Percy Jackson Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent

2012 (3)

All too soon, summer was over and kids were pouring into the gates of the high school. I hefted my backpack and took a deep breath before taking the step into the grounds, shoulders squared. I really shouldn't have been as nervous as I was now that I was a Senior, but still, it was high school.

And high school sucks, big time.

A short, sandy blond shape cannoned into me, nearly taking me off my feet completely. "Percy! You survived!" Clint cheered mockingly.

I smacked him upside the head. "Dude, you can't do that."

"Do what?" he asked, eyes widened comically in a fake-innocent expression.

"Try and kill me like that. Not everyone has circus balance. And seriously, what has got into you today? You're usually all moody."

He shrugged. "I may have eaten ice cream for breakfast."

"Why?"

"I asked if I could. They said yes." He bounced slightly.

Geez, this was going to be a long day.

I ruffled his hair, immediately turning his expression to a sour one. "How was your holiday, by the way? Were your new family nice the entire time?"

He gave a half-shrug. "Pretty much. We went to Croatia and Bosnia. It was sunny most of the time, and interesting. Europe's pretty. We should take you guys next time."

"Did you have coffee as well as ice cream?" I asked suspiciously, watching Clint bounce up and down as we walked with that stupid grin plastered all over his face.

"Maybe?"

I gave my very best long-suffering sigh and hoped for all I was worth that the sugar-and-caffeine rush would wear off by lunchtime.

o0O0o

The last dregs of summer quickly faded into autumn, leaves turning shades of blood red and the beautiful golds that I'll forever associate with beers, before crisping up and dying, leaving brown carcasses on the ground.

Sad, really, how what to some is the most beautiful display from nature in the year can only ever remind me of death.

Late October was high school open day, when we took deep breaths, banned the delinquents (so, me) and opened our doors to the public, giving the best possible impression to middle schoolers thinking of coming here.

This year, school had decided to do a gifts and talents display. At first, this made me laugh. Nobody in their right mind would pick the skinny, scarred boy with authority issues and dyslexia to represent the school system and how completely and utterly it had failed them.

But then they said that they were doing a sports display, and I was suddenly interested.

Then, lo and behold, I was chosen to represent the school swim team, with races, drill demonstration and the works, really. Try to make us look sporty. Oh, and I was lifeguarding for the freshmen first-year swimmers (i.e. they couldn't swim before joining the school), to show that we could get qualified and find meaningful jobs that link to our occupations or some other bullshit. I sort of tuned out, to be honest.

Clint was also going to be involved. In fact, he was the only boy taking part in the high-ropes gymnastics display. He was also doing gym and dance (or something like that) and beam work ("I'm a tightrope walker, Jackson. Beam feels like a highway."). I didn't really get the specifics, but it sounded complicated and cool.

Anyway, I ended up standing next to the pool, in a lifeguard hoodie that school had somehow afforded to make for me (I don't know how; it's not like we had enough money for a whiteboard or anything in the room itself), and stepping back whenever there was a splash to try and stop it getting wet within ten minutes of arriving on poolside, because whyyyyyyyyy . Wet hoodies suck. Unless you're slapping someone with them; then it's fun.