Note: Short chapter is short. Obnoxious title is obnoxious. Awkward to write scenes are awkward. Now, with that in mind, let's touch on some key points in the story.

STRANGER DANGER!

Today was a surprisingly boring day. Then again, a little boring was just what Percy's life needed right now.

Rain pattered off his umbrella, sliding down its sides while the teen made his way down the streets, bustling past the crowd as New Yorkers do. He had to be at his mom's office by quarter to five. She'd been getting stricter on curfews and meeting times lately, at least now, Percy knew why. So with that thought in mind, he picked up his speed and rushed through the sidewalk traffic.

But of course, something had to come along and get him into trouble. That something came in the form of a particularly shady alleyway that just happened to catch Percy's eye.

Two strangers huddled together in the narrow space. They spoke in hushed words and moved with guarded actions. The whole scene just reeked of less than legal intentions. Percy was just about to turn and leave when his traitorous foot knocked over a trash can.

Its sonorous clang rang out and suddenly, Percy had two pairs of suspicious eyes following his every movement.

A gruff voice barked a question out as Percy continued to stare at the dubious exchange. "What're you looking at?"

"N-nothing!" Percy stuttered. He staggered backwards, feeling his pulse skyrocketing. Instinct catapulted him into a sprint. Three adrenaline filled seconds later, and Percy found arms hooked under his own as his feet slung forward in their momentum. The teen flailed helplessly, locked into a heavy handed grip, his umbrella falling onto the pavement with quiet clacks. "I didn't see a thing!"

"Of course not," the voice said, a slight Asian accent clipping at his speech. Palpable tension settled while the rain soaked the both of them through. Percy's struggling slowed, his cold wet clothes sapping the strength out of him as he was dragged into the ally. "That uniform...you're from CHB!"

The vehemence in his statement shocked Percy. He didn't know that CHB had any enemies. Curiosity dotted his growing fear. RIP common sense. "What's it to you?"

"You shouldn't be here kid," he said. "This is Titan territory."

"Ethan!" called another, more reproachful voice. "Let him go. He doesn't know anything."

"'Let him go' he says," the first voice, Ethan, mocked. "You're way too soft. CHB scum need to know their place."

The footsteps came closer and Percy felt Ethan's grip loosen. Castellan's voice turned frigid as it sounded behind them. "Don't cause a scene Ethan. You could start a brawl if you want, but I don't think the Headmaster would like that. So, let him go."

"Screw you Castellan," Ethan swore as he shoved his captive to the ground.

Percy's face met pavement in a not so happy marriage. A groan escaped him as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. There was someone kneeling down next to him, face impassive behind gold coloured sunglasses. Percy gasped and scrambled away, his movements fuelled by distrust. "Get up, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think so," Percy answered, turning to his apparent saviour. He couldn't pick up many details in the dim light, but the other guy looked older than him. "Thanks..."

"No problem," Castellan said as he yanked Percy to his feet. "You've got a nasty scrape on your face by the way."

"What?" Percy exclaimed. He brought a hand to his face and cursed as it came away smeared in crimson blood. "My mom's gonna skin me alive."

"I highly doubt that," Castellan chuckled weakly. He cocked his head to the side and gave a contemplative hum. "You're going to draw some attention walking around like with that much blood on your face. Well, can't have that. Come on kid, you're coming with me."

"Wait what?" the teen repeated, backing away as Castellan came closer. "The hell I'm going with you! Your friend just beat me up!"

Castellan rocked back on his heels and shot his hand out, clasping it around Percy's wrist. "Well technically, the sidewalk messed your face up. Not to mention, you're still in Titan territory. Go around walking with blood on your face, and that won't be the first 'scrape' you'll be getting."

Percy weighed his options. He could either try to clean himself up in some McDonald's and risk getting the police called on him for having a bloody face, OR go with the maybe-dangerous stranger who would ward off the...'Titans'.

Screw Stranger Danger, he'd rather go with Mysterious-golden-shades-dude than face the wrath of his mother picking him up from the precinct. Percy could handle himself in a fight. Really, he could.

"Fine," Percy relented, tugging at Castellan's vice grip. "Just get me to the Newsprint Office on Hastings before quarter to five."

"Whatever you say half-blood," Castellan said, hauling Percy out of the shadowed alley and onto the main sidewalk.

"Wait my umbrella!" Percy exclaimed, scanning the ground for his favourite solid blue umbrella. A groan escaped him as he spied it, crumpled and broken on the ground. That Ethan guy must have stepped on it on his way out. "Ugh, wait what did you call me?"

"You're new to this aren't you?" the blonde remarked. Castellan led Percy through the crowd and into a sub street as he elaborated. "Anyone who gets into CHB is a half-blood."

"A half what now?" Percy blinked as the chilly rain numbed his face. They stepped back into the pale sunshine while Percy squinted, readjusting his eyes to the brightness. It was then that he noticed Castellan's jacket, coloured burgundy and accented gold. 'LORD CRONUS INSTITUTION' was inscribed onto its back in glossy gold thread, a sinister looking scythe emblazoned underneath.

"Well I could use the original term if that would help you understand," Castellan sighed. Their shoes squelched noisily as they entered a high rise apartment. The concierge glared at the watery footprints the two teens had tracked in, but didn't say a word at the sight of Castellan. "To put it simply kid, students at CHB are bastards."

That comment struck home. Percy wrenched his arm back and stopped walking. "Where do you get off saying that?"

Castellan turned to face the younger teen and raised an eyebrow. "No offense kid, but it's true. Everyone in that school of yours was born out of wedlock, which of course is what the definition of bastard is."

"So half-blood's what you call us instead?" Percy asked. He was still upset at the remark and wary of the blonde.

"The alternative didn't seem to get very positive reactions as you can imagine," Castellan answered, plopping down onto a couch. He reached into his bag and pulled out an old grey hoodie. "Here, wipe your face on that."

"Thanks," Percy muttered as the blonde tossed it to him. The garments edges were frayed and tattered, but at least it was dry. He rolled it into a ball and pressed it to his face. "How do you know all this?"

"It's common knowledge," the other replied. "Some big hot shot business man, or woman, gets into a scandal, and then the kid that comes out from it gets put into CHB. Naturally, none of the kids really ever meet both of their parents because the business-y one's too busy to care."

"So all the...half-bloods get put into CHB automatically?" Percy asked, remembering the past years he'd spent hopping from school to school.

"Of course not," Castellan answered. "There are only twelve important enough people in the business world who can send their kids to CHB, and that's only if they find them. All the other half-bloods just have to pray that they're lucky enough to get in through the entrance exam."

Percy didn't ask what would happen to those who didn't pass the exam. He knew what it was like to keep running away from the enemies you couldn't see. He'd lived that life until his mom had married Gabe. "Well what're you then?"

"Me?" the blonde repeated. He lifted his shades and pushed them back, revealing a long jagged scar that slashed through his left eye, reaching down to halfway past his cheek. Castellan turned his blue eyes, upturned at the edges, to Percy and grinned an unnerving grin. "I'm somewhere in between."

Questions bounced around Percy's mind, but he decided not to pry. This was a stranger after all. What business did he have knowing Castellan's life story. He flipped his phone out and glanced at it: 4:16pm. If he wanted to do what he wanted to do then he'd need to get going.

"Hey," Percy called, chucking the hoodie back at Castellan. "I've got to go. Thanks for the help. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Kid, if you stay good, you shouldn't be seeing me around," Castellan said cryptically. "And a word of advice, maybe take the CHB jacket off while you're walking around here."

"Right," Percy agreed as he walked off, choosing not to comment on the first part of Castellan's reply. "Bye then Castellan, hope I never see you again."

"Likewise kid," Castellan replied. "And try and forget my name would you?"

But Percy didn't hear him as a crowd of people bustled in, drowning the words out with their chatter.

The black-haired teen made his way to the counter and faced the middle-aged concierge. "Excuse me, but could I use your phone directory?"

The man's mouth pressed into a thin line as he bent down to retrieve the item. He didn't say a word as he dumped the fat book of yellow pages in front of Percy, who was too busy concentrating to notice anyway.

He flipped through the pages carefully, because sometimes his brain did funny things to the letters. His eyes scanned through the P section, finally resting on the name he was looking for. Shaky fingers scribbled the address and phone number down. Percy didn't think that he'd want to see him again so soon, but...there were more questions to be answered.

The teen flipped his phone out again, for once having some foresight, and sent two text messages.

To: Mom

I'll be a bit late getting to your office.

Something came up, but don't worry I'm fine.

Text you when I'm done.

~Love, Percy

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

To: Annabeth

If my mom contacts you somehow, tell her that I'm fine.

If she freaks out at you, tell her that you saw me studying in the library or something.

~Thanks

And with that he stepped out onto the streets. Turning a sharp right he began to walk. The rain was starting to freeze him, but he didn't dare wear his jacket. A few minutes had passed before his phone buzzed to life in his pocket.

Fr: Annabeth

What are you doing?

His fingers tapped furiously at the number pad as he replied.

To: Annabeth

Getting some answers.

BUZZ, an immediate reply.

Fr: Annabeth

Do not plunge thyself too far in anger.

~William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

Percy stared at the text for a few moments as he waited for the crosswalk and shut his phone with a flick of the wrist as its GO light flashed overhead. The teen walked a few more blocks before taking out the address yet again.

Mar N. Posei

President of Posei Sea Trading Corp.

3300 Main Street

Edit: Just to clarify, because I got an anonymous review on it, I DO know how Kronos is spelled. Cronus is another depiction of his name, and actually a more commonly used one seeing as MS Word doesn't underline it in red :D