The middle school's gymnasium was full with chatter as Day 2's 3rd period class sat on the floor beside laid out mats waiting for their teacher to arrive.
When the door opened and the gym teacher walked in rolling a bin of sorts on wheels the children quickly hushed and smiled waiting.
The gym teacher glanced around at all of them and smiled, "You guys already put the mats out? You're eager today."
"Because we never got to finish our tournament!" A boy shouted.
The gym teacher nodded and pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, "Don't worry, I've got the results right here, but right now let's learn a new technique first hm? So everyone grab a sword and pick a partner you haven't fought yet."
He waited a moment, but unlike usual the kids didn't jump up and rush for the fake sword of their choosing.
He frowned, "Something wrong?" He watched as the children made eye contact with one another and began whispering before they began to sing all at once,
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday Mr. Castellan! Happy birthday to you!"
Be stared at the kids confused for a moment, "Um thanks, but it's not my birthday... So uh let's start class?"
~~~~
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you told the kids it was my birthday?" Luke Castellan asked sitting down at a table in the teacher's lounge.
The woman already sitting there smiled into her mug of coffee, "Whatever do you mean?"
He sighed, "Why did you do that?"
"Because they asked me when it was, and I didn't know so I lied. When is your birthday by the way?"
"I'm not telling you."
"But Lukey!"
"Don't call me that."
She huffed annoyed, "You never tell anyone anything about your personal life."
"There's nothing to tell, Marie."
"Come on, all I know about you is that you don't have a relationship with your family, and you went to college."
"What else is there to know?"
"What made you decide to teach middle schoolers how to fight with fake weapons?"
"Unfortunately, many are wondering that too."
The two turned and Luke's eye makes widened seeing the Principal Delan standing in the doorway. "Can we speak in my office Mr. Castellan?"
Luke nodded slowly as he stood, "Of course."
He followed the man out the door and down the hall confused by the man's behavior. The shorter man seemed very stiff as he walked as if he was worried about something, and to Luke it seemed out of character for him.
"Is something wrong?" Luke asked him after a moment.
The principal turned quickly, "You know I think you're great person, and what you do is new and good, right?"
"Yes..."
"Well unfortunately others don't necessarily agree. So the superintendent is here..."
Luke nodded, "I figured this is coming, let's go see her."
~~~~
"Luke Castellan," Superintendent Reyes started. "You just started here at Warren Middle at the beginning of the year, correct?"
"That's correct," he nodded.
"And this is your first job working as an educator?"
"Also correct."
"So," she put down his file she had been holding. "Did you do fencing in college or something?"
"For a semester, but I found it boring."
"So what made you decide to teach children how to sword fight?" She demanded putting his folder down the desk with more force than necessary. "We have been getting complaints non stop from parents all across the district wanting to know what is going through that head of yours."
Luke stared into her dark eyes for before he answered, "All I want is for them to be able to protect themselves. So I've been showing them how to do so in hand to hand, swordplay, and knives. Of course the weapons aren't real, I don't want anyone getting hurt. And so far after two months I have not had a single student get injured outside of some getting the wind knocked out of them. So I don't really see the issue."
"The parents-"
"Conferences are next week right?" Luke cut in. "Well usually gym teachers don't meet with the parents but put me in that this time and I'll talk to the parents and sort things out."
The woman paused in thought, "You're going to be yelled at by many angry soccer moms."
Luke shrugged, "I've been through worse."
~~~~
Luke had been at this for two hours already and he was already ready to get this over with. None of these parents seemed willing to hear his side, only their own decided upon opinions.
He stood in front a group of parents sitting in the bleacher's attempting not to roll his eyes as he repeated himself once again.
"I just don't get why you can't just have the kids run laps, and climb ropes?" one of the mother's asked.
Luke frowned and crossed his arms, "So you are telling me, you rather me have your children climb ropes then teach them how to protect themselves?"
"If it keeps my kids safe then yes," the mother stated crossing her arms.
"That's a shame. Your Marcus is currently the best in his class, he won the class' tournament. Anyway what I am doing is different, yes, but I think it is more important every child knows how to protect themselves if- gods forbid- they have to. In my opinion self-defense is just as important as anything else your children will learn here. If you disagree I question your parenting."
He looked around the room waiting for someone to speak, but the room was silent for a few moments before the bell rang signaling parents to go to their next stop. Slowly the parents filed out looking unhappy and annoyed, but just as the groups earlier all look defeated as he had appropriately justified what he had done.
When they all left he glanced at his watch, and decided to use a few minutes to grab a cup of coffee from the lounge.
~~~~
"So what teacher are we supposed to see next?"
She glanced at the schedule, "Both of the twins have gym together, so we don't need to split up for that."
He nodded, "To the gym then?"
"To the gym."
They walked in the gym and joined the parents sitting in the bleachers waiting.
"Annabeth you're a sensible person," a mother stated turning to her suddenly. "What do you think about the kids fighting in class?"
"Fighting?" She repeated confused.
She gasped, "You don't know?"
"How do you not know?" Another mother asked.
"About what?" Percy asked not looking up from his phone.
"The gym teacher has the kids fighting each other with fake swords and knives."
Percy blinked and looked to his wife, "I thought they were just talking about their karate class?"
Annabeth nodded, "Me too."
"Guess that means they are doing well in it then," he shrugged looking back ot his phone.
"That's all you have to say?" a parent chimed in.
"If my kids learn how to protect themselves that is fine with me," he commented.
He tuned out of the conversation and looked through his emails and after a bit he suddenly felt Annabeth hit his shoulder.
"What?" he asked looking up to see her face had gone pale, and her eyes were wide. He frowned and followed her line of sight to see the gym teacher standing before them a mug of coffee in his hands. His hair was short and a sandy blonde, his eyes bright blue, and a scar ran down his face. "Luke?" he asked louder than intended.
All eyes went to him, but Percy ignored the others only staring at Luke Castellan. "Yes," he nodded sounding annoyed. "I just said my name is Luke Castellan. Anyway as I was saying..."
Percy's eyes went to Annabeth who nodded, "We are staying after."
~~~~
When the other parents had left the two made their way toward Luke.
He saw them coming and gave them a clear false smile, "Who are you kids?"
Percy blinked surprised, "Uh-Luke and Zoë."
Luke nodded slowly thinking, "Some of the best in their class, they told me they do martial arts."
"That's true," Percy nodded. "So uh- how is this possible?"
He frowned, "What?"
"You being here? Younger? A teacher?"
"Uh... I'm 27, and I got here after getting a degree in from NYU."
"Luke please," Annabeth cut in. "It's me Annabeth and he's Percy?"
Luke gave them a both blank look, "Oh have we met?"
"It's been years, but yeah," Percy nodded. "At camp?"
"You, me and Thalia?" Annabeth asked her voice rising. "The three of us were a family? Fighting monsters together, and surviving?"
He shook his head, "I have a bad memory, but I think I would remember that."
Percy stared openmouthed at Luke and he saw Annabeth looked crushed.
"Luke!" A voice shouted.
Luke's head jerked to wear a man stood by the door. "Sorry," He told the both of them before heading out, leaving them even more confused than before.