PERCY & THE
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
CHAPTER ONE
Look, I didn't want to do this – Actually, that sums up how I feel every time before I mess up some dumb thing.
Take my orientation day at Goode High School a couple of years ago, where I was forced to go, only to be the prime suspect of setting the band room on fire. Which, for the record, I did not do. But of course, the police didn't really believe that spontaneous combustion was a thing.
Needless to say, that I'm often in the wrong place at the wrong time, earning me a 'troublemaker' reputation at the local police station. But I'm getting off track, because where I'm going, no policemen can help me. Which just proves how much of a bad idea this is, but naturally I do it anyway.
Confused? Interested? Sure, I get it. So, I'll tell you about my latest adventure screw-up, where I piss off one of the most powerful people in the world. How? Well, read on!
Oh, by the way, my name's Percy Jackson, just your average ADHD and dyslexic mortal, and this is how it all started.
I woke up as the sun peeked between the tall buildings of New York, taunting me as one of its rays shone directly on my eyes. I groaned, shifting over on my almost too small bed, which creaked terribly as I rolled over. I wrapped my faded blue blanket tighter around me, trying to block out the noise of traffic circulation right outside my window.
A knock sounded at my door, and I knew exactly who it was. As the door opened, I peeked through my blanket, to see my mom, already in her uniform for at the candy shop. Though my mom had a few grey streaks in her long brown hair, Sally Jackson was a strikingly pretty woman, with sparkling blue eyes and a quick warm smile. She's everything to me – I know she's sacrificed so much for us, working two jobs to get enough money for us to continue living here.
"Percy, you're still in bed?" My mom said, though I could tell that she wasn't surprised. She came to sit down on my bed, trying to tug the blankets off me, as if I was still five years old.
"Mom, please…," I whined groggily, trying to keep the blanket on my body. Locked in a furious tug-o-war, I eventually relented and gave in, letting her yank the blanket off my body. The cool air shocking my body, waking me up.
My mom laughed as she watched as I curled into a ball, shivering at the unexpected cold. She began poking my side and I squirmed terribly, starting to laugh, when my little brother, Tyson, waddled through the door and joined my mom by ganging up on me. Before long I was a spluttering mess, laughing my head off.
I pleaded for mercy – Fortunately, they stopped, though it took Tyson a little longer to cease his poking. My mother picked him up and sat him on her lap. Tyson was almost too big for her lap, despite being only three years old. He has a mop of brown hair, and two chocolate colored eyes. He was unbelievably strong at his age, which often scared his fellow playmates at the daycare, but what they didn't know, was that Tyson, though being adopted, had my mother's immensely kind heart.
"Percy," My mother called, breaking me out of my reverie as I watched Tyson play with Sally's hair, turning it into a moustache.
"Yeah, mom?" I replied.
"I need you to pick up Tyson from the daycare for me. I got an email this morning, that I have to work a double shift today. Can you do that?" She asked, the tired bags under her eyes darkening.
I didn't hesitate. "Yeah, of course mom. Don't worry about it." I watched as she smiled gratefully at me, before standing up and leaving the room with Tyson still in her arms.
I glanced at the time, nearly cursing out loud when I saw how late it was. Rolling out of my bed, I hastened to get dressed, hopping into the kitchen with one sock on. Tyson was already at the table, eating his blue waffles, with way too much sugar on them. Man, he was going to get really hyped up today.
Oh, yeah. Blue waffles. Probably should explain that - Our family loves the color blue, so we transferred that to our food, and now it's like a special inside tradition within our family. After so many years, we're absolute suckers for any type of blue edible.
I managed to save my little brother from sugar overdose, before kissing my mom on the cheek, and rushing out the door. My shoulder-bag swung from my shoulder as I ran for class, dashing up the steps to the entrance just as the bell rang. It was eerie seeing nobody in the hallway, my footsteps echoing with every step I took, so I tried sneaking my way to the classroom.
I saw the door open, where students were obediently writing down whatever the teacher was writing on the blackboard. Thankfully, when I peeked through the door, everyone was facing the board, so I adjusted my bag, and tiptoed into the classroom to my seat.
"Mr. Jackson, you're late once again," A sickeningly sweet but evil voice spoke.
Great. Just great. It had to be her.
I looked up to see that the entire class was now looking at me with nervous eyes, as a tall, but stringy, aged woman, dressed in a grey suit, and hair tied into a tight bun. If I had to compare her to anyone, it would be a Tim Burton character. Don't tell her I said that though – I'm honestly scared that she'll whip me to death.
Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle of students, with a triumphant grin on her face. Once we were face to face, she placed a bony hand on my shoulder and pushed me down into my seat, surprising me. The class held its breath as our algebra teacher dug her sharp nails into my clothes, wagging a skeleton finger in my face.
"Now, honey, you are already failing my class – Do you think that you can come in late as well?" Mrs. Dodds raised a non-existent eyebrow at me, as if the question amused her.
I knew what I had to say. "No, ma'am," I replied stiffly, anything to not anger the most terrifying teacher on earth.
Her cruel smile widened, and her eyes glinted with excitement, as if she could not wait to eat me alive. "Well then," She stood up, towering over me, "You will serve a two-hour detention afterschool."
I was about to nod in acceptance, when I suddenly remembered. "I can't today, I'm sorry ma'am."
Her beady eyes gleamed as if I had just issued a challenge. She bent down till she was eye-level with me, and I could smell her breath – I nearly gagged. It was as if the toothpaste she used, had remnants of corpses mixed in. Needless to say, she smelled like death.
"And why can't you, Perseus Jackson?" Mrs. Dodds hissed.
I tried not to recoil, and instead stood my ground, and looked at her dead in the eyes. "I have to pick up my younger brother from daycare today."
"Oh? A younger brother you say?" She sneered, ready to tear me apart, when a timid voice spoke up from the front.
"E-Excuse-me, Mrs. Dodds, but I can vouch for Percy," Grover stammered.
Mrs. Dodds snapped her head around so fast, that I thought I heard it crack, giving Grover, my best friend, a deadly glare. He whimpered and shrunk into his seat. "Oh? You can, Mr. Underwood?"
He shakily nodded and stumbled through his next words: "He really has a brother. I've met him. So, Percy is telling the truth…" He trailed off, becoming pale as he saw the furious look on Mrs. Dodds face.
She stood up, glancing between Grover and me, searching for a trace of deception. When she found none, she huffed, appearing livid in the face, as she turned back to me and growled: "Tomorrow. No exceptions."
All I could do was nod, as Mrs. Dodds stalked but up the classroom, and returned to teaching her class, but for the rest of the hour, there was a dangerous atmosphere hanging over everyone's heads.
When the bell finally rang, everyone hurried to escape the torturous prison cell, and poured into the hallway. I caught up with Grover after class, placing a hand on his shoulder, and giving him a smile.
"Thanks, G-man. You saved my ass back there," I said gratefully.
He looked up at me with such fearful brown eyes, I almost forgot how terrified he was of Mrs. Dodds. He sighed heavily, adjusting his baggy hat on his curly hair. "Just don't be late anymore, ok? I don't think I can take another confrontation with her."
"You got it – No more tardiness from me," I replied, trying to reassure my best friend.
"That, I seriously doubt that is even possible, especially from you, Percy Gotta-go."
I turned around to see my other best friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, with her arms crossed over her paint-splattered shirt. She wore ripped jeans (done intentionally by herself), peppered with more holes which resembled her freckles. Her green eyes gleamed cheekily as she smirked at me, her red frizzy hair seeming to be on fire.
Next to her was a small and petite girl, with wispy hair the color of amber, who had a pretty elfish face. Her chlorophyll green eyes were large and almond shaped. The girl was one of the sweetest girls I knew, though she had a tendency to get jealous of when her boyfriend is seen with other girls.
"Hi Juniper, you here to see Grover?" I asked, and she nodded, moving towards her boyfriend, while I turned to Rachel, an annoyed look on my face. "And you, Rach, how can you doubt your best friend so much?"
Rachel smirked, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, "Because I've known you for four years and you are a dumbass. You never make class on time."
"I totally can!" I shot back, but she merely laughed at my poor defense. A sneaky smile came to my face. "Come here, Rach."
Her laugh died, but her smirk stayed on her face as she pulled out her blue plastic hairbrush. I gasped and began to inch my way backwards. That brush was a deadly weapon, trust me on this. Having seen it in action – Man, did I feel sorry for the victim. As she steadily advanced towards me, holding up the brush, I saw Juniper and Grover watching amused from the sidelines. Just as Rachel took a step forward, I jumped back, spun on my heels, and ran for my life down the school corridors, with my best friend racing after me.
I sped through the hallways, through students, jumping stairs, before turning the corner and crashing into someone. Both of us, were unsteady so we fell to the floor in a tangled mess.
"Ow," I groaned, clutching my shoulder.
"Di immortals, can you watch where you're going?" A frustrated voice snapped, right next to my ear.
"Look, I'm really s-," I trailed off, as I finally laid eyes on who I had crashed into.
It was girl, and she was gorgeous - She had beautiful honey-blonde hair, curled like a princess's, tumbling down her shoulders – Sun-kissed tan skin, which gave her the typical California beach girl, with her tall, slender, and athletic figure. But when I saw her eyes, I seemed to have lost all capability of speech: her eyes were a stormy gray, that seemed to pierce my own, calculating the best way to take me down. She was not to be messed with.
She was sat on her knees, picking up her papers and books. When she had stacked them into an impressive pile, she flipped on her Yankees baseball cap, and stood up. Looking down at me, I could see the storm thundering in her eyes, as if she were mentally debating what to do with me. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, I was suddenly wacked upside the head. Spinning around, I saw Rachel standing over me, victoriously, brush in hand.
"Gotcha," She grinned widely. I got up, rubbing my head, shooting her a 'I'll get you back later' look, before turning around to properly apologize to the girl. However, she wasn't there anymore. I spotted her curls bouncing at the end of the corridor, already too far away to call. And sadly, I didn't know her name.
"Who was she? I haven't seen her around school before," Rachel asked after looking in the direction that I was.
I didn't answer, because I had no idea who the girl was. And Rachel was right: I had never seen her at school before, and I knew almost everyone in our year at Goode High. She couldn't be a new student, since it was much too late in the year for a school change.
So, who was she?