Blue hair ✸ Apollo ²

IX. Delve into the darkness

The last thing Lydia wanted to do was blow up another school. But there she was Monday morning, the first week of June, sitting in Sally Jackson's car in front of Goode High School on East 81». Goode was this big brownstone building overlooking the East River. A bunch of BMWs and Lincoln Town Cars were parked out front.

But first, Lydia thought about why she was back with Percy and her friends again. She and Apollo had spent months with Dawn trying to figure out the whereabouts of Luke Castellan and Lydia Hale, but there was no use. So eventually the whole plan just blew to pieces. And Lydia found herself staying with Percy and Sally for the rest of the year.

"Just relax." Sally started to say. "It's only an orientation tour. And remember, you two, this is Paul's school. So try not to...you know."

"Destroy it?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

Lydia looked at Percy, trying to let him know not to be so weird about the whole situation. She remembered feeling the exact same way when her own mother fell in love with a guy and had a new kid with him. But Paul Blofis, Sally's boyfriend, was standing out front, greeting future ninth graders as they came up the steps. With his salt-and-pepper hair, denim clothes, and leather jacket, he looked like an actor, but he was just an English teacher.

He'd managed to convince Goode High School to accept Percy and Lydia for ninth grade, despite the fact that they'd both gotten kicked out of every school they ever attended. Plus Lydia's own family lived at least four or five states away. But Sally made sure Allison Winslow didn't need to worry.

"It's not that bad." Lydia started fidgeting with her golden necklace "But what can we expect when we're on the most wanted list in Kronos's bar."

"I doubt they'd know about that bar. If it's even real." Percy laughed at the joke that was meant to add some relief, but he looked back at his mom "You haven't told him the truth about me, have you?"

Sally tapped her fingers nervously on the wheel. She was dressed up for a job interview—her best blue dress and high-heeled shoes. Lydia decided to continue looking through the window. While living with Percy and Sally, she was respectful enough not to say anything about conversations like these.

"I thought we should wait," she admitted.

"So we don't scare him away."

"I'm sure orientation will be fine, Percy, It's only one morning."

"Great," Percy mumbled. "I can get expelled before I start the school year."

"Think positive. Tomorrow you're off to camp! After orientation, you've got your date—"

"It's not a date!" Percy protested. "It's just Annabeth, Mom. Jeez!"

"She's coming all the way from camp to meet you."

"Well, yeah."

"You're going to the movies."

"Yeah."

"Just the two of you."

"Mom!"

She held up her hands in surrender, but Lydia could tell she was trying hard not to smile. "You two better get inside, dear. I'll see you both tonight."

Lydia got out of the car first, and she still was trying not to laugh. At least the ride here didn't end on a bad note. Percy sighed "Why were you so quiet? You could've had my back in there!"

But before Lydia could reply, Percy suddenly froze. He was staring over at the steps of the school.  Paul Blofis was greeting a girl with frizzy red hair. She wore a maroon T-shirt and ratty jeans decorated with marker drawings. When she turned, Lydia caught a glimpse of her face.

"Percy?" Sally asked. "What's wrong?"

Lydia had a slight feeling she knew. Because when she first started staying with Sally and Percy, he explained what had happened while she was gone with Apollo. It turned out a lot went down. But one of those things — a mortal girl had saved Percy during the quest to save Artemis, and she could see the monsters and his sword.

It was a known fact that some mortals were weirdly born with the ability to see through the mist. Yeah— most monsters really didn't go after them, but the mortals had trouble coming to terms with themselves for seeing these things. Lydia read up on this sort of situation before at the library In Dawn's manor.

"Percy, is that her?" Lydia asked quietly.

He nodded "Yeah. Come on."

But Percy started walking away from the main entrance, and it turned out he was trying to sneak in to avoid the girl. Lydia shook her head. Considering how stupid that decision was.  Sneaking into orientation didn't work out too well. Two cheerleaders in purple-and-white uniforms were standing at the side entrance, waiting to ambush freshmen.

"Hi!" They smiled. Both girls had their names stitched in cursive on their uniforms, but with dyslexia, the words looked like meaningless spaghetti.

"Welcome to Goode," the blond girl said. "You are so going to love it."

"I'm sure I will. You two look really beautiful by the way." Lydia responded. She tried to seem comfortable and polite, but she definitely wasn't. Neither was Percy.

The other girl stepped uncomfortably close to him. Percy studied the stitching on her uniform and made out Kelli. She smelled like roses and something else they recognized from riding lessons at camp, the scent of freshly washed horses. It was a weird smell for a cheerleader.

They both laughed "Why thank you. What's your name?"

Lydia was hesitant to give it out. Only for the simple fact that her trust issues were telling her to run from these two, but they didn't seem to look at her as rudely as they did towards Percy. Which definitely wasn't right. So that could only mean one thing..

"It's Uh, Vanny. Short for Vanessa." Lydia lied. She quickly used a trick that she learned at Dawn's manor, glamouring. So monsters wouldn't be able to spot a demigod so easily.

"Hmm, and you?" They believed it, but now they turned to Percy.

Percy looked at Lydia, confusion spread across his face "Uh, Percy."

The girls exchanged looks. Lydia knew right then and there that Percy just fucked up by saying his real name, but she sighed. Why run now?

"Oh, Percy Jackson," the blond one said. "We've been waiting for you."

They were now blocking the entrance, smiling in a not-very-friendly way. Lydia reached for her pack of throwing knives while Percy reached for Riptide. Then another voice came from inside the building.

"Percy— Lydia?" It was Paul Blofis, somewhere down the hallway. The cheerleaders backed off. Percy was so anxious to get past them he accidentally kneed Kelli in the thigh.

Her leg made a hollow, metallic sound, like he just hit a flagpole. Lydia froze. She looked at Kelli right in the eye.

"Ow," she muttered. "Watch it, fish."

Lydia glanced back down, but her leg looked like a regular old leg. Percy and Lydia both dashed into the hall, the cheerleaders laughing behind them.

"There you are!" Paul told them. "Welcome to Goode!"

"Hey, Paul—uh, Mr. Blofis." Percy glanced back, but the weird cheerleaders had disappeared.

"Percy, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, uh—"

Paul clapped him on the back. "Listen, I know you're nervous, but don't worry. We get a lot of kids here with ADHD and dyslexia. The teachers know how to help."

Lydia wanted to laugh as if those we're important things to worry about, but Percy had turned to see the redhead girl again. So he walked away.

"Here we go again.." Lydia sighed.