The Seven In High School

Annabeth Drops Everything

ANNABETH

"This way!" Diana beamed at them. "Advanced Placement Chemistry. You guys must be smart! That class is super tough."

"Advanced?" Percy asked. He looked like he was going to puke, which Annabeth couldn't blame him for.

"Mmhmm. The teacher's Mr Clyde. Old, wrinkly and proof that dinosaurs still walk the Earth, but good. Well, here we are. Good luck." Diana said.

"Wait! Where're you going?" asked Percy.

"Chemistry for people of average knowledge. I'll meet you two after this period. Bye!"

The sound of her footsteps got fainter and fainter as she walked down the corridor. Annabeth made to open the door, but was stopped by Percy's hand on her shoulder.

"What now, Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"In case we don't come out alive, I just want you to know--"

"Percy Jackson. You retrieved Zeus's master bolt, you held up the sky, you battled Kronos, you almost became a god, and you think you're not going to survive Chemistry?"

"Well, I--yeah." Percy said. Percy's cheeks had turned a pale pink. It looked cute on him.

Annabeth sighed loudly. She loved Percy, but how he could be so dense sometimes was beyond her. Annabeth pulled Percy to her and kissed him.

"I think I'm okay now." Percy muttered, reluctantly breaking free a few seconds later.

She smiled. "Good." Before he ridiculous boyfriend could say anything else, Annabeth pulled the door open and went in.

Annabeth gulped. Big mistake. Fifteen pairs of eyes were staring at her. Behind her, albeit a little reluctantly, Percy shuffled in, his new shoes squeaking on the waxed floor.

At the teacher's desk at the front of the room, an old man looked up. Annabeth could see why Diana had called him a dinosaur. He looked like the impossibly happy version of Akhlys.

The ancient man adjusted his spectacles to rest more securely on his wrinkled high nose. "Mr Percy Jackson and Miss Annabeth Chase, I presume?" The guy had a surprisingly good set of pipes for such an old man.

"Yes." came Percy's voice from behind her.

"You are just in time, I am Mr Clyde. Please take a seat." the man rhymed. He chuckled heartily as the entire class groaned collectively.

Annabeth shouldered her backpack to rest more comfortably and made her way to an empty seat amid stares. The front row was all taken so she had to take a seat near the back. She fumed silently.

A boy with wavy brown hair and a letterman jacket eyed her intensely as she walked past his desk. His friends slapped him on his back, hooting. Annabeth could almost feel Percy puff up behind her. She dropped her bag on the floor next to her new desk, winced when she heard the loud thunk of books hitting the floor(how had she forgotten about the books inside?!) and sat down. Percy chose the desk to her right and sat down. He was touching the pocket with Riptide in it.

Mr Clyde got up and speed-walked to the board. "Welcome to Advanced Placement Chemistry..." He started talking about stats as Annabeth scoped out the students.

In the front rows were a couple of regulation-perfect kids, clutching their number two pencils and eagerly absorbing every word of Mr Clyde's little speech. Next were some normal looking kids goofing off and passing notes. Then behind them was the boy in the letterman jacket and his friends. Occupying the seat next to Percy was a nervous-looking boy in a Trees Got Soul shirt and a neckerchief patterned with birds. And that was all. Obviously AP Bio wasn't very popular.