hi! i'm percy, and my life sucks.
at the ripe old age of 13, i've already seen way, way too much. i've lost too many friends to petty godly disputes, fought in wars, been through hell and back (literally), and watched the twilight movies all in one night. all equally terrible, devastating things.
so one would think my kind, loving parents would see this fact and think, hey, maybe i shouldn't move my traumatized adolescent daughter to an entirely new city the week before high school! one would be incorrect. something about not wanting to endanger us further by being close to the mythological epicenter of the world or whatever.
this would make more sense if we moved to, like, montana or something. but no, let's move to the single most crime-ridden city on the planet. surely this is a sound decision. but despite my best protests, the cushy job paul secured at the city's preppy ass academy far outweighs the very human threats of gotham nightlife. i guess i can see how this may tip the scales.
"come on, percy! we're gonna be late!"
i should be excited; new city, new school, new opportunities. but i liked camp. i love my friends. why would i want to leave that?
i trudge downstairs, my surliness dissipating with a gasp upon seeing annabeth at my kitchen table. "you bitch! what are you doing here?"
"guess who's gonna be joining you at the academy?" her smile splits her face, warming the room.
"no way!" i wrap her in a hug, pulling her to her feet before a thought pulls me back "wait, why? i thought things were going well with your dad."
my curly-haired angel sent from above suddenly finds her shoes very interesting, kicking at the tile floor of the kitchen. "yeah, that. i, uh—"
"doesn't matter. i'm just happy you're with me."
—
despite gotham's stuffy, grim reputation, the academy is refreshingly busy. the quad fills with noises of students eating lunch, chatting, and playing catch, almost the picture-perfect campus. the shade of the tree annabeth and i sit under saves us from the scalding august sun, though not the oppressive humidity.
a boy walks up to us, eyebrows furrowed. "can we help you?" annabeth asks.
"uh, yeah. i usually sit here alone at lunch. you guys new here?" despite his expression, his demeanor is quite friendly. dark hair and tanned skin draw a stark contrast to his striking blue eyes.
i nod. "is it really that obvious?" i move my backpack, making space for him to sit down next to us.
"yeah, a little bit. i'm dick grayson, by the way."
i snort, shortly followed by a scolding elbow to the ribs by annabeth. "sorry. i'm percy jackson. this is annabeth chase."
a worried look flashes behind his eyes for a split second. shit, he recognizes me. i clear my throat. "so, dick. what's your schedule look like?"
the rest of the day flies by, filled with awkward icebreaker after awkward icebreaker. even just throughout the course of the day, dick warms up to us to the point of exchanging phone numbers and socials. well, he warms up to me; annabeth is a tougher cookie to crack.
the warmth of late august evenings in gotham are a surprisingly nostalgic time. though they are nothing compared to those at camp, the orange washing the walls mimes the warm strawberry-scented breeze wafting through camp. the air is a touch warmer than comfortable, but the humidity lulls me into a stupor nearing sleep.
