DEMIGODS. (Percico/Pernico)

˚‧º·Chapter Three‧º·˚

"Give me back my book, you stupid scarecrow!"

I heard a girl shout, and I immediately knew who it was. I turned to see Reyna Arellano, a girl a year below me, and a boy who did indeed look like he belonged in a cornfield rather than at a high school.

"No can do," Octavian smirked as he held her textbook in the air with one of his skinny arms.

Octavian wasn't exactly the school bully per say, but he still gave a couple of people a hard time. Well, I was one of those people. In freshman year, I pulled an all-nighter, so I brought my panda Pillow Pet to study hall so I could take a nap. It's not childish; it was smaller than any other pillow so it was portable, and I grew to like it. Octavian, he tore it up and called me a Momma's Boy. My mother, I had to talk her out of running him over with her car.

Clarisse La Rue, too, is another not-quite school bully, but still gives some people a hard time. Yet again, me. Her brother, Sherman Yang, helps her out sometimes, to my disappointment.

"I said give it back!"

"Okay, I'll give it back."

He eyed a shelf too tall for the girl to reach and set it down there, only for Reyna to glare at him and kick him hard in the shin.

Octavian returned the glare before walking off like the snooty princess he was. You know Sharpay from High School Musical? Yeah, kind of like that.

She huffed, trying to reach the textbook from the shelf before she sighed in defeat.

"I'm going to be late for class now."

I'm a nice guy, but I know that when a girl is stressed, you want to run far, far away. I considered the options and helping her out won over walking away.

I set my bag down on the floor before standing on my tiptoes and pushing the book off the shelf with my fingertips. Once I retrieved the book, I handed it to the girl who was sitting against the wall.

"Reyna, right?"

"Yes. You're...Percy?"

"Yep, that's me."

"Thank you."

"No problem. We better get to class before we both get detention, huh?"

"Yeah, that'd— That'd be a good idea."

I sat down in my seat just as the bell rang, fortunately. My mom would have killed me if I got another detention that week.

Thalia looked at me from her seat across the room and gave me a wave. I returned it while Mr. Brunner, my history teacher, was finishing typing something from his prep period and stood up to begin his lecture. Another Greek unit, to my relief. That is one of the only things that managed to keep my attention.

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯

"So, good news," Annabeth told me as she set her tray next to mine.

"What?" I asked through my mouthful of food.

"Charming," Annabeth commented, flicking my forehead before continuing. "I got Piper to join the band."

"Tha's great!"

"Seriously, Seaweed Brain, don't you know to chew your food before talking to people?"

I shrugged before seeing Thalia and Jason approaching our table with their trays. I waved at the two of them as they set their trays down across from Annabeth and me.