Hunter's Moon

Supernaturals

The next morning I got up for school. Disgusting. I graduated from high school years ago. I graduated from college, too. I was a professor at the University of Alaska. Which reminded me: I opened my laptop and pulled up my work email, and sent out an email to my students, letting them know that my Uncle needed my help in California and I would be out for a while. I planned on still sending out assignments for them to do, but we wouldn't be meeting in person for class for a while.

Scott told me that he usually rode his motorcycle to school, and I could hop on the back if I really wanted to. I passed, and told him I would just run instead. No shame in that.

When I got to the school, Beacon Hills High School, I bumped into the sign out front as I slowed myself down, sending me off balance and sideways into a girl who was walking away from the school with her arms crossed in front of her. She wore a long black jacket that went down to her knees, zipped up in the front, and black leggings. Over her shoulder, she carried a long thin black bag with a leather tube on the side, which I recognized as an archery bag from my friends in the Apollo cabin. I figured she must be on the archery team, and was going home from an early morning practice for one reason or another.

She grunted a little, but didn't make any sound other than that.

"Sorry," I muttered. She looked at me strangely, but I kept walking before she could reply. She wasn't a monster. I could see through the mist clearly, with my new god-sight, so I knew that. But she wasn't mortal. She had a faint red aura around her. Like she was glowing. I picked up my pace until I was running again. Once I reached the front doors, I slowed down and walked nicely into the office, smoothing my hair down.

"Hello, miss," I said to the guidance counselor sitting there. Her name plaque read Tamora Monroe, Guidance Counselor. "My name is Percy, I'm new here."

Ms. Monroe looked up from her computer, where she had been typing away. "Oh! Percy Jackson?"

I nodded. "That's me,"

She clicked a few things on her computer, and I watched as a piece of paper edged it's way out of the printer. She handed it to me. It was still warm.

"This is your schedule. Your first period class is Honors Latin, which is Room 204. That's upstairs. It looks like you have a pretty challenging schedule with two honors classes and an AP class. I trust that means you're a good student?" She asked, looking up at me.

I was not, but I wasn't just going to say that to her face. "I definitely try my best," I edged. This was true, as far as I remember. But again, I am in my twenties. I try not to think about high school too much, as it was the worst four years of my life. I fought in two wars, lost all my friends and family, and averaged a D. High school was not among my finest memories.

...

I entered the English room for third period Brit Lit. Glancing around the room, I spied an open seat next to that friend of Scott's. Malia, I think. I dropped my bag on the ground.

"This seat open?" I asked. She nodded wordlessly. We still had two minutes before the late bell rang. Malia had a notebook open, staring down at the words she wrote in it, all colored in different highlighter colors.

"You're a senior, right?" I asked, attempting to make a conversation.

"Yes. You are too?" She asked politely, but I could tell she wasn't too interested.

"Yeah. I transferred from New York." That's not strictly accurate, but she doesn't need to know that I lived in Alaska. I can't risk anyone finding out about it, in case they had some connection to Zeus.

"You're lying," She muttered, keeping her eyes trained on her notebook. "I could tell last night, but you really just confirmed it for me."

I stared at her, shocked. "How..."

"You... um... you have a tell." She glanced up.

Now she was lying. "No I don't. And even if I did, you wouldn't be able to tell yet. We haven't known each other that long."

Malia made eye contact with me. "Fine. I'm a supernatural creature who can tell when someone's lying by listening to their heartbeat." She rolled her eyes, obviously meaning to make me feel dumb. I stared at her. The bell rang.

"This conversation isn't over," I told her.

...

Next I had lunch, which I spent in the library by myself, until I saw Scott drag Malia in, and they tore through the classics section. I watched them argue briefly about something. At one point, her eyes turned light blue, then right back to normal. But it could have just been my eyes playing tricks on me. I stood up to walk over to the two of them, and as I approached, I'm pretty sure I heard growling.

"Malia, I wanted to talk to you about English." I said.

Malia frowned. "What about it? I already told you, I-"

"No. I mean what you said about being a supernatural creature who can hear my heartbeat."

Scott laughed. "You said that?" he asked her. She nodded, a smile on her face "She was just kidding, man. Lighten up."

"Yeah, not funny," I said. "So what are you?"

Malia raised an eyebrow. "What am I? Human? A female?"

"No I mean..." I sighed, frustrated. I wasn't sure I wanted to let her know what I knew about the supernatural, in case she wasn't actually part of that world. But then I thought about her eyes glowing and her telling me I was lying. "Can I talk to you alone?" I asked, staring pointedly at Scott. Scott looked suspiciously between the two of us, and walked away to the table I was sitting at previously.

"Malia," I began, "I don't have a tell," This was true, because I'm a god and therefore don't have normal human functions. "I don't know how you found out I was lying, but I have my suspicions."

Malia snorted in a very unlady like manner. "Okay, what do you think?" She challenged me.

"I think you are supernatural. I don't know what, but... You totally are." I said. Malia stared at me blankly. "You don't have to confirm it, if you don't want to."

I walked back to my table and retrieved my bag, then stood outside the library to wait. I trained my godly hearing on Scott and Malia.

"He knows, Scott," Malia whispered. Uh-oh. Was Scott somehow involved?

"That's not good. Are you planning on going to math today?" he asked her.

"No, Percy's in my math class. I can't risk it."

It would really suck if all of Scott's friends started avoiding me.

"I'm still going to class, so can you warn the rest of the pack?"

Malia didn't respond. After a few minutes of silence, I began walking to my next class, without Malia.