𝙸 𝙲𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚜

𝚂𝟷𝙴𝟽: 𝙻𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜! 𝙲𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚊! 𝙵𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚔!

Inspired by Community S1E17: "Physical Education"

Frank POV

"Okay, everyone, turn to page fifty-six in your textbooks. We're going to start class by going over some pronunciations."

Frank's a nice guy. Frank tries to be a really, really nice guy. Even when people are jerks, he just tells himself that there's good in everyone.

But Octavian the Latin Teaching Assistant is probably the biggest positivity challenge Frank's ever faced.

To put it shortly, the man is crazy. Yesterday when he was teaching them how to insult Percy in Latin, a stuffed moose fell out of his messenger bag. Frank doesn't judge; everyone has a favorite stuffed animal, but Frank prefers to keep the stuffed puppy from his childhood in his grandma's attic. You know, because he's a nineteen-year-old dude who doesn't want to discuss BeeBee the puppy with his college friends.

Where was he? Oh yeah. He hates his TA with a passion, and he's having some trouble in Latin. He's pulling a C+, which isn't too bad. You know what they say: "C's get degrees," but Frank's on a scholarship, and he could lose the money if he doesn't get his grade up to at least a B.

So he's a little offended that his TA doesn't take the class as seriously as he does. That's why he's thankful to have found his study group. These people are way nicer to him than anyone in his high school had ever been, and working independently with Hazel has been both enjoyable and helpful to his grade. She's sweet. She brings him cookies, and she even made him a new face mask the other day. It's zebra print.

Frank flips his textbook to page fifty-six and is shocked at the familiar face sketched underneath the diagrams. Stray pencil marks were expected when he rented a used book. A couple of the exercises have the answers written in already. But a portrait of himself? Now, that's a different story entirely.

"Frank? Care to tell us the Latin word for 'monkey?'" Octavian asks.

Oh! Frank knows his animals! "Simia!" he says, a little too enthusiastically.

Hazel turns around and gives him a thumbs-up.

"Oh, did you... draw that?" Hazel asks.

"No, it's a used textbook," Frank whispers back.

Leo takes the textbook from Frank and examines the picture. "Look at you, Frank! They got your nose wrong, though."

"Hey! Give it back."

Leo does not give the textbook back because he isn't very nice to Frank. Ever since Frank sat down at that study table during the first week of classes, Leo's had it out for him.

Anyways, Leo passes the book off to Piper, who chokes on her Starbucks drink in response.

She passes the book down to Percy, who gives Frank a wink and then passes it forward to Annabeth.

Annabeth, instead of looking at the textbook, passes it to Jason, who is sitting in the very front row.

Octavian rolls his eyes and deadpans his dismissal, per usual. "Vale."

As if struck by lightning, Jason jolts to his feet and shows the textbook to Octavian. It's Frank's worst nightmare: talking to a teacher.

"Jason-" Frank tries to interject.

"Octavian, would you be able to give me any clue who owned this textbook previously? It's important that we find them," Jason says.

The others huddle around Jason like penguins, waiting for an answer.