The Ever-changing Tides~ (PJOxHP)

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Chapter Two: THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH

"Ah, shit."

I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven charade of pretending I know nothing about what happened at the museum was driving me mad. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be going along with the story that Mrs. Kerr-- a perky blonde woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-- had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.

Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.

It got to the point where I almost thought everyone might be pulling a revenge prank on me. I mean it's not like I wouldn't deserve it, but still.

However, when I remembered how I felt in that moment, the fear, the adrenaline, I couldn't shake off how real it was.

Percy wasn't scared like she was all those years ago. Mrs. Dodds was nothing compared to what she had been through now. But when she felt Sirius start to gently brush his fingers over her collarbones, she felt a sort of comfort only he could provide.

There was one person that couldn't fool me at all though.

Grover.

When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.

Percy, Sirius, and 'Annie' all looked over to a cringing Grover. He felt their stares and looked back at them exasperated. Huffing slightly, he held his hands up in a surrender and said, "It was six years ago. Alright? I got better... eventually." The other three simultaneously snorted and shook their heads at their friend.

Something bigger was going on. Because I know something happened at the museum.

I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, when I observed my newly acquired sword and practiced with it, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would make me grit my teeth in anticipation of another attack.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room.

Percy grumbled to herself about 'stupid, dramatic king gods and their tempers'. Not even two seconds later there was a boom of thunder, along with a flash of lightning that could be seen through the high windows in the great hall. Sirius, Grover, and Annie all looked to Percy with knowing expressions. Raising her hands up Percy said, "In my defense, I was only telling the truth." Annie pointed over at her best friend while saying, "That may be true, but your version of the truth is usually very sarcastic and mocking. Maybe even a bit mean or insulting depending on who you're talking to or about." All Percy could do was shrug with an expression that blatantly read 'What can I say?'

Everyone around them looked extremely confused. They didn't hear Percy speak, so when they heard what the others had said, it just didn't make sense. 

A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.

I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. It was incredibly difficult to keep my grades in the A to B range. Any pranks I pulled were targeted at specific people or their friends. Nonviolent of course, just targeted. I definitely spoke out a lot more and was super sarcastic with my answers too.