The Hero's Past

I Hate Snakes. And I Mean Hate.

Dedicated to HEARTINHXLL

Why are you still reading this? Do you really want to see me suffer?

Probably. 

No one asked you, Dead Man.

I'm not a man, man!

Whatever. Anyway, how are—?

Stop stalling! Enjoy this chapter! Make sure to laugh at Jason!

Ugh. 

The man I wanted to strangle last chapter pushed Percy to the floor. He stepped on his back as if Percy was a carpet and left, yelling, "Go to school, stupid!"

Oh, Percy's four, now.

I followed Percy outside. He entered the car (I went in before him. Long story short, he almost sat on me) and his mother—Sally—was in the driver's seat. They drove to this school—sorry, preschool—and exited the car. 

I followed them inside the building. They stopped at a door and Sally wished Percy a wonderful day, blah, blah, blah. Percy walked into the classroom. 

(Can I please skip this part?)

Hmm . . . No. 

So, Percy sat at a table, the teacher did her job, the kids didn't pay attention, etc. and yeah. 

I stepped behind Percy, looking at what he was doing. Percy was drawing something with a crayon. It looked like a girl, and I'll admit, it was pretty good. 

The kids learned for a while. Then the teacher told them that it was 'nap time.'

Percy eyed the teacher. It was clear that he didn't like nap time. I would be glad if I got nap time when I was four, but that was probably because I was trained by Lupa, not taught by some random teacher. 

He was soon put to sleep. A couple minutes later, parents came into the room, picking up their children. But Sally was no where to be found.

I glanced at Percy. My eyes widened in fear. In his cot was a reptile—a snake. And I didn't love snakes. 

Percy grabbed the snake.

"Wha—?!"

You idiot! Hecate shouted in his mind. Stop talking! 

A girl glanced at me. She had dark hair and green eyes. For a second I thought that she could see me. 

"Lou!" a man yelled.

The girl ran off, towards the smiling man.

I glanced back at Percy. A limp snake was in his hands. 

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled. Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I messed up, okay? So what? Yes, it might end the world, but . . . Actually, that's pretty intense. 

I could hear laughter in my mind. 

What?! I thought. 

You fell for it!

So . . . I could talk this whole time?!

Yes, Jason Grace.

You're rude.

I prefer funny. 

Ugh. 

Sally came in at that time. She walked over to the teacher. "Sorry I'm late!"

"No, no, it's fine!" The teacher led Sally to Percy. 

The two woman screamed, Sally a bit more. 

Percy looked up at his mom. "Mommy!" he shouted. 

"What happened?" Sally demanded.

"This snake came to me and I caught it!" he exclaimed. He wasn't the best at talking but was good for a four year old. Also, he seemed happy about it. Percy dropped the snake. 

Sally took Percy and carried him out. I followed. 

"You're not going to school, okay? You're going to stay home for a while with Gabe, okay?"

Gabe? I thought. 

Percy looked like he wanted to speak but didn't. 

We made our way home—to their home—and Sally put Percy in his bed, even though he was just sleeping before the snake came. 

Sally kissed his head. "Good night."

It definitely wasn't night. I stayed in the room, staring at Percy. He had his eyes closed and he was shaking. From what, I didn't know. 

Already, I was starting to feel guilty, wondering if I shouldn't have done that.

It was not your fault. It was fate. You had to do it, and if you didn't, Percy wouldn't be where he is now, Hecate said. 

So you're saying that I'm the reason that he's—

Smart, yes. Strong, no.

What do you mean 'smart?' 

He is not an idiot, Grace. It was an act. 

An act? Why? I asked. 

I shouldn't be the one to tell you. 

Who is? 

Hecate didn't answer, which made me wonder why. Who was supposed to tell me?

I sat down on the edge of Percy's bed, thinking about that. That and the fact that a girl—Lou—saw me. I knew she did. But how?

That's your longest chapter! A little above 700 words. Short, yes, but long enough. I expect more words in the future, though, Jason. 

It's hard! I'm dyslexic! You expect me to write something so long with good quality! Why didn't you write this yourself? 

Because it's better when the main character writes it! Anyway—

Have a good day/night, blah, blah, blah. Buh-bye!

-The annoying girl and the stupid boy