As promised, another chapter! But with school going back and everything, I won't be updating as much. :(

But, you are still welcome to review (I really need the feedback), vote on my poll or read my new Tratie story (When Pigs Fly)

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus

Every sunrise signifies a new day. A new light, a new hope. Stuff that. All a sunrise means to me is another seven hours of dodging death. Evil witches in short skirts and high-pitched squeals trying to cast their spells on you, old hags droning on and on with their rasping voices that make my ears bleed and ogres blundering around in football jerseys with the intelligence lower than their shoe size. It's survival of the fittest at this prison.

Okay, school isn't that bad. Psh, it's only the second day.

Before I did anything this morning, I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at a raven that had perched itself on a branch outside my window. I was thinking about my dreams. Even now, with the sun streaming in through my window, I had the urge to look under my bed and in my closet to look for any monsters preparing an attack.

But I didn't. Instead, I showered, singing in the hot water with my voice resonating on the tiles. I liked to sing, even if I didn't do it often. I attempted to dry my hair, but it remained its usual stubborn self; refusing to cooperate with me at all.

I pulled a black T-shirt over my head. It was one of those where it has a heart monitor and the line goes still in the middle before it starts squiggling again. Underneath, it says Sorry, for a minute there you bored me to death. I put on a pair of ripped skinny jeans. The tears were from when I got attacked by a dog. I swear that dog had rabies. Or maybe it was a mutant. Dogs don't usually have fangs do they?

I tied my hair back in a messy sort of ponytail and clipped the fly-aways back with red bobby-pins. I hopped down the stairs, trying to put on my red converse at the same time. Note to self: never try to put on shoes while hopping down the stairs unless you really want a broken neck.

Like usual, Mom had gone to work, so it was just me. I popped some bread in the toaster and stuffed my homework in my bag. I took my phone of the kitchen bench and checked the time. 7:23. That gives me enough time to get to school and check out today's classes. I chucked it in the front pocket in my bag just at the time ticked over to 7:24.

I grabbed the now toasted bread out of the toaster before it looked too much like charcoal and stuffed it in my mouth, ready to run out the door. Who knew how long it would take for me to walk. I have a reputation of getting easily distracted. I was just turning off the radio, which had been turned on to some Indie Rock station by Mom earlier this morning, when I heard a car horn honk outside the front of the house.

I walked out the door, locked it, and turned around to face the piece of rusty metal on wheels itself.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Percy, who had just unlocked the passenger-side door, waiting for me to get in.

He shrugged and replied simply, "I figured you might want a lift."

I smiled and opened the door of his car and was greeted with the smell of freshly baked cookies.

"Good morning," I said as he pulled out of the driveway. "I didn't figure you'd be up this early."

He shrugged again and said, "Mom was baking this morning and that always wakes me up, and Paul always gets up early so he can get to school early and mark essays of whatever teachers do."

"Speaking of baking, what can I smell?"

"Oh, that would be these," Percy said as he stopped at a traffic light, reached behind into the backseat and produced a paper bag, grinning his lop-sided smile. He opened the bag and reached in to grab its contents, which turned out to be some very odd looking cookies.

"They're blue," I noted. "Your Mom's?"

"Yeah," he said, "I thought that you might want to try one." He handed me the bag and I warily took a bite out of the blue cookie.

"Oh. My. God," I said as I finished swallowing my first bite. Percy flinched as I finished saying this, like he was expecting lightning to strike the car or something, but his expression switched back to his goofy grin. I handed him back the paper bag as I said, "This is the most amazing thing I've ever eaten and believe me, I've eaten a lot of cookies in the past eighteen years."

Percy smiled, "I told you you'd like them."

"Yeah, you were actually right."

"Always the tone of surprise," Percy grumbled as he handed me back the paper bag. "You can have the rest, I've got more." I raised my eyebrows. How many cookies does this boy eat?

"Mom makes a batch every day, so we have plenty to spare," Percy stuck another cookie in his mouth as we turned into the school parking lot.

"But by the way you eat, it seems to me like there aren't any to spare," I laughed.

Percy pulled into an empty space near the school entrance, parked the car and jumped out with a bit too much enthusiasm. As we walked up the front steps, he seemed to have an extra spring in his step. We opened the doors and he started whistling?

When we reached our lockers I put in my combination, grabbed my books and turned towards him "You seem exceptionally happy today. Care to explain?"

"Huh?"

We closed our lockers and headed to Homeroom. I rolled my eyes. Is this boy really that oblivious?

"Seriously?" I asked. "You've been bounding along and whistling your heart out. Now, it may just be sugar overload from the cookies, but I don't think that's the case."

He smirked, "Oh, Annabeth's coming this weekend. She's come to visit her mom, but she's staying with us. Mom loves her. Ever since they met when we were, what, fourteen? they've been best friends. When she found out that we were dating, I honestly think she was more excited about it than I was."

I grinned. I should have known that it was Annabeth that made him so happy. "I'd like to say I could meet her, but Mom and I are going to visit my grandparents this weekend." I paused for a bit as we opened the door to Miss Garcia's homeroom. "When did you last see her?"

"Last week," Percy said. "I was visiting her and her family before school started. Here," he opened up his workbook to the first page. On the inside of the cover was a picture clumsily attached with sticky-tape. "This is us when we were sixteen. We're with her step-brothers Bobby and Matthew. I think they turn thirteen next July."

I looked at the picture. The figure in the middle was obviously Percy. He had hold of one of the smaller boys in a head-lock and the other had hold of Percy's shirt, holding him down. On his back was a blonde girl with a tanned, slender figure. Her arms were around his neck, her curly hair falling over her shoulders. They were all dressed in jeans and T-shirts. I frowned when I saw the one that Percy was wearing. It was orange, with a Pegasus and words printed in black. I could only make out the Camp Hal– because the rest was blocked out by one of the twins' arm.

"Camp Half-Blood," I muttered under my breath. Percy's eyes shot up and glanced at the picture again, probably wondering how I knew the rest of the name on his T-shirt.

"How do you know that?" he asked me. I remembered my dream from last night and it sent shivers down my spine.

"Dream," I said quietly.

"What–" Percy was cut off by the bell. "I'll talk to you in Music."

He got out of his seat and rushed out the door to head to the pool. I, on the other hand, had Drama with Mrs. Reed. So, I walked out the classroom and glanced back down the hall at Percy's figure, weaving his way through the crowd. He is one strange kid, I thought.

I made my way to the Drama Theatre, thinking about the photo, Percy's shirt and my dream, all of which were very strange.

Little did I know, that being strange was one thing that we definitely had in common, and being strange was the most dangerous thing about me.

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Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. See you all soon!