Chapter 5

Simon

Okay, I know what Bailey said, and now you think I'm crazy. But it was an honest suspicion. There was just something about Percy, and I couldn't place my finger on it. Anyway, there I was, sitting in English, about a week later.

"Okay, class. Yesterday we left off reading book 4 of 'The Odyssey' translated by Robert Fitzgerald," Mr. Blofis said, encouraging everyone to flip to book 5. I did so reluctantly. I was a lover of all literature, but this book lacked grammar. Grammar was everything, when it came to literature, right?

The door creaked open, and I noticed a little scrawny dude poking his head in. Mr. Blofis made eye contact with him, and nodded. Someone stood up abruptly and swiftly left the room with the little impish guy. I realized later that that was Percy.

"May I please use the restroom?" I asked politely, raising my hand high. Mr. Blofis looked at me quizzically, but then nodded. It wasn't like he was going to say no. I walked out of the classroom. The bathroom was a wall of locker down. If they were right outside the door, I might be able to hear them.

"Hey, man!" Percy said, most likely clapping him on the back. The little guy must have responded but he said it too quietly for me to hear.

"Dude, are you sure Goode is a good idea? No pun intended," he added quickly.

"Leo, Paul has us covered," Percy replied. It took me a second to realize who "Paul" was. Mr. Blofis? Why would he refer to him as "Paul"?

"Are you sure we should trust him?" Leo said cautiously.

"C'mon. He's...my dad," Percy said, pausing uncomfortably before saying that...what the heck? Mr. Blofis was Percy's dad? Why wouldn't he tell me? Why did he call him Paul instead of Dad? My mind swirled with questions, but I forced myself to continue listening. Hey, I don't eavesdrop, but this was a special case, right?

"When is everybody else coming?" Leo asked.

"I'm not sure. Annabeth said it would be safer if everyone just dropped in subtly. Maybe everyone will just think that we've been here all year. It might decrease the chance of...you know….attacks," Percy said, quieting his voice to the point that I could barely hear him. Part of me wanted to yell, "Speak up!" but I was sure that wouldn't look very good on my part.

"If Annabeth said it, then it's probably a good plan. But that doesn't stop me from being nervous. Something's going to happen," Leo cautioned.

"Dude, chill. I told you. Every week, one or two of us will come."

"Just the seven?"

"Nope, the whole crew."

"Whatever. Let's get back to-" Leo made a gagging sound. "English class."

"C'mon, Paul makes it fun!" Percy insisted.

"School? Fun? Those words don't mix." Percy chuckled in agreement.

Their voices faded as they undoubtedly went back into the classroom. Who was Annabeth? Who were the seven, and the crew? All these words sounded foreign and strange. What attack? My mind raced as I headed back to class.

"'O Father Zeus and gods in bliss forever, let no man holding scepter as a king think to be mild, or kind, or virtuous; let him be cruel, and practice evil ways, for those Odysseus ruled cannot remember the fatherhood and mercy of his reign."'Marissa stumbled through the words.

"Very good," Mr. Blofis said. "Now does anyone want to summarize that?" The class was dead silent. Even I didn't dare raise my hand. Nothing about that sentence made sense!

"It's wrong," someone said quietly. I turned around to see Leo in the back of the classroom, looking down at his feet. What was it with new kids and shoes? I would never know.

"Umm…" Brody said, a smile growing on his repulsive face. "Nerd alert!" Leo blushed violently.

"It's wrong," he said again, this time with more force. I looked to Mr. Blofis. He was okay with all of this? But he just pressed his lips together, amused.

"Hey, newsflash smart-guy, no one cares. It's a book." Brody snorted. Mr. Blofis glared at Brody, but kept his mouth shut in regards to his behaviour.

"What's wrong?" he asked simply, and Leo raised his head. He had impish features, but in a sort of cute, let's-blow-something-up kind of way.

"Everything this book says about Calypso. She's not some hostile witch. She was cursed by the gods to be heartbroken for the rest of eternity. All she wanted was for someone to stay...right?" he added, throwing in a playful smile. The way he put it, I was started to see both sides of this story. Was Calypso all that bad? When Leo said that, it felt like he really knew her. And I couldn't help but notice the emphasis he put on "someone" as if that someone was already determined, even though Odysseus left. I couldn't help but admire this guy. It took guts to speak up like that. Guts that I have, of course, but guts.

"Very well said, Mr. Valdez," Mr. Blofis stated, intrigued. He seemed fascinated by Leo. I mean, he wasn't that fascinating of a person, but whatever. That look was familiar. That was the way he regarded Percy...er, his son, which was kind of odd. My parents weren't fascinated with me, just strict. The wanted more from me. It seemed hilarious that my father would look at me and be impressed. But it wasn't just fascination and awe; he seemed to be a bit scared of what their actions may be. Science. That's it. That was the way I regarded my experimental projects. They might explode, they might not, but either way they were utterly fascinating.

I hadn't realized that I had zoned out until Brody pushed me out of my chair. Lucky me. Everyone filed out of the classroom chaotically, leaving me on the floor, dazed. Though disoriented, I realized that Percy, Leo, and Mr. Blofis had stayed behind. I also realized that they didn't notice me. They were caught up in a serious, obviously consuming conversation. Which meant that I could slip behind the book shelf, and no one would notice. Perhaps it wasn't right. Perhaps I would get caught. But none of that mattered. I needed to know what was going on. I quickly slipped behind the bookshelf and held my breath. I wasn't used to being rebellious. I wanted to rub it in Brody's disgusting face, but maybe that would've spoiled the point of being secretive and sneaky. They began speaking, so I peeked my head out.

"Hello, sir," Leo said, shaking Mr. Blofis' hand, obviously uncomfortable with the whole manners thing.

"Just call me Paul. Well, in class call me Mr. Blofis. But for now Paul will do," Mr. Blofis said quickly. I wondered why would they want to keep their relation a secret?

"The Odyssey?" Percy said, wearing a look that said, are you kidding me? Mr. Blofis just threw his hands up in the air.

"We had to read it at some point in the year. I figured it would be better if we do it before all of you come," Mr. Blofis reasoned. Leo muttered something about Calypso. Why did Mr. Blofis referred to them as if they were a different species? "All of you"? What was that supposed to mean.

"Have you heard word from Chiron?" Mr. Blofis asked urgently. Chiron?

"No. As far as we know, Camp is still under attack," Percy said scornfully. Mr. Blofis shot him a sympathetic glance.

"I'm sorry, Percy. I really am. But you can't go...not yet. They need you here. Think of Annabeth. You need to graduate to go to New Rome university." Percy sighed. Whoever Annabeth was, his future with her was definitely serious.

"Paul, my dad contacted me," Percy said, letting out a lot of anxiety with his words. Mr. Blofis raised his eyebrows, and Leo chewed his lip. His dad was sitting right in front of him! What was that all about? My mind flipped through all of the possibilities, but landed upon one reasonable one: divorce. That would explain why Percy looked absolutely nothing like Mr. Blofis, and why he called him Paul. My thoughts were much clearer once that was decided.

"What did he say?" Leo inquired.

"I saved a girl yesterday. She was drowning in the East River. Gods know why she was in there. Even I couldn't stay in there for very long. I just needed to check in with the water nymphs. They had said something about a boat sinking, but it was just litter," Percy said, saying the word "litter" like it was poisonous, which I supposed it could be. Why was he even in the water? Water nymphs? Who was the girl? Gods?

"She was sinking and flailing. I saved her, but she would've died if I'd gotten there any later. Her friends were still on the beach, so I had to wait to bring her back to shore. They went behind a sign, so I dropped her off."

"What's so bad about saving lives?" Leo interjected.

"She goes to this school. Ashlee Burke," he grimaced. A look of recognition and fear crossed Mr. Blofis' face. Ashlee? What was so intimidating about her? Apparently, Leo thought the same thing, and asked.

"She came into the room as Paul and I were talking. When I turned around she almost passed out. She recognized me. She must know something," Percy answered, his face pale. What could she possibly know?

"Does she know...who we are?" Leo worried.

"I don't think so. But we need to be more careful," Percy advised. Mr. Blofis' eyes widened, but he mellowed when Percy looked at him quizzically.

"Next week, Annabeth and Jason are coming," Percy put in.

"Jason? He's super powerful. Won't he attract them?" Leo asked. Percy rolled his eyes.

"No more than me." Whoever this Jason guy was, I wasn't getting the sense that he had the stablest relationship with Percy.

"Let's talk about this later. You two have classes," Mr. Blofis urged. They both shrugged and left the room. As soon as they left, Mr. Blofis went to his papers. Without looking up he said, "Simon." I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Yes?" I replied meekly. I know you may think it's a stupid decision to reveal that you're there, but he already knew, so whatever.

"That was unacceptable. Private conversations are private for reasons," He said, looking up at me with the most disappointed face I'd ever seen. I choked back tears. My favorite teacher hated me. That stung. But I sensed that he was worried I'd heard more than what was good for me.

"You want to know what we were talking about? Go ask Percy." At first that sounded like a fine idea, but I realized he was pulling my leg. I would never know what they were talking about if I wanted to earn Mr. Blofis' respect.

But I'd lost it.

Whatever happened next didn't matter. I now had one goal: who was Percy?

Hey guys! Sorry for the late (and short) post. I've been pretty busy lately. If you guys have any ideas for the story, make sure to PM me! Next person to follow this story gets a shout out! See ya!