The Labyrinth // pjo

Chapter One // I Almost Kill Percy

 When I woke up, I was curled up on a bench, my backpack under my head, as the world blurred outside the Amtrak window.

For a moment, I freaked out because I couldn't remember how I got on the train–but then I remembered that I had hitched a ride with one of my friends from school and passed out as soon as I found a seat.

And then I remembered why I was on the Amtrak in the first place.

I was headed back for the summer from a special school for demigods (like me) who had been specially invited to attend.

It was such a cool place because everyone bonded over the same disabilities and family problems, and interests, as we were all demigods.

I even started therapy with a demigod therapist while I was there until I went back to keep doing therapy with the other half-blood guy Chiron (the activities director at the camp I am going to; you all should know this stuff by now) helped me connect with. And while it was hella hard talking about shit–it made my life a little easier to deal with. Ya know, talking about almost dying a million times made it easier than just sitting with it at the age of (almost) fifteen.

Love that for me.

Anyways–yeah, I'm going home–now leave me alone. I'm gonna sleep some more before I get back, and Percy talks my ear off.

†††

The door opened, and I was strangled in a hug.

"Oh my god! Sally! You're here early!"

I hugged my adoptive mother, Sally Jackson (you should know that whole fiasco of a story from the last few books) back, trying not to cry as I buried my face in her shoulder, "I missed you soooooooooo much!"

Now you might be wondering, Where have you been that she would react this way?

Well, if you were paying attention above, you would know–but just in case, I was at school.

In San Francisco. And I would be returning for the Fall too. This meant that I had planned on coming back early from Camp Half-Blood to spend time with Mom before I headed back with Annabeth–she lived there, too, with her dad, stepmom, and stepbrothers. I didn't get to see her much, but we had traveled back a couple times to camp in secret (yeah, I know, shitty move on my part) for some meetings about some confidential stuff.

The whole thing was a blur, one that I had still yet to process. But anyways, while I was there, I—

"Why did you get in so early? I didn't know the Amtrak was running like that today!" Mom asked me, her eyes glittering at me as she grabbed my suitcases inside our apartment.

I grinned cheekily, shrugging my shoulders comedically, "I told you it was gonna get in later so I could surprise you."

"Well, consider me surprised," She laughed, pulling me in to kiss my head again.

I chuckled before clapping my hands and chucking one of my backpacks onto my bed; I tore open the curtain to Percy's side of his room and wrinkled my nose at the mess before asking, "Did you already drop Percy off at Goode?"

Goode High School was the school Percy would be attending, and coincidentally enough, it was the same school Mom's boyfriend–Señor Pretty Fish or just Paul–worked at.

He had pulled a few strings to get Percy in for his freshman year, and today was the orientation or something like that.

"Yes, I did," Mom nodded, her hands swinging around excitedly. "And boy, do I wish that he hadn't invited you to his and Annabeth's hang out."