The first time Annabeth Chase heard the name of the new Classics Professor, it took everything in her not to scoff.
"Perseus Jackson. "
It had been whispered in a crevice of a hallway between lecture halls, a favorite haunt for horny students and cigarette breaks. She generally enjoyed the walk, warm sunlight streaming through large, arched windows, her heels clicking pleasantly on marble floors, stone pillars climbing along the filigreed walls to intertwine like vines against the ornate ceiling. Annabeth had been so busy admiring the familiar architecture that she almost missed the two girls whispering to each other, tucked away in that secluded corner.
"He's so tall– "
"And so fucking handsome!"
"What's his name again?"
"Perseus Jackson ."
A classics Professor named Perseus? Annabeth frowned, stopping in her tracks. Of course she knew there would be a new teacher sharing her department this year. The program had grown so much since Annabeth had begun working at New Athens University, but now faced with the reality that the new teacher actually existed and was here and was named Perseus of all things– well, it piqued her interest.
"God I heard he's really fun too, his last school offered him like, double his salary to keep him–"
"Ugh, is that why his class filled so fast? If I'd known what he looked like I would have tried harder to get in–"
"Shit, you're stuck in Chase's class? She's such a hardass."
"I know! It's going to suck… maybe I'll drop and take a more general history class instead? At least Professor Rodriguez isn't a massive bitch–"
That was quite enough of that . Annabeth cleared her throat, standing before the two sophomores with crossed arms and an intimidating expression she had perfected over the last three years. They squeaked and scurried out of the corner, shrill voices stammering out excuses and apologies before disappearing down the corridor. The sigh that heaved from Annabeth's chest as the students fled her ire was one that had been bubbling up since the moment she dragged herself out of bed. She had woken with it already settled somewhere deep in her lungs, had fought against it as she sipped at her cheap, bitter coffee, and somehow managed to shower and dress without letting it free.
It escaped now, and she couldn't blame the sigh for wanting out of her boring life.
Her entire existence was distilled into two settings: working or sleeping. And every day, the former became more and more difficult to bring herself to attend to, but she'd be damned if she wasn't the best at what she did anyway.
So what if this Perseus was popular before even teaching his first class? She knew she was strict. She knew she wasn't a favorite among students. But she was thorough. Her students left knowing the material and knowing it well . She would be civil with the new professor, of course; he may need her help learning the University's layout, or preparing classwork, and they'd need to coordinate the introductory classes to ensure their students learned the same material. It shouldn't be so bad, not if he followed her lead.
She cleared her throat, smoothing out her blouse and adjusting the leather bag slung over her shoulder before continuing on towards the department's start of semester meeting in the lounge.
The University was old, older than most, and that's why Annabeth had chosen to study here initially, before any thoughts of being a professor had ever entered her mind. It was the way it was built that caught her attention– the structure. It looked like something out of a fantasy story, and she knew she wanted to build something just as amazing someday. She had enrolled in the architecture program, planning to become an architect herself. She'd even gotten several career offers before graduation, and spent a blissful six months working for her dream firm.
A stark contrast to the past three years of teaching introductory mythology courses, Greek, and numerous other classes focused on the ancient Mediterranean world specifically. It wasn't where she imagined herself to be at this age; it's not like she expected to own her own firm by now or anything but she'd had hopes and dreams that had faded like dust in the wind with time. Now her focus was on making it through everyday without losing too much of her sanity.
It followed that a very old institute like New Athens with very old buildings would have a very old lounge for teachers. Much to Annabeth's dismay, there had been some renovations before she even attended classes here as a student herself, so some wings of their campus were too… normal. Bland. Boring. She heard that the lounge in the main building was gorgeous, with an old, giant stone fireplace, antique seating, big wooden beams and large paneled windows looking out into the main courtyard. The one in the annex was… not that.
The halls turned from ornate to office-y. The walls were no longer filigreed with pillars and stained glass– they were plain off white, and the doors had push bars and handles instead of original metal knobs from the 17th century, imported from France. There were little plaques next to each door, with numbers– easier to find your way around but didn't quite match the vibes of the rest of the school. The door to the lounge was propped open and Annabeth blinked in the fluorescent lighting, already missing the natural sunlight from just minutes earlier. Regular square windows adorned the walls with regular, white blinds that would break with the slightest wrong touch. Regular couches, regular chairs, a regular kitchenette, a regular table. It was all just so… regular.
Much like the rest of Annabeth's life.
Teachers were sitting and standing around, small paper plates laden with food; doughnuts, fruit, veggie sticks– the kind you get in plastic platters from the supermarket. Annabeth fought the urge to huff. They were one of the most well funded schools in the country yet they couldn't afford decent refreshments for their staff. Figures. She wandered over to the table, waving "hi" to familiar faces she hadn't seen all Summer and feeling her spirits lift when she saw that there was one last doughnut in the box, smothered in chocolate. Her stomach grumbled and she reached for it– only to be thwarted as another hand beat her to the punch and snatched the pastry.
Her head jerked up, eyes narrowing, only to be met with a pair of the most startling sea green eyes she'd ever seen. The nose between them looked like it had been carved from marble, the lips beneath that were perfectly shaped, full. He was tanned, topped with a mop of wavy black hair, and he looked like a Greek god on earth; Annabeth would know. She was the resident expert on Greek gods. It only took a second for these thoughts to cross her mind before she realized he'd said something to her with a smile and she blinked. "What?"
"I said," God, his voice was hot too. "Do you want to split it?" He gestured with the doughnut in his hand.
Annabeth took another moment, reeling a bit. The only other Professor in their department who was close to her age was Octavian, the Latin teacher, and he decidedly did not look like a Greek God. So this must be… Perseus? Finally her brain seemed to process what he said and she shook her head, "No, that's… it's fine."
"I insist." He tore it in half, chocolate smearing on his fingertips, then he placed one half on a plate (the bigger half, Annabeth managed to note despite the distraction) and passed it to her. "It's my first day, I can't afford to be making enemies now, can I?" He smiled again, a blinding smile that nearly knocked Annabeth off balance again. She somehow recovered, clearing her throat and reluctantly accepting the doughnut half.
"I hardly think you'd make an enemy of me over a pastry," she commented, huffing her bangs out of her eyes before taking a small bite, praying to whatever gods actually existed that she wouldn't get chocolate all over her face.
"You never know." His grin was unwavering. "I hear there's another classics teacher here who's difficult to please."
"Oh really?" She bit her tongue, wondering if he knew exactly who she was and this was his version of an icebreaker, or if he was truly ignorant.
"Mmhmm." He nodded through a large bite of doughnut, swallowing, then continuing, "You probably know her– Professor Chase, I think her name was? Anyway, she's supposedly this by-the-books, old fashioned sort of teach. You know, the kind who never even thinks to diverge from the syllabus? But I guess the classics profession is full of old crones like that, unable to move on from the past."
Ignorant, then. Annabeth could feel her nostrils flare at the absolute gall of Perseus Jackson, and she opened her mouth to retort, when the head of their department, Sir Chiron, cleared his throat from the front of the room.
Sir Chiron was older, but not old, his long hair swept back from his face and his beard perfectly trimmed, legs arranged in a wheelchair with a tartan blanket covering them. There was a lot Annabeth didn't know about him: like his first name or how he had earned the title of "Sir". Maybe his first name was Sir. And on top of that, the irony of a Classics Department head named for the most famous teacher of heroes from mythology was not lost on her. Perhaps that was why he pursued this profession. Or maybe it was a pseudonym itself.
"I'd like to welcome all of you to a new semester at our esteemed University." He paused, and a few teachers clapped and whooped. At least morale was usually high among the staff. Everyone truly loved to work here.
Well , Annabeth thought, almost everyone .
"To begin, a few announcements. As everyone knows, we've added a new Professor to our department, so I'd like to welcome Perseus Jackson aboard."
"Call me Percy." The man beside Annabeth called above the polite clapping, a smile evident in his voice.
"Percy, then. Well, we're happy to have you on board. Miss Chase?"
"Yes?" Annabeth could feel Perseus stiffen beside her as she spoke up.
"Would you be so kind as to show Mr. Jackson around and acquaint him with how things work around here? Get him set up on the grading website and everything else?"
"It would be my pleasure." In spite of her words, her voice even and neutral, Annabeth fought a frown. She had no interest in doing more than was required of her, but she couldn't say no to Chiron.
Her boss nodded before continuing to drone on about various news, but Annabeth had stopped listening. Her thoughts were on the new teacher beside her– it was hard to ignore the discomfort emanating from his very soul. Or perhaps she was imagining that due to her own irritation. Either way, she couldn't help feeling smug. He had talked shit, and now would have to deal with the consequences.
The meeting wasn't long– they rarely were. Annabeth suspected Chiron disliked them more than anyone else though he'd never show it. She readjusted the bag on her shoulder and turned to Perseus. "Well."
She could see a wince on his features as he faced her. "Uh– about earlier–"
"You couldn't have known who I was. Have you been shown your lecture hall?"
"Huh?"
"Your classroom, Mr. Jackson."
"It's Percy– and yes, but–"
"Then you should be able to find your own way there." Annabeth practically spun on her heel and strode from the lounge, tossing the doughnut she had forgotten she had been holding in the bin on her way out. She'd lost her appetite.
Unfortunately, she didn't get very far before the sound of footsteps behind her made her sigh in exasperation. A glance over her shoulder confirmed her suspicions.
"Did you need something, Perseus?"
"Percy." He corrected again. "And no. My office is this way."
Her face burned. Of course. They would probably share one. She elected not to respond and continued on her way back towards the main throughway of the annex. Soon she left the bland, modern wing behind once more and they were back to stone and wood and arches and the things Annabeth loved. It was a labyrinth, but Annabeth had learned to navigate it early. And she probably could find her way better than most tenured professors, being the only one in their department who could tell ionic and doric apart, who could recognize the differences in halls and windows and architectural stylings.
Annabeth turned a corner and when she reached her office, her earlier fear was confirmed. Perseus– Percy– whatever, followed her inside.
It was small, but in a cozy way, not a cramped way. There were curtained windows on the outer wall and inner, one peering out into a small courtyard only accessible to teachers through the backdoors of their offices (usually used for lunch in the warmer months), the other looking back into the majestic halls of the school. Annabeth's desk hadn't been touched since May, but everything was as she left it; books stacked and shelved above on the wall, a few magazine clippings of different buildings she dreamed of visiting (the Parthenon, Notre Dame, a few castles in the UK), jars of pens, drawers of sticky notes, a single photo of Matthew and Bobby pinned to the corkboard behind the desk, a small mirror. She dropped her bag beside it and sunk into her chair, immediately beginning to pull out the reading materials for this semester's classes, pointedly ignoring Percy who had wandered over to the bare desk pressed up against the opposite wall.
Other than the desks, and a couch beneath the inner window, there wasn't much more in the way of decoration.
Annabeth got to work immediately and scanned through her syllabus for a class not due to begin for another week, grabbing a red pen and making adjustments as she saw fit. She more or less kept it the same every year, but sometimes new translations were published or editions of textbooks were updated, and she liked her content to be as on trend as possible, even if her teaching style was archaic by certain other professor's standards.
There was a new translation of The Odyssey, by a woman this time– naturally that would need to be added. And Professor McLean had recommended some other historical sources from a female gaze that Annabeth still needed to research but was itching to add to her classes. If she was going to teach in a profession that was once mainly dominated by old men, she'd need to dig deeper, bring something more to the table than the same stories told from the same perspective by the same people over and over again.
She crossed out a book, added another, jotted a note, rearranged the sections– but a voice behind her cleared his throat and she jumped, having forgotten for a moment that she now shared this space.
Annabeth swiveled in her chair, fighting back another sigh that was once again blooming in her chest, begging to be set free. "Yes?"
Perseus smiled at her, a dazzling smile that Annabeth was determined not to notice or think about or obsess over. "Well, I was just thinking… We're both going to be teaching the Introductory classes, right?"
"Right…"
"Right. So, I was thinking, maybe we should collaborate, make sure we're covering the same subjects."
Oh. Of course. Annabeth nodded, already reaching into her bag to pull out her laptop. "It's going to be updated but I can email you over the preliminary syllabus you may utilize, I'll have the final version done this afternoon. I'm assuming you're familiar with the texts we use, but just in case I do have copies of them all." She nodded to the shelf above her desk. "Just replace my name and contact information with your own at the top before you print it for students."
Perseus's smile did not leave, though it dimmed to a slightly less genuine and slightly more strained variation. "Ah… well, actually, I was thinking we could come up with one together."
Annabeth stopped amidst typing in her password, pursing her lips. "Well, Mr. Jackson–"
"Percy."
"Perseus," She split the difference, determined not to be familiar with this man though only the gods knew why. "I've been doing this a long time–"
"You look about my age, it can't have been that –"
"A long time," she insisted. "I have a working syllabus. And I can tell you that the system I have works. It doesn't need improvement."
He looked surprised. "Everything can use improvement."
"Not this. Maybe you don't see the value in a good working syllabus you can rely on." He winced, probably thinking back to what he had said before, as Annabeth was. "But I do in fact like to stick to what I know will be successful." She turned from him to finish logging in, her email already up, and it took almost no time to find him in the school directory. "I'll send it over so you can get a good idea of what we focus on in the first semester, and if you have any suggestions you may offer them." And I will ignore them, Annabeth finished in her head.
"Thanks, uh…" he struggled for a moment.
"Professor Chase." She offered.
"That's kind of formal isn't it?"
"Shouldn't it be?"
"We're colleagues, I feel like we can be on a first name basis."
"...Annabeth." She finally relented.
"Annie?"
"Absolutely not."
"Fine, fine, Annabeth it is." He shrugged, wandering back to his own desk, beginning to pull things out from one of the bags Annabeth had not noticed he'd brought with him. She turned back to her email, sending him the draft of the syllabus before directing her attention to the resources Professor McLean had sent.
Piper McLean, expert on Gender Studies and Indigenous Folklore was a godsend when Annabeth was stumped on finding sources– old cishet white men were generally the norm in her area of expertise, and Piper had an uncanny ability to pick out writings and books and papers by people who were decidedly not that, even without being in the field herself. Annabeth had begrudgingly accepted her friendship, but these days she was grateful for someone to talk to. It made long days at the school so much easier.
She scrolled through a study Piper forwarded, cross-referencing on one tab and looking through biographies of the different authors in another. Everything seemed to check out… It would be good for her students to compare Greek mythos to other cultures, and the study was on the effect of western folklore on the understanding of indigenous stories and vice versa.
And so onto the syllabus it went.
She typed away, setting up for the next week's official start to classes. Some students were already on campus, moving into dorms, attending orientations, doing tours, buying required books from the school store– Annabeth's mind wandered to the girls from earlier. Which reminded her of their subject matter. Which in turn brought her thoughts back to the man currently arranging seashells on his desk behind her.
She could see him in her mirror, and she stared for a moment, watching as he bent down to dig more shells out of his bag.
And then she caught sight of herself.
Her grey eyes were as stormy as ever, deep and intense and haloed with the little bit of makeup she had applied that morning, some of which had smeared and flecked beneath her lower lashes. She lifted her hand and tried to clean it up a bit with her fingertips; it was a bit too early in the day to be looking like she'd slept in her mascara. Her curly blonde hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun, but the kind that was clearly purposeful, and she tucked a few errant strands back behind her ear. Her eyes flicked back to Perseus– only to find he had stopped his unpacking and was staring at her.
She jerked her gaze away, a heat rising to her cheeks as she spun around in her chair. "Did you need something, Perseus?" Her voice barely contained her fury at being caught looking at herself, the embarrassment of this stranger watching her as she preened. She would have to remember that her office was a shared space now.
He didn't correct her on his name this time, only shrugging again. "Was just wondering."
"Wondering what?"
He didn't respond, instead stooping down to pull out some framed photos and placing them on his desk.
Annabeth cleared her throat. "Wondering what?" She repeated.
"Wondering why you work at a job you hate." He didn't turn, his voice nonchalant.
Her whole body tensed. Her first instinct was to deny it, of course, be defensive. He didn't know the first thing about her, and now he was presuming things about her life, her job, her likes and dislikes, loves and hates.
She forced herself to take a deep breath. "And what makes you think I hate my job?"
Perseus doesn't answer at first, a habit that Annabeth was beginning to find frustrating as he arranged the items on his desk, adjusting positions and angles. Finally, he responded, "Don't you?"
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Funny, you didn't answer mine either." He turned, leaning back on his desk and crossing his arms.
She tried to ignore the way the half rolled up sleeves of his pressed shirt hugged his arms, how the position oozed confidence in a completely effortless way. He wasn't trying to look cool. He just was.
And it annoyed the hell out of her.
Annabeth opened her mouth to speak when there was a knock on the open door. "Heard this was where all the cool teachers were hanging out."
The familiar voice made Annabeth's heart skip a beat and she swiveled in her chair, a smile coming to her face as Luke Castellan leaned into the room.
Tall, blonde, handsome, dressed in casual khaki shorts and a pink polo shirt, he was likely the most popular being on campus. Which was just as well, seeing as he practically owned it. The only thing that distracted from his features was a jagged scar, extending from just beneath his eye all the way down to his jaw. Annabeth always wondered where he had gotten it.
She stood. "Luke!"
"Hey, how's my favorite professor?" He grinned back, holding out an arm for a half-hug that she happily accepted.
"I don't know, you'll have to ask them." She pulled away after a moment, glancing back at her new colleague who was still leaning on his desk, expression unreadable. "Oh, Luke, you probably already know–"
"Percy Jackson." Luke's smile only widened. "Of course I do, I hired the guy. How's the first day?"
"Oh, you know, other than being shoved in a locker and my lunch money being stolen? Pretty good." His voice was cheerful and Annabeth hoped that her own expression didn't give anything away. She wasn't exactly known for getting along with others, but she was cordial enough to most, and she wasn't in the mood for rumors going around that her and the new Classics Professor weren't fans of each other.
Not that she disliked him. He was just… not her cup of tea.
Luke laughed. "Mind if I steal your partner in crime?"
"Be my guest."
Luke gestured for Annabeth to follow him, and though she didn't look back, she could feel Perseus' eyes bore into her from behind, watching her leave.
They strolled through the halls, Luke swinging an arm up and over Annabeth's shoulders. "I haven't seen you since… mid July? When we met up for drinks?"
She nodded. "Mmhmm, we went to that bar downtown, what was it… Retrograde?"
"Oh yeah, that was it, right before my trip… I should have called you when I got back."
"You probably had your hands full getting ready for the new school year, don't worry about it Luke." She leaned into him for a brief moment before pulling away. They'd been down that road before, and it wasn't a happy ending. Plus she didn't want anyone else seeing them like this, whether they were fellow teachers or her students– rumors traveled fast in universities.
Luke nodded. "Still, I should have made the time. Anyway, what do you think of him?"
"Who?"
"Percy,"
"Oh."
"That bad?" Luke chuckled. "Look I know he's not exactly who you'd choose to work with, but you should have seen how much his last school loved him. I had to offer quite a bump in salary to get him to come here instead–"
"So he gets paid more than me too?"
"Relax, HR is contacting you tomorrow to go over your raise. But like I was saying… I think it'll be good to have a teacher around who loves what they do."
Annabeth felt miffed. "I love what I do."
"No, yeah, of course you do!" He reassured her. "Definitely wasn't implying you don't. Just… he has this infectious energy, you know?"
"Not really," she muttered, feeling even more annoyed.
"You'll come around." They slipped through an arched doorway to a grassy quad where students were already lounging around in the August heat, and Annabeth paused.
"You didn't just ask me to walk with you to talk about Mr. Jackson, did you?"
Luke ran a hand through his hair, and Annabeth was struck again by how handsome he was, even more so than when they were in school together themselves. It was no wonder that before she had heard girls whispering about Perseus Jackson in secluded corners, it was Luke's name that was on their lips.
"Look, Annabeth, I… I know when you initially agreed to come work here, you said it would only be for five years."
"Yes…"
"And we're about to start year four so I, uh… I wanted to check in, see if you still wanted to leave after next–"
"I do." She interrupted, and Luke sighed.
"Annabeth… would you maybe consider staying on longer?" He looked up and must have noticed the expression on her face because he rushed out, "You don't have to if you don't want to! I just… running this school is so…" He sighed. "I'm burning out from both ends quickly. And having you here, it… it would really help me out. I know it's a while off, but just think about it, would you?"
She was quiet in response. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel like she owed it to Luke– he was the reason she had this job in the first place.
Finally, she said, "I… I will think about it."
"Thanks 'Beth." She hated the nickname, but had never had the heart to tell Luke as much. He pulled her in for a kiss on the head, which made her cheeks heat up once more but a cursory glance around told her no one was paying any attention to them.
"Want me to walk you back to your office?"
"No, no, I… I can make it back just fine. I'm sure you have things to do." She pulled away, taking a step back.
"I do have a meeting in Di Angelo Hall in about… five minutes?"
She gaped. "Luke, that's all the way across campus! You should have said something!"
He laughed, beginning to walk backwards in the direction of the Hall. "I'll make it. See you for drinks Friday?"
"Friday." She confirmed, and then he was jogging away and she was left alone to consider what they had discussed.
Percy asked why she hated her job. And she didn't, not… not really. At least that's what she told herself. When Luke had first offered her the job, she'd been tempted to turn it down– she only minored in Classics afterall, she didn't have the experience, the years of schooling and studying, a PhD. But… she needed a job. And Luke was kind enough to offer one when she'd been at her lowest.
Now? She itched to try and get back to doing what she was really passionate about, an urge just beneath the surface, threatening to make her explode if she followed this career path any longer. It's only two more years , is what she had been telling herself. Now that may not even be true. Luke needed her, and it was hard to say no to him.
She meandered back inside, down the grand halls, back towards her– their office. When she slipped through the door, Perseus was sitting at his now organized desk, typing away at his computer. He didn't look up as she entered, and relief coursed through her body. She wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
Annabeth returned to her own seat, waking her laptop from its slumber.
1 New Email:
perseusjackson
She glanced back at him through her mirror, clicking on the email. Attached was a copy of the syllabus she'd sent earlier, but as she scrolled through it she could tell things were different. She could feel herself growing peeved, different books added, some taken away, a complete rewrite of the department mission statement Annabeth herself had drafted. She spun around, arms crossed, trying not to let her anger show on her face.
"What is this?"
"What is what?" Perseus didn't turn, still clicking away at his computer.
"Don't play dumb. You messed with my syllabus."
"You said I could give suggestions." His chair swiveled then and he leaned back, body language matching Annabeth's.
"Suggestions, not changes."
"Why not consider them?"
"Because…! Because… Because your 'suggestions' are completely ludicrous!"
"How so?"
"Well for one you replaced Euripides' play with The Ballad of Heracles ?! That's a modern work! You can't seriously think it's more important for students to read an adaptation rather than original sources?!"
"If you had read further…" He sounded patient, like an adult explaining a concept to a toddler, and it made Annabeth's blood boil. "You'd see I included select excerpts from Herakles . I think it's important for students to see how ancient stories are told and retold, how they change, how we adapt them, and compare them to the primary sources. Plus, it's more fun." He shrugged.
"This isn't about fun , it's about giving the best education we can!"
"And you think I don't know how to do so."
"No!"
His eyebrows shot up. "We've just met."
"And you started that introduction by insulting me, questioning my methods I've perfected, and vandalizing my syllabus!"
They stared at each other for a moment. Finally, he sighed. "Whatever. I'll just make my own lesson plan."
"We're supposed to coordinate!" Annabeth insisted. It wasn't that she wanted to work with him, but she knew that was what was best for the students, so as to not cause confusion. And maybe she was a little bit of a control freak, but he was the one being stubborn about this!
"That's not a requirement." He began to turn back to his laptop.
"Ugh!" Annabeth threw her hands up in exasperation. "You're impossible!"
"And you're obstinate."
"Excuse me for knowing what works, Perseus-"
"It's Percy." He finally snapped, his even tone finally giving way to something more akin to anger as he spun back around. "And I worked at another school for years before coming here. I have a PhD. I've studied, just like you. Do you really think you're the only person who knows what 'works'?!"
"You– that– oh, never mind!" She whirls around, slamming her laptop shut and stuffing it into her bag. She'd rather be anywhere but here, with him, now, and she didn't plan on sticking around to see just how far they could push each other.
They didn't say another word to each other as Annabeth stormed out, Perseus going back to whatever ridiculous lesson plan he was cooking up. The Ballad of Heracles … As much as she had to admit it was a good book, the idea of teaching it in a Classics course of all things made no sense to her whatsoever. And the nerve to question her, the person assigned to personally help him adjust to the school! She stalked back towards the lounge with its regular walls and windows and couches and tables. There was no way she could work with him sitting just a few feet away.
Tomorrow was a new day. She could calm down by then, be cordial with him, help if asked, but she would not be working with him. On anything. Ever. That much was certain.
She pushed into the fluorescently lit lounge once more, now mostly emptied, and set herself up at a table by the window.
Next week classes would start and she could lose herself in the whirlwind of lectures and grading and translations. She could run her courses as she always had, much better than Perseus, and if– no, when he came crawling to her because his students were failing and his position was in question, then perhaps she would consider lending a hand. Maybe.