Keeping Quiet (Percy Jackson)

Chapter One

Percy Jackson

I'm still getting used to being home, and especially now that Estelle has been born it's been a lot to adjust to, but it's getting better.

Annabeth and I broke up a few days after Jason's funeral because of an argument we got into the night after the funeral, but that's okay, I'm not worried about it anymore. I've moved on. We want different things.

It's the end of October, though, and even though it's a little stressful now that I've fallen behind my grade, I don't hate going to school because it's just something normal for me. It's every day and it's reliable and I've made friends there besides Rachel. Who is at finishing school anyways.

"Percy!" One of my friends, Remington, exclaimed as he came up to me at my locker. Remington and I are both dyslexic so we met at the math resource room one day because we couldn't read our assignment. He's a three sport athlete and I don't know how he does it, but it's impressive. "Is the homework for Tre's class due today?"

"The first half is, why?" I responded as the other three walked over together, and I almost felt bad for Matteo, who has to third wheel them most mornings on their way here. Basil (yes that's their name and it suits then well) and Alex have been dating for a while now, they got together right before I went missing.

"Because I only have two problems done," Remington clarified, which made sense. "Oh well, he won't collect it."

"You mean you did homework outside of class?" Matteo asked, teasing Remington and I smiled at the joke. "I'm almost proud of that. He's not the smartest one out of us, that's probably Basil, but he's got his shit together and actually gets his stuff done on time.

Then again, he wants to go to like, NYU or some big school like that so he needs good grades and stuff I guess.

I don't know, I haven't even thought about looking yet and it's junior year so maybe I should start to think about stuff after graduating. I might actually live to see it.

Might.

"Well no, I did those at the end of class," Remington insisted. "I did English, though, which ended in a headache. I should go do some of that, though, see you guys."

Wishing him luck on getting that done, the lovebirds grabbed Alex's bag from his locker and they headed to his class, leaving Matteo and myself. Which usually happens, we have identical schedules. It's fun.

"One day he'll get an assignment done before class," Matteo said, I think hoping now like than stating.

"Yeah but not math," I agreed, closing my locker. Having all of my classes with Matteo (well, besides math, he's in a higher class than I am) is fun and all, but recently I've discovered that I'm fucked. I've started to develop feelings and he's definitely mortal so it's kind of bad. "oh well, though. As long as he graduates and gets into the school he wants."

"Yeah," Matteo agreed. "what about you? Have you put much thought into where you want to go after we graduate since you've been back?"

I shook my head as we made our way towards our first hour, which was just a study hall.

"No," I was honest with him. "I... Don't really want to go to college, I don't think, but I don't know what I can do without a degree that I can live off of. Maybe I'll go to a community college and gets generals or take a few courses that I can use to help with stuff but..."

I shrugged.

"I've never really been good at school as it is," I tried to explain because Matteo and I didn't really start hanging out together without others until after Basil and Alex started dating. "I used to get expelled like, a lot, before coming to Goode and between the dyslexia and ADHD it just... Doesn't work out the best, I don't know. I don't really know what I want to do yet, so maybe I'll have to go to college for whatever I want to do and if I have to, oh well, but... it's expensive to go to college and I wouldn't be going to big four year school like you."