Percy Jackson wasn't quite normal, even when compared to the other odd children of his school. Yancy was known for accepting the rejects of society and quarantining them from normal children. But he was a cut above, or below, his classmates.
For starters, he was a bit dim. The boy wasn't stupid by any stretch of the imagination, he was among the top of his class. Instead, the boy didn't truly understand people. He never wanted to talk to or hang out with anybody in his grade. It seemed to his teachers that Percy was just disinterested in his classmates. They never provoked a reaction from the young boy, unless it was a stern glare or snarling face. Percy was a frightening child to be around, to his peers of course. His teachers would never be afraid of the boy, and they'd scorn you for having such a preposterous idea!
Though, you'd find it hard to fault the teachers, considering the boy in question. The same boy who had put his whole hand through a locker door, and didn't have a single scratch on him afterward. The same boy threw his classmate through a desk for attempting to bully him. Both those events caused the boy to be expelled from his prior schools, hence why he was at Yancy.
It seemed like the trend of impassivity between Percy and his fellows would continue for this year as well. One boy, Grover Underwood, had tried to get close to and associate with the boy. Yet, it had no effect. Though Percy looked upon the boy favorably and protected him from bullies, they weren't especially close. He was known for having scared off Nancy Bobofit, a feat no one thought possible, considering the girl's lack of fear when it came to retribution. Though the rumor mill wasn't quite sure what happened.
Some say Percy was simply that intimidating, that he scared the girl off with but a glance. Others say that, when hit by the girl's empty soda can, Percy had crushed the thing and thrown it at her with such force it left Nancy taking a trip to the nurse's office. Though, that was a ridiculous notion, right?
Regardless of what anybody thought, there was no doubt that the boy had done something of sufficient worth to scare her off. That didn't stop her from bullying poor Grover when the boy wasn't around, but as soon as he showed up, the girl froze and shrunk in on herself. Though, the boy never so much as gave her a wayward glance when they came in contact, instead preferring the mystical sounds emanating from his headphones. The boy was quite the fan of The Red Hot Chili Peppers if the rumors were to be believed. Such an instance had just occurred, as Percy had just stepped onto the bus to go on a field trip with his Latin class.
The young boy, only 12 years old, was quite odd. He had thick black hair, that was curly as could be and was never tameable. Percy was also very tall, large, and quite the opposite in size compared to his classmates. The biggest in the grade after him was a girl who had matured early, standing at an impressive 5'9. Percy, on the other hand, was already six foot tall, and not at all lanky. He had sizable muscles, as much as a kid his age could have anyway. He was broad-shouldered and looked like he could hold the world up upon his back. The boy was destined to become a giant of a man, chiseled from rough granites and marbles.
If someone were to describe the boy, and not mention his eyes, they would be committing a crime. They were not a swirling pool of sea green. No, that would be silly. His eyes were instead an electrifying, rich, coppery-brown. They almost shone in the light. In their vibrancy, it was easy to drown out everything else about the young boy.
Percy calmly walked down the bus aisle, his head swaying to an unknown beat. For his size, Percy was startlingly quiet and graceful. He never once made a sound as he moved to and fro. He plopped down in a seat at the back of the bus, almost quietly declaring to all the other kids to not bother him. Grover sat near to him, though not too close as to impose upon the boy's space.
The bus got rolling shortly after that, taking far too long to get to the museum that they were visiting that day. Truth be told, Percy didn't much care about the trip. He knew he wasn't an academic, and he didn't much bother trying to become one. Such things meant little to him. He only wished time passed by quicker, so he could get through the slog that was middle school. He was content listening to his music, letting the days pass as they always did, but was waiting for the real excitement of life to begin.
Time rolled by just as quickly as the bus did, and in almost no time at all, the Latin class was shuffling off the bus and being greeted by the museum. The students had two chaperones that day. The tragically crippled, yet fun as could be Mr. Brunner, and the hellish figure of Mrs. Dodds. Mr. Brunner had always looked out for Percy, seemingly determined to make the young boy the best that Yancy had to offer when it came to mythology. Mrs. Dodds was a freakish teacher that many feared and hated. She was always over your shoulder, always there when you did something wrong. She seemed to delight in the torment of others. She was the only person Percy had ever feared unless you counted his old stepfather.
The teachers shepherd the students inside the museum and got the multitude of presentations underway. Percy was barely paying attention throughout the whole thing. He was invested to a degree, particularly taking interest when Mr. Brunner talked about something Greek or Roman, but he didn't much care otherwise. He was more concerned about keeping his music playing and when the student's lunch break was.
Mrs. Dodds saw this and made a move to harass him, but Mr. Brunner interjected before she could.
"Percy! Were you paying attention back there?"
"Only partly, if I must be honest."
"Well, could you please pay a bit more attention? You never know when this stuff could be useful!"
Nancy Bobofit let out a shrill, annoying laugh. Mocking the old teacher under her breath, and even asking Mr. Brunner sarcastically about when they'd use this in the real world. Mr. Brunner saw fit to ask Percy to respond in his stead.
"Percy, could you perhaps educate Ms. Bobofit about how we could use what we learn here today?"
"Sure. Everything that Mr. Brunner is teaching us isn't necessarily important. Rather, it's the underlying message that matters in the end. For example, the story of Apollo and Daphne tells us to not fixate on our worldly desires so much, lest they come back to bite us. The story of Athena and Arachne tells us not to be so vain and to believe ourselves the best. Confidence is one thing, arrogance another. Sure, some of the messages aren't so clear, and can't properly be distinguished, but overall, these old stories are being taught to instill morals and values into us."
Mr. Brunner was silent for a few moments. He seems immensely pleased, almost ecstatic with Percy's answer, yet also terribly disappointed.
"Almost right in one Percy! Quiet the scholarly mind on you!"
"Well, I happen to not be a complete bellend, Mr. Brunner. Unlike some, of course."
The class bubbled up into some laughter when Percy directed a pointed look at Nancy. Though, they found more interest in what Mr. Brunner was teaching. The class continued through the museum as usual. Wandering the grandiose halls filled with all sorts of treasured history. Eventually, the time came for the students to gather outside and have lunch. Percy had packed himself two sandwiches, some water, and a bag of chips. He was just starting on his second sandwich when Nancy trudged her way over to him and started causing a ruckus.
Her previous fear was thrown out of the window in favor of her current anger. It appeared she was not as fond of her humiliation as Percy was. She actually found it quite aggravating. Percy didn't truly care and was content with ignoring her. However, the incessant girl just wouldn't stop and even had the gall to hit his sandwich out of his hands.
Percy angrily stood up from his seat and towered over the girl before him. He ground out a warning, that she should leave him alone, before grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her backward. Saying he pushed her was quite the understatement, all things concerned, as the girl flew backward and hit the table behind her. There was a startled gasp that erupted from the girl as she felt her collarbone snap from the force of the push. As soon as Percy saw what happened, he immediately felt bad. He didn't mean to hurt her, even if she deserved it. No matter, he couldn't change what happened.
Though, Mrs. Dodds thought she could, as she flew over to Nancy's side and did her best to soothe the girl, before turning to glare at Percy.
"Follow me, Honey!"
She charged her way up to the museum, and Percy followed. He didn't notice the concerned looks traded between Grover and Mr. Brunner as he left them behind.
Mrs. Dodds led him through the building at a blistering pace. She seemed giddy and held a sort of fervent excitement. Percy thought she was taking pleasure in the idea of finally figuring out a way to expel him. As they walked, Mrs. Dodds started to monologue to him.
"Oh, you thought you could get away with it, didn't you? I had you pinned down as the one though! I knew I knew you were the one who did it! I've been waiting for this for a long time! You cannot even understand the depths of my happiness right now!"
Percy found her speech a bit dramatic, though he didn't much care as he was shuffled into a spacious room with nobody in it. Percy turned around to face Mrs. Dodds and readied himself to face his punishment. Though, he rapidly found himself backing up and raising his hands, as the now devilish figure of the once Mrs. Dodds approached him.
"What the hell are you?!"
"Hand it over boy, and you might get to live!"
"Hand what over?! What are you talking about!"
"Give it to me! Now!"
"I don't have what you're looking for!"
"Then I'll take it from your corpse!"
The thing that was now Mrs. Dodds launched herself at Percy, and the boy raised his hands to defend himself. Though, he didn't feel the bite of her talons as he thought he would. Rather, he heard a sound akin to nails scraping across a chalkboard and a light tingling sensation across his arms. He looked at Mrs. Dodds, only to find her blinking confusedly at him. Then he heard a gruff shout from across the room.
"Tally Ho Percy!"
Looking into the air, Percy found a black and bronze bracer soaring through the air at him. Quickly, he caught the thing in his right hand and found that the intricately made armor piece had a ring attached to it by a long thread. He yanked upon the ring as hard as he could, and the ring exploded out into a large, round shield while the bracer became a long bronze halberd. He jabbed the pointy end of the large metal stick at the shocked Mrs. Dodds, and she exploded into a fine golden dust.
Percy looked around the room, looking for the man who threw him the bracer. He found nobody, however, and was left standing alone in the room. Percy yelped in surprise as the shield turned back into a ring, which sat upon his left finger, and the bracer/halberd thing melted onto his arm and fastened itself there. Percy shakily looked around the empty room and began to walk outside, all while thinking….
"What in the fresh hell was that?!"