Eventide

Chapter 1: The day Percy Jackson killed our Pre-Algebra teacher

 
     Darcie Miller groaned having found herself stuck next to Percy Jackson, a boy notorious for getting in trouble.  She was going to sit by herself and maybe take a nap but Mr. Brunner, her Latin teacher, chose to store his wheel chair in the exact spot where she was going to sit.  So she had no choice but to sit three to a seat with Percy and his friend, Grover.   She thought maybe if she stayed completely silent she might be able to avoid any conversation or trouble but of course that was wrong.  It started when Nancy Bobofit-a girl with freckles and hair so orange she looked like an ugly orphan Annie-started pelting Grover with chunks of peanut butter ketchup sandwiches, an unholy combination that stuck horrendously to Grover's hair.  Beside her Percy clenched his hands into fists, he couldn't do anything since he was on probation but Darcie could.  Looking at Grover, who was near to tears she steeled herself.  "Nancy would you quit it!" she said feeling bad for the boy.  

It was bad enough that he was constantly picked on and had almost no self-esteem but to make things worse he had some sort of muscular disease and walked as if every step pained him.  Nancy grinned her crooked teeth showing, "Oh do you like the dork wad Darcie?  I thought you were cool but I guess you're just another loser." she punctuated her words by throwing a chunk right at Darcie's face.  Darcie gagged as the thick slimy mixture touched her skin.  She quickly sat down wiping the grossness off her face.

"I'm going to kill her!" Percy said under his breath.  He started to get up but Grover pulled him back down.

"You can't, you're already on probation."

Darcie grimaced, "He's right Jackson, you touch her and you'll be suspended or worse.  And anyways if you do get in trouble she'll probably lie and say that Grover and I did something too.  And I don't know about you but I can't switch schools again, this is my fifth one."

His eyes widened, "Really this is my sixth."

Darcie wasn't really interested in another delinquent's story so she nodded, "Good for you Jackson.  Do you want an award or something?" he frowned and they stayed silent for the rest of the bus ride.

      Once inside the museum Mr. Brunner led them into the Ancient Greece exhibit.  Guiding them through galleries of painted clay vases depicting different heroes and marble statues of gods and goddesses.  As Mr. Brunner gathered them around something he called a stele-a grave marker-for a girl about their age Darcie pushed her way to the front.  Closer to Mr. Brunner and further from Percy.  However as close as she was she still couldn't hear the old man over the voices of her classmates.  She tried shushing another student only to get the evil eye from Mrs. Dodds.  Despite the warm room as soon as she made eye contact with the woman Darcie felt freezing.  Mrs. Dodds was a math teacher from Georgia who still wore a leather jacket even though she was at least sixty, Darcie had also seen the woman wear sunglasses which made her look like a biker about to ride a motorcycle right into a locker.  On the first day she arrived she decided she loved Nancy Bobofit and hated Percy and Darcie.

Darcie balked whispering, "Sorry." and staring ahead at Mr. Brunner even though she couldn't hear him.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!" a voice yelled and Darcie turned to see everyone staring at Percy.  

Almost everyone laughed as Mr. Brunner stopped his story, "Would you like to comment Mr. Jackson?"  Percy's face fell as he went red in the face.

"No, sir."

"The perhaps you'd like to tell us what this picture represents?" he said pointing to the stele.  Darcie looked at it, it was the Titan Kronos devouring his children.

"It's Kronos eating his kids right?" Percy asked.

"Correct, can you tell me why he did that?"

"Well..." Percy paused, "It's because he was the king god-" Mr. Brunner gave him a look, "King Titan." Percy corrected himself, "And he didn't trust his kids-who were the gods-so he ate them.  But his wife hid Zeus and fed him a rock instead so when Zeus grew up he tricked his dad into barfing up his brother's and sisters." Some girl squealed 'eww' making other's laugh.  "And so there was a war between the gods and Titans and the gods won."