Chaseandrew: How were your exams?
Me: Sweety, I think you should ask how are my marks. Exams are good for everyone.
Jacksonpenny: (Sigh) I know what you mean.
This is my first chapter after my exams. Please love it and Review it.
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Chapter 4: Vapourising Teacher Part I
Hestia's pov.
I summoned some sofas for the future demigods and Grover. At the same time, we gods shrank to human sizes. Andrew read-
Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vapourize my pre-algebra teacher.
"Are the chapters' names going to be this weird?" Jason asked. " It is Percy. what do you expect? " Nico replied making others nod. " What is Pre-algebra? "Athena asked. Before anyone could answer there was a flash in the middle of the room. When it died A glass ball and a note came into view. Athena picked up the note.
Hey Everyone out there,
This is your Amazing Apollo again. Wow, I like that. Amazing Apollo. Awesome Apollo.
Everyone groaned.
Ok that is killjoy Hermes telling me to stop alliterating.
Everyone gave him relieved smiles while Apollo glared at him. Hermes himself tried to hold his chuckle.
Anyways, This ball, the curtsy of Hephaestus,
Hephaestus looked happy and curious, while Aphrodite smiled secretly. They may not be ready to say but they secretly care about each other.
is a know-it-all ball. FYKI, meaning for your kind information, Our time is a lot more advanced than your time suckers.
Many of the gods and demigods of the present made a face at that.
So for the future demigods ' sake, this ball will tell you anything you wish to know about. The only thing you gave to do is to ask it.
" Tell me what is Pre-Algebra. " Athena asked the ball. The ball glowed lightly and floated towards the middle of the room. There it expanded. and the next minute it was showing pictures which looked suspiciously like the mortal subject of Mathematics. I guess now we know what pre -Algebra is.
Everyone other than the demigods from the future was looking at it in astonishment. I cleared my throat. Athena snapped out of it. Clearing her throat she said " Thank you. " The ball transformed back to. its original shape and size and went back to its position.
Lastly, I want to inform you all that two special guests will be coming soon.
Hope you guys enjoy
Yours Amazing and Awesome Apollo and his sidekick Hermes
( Give me my pen back Hermes)
Everyone laughed at the future ones' antics. " Continuing on"
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
" Who wants to be one? "Theseus muttered. The demigods nodded while the Gods, who had demigods, winced
If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:
" OH MY ZEUS, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE. PERCY IS GIVING ADVICE." Thalia shouted and waved her arms dramatically. Like, father. Like daughter. Everyone was looking at her amusedly.
close this book right now.
" Not a bad one. "Nico muttered. Andrew was glaring at the Stoll siblings. "Don't even dare to touch the book much less close it. Or I will make sure you will not be able to sit for the next fifteen days. " Athena looked smugly at Hermes who in turn glared at her.
Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.
"Not going to happen, Prissy. "Clarisse snorted.
Being a half-blood is dangerous.
"Check," Travis said with mock happiness
It's scary.
"Check. "Perseus said.
Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.
" Double check. Ding-ding -ding and the prize goes to Percy Jackson. " Leo said in the voice of a broadcaster. Everyone rolled their eyes at their antics.
If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on.
" What is fiction? "
The ball glowed and came into the centre. There a monotonous voice said fiction is a book or story completely based on the writer's imagination. Then it showed several photos of books which most likely come in the category of fiction.
I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.
" Us too. " All the demigods said while the gods looked down.
But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately.
"See even she told us to stop reading. " Grover commented. Andrew glared at him. He gulped and shifted a bit away.
You might be one of us.
"She makes us sound like a gang. " Hazel commented.
And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.
" Who will come after us? " "Monster, repair boy, monsters. "
Don't say I didn't warn you.
"You didn't warn us. " Thalia, Leo and Nico said. "Leo she was not present when we were attacked. "Piper reminded. She didn't know who she was when you were introduced to the greek world. " Grover stated. " And for Nico, well she was busy saving you from monsters. Not exactly a good time to chit-chat about these things?"Andrew ended.
My name is Penelope Persis Jackson. I know, pretty long name. That's why everyone calls me Penny (It is reserved for my mom only. You use that and I doubt you will be able to sit for the next three weeks.) or Percy.
"Hello, Percy! " Stoll said waving at the book.
I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
"Is she a troubled kid? "Poseidon asked. " Yep." The future demigods nodded. " What is a school?" Perseus asked. " School is a mortal place where young children go to learn ?" The ball answered. "Why did the ball answer the second question and not the first one?. "Triton asked. " Because Persis being a troubled kid is a universal truth like the ocean is blue. " " Touché."
Am I a troubled kid?
Yeah. You could say that.
" See even she agreed. " "No one denied, you loons." Andrew scolded.
I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan— twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.
" Sounds interesting. " Andromeda said. " Nah. sounds boring. " Leo yawned.
I know—it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.
But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.
Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.
" I WANT THAT TEACHER! " All the demigods except Andrew shouted. " Say that again once you find out who he really is. " Andrew retorted. " Umm ...what is a wheelchair? " The ball took a form of a leather chair which a big wheel on the side.
I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.
I was totally wrong.
See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident which includes a bus and a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course, I got expelled anyway.
"Oh man... this girl ... is pure gold... " Hermes said in between his laughs. His sons, who along with several boys were rolling on the floor in fits of laughter, could only nod.
And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim.
Everyone busts on another round of laughter. I realized that this was the first time in several years that all of us had laughed together. I couldn't help but feel grateful for fate for the moment.
And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.
"Oh no we want to hear more. " Apollo, Hermes And Hermes's sons begged only to get the evil eye from the people next to them.
This trip, I was determined to be good.
"I think that trip was anything but good."
All the way into the city, I put up with Nathan Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac guy, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.
" Ewww. " Aphrodite wrinkled her nose in disgust while Andrew, Thalia, Dionysus and Pan were glaring at the book.
Grover was an easy target.
" Uh. Why do I feel like I am not going to like what she will say? "
He was scrawny.
"I was not scrawny. " Grover said indignantly.
He cried when he got frustrated.
"Is that because of the reason I am thinking?" Thalia questioned glaring at Grover. " Yep, you are absolutely correct. " Andrew told her.
He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin.
"No, it is because Satyrs grow half the age of a mortal. " Pan told them. " Umm, you are talking to a book. ""..."
On top of all that, he was crippled.
"Gee thanks for such a nice description. " "Grover, I think you are spending way too much Percy. "Andrew said shifting a little bit away from the satyr. On the other side, Leo said "What will happen when she describes us? " At that, all the future demigods groaned.
He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.
"Way to blow your cover goat boy. " Thalia laughed.
Anyway, Nathan Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair because he was annoyed that I didn't sit next to him and gave him a chance to flirt with me.
Andrew's eye twitched which made me hide a smile. Seems like he and Percy are a couple. Grover was doing the same.
He knew I couldn't do anything back to him because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.
"I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.
" I doubt she can even hold a sword. " Hercules said annoyed at not being the centre of attention. " She is a girl after all. " He got an arrow right next to his crotch. " Say another word, and I won't miss." Zoe threatened.
Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."
" Not on your hair. " Piper looked disgusted.
He dodged another piece of Nathan's lunch.
"That's it." I started to get up,
"FIGHTING!." Ares shouted only to get banged by a purse.
but Grover pulled me back to my seat.
"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens. Also, he is doing this to get you to his seat ."
Andrew looked murderous
Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nathan Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into
Most of the future demigods winced.
Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.
He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.
It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.
"Older than that Penny," Andrew said with a hint of longing and sadness in his voice. Did something happen to her? I didn't like that train of thought because she already felt like a family.
He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting,
"Penny thought something related to knowledge interesting. Now that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience." Nico exclaimed.
but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.
" Why does that sound familiar," Nico said thoughtfully. " Oh, you will find out that quite soon. " Grover smirked.
Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.
Nico's mouth hung open. "Who is she, Nico? Do you know her? " Hazel asked. Even Hades looked perplexed at his son's behaviour. All poor Nico could do was nod his head. He turned to Grover and mouthed How did she survive? Grover kept quiet and motioned Andrew to read.
From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nanthan Bobofit and figured I was devil spawn.
"Nah that is death boy, here," Thalia said trying to diffuse the tension.
She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.
" I am having a feeling that after-school detention is a kind of punishment. " Apollo guessed. " Yes."
One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."
" Way to blow the cover, Grover. I never thought I will say this but you suck at protecting. No offence. " "Non-taken. That is why I became a searcher. " Everyone else was confused by what Andrew And Grover were talking about. Looking at our confused faces they motioned towards the book.
Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.
Finally, Nathan snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"
" GO, Percy! " Stoll brothers cheered.
It came out louder than I meant it to.
"Of course, it did. " Andrew commented.
The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.
"Miss Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"
My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir."
Many of the gods and demigods snickered too. Poor girl.
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"
" Wanna bet? Five dramchas she won't be able to guess? " Travis challenged Andrew. " Sure, just so you know I am her oldest friend. I know her better than anyone. " Grover raised his eyebrow. " Other than Grover obviously. " "I know that but even I know she won't be able to guess the answer. " " Let's see. "
I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"
Travis's mouth fell open. "How did she know?" " Because she is oblivious, not stupid, idiot. " Andrew retorted opening his palm. Travis grumbled and gave him five dramchas. I looked around to see everyone looking at them with amusement.
"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."
"Well..." I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and—"
"GOD? HOW DARE... " " Shuush father. Mr. Brunner will correct her " Thalia reprimanded throwing a glance at Chiron. Aah... Now I get what Andrew meant by that.
"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.
"Titan," I corrected myself.
"See told ya. " Zeus huffed at his daughter.
"And ... he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"
"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.
" Eew. You say that when you are swallowed by your father. " Demeter said turning green. Even I couldn't help but become a little bit green myself.
"—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."
" Pretty good summary. "
Some snickers from the group.
" What is there to laugh about ?" Hephaestus looked confused. " They are mortals. Who knows. "
Behind me, Nathan Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"
"And why, Miss Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Mr. Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"
" Busted. " Stolls, Chris, Apollo, Hermes and even Pan shouted.
"Busted," Grover muttered.
" I think like a goat. NOOOOO... " They faked crying. " Umm, Lord Pan aren't you already a half-goat? ""..."
"Shut up," Nathan hissed, his face even brighter red than his hair.
" Is that healthy? "I couldn't help but ask.
At least Nathan got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught him saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.
" Or Horse ears," Andrew commented. That was when everything dawned on us. " Mr. Brunner is Chiron? " Athena looked incredulously. "How did he even fit in there ?" She said pointing toward the Wheelchair. While Leo said " Oh man, I thought he was someone cool. " When Chiron raised his eyebrow. " Not that you are not. I meant some other cool guy. You are totally cool. " Leo fumbled trying to justify himself. "Anyways to answer mother's question read the book. "
I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."
" Her typical answer. " Clarisse said.
"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Ms. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"
" How is that a happy note, Chiron ?" Demeter raised her eyebrow. He blushed. " Typical. Chiron has no tact. Grover cannot lie. Poor Percy! How will you survive? " Will sang. Andrew laughed and said, " So true. You remember when Percy came to camp the first time she was half dead. " " And Grover was literally in a food coma. " Will finished. Grover blushed. " What is food coma? "Theseus asked. " Food coma means all he could say was food even though he was in a coma," Clarisse replied making everyone chuckle at the satyr.
The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.
"Men are doofuses. "Artemis said.
Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Miss Jackson."
I knew that was coming.
" What? How? Is she my daughter? "Apollo asked. "Nope. She just guessed. "
I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"
Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.
" Well, that is practically a half-true statement. I have seen many things but not everything. "
"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.
"About the Titans?"
"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."
"Oh."
" Another typical Percy Jackson answer. " Piper joked.
"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."
I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.
"It is for the best, child. " Chiron said.
I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped.
"Why don't you do those things in the camp instead of making Andrew teach us? " Chris asked.
But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a B- in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.
" Well, B-Day is not a bad grade. I always got a D average. " Will commented.
I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.
" I must have been. " Chiron said thoughtfully.
He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.
The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.
Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city.
Everyone threw suspicious looks at Zeus.
I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.
Now they threw glances at both Poseidon and Zeus.
Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nathan Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.
"I hope he is not my son !" Hermes muttered.
Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.
"Did it work, " Apollo asked curiously. " I don't think so. "Grover replied.
"Detention?" Grover asked.
"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."
" Any comments on her intelligence and I will use you as my practice dummy. " Andrew glared.
Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"
Laughter flooded the room at the young satyr's comment.
I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.
I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home.
"Wimp! " Ares shouted. " If you have a mom like hers, you will also want to do the same," Clarisse said rolling her eyes. "Who are you and what have done to our Clarisse? " Leo exclaimed pointing a finger at her. " Turn your finger or you will lose it forever." Leo immediately took his dinger away. "And to answer your question, You will know when you will meet Sally," she said vaguely.
She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.
Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.
" What is a motorized cafe table? " The ball turned into a chair and table set which looked movable using some technique. Hephaestus looked interested.
I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nathan Bobofit appeared in front of me with his ugly friends—I guess he'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped his half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.
The demigods and Pan looked murderous.
"Oops." he grinned at me with his crooked teeth. His freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted his face with liquid Cheetos. "I still don't get why you hang around this loser when you can come to me. "
"Look who is speaking. " Aphrodite muttered.
I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.
"It never works. " Will stated.
I don't remember touching him, but the next thing I knew, Nathan was sitting on his butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"
" What just happened. " I asked confused. Athena's eyes widened.
Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.
"I think they are going to find out about her parentage. " Grover muttered to Andrew. Andrew gulped. Her parentage?
Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"
"—the water—"
"—like it grabbed her—"
I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.
The silence was deafening when a flash of light lit the room...
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A/N Sorry for the cliffhanger but I was reading my favourite novel Nancy drew. (That's why my name is Nancy. ) That's why I couldn't help but add it.
Anyways, I know I should have explained some things more, should I say elaborately, but well this is Hestia's Pov and she is not exactly good with mechanics or maths.
Secondly, I know in the Heroes of Olympus Piper explained the reason why Aphrodite hangs around Ares more than seriously, If I follow that book to T, I won't have much drama to write. And I love a love triangle.
Third point. I am going to update this story every Thursday. So good news for the followers and the favourites.
Lastly, who do you think came via this flash? Could it be a hero like Bianca or a villain like Octavian? Or someone else. Please review and stay tuned.