Jason argued.
"And I'm not attracted to Jason," Annabeth said.
"We're just friends!" They both said at the same time.
A lot of the old-timers shipped Annabeth and Jason together, despite their protests. They were just friends and in no way attracted to each other and people needed to stop making a big deal about it!
Thalia shrugged. "Okay! Anyways. Where are you guys headed?"
"The office," Annabeth said.
Luke's eyes widened. "Ah frick! You two should get going!"
Jason nodded and the two of them sprinted to the office. Once they reached the robin's egg blue painted door, Jason knocked respectfully and they both waited for Ms. Lupa or Mr. Chiron to open the door.
Ms. Lupa opened the door and the two of them walked in. Mr. Chiron was at his desk in his wheelchair. He was the principal and founder of the school. He used to be a wealthy businessman but then dedicated his time and money to the school. He often let kids come into school for free, paying for their tuition himself.
"Annabeth! Jason! Nice to see both of you. I assume you are well?"
"Chiron!" Ms. Lupa chided. "Get to the point. We need them as quickly as possible."
"Yes, right. Thank you, Lupa. Please, take a seat."
Annabeth and Jason sat in the seats across from Chiron. They were both very well-behaved children so they waited for Chiron to speak before asking any questions.
"Ms. Chase and Mr. Grace. As you know, it is customary for students to enter school at age thirteen to fourteen. This year, however, we've had a surge of transfers who are older. And two of them specifically are special cases. Piper McLean and Percy Jackson. The first is the daughter of Tristan McLean. The movie star. Because of her father's standing in the movie world he wants to keep his daughter as safe as possible. He's requested an escort from the school that is inconspicuous enough not to attract attention, but strong enough to protect her. I decided I had the perfect student for the job. Jason, will you escort Piper to school?"
Jason's eyes widened. "I don't think I'm really qualified, sir. I mean, I'm not that good at fencing and karate."
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Jason. Go with Ms. Lupa to your train. You will meet up with Piper in Nevada." Chiron said. Jason stood up and followed Ms. Lupa with his hand on his pocketknife. Annabeth swallowed and faced Chiron again.
"Now, Ms. Chase. Your task is a bit easier. As our most levelheaded student, all you need to do is escort Perseus Jackson to his subway, ride with him in the subway and taxi, and make sure he doesn't run away. His mother expressed concerns and he has run away before. You know all about running away and you are smart enough to know exactly what to say. Do you think you're up to it?"
"Yes, I am. Can I bring the switchblade Luke gave me? New York is, dicey." Annabeth knew she could handle whatever came her way though. Running away at age seven and hanging out with Luke and Thalia for a year gave her a tough edge.
"Of course. I want all of my-I mean you, children, to be safe."
Annabeth nodded. "Should I go now?"
"Yes," Chiron said. He gave her a paper with Percy's address. "Take the taxi to the subway and then walk to Percy's place."
Annabeth stood up. "I won't let you down."
"You never have."
She turned around and started walking to the taxi that would take her to Percy Jackson's place.
Hazel
Hazel walked to the train station by herself with her trunk in tow. The city of New Orleans hurried around her but Hazel had tunnel vision. Get to the train station, say goodbye to Sammy, go on the train, get off in New York, take the address her mom had given her, and try to find her way around New York.
The train station was only a fifteen-minute walk from her house but it felt like hours. She was leaving everything she'd ever known. No parades during Mardi Gras. No croissants and beignets in the bakery windows. No steady French and English flowing around her like the wind.
She reached the train station and sat down on a bench. She looked around at the people passing around her. A kid dressed all in black with pale skin and black hair got off of one train and stood near Hazel, waiting for the New York train it seemed.
A woman in a sharp gray business suit herded a kid with blond hair and blue eyes. They ran to catch the train to Nevada. A couple was making out on another bench a little bit away from her.
Then, all of a sudden, Hazel's world went dark as small hands covered her eyes. "Guess who?"
"Sammy?" Hazel asked. The hands uncovered and Sammy ran to sit next to her. "Yep! You're a good guesser."
"Or you have a tell-tale accent."
"Oh come on my accent is amazing."
"True that!" Hazel said with a laugh.
Sammy's smile faded from his face. "So, you're really leaving? To New York?"
"Yeah," said Hazel sadly. "My mom wants me to go to boarding school over there. She says it's a place for "kids like me" whatever that means."
"When's your train?"
Hazel looked at the clock. "One minute. Sorry, it's not a lot of time-"
"It's the perfect amount of time," Sammy interrupted.
"For what?" Hazel asked.
"For this," Sammy said. He leaned over and kissed her (on the lips!) and Hazel felt a rush of happiness flood through her.
Sammy broke away, blushing beet red and said: "Gosh I'm sorry I should have asked first and well I don't think you really like me like that and I guess it was just because you were going away and I wasn't going to see you for a while and-"
Hazel put her hand on his knee. "Sammy. It's okay."
He looked up at her and smiled. "I really like you, Hazel Levesque."
"Me too, Sammy. I like you too."
Hazel leaned over and kissed him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his hand on the back of her head, getting tangled in her mess of curls. For a moment, everything could've been perfect.
But then the timer on Hazel's watch went off and she broke away with a startled gasp. "I have to go!"
She took her trunk and stood up. Sammy took her hand. "Hey! Until next summer?"
"Until next summer." Hazel broke away and started to run. Behind her, Sammy yelled, "Text me!" and Hazel waved behind her to let him know she heard him.
She ran onto the train at the last minute and breathlessly ran to a compartment. All of the seats were full and the only one empty was to the emo looking boy with the black hair that she had seen on the platform.
Hazel sat down next to him after putting her trunk in front of her. The boy looked up and then looked down and his cards. He shuffled and reshuffled them over and over until he started to fan them out. Instead of the normal picture, it had skulls on the front. The backs of the cards were black and red.
"Nice cards," Hazel said.
The boy looked up. "Thanks."
"I'm Hazel Levesque."
The boy nodded. "Nico Di Angelo."
Jason
The train ride took literal hours. Ms. Lupa had gone on the train from New York to New Orleans and then went straight back to New York, leaving Jason to take the train to Nevada himself.
This Piper girl was the daughter of a movie star. He had no idea how she'd act or what she'd look like or anything like that. But in his mind, he pictured a girl like Annabeth but less athletic with blue eyes and revealing clothing. She'd say things like, "Yass" and "totes" and annoying things like that.
Jason let his mind wander, thinking about how she'd like C.B.S.T.T. It was a big mansion, which she was probably used too, with girls dorms top floor left side and boys dorms top floor right side with a common area in the middle. The fourth and third floors were used for classrooms, the second floor was recreational stuff, and the very bottom floor was the kitchens, living room, and the offices. Five floors filled to the brim with "troubled" kids.
He wondered what she'd done to get sent to C.B.S.T.T. Hopefully nothing too bad. Then again, he did have years of fencing and karate on his side.
Somewhere in the middle of the trip, Jason fell asleep. He only woke up later to the conducted saying "Welcome to Nevada, everyone! Don't waste your money gambling, and have a nice day."
Jason walked off of the train and looked around for someone who looked like a movie star's daughter. There was a group of California looking girls, but they were way too old to be fifteen.
A girl with choppy brown hair and a feather in one of her braids walked up to him and sighed. "Is your name Jason Grace?"
Jason turned to face her. "Um, yes. Why?"
"I'm Piper McLean. You're supposed to take me to Chiron's Boarding School for Troubled Teens."
"Oh! You're Piper! Sorry, I didn't know it was you," Jason said. Her appearance surprised him. She certainly didn't look like a California girl. Her skin wasn't tanned but instead the color of light coffee. And her brown hair was choppily cut like she had done it herself. Her eyes weren't blue like he'd expected but instead a mix of browns and blues and greens. It was a kaleidoscope effect.
"Mm. I get that a lot. We're taking the train to New York, correct?"
"Yeah. It should be pulling up any minute now."
Piper nodded and took her phone out. She started scrolling through memes while Jason just looked around awkwardly. He didn't really know what to do. Luckily the train came. Things got a little awkward when they both reached to carry Piper's suitcase though.
"What are you doing?" Piper asked.
"Being a gentleman?" Jason said nervously.
Piper let go of the suitcase handle. "Okay, Grace. Nice to know chivalry isn't dead." She smiled and walked over to the train with Jason in tow. They got on the train and handed the conductor their tickets. They sat down near the front of the train and Piper kept scrolling through her phone. Jason didn't have a phone because he felt he didn't need one. Annabeth had one but she rarely used it.
"I like your phone case," Jason said. It was red with chickens on it.
"Thanks," Piper said. "So what can you tell me about Chiron's Boarding School for Troubled Teens."
"Well first off, we all call it C.B.S.T.T. Some people call it C.B.S. double T. But they're the weird ones."
"Got it. C.B.S.T.T. Anything else? Any people I should know about?"
"Yeah. There's this girl Annabeth and she's one of my best friends. She can help you with homework, schedules, and might let you cheat off a test if your super good friends. My sister Thalia is also pretty nice and she can beat people up for you. There's this other guy Luke who can also beat people up, a girl Reyna who can beat people up, a guy Charlie who can make anything out of wood or metal, his girlfriend Silena who can do makeup like nobody's business and she knows how to do hair, Dakota who's addicted to Kool-Aid, a really nice girl named Gwen who will rescue any new kid sitting alone, and Octavian. Octavian's a slimeball, stay away."
"Whoa. Overload of information," Piper said with a laugh. "Are there a lot of new kids?"
"We're getting tons of transfers this year apparently. Most kids come in at 13-14 and get help until they're 17-18. The school is basically a better option than Juvie and won't appear on your permanent record. That's why there are tons of kids. Chiron, the principal, used to be a rich guy and he's invested all his money into this. Ms. Lupa is the vice principal and she's nice but kind of ruthless. Don't screw up in her class."
Jason kept talking to Piper about the school and they talked all the way to New York.
Percy
Sally had let Percy do some early morning skateboarding as long as he'd promise to be back by eight. He did some ollies and kickflips and skateboard down railings and sidewalks. Some people yelled at him and flipped him off but he didn't care. It was his last couple hours in Manhatten and he intended to spend it wisely.
He passed Tyson's alley but he knew Tyson wasn't there. He would probably be walking around with Magnus and Magnus's friends Hearthstone and Blitz. They were a little gang of homeless kids (depressing but true) and they stuck together through thick and thin.
Percy went down a hill really fast but he didn't care. The warm August air felt nice on his face as he sped down the street. Once he got to the bottom, he looked at his watch, a gift from his biological father, and checked the time. 7:53. He cursed and picked up his board. He started running back to the apartment.
He got there at 8:01 and ran inside the door. "So sorry mom I-" he looked around. His mom wasn't in the living room. He did hear voices drifting from the kitchen, one of them was his mom's another a female stranger's, so he went there.
"Sorry that I'm late, mom!" Percy said.
"It's fine, Percy, don't worry," said Sally as she took some extra blue cookies out of the oven. "Meet Annabeth! She's here to take you to school."
The girl on the bar stool swiveled around and Percy caught his breath. She was seriously pretty. Her blonde hair was curly and done in a neat ponytail. She was tan, athletic, and an inch taller than him but the coolest thing about her was her eyes. They were gray. Percy had never seen eyes like that before.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Annabeth Chase."
"Percy. Percy Jackson."
"Annabeth has been here for almost an hour and I'm so excited for you Percy! There are tons of kids your age at this school and Annabeth has told me all about them. It's going to be amazing for you Percy," Sally said happily.
"We were going to leave half an hour ago but Sally convinced me to stay until nine," Annabeth said with a smile. "She's making cookies!" She acted as though this were a positively novel experience for her.
"Yeah, well a lot of moms do that," Percy said. Despite how pretty she was it didn't seem like she had many brains to back it up.
Sally and Annabeth exchanged quick looks and Annabeth's smile faltered. "Yes, right sorry." Her expression turned serious again and Sally shook her head and sighed. She moved the cookies to a cooling rack and Percy went to his room to pack.
After throwing all of his clothes into his suitcase, he took two pictures off of his nightstand. A picture of him and his mom, and a picture of his mom and his biological father, smiling at the camera in his Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt.
Sally refused to tell Percy his name. That was fine with Percy. She said it would just make things harder for him, and Percy agreed. He didn't want to know about him at all. He sometimes sent Percy gifts for birthdays, a pocketknife and watch being his favorites, but other than that there was no contact between the two.
But Percy still packed it. Maybe someday he would want it.
He took his suitcase, which he had filled with some other items, and walked downstairs with it in tow. It seemed like Annabeth and his mom were in the middle of a conversation so he waited in the hallway until they were done.
"It was just me, Thalia and Luke for a while. Then Chiron took us in and Jason showed up and all four of us have been a family ever since. I guess you could call me "troubled" but I haven't really done anything but run away. Me and Jason, we're like the control in the experiment. The little dose of normal that a lot of students need. I was raised around the students, and having a little kid around really helped them change their behavior. They treated me and Jason like siblings. I can say with full confidence that C.B.S.T.T. is my home, and an amazing one at that."
Percy walked into the kitchen with his suitcase. Annabeth and Sally looked up and Sally quickly wiped at her eyes. It was clear they'd had an emotional conversation.
"Percy! You're back. That took faster than expected. The cookies are ready!"
"Yes!" He said as he lunged for the cookie plate. Annabeth swiped the first one away before he could get it. She took a bite and sighed. "Oh my gosh, these are so good. Thank you so much, Mrs. Jackson. Might I ask why they're blue?"
Sally laughed. "It's a secret. Maybe Percy will tell you in the taxi."
Annabeth nodded and looked at the clock. "We need to leave in about thirty minutes so that we have extra time to get to the subway and hail a taxi."
"Okay," Sally said. "That gives us enough time for you to tell us all about the school and your friends! Arm Percy with some extra knowledge."
Percy face-palmed. "Mom, you're usually the cool mom. What happened?"
"A girl came over," Sally said. Both Annabeth and Percy started blushing. Sally laughed. "Anyways, what can you tell us, Annabeth?"
"Well, my best friends are Jason, Thalia, and Luke. Jason's serious, smart, a lot like me, and fifteen. I'm sixteen by the way."
"So am I," Percy said.
"And then there is Thalia and she's eighteen. She's pretty nice and very headstrong. And then there's Luke and he's eighteen too. They both act as a sort of counselor for the kids. Unnoficial teachers. They won't let Chiron pay them even though he's offered them both jobs.
"Then there's Silena and Beckendorf who are seventeen. They're dating and they're the cutest couple ever. And they're some of the nicest people you will ever meet. And then there's Clarisse and Octavian and they're both scary so stay away. Reyna is also scary but she had a sense of justice. She wants to be a police officer even though her record might make that, difficult.
"And then Chiron and Ms. Lupa themselves are awesome. They are total opposites but they balance each other out that way. Don't get on Ms. Lupa's bad side though. She holds intense grudges. And that's basically it for now. I can tell you more later."
Percy was about to say something when the door slammed open. Gabe's voice yelled "Sally!"
Sally paled. "Oh no. I told Gabe you would be gone by the time he came home! I'm so sorry Percy but you two need to go now. Use the fire escape." She enveloped Percy in a hug.
"I'm going to miss you, mom," he said."I'll write to you tons of letters."
"I'll count on it," Sally said tearfully. Percy broke away and took his suitcase. "Annabeth, we need to go out of the fire escape. Something came up."
"What's happening?" She asked.
"My stepdad," Percy said bitterly. "Hopefully he's so drunk it'll be hard to walk up the stairs."
The sound of pounding footsteps filled the apartment. "Run!" Percy yelled. He started to run with Annabeth close behind him. He ran to his room and started shoving the window open. Annabeth helped him and with their combined strength they got it open.
Without thinking too much about it, Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand and the two of them climbed out of the window. Percy was just about to close it, still holding Annabeth's hand, when the door slammed open and Gabe stood there.
"You little punk! You were supposed to be gone!" Gabe yelled drunkenly.
Percy yelled, "I am you deadbeat!" He grabbed his trunk and ran down the fire escape with Annabeth in tow. When they reached the bottom, Annabeth detached her hand from Percy's, both of them blushing.
"Oh, um, sorry," Percy said. "About Gabe and the hands and fire escape and, well everything."
Annabeth shrugged. "It's fine. We should probably go."
The two of them walked to the subway station in silence. Percy thinking about skateboarding and blue food, Annabeth thinking about architecture and the new school year. She kept a close eye on Percy, making sure he wouldn't run away.
They reached the subway. Percy had a pass and Annabeth bought a ticket. The two of them waited for the subway. They started playing rock paper scissors, tic tac toe, chopsticks, and Ms. Mary Mack.
"I never understood why jumping elephants only cost fifteen cents to see," Percy said.
"It's just for the rhyme. It really doesn't matter what it says as long as it's catchy," Annabeth said.
The subway pulled up and the two of them boarded. The subway was crowded and loud so they didn't talk anymore. Percy just looked around and tried not to stare at Annabeth. She was really pretty.
He'd only had a crush on one girl before. Her name was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was intelligent, feisty, creative. They had dated for about two months when Rachel broke up with him last summer. He wasn't torn up about it. Even he knew that they didn't really click. Still, it hurt a little.
They took the subway as far as they could to Long Island. Once they got off, Annabeth hailed a taxi and the two of them got in the car.
"So, what did you do to get sent to this school?" Percy asked.
He didn't expect her to answer. It was a very sensitive topic, he was sure. But he wanted to hear it straight from her and not an eavesdropped conversation.
Annabeth blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Me personally? Nothing. Me and Jason are the veterans. I ran away from home when I was seven. Thalia and Luke were only nine when they found me and took me to school. Chiron had taken them in when they ran away too. Jason, Thalia's brother, came a year later when he was seven and I was eight to find Thalia. We all have rough home lives and Chiron and Ms. Lupa took care of us. Our parents are perfectly fine with it. They weren't the most attentive or loving people. You'll find a lot of the kids at C.B.S.T.T. have rough home lives. It's our defining trait."
Percy nodded, satisfied with her answer, and fiddled with the handle of his suitcase. "So this Jason dude, he's your boyfriend?"
Annabeth rolled her eyes and took a Rubix cube out of her backpack. "Nope. That's like asking if I'm dating my brother. Now don't talk to me until I solve this." She started twisting the columns and rows.
"You know there are tutorials online for that?"
"I can do it myself."