Percy Jackson: The New Half-Blood

My Friend Grows Sheep Legs

I stared down intently at the permission slip in my hands. I grinned mischievously. I had been hand-selected to go on a trip few students got to go on. It was open to kids in schools throughout the state, so I was the only kid from my school to go.

Well, I suppose there was also Grover Underwood.

Grover Underwood has a leg problem, he's permanently excused from gym, and he walks funny. Lots of people picked on him. Because I stuck up for him, I got pegged as a target, too. Grover was my only friend.

Anyway, I had a problem that might disable any chances I had at going on this trip. I had to get a parent or guardian to sign for permission.

I don't have parents, they left me when I was young. But I've got a stash of money, and I've managed to fool just about everybody that I have a Mom that's always away on business; travelling the globe without me.

Everyone but Grover.

Turning my head to the left, I saw Grover running through the halls - or, attempting to run as best as he could on his legs. He stumbled, bumped into the lockers, and face planted into the floor.

Few people were in the hall, but all of them turned to see what the commotion was. I ran to my friend's side.

"Grover!" I hissed. "Be careful!"

I helped him up as he said, "O-Otrera! Remember that permission slip you got this morning?"

I hadn't told him about it, yet, and the only way I knew that he was also coming was because our Principal had told me upon giving me the slip.

"We have to get on the bus right now!" Grover insisted.

Confused, I asked, "How could we possibly leave right now if we just got told about it? I didn't even get a chance to forge my fake Mom's signature yet!"

Grover shifted nervously. "Turns out, we don't need permission. The bus is leaving! Let's go!" Before I could protest, he grabbed my arm and started to pull me through the halls. It was only third period. I didn't understand.

He brought me out through the door beside the staircase, we were outside the west side of the school. An orange school bus, as odd as it seemed, was there to greet us.

I couldn't read what it said on the side because of my dyslexia. It looked like: DLPIHE SWBYRERTRA RMAF, the letters were floating around.

"Get in." Grover pushed me forward. He was acting weird, almost as if he were scared something was coming. But I got on the bus, because I trusted Grover.

I found myself avoiding looking at the bus driver, instead I focused on the kids.

There was four of them, in total. They were way younger than I was - maybe eleven or twelve. I took a seat at the back door.

As far as I knew, the location of this trip was always secret, and it happened once every year. I had never heard of the date being moved to the earliest time.

Grover was still standing in the same spot as before. The engine started to purr, the bus driver pulled the doors closed. I furrowed my brows.

"Wait!" I shouted. "Grover isn't on yet, sir!"

He might've been deaf, or he was just ignoring me, but the bus started to move anyway. I dropped open the window.

"Grover! Get on this bus right now!"

"Good luck, Tera." Grover called as the bus accelerated. "I'll meet you there!"

I didn't know what he meant. If the trip was a secret location, and this was the bus...how could he meet me there?