I'm the type of person to sleep in. I'm also the type to never do my homework.

And I'm even the type to bring in food in movie theaters when you're strictly not supposed to. But I'm never the type to fit in, especially in a new school. Specifically, a boarding school where I'll be spending most of my time in. But I can't worry about that. Of course, I'll make friends. I'm a funny guy, full of jokes and puns, that people can't resist to laugh at. But I can't help feel a tinge of melancholy inside. I walked towards the doors of my new school, Half Blood Boarding School. I slightly shuddered at the name. It was slightly eerie, blood etched in the name of this school. How many schools do you know that have the word blood in it? But someone had called my foster home and said that it would be a great school for me. I qualified, so they said. My counselor told me, a week before, that we should meet so she could show me around and help me find my boarding house. I stood on the stairs for a few seconds to marvel at the school. The school should be a monument. It's probably the biggest school in America or rather, the whole world. Looking at the school, it reminds me of an old Victorian building. A white concrete building, two big pillars set on the lateral side of the entrance, a mix of arched and rectangular windows splattered neatly across the school. I did a full three-sixty turn to catch the whole glimpse of where the school stood. The school was isolated, nothing but grass and trees, miles from the main road. It did take about eight hours to get here but I guess it was worth it. It was quiet; most of the students were in class. I took a deep breath and I entered the school. The smell of the cool air filled my nose. I realized I stepped into the foyer of the school and the actual entrance was in between semi-naked Greek statues. Nudes in school? I don't think so. Smirking, I glanced down and read their welcome mat, Welcome, Half Blood. Half Blood. It had a slight edge to the name but it also seemed like they were injecting that the people here were half vampire or werewolf, which I wouldn't actually mind. This time, I enter the actual entrance-- I want to get to the counseling office quickly, now. A sign stood a few feet away from me. I scanned the neatly typed words until my eyes landed on counseling office and an arrow pointing left. I

turned left and hastened my steps on the marble tiles. I heard the inside of my backpack clunking as I step. My eyes quickly glimpsed around the hall. There were paintings of Greek wordsat least I thought they were. Then there were paintings of creatures, probably mythical Greek creatures. I was starting to catch their motif around here. I finally reached the counseling office. I opened the forest green door and I walked A hairy bearded man sat in his desk and looked up. He didn't seem quite happy to see me. Should I try that again? I asked. I mentally slapped my face because I couldn't believe I just said that. Didn't anyone teach you how to knock, Leo Valdez? he asked, sternly. First I was surprised he knew my name but then I glanced down and saw my picture in a yellow file folder. I grimaced at my pictureit wasn't the best. I had long hair then and pimples all over my face. But after getting a haircut and discovering manly facial wash, I think my face has gotten better. At least, I hope. I gulped but then I shrugged, Didn't think I needed to. I only knock when the bathroom door is closed. He smirked, which lightened the tense aura in this room. I sighed in relief my Leo wits had broken the awkwardness. Sit down, Mr. Valdez- Please, no formalities. Call me Leo, I smiled. Okay, Leo. But you must call me Mr. Chiron at all times, he replied. I nodded as I sat on the chair, Can I ask a question? You may, Chiron replied. What's up with the Greek theme? Is this like a Greek school? Chiron chuckled, You'll soon find out. Today, the causalities follows, I will show you to your boarding room, meet your roommate, then I'll have one of the student council give you a tour around the school. Don't worry it's not that long, you're in the eleventh year, so you'll stay in the section with all the juniors. After that, you're free to explore around, mingle and settle in. Your official school day starts tomorrow, he said. He took out a sheet of paper and handed it to me,

Here is your schedule. I examined my classesI had the basic English, Math, and Science classes but then there were other classes like Combat Training, Greek, History of Ancient Greek and Rome. The one that stood out was Abilities and Powers Beginning 101. As you can see, this is not your everyday school, he told me. No, it's not, I agreed. C'mon let's go. I'll answer your questions as we go to your boarding house, he told me. I nodded as I stood up. I expected him to stand up to but he stayed seated and his body backed out his desk. His wheelchair emerged from behind the desk. I first gave him a puzzling look but then I smiled. I wasn't really good at this, Do youuh, want- Thanks for offering, Leo. But after being like this for so long, your arms begin to be as strong as your legs, he replied. I proceed to walk and open the door for him. He nodded a thank you and I followed him from behind. This school was built in the 1860s, he started, you can just tell by the musty scent. I hadn't noticed before but it's true. My nose recognized the old tangy smell. Have you tried getting rid of it? I asked, jokingly. Chiron laughed, Oh, we've tried. It's only in the older parts of the building. As the student body grew, the school grew with it. We added a few more boarding houses, extended the building and added a few technology gadgets as well. But we wanted to refrain from technology. This school is mainly on the traditional side, so you won't see computers, smart phones, iPods, anything of that nature. Good, I don't own any of those things. My foster parents wouldn't let me. They thought it would make school worse for me. I was already doing bad in my other school, I divulged, then somehow they came across this school and thought boarding school was the answer. Let's hope they're right. They were right, he said simply. I was glad he did not ask about my real parents. It was not something I'd like to get into. I hate talking about it.

As I was saying, our school is very different from other schools, he informed, we simply do not fail you if you're not doing your work in the important classes such as English and Math. We want you to succeed, so if you excel in classes such as Combat Training or Greek, you will most certainly not fail. Most students here do not do well in English, so you don't have to worry about that, Leo. Thank goodness. We turn a corner and I see a bunch of kids my age in orange shirts, spraying silly string and attacking each other with pillows. They were screaming and laughing and jumping from couch to couch. No! You're dead! Die! said one kid. I'm not dead! I didn't step in the lava! one kid protested. Will I be taking a class like this, too? I asked, excitedly. Don't get your hopes up, Leo. This is something that could get you suspended, he said grimly. He rolled his wheelchair into the chaos. The students did not see them at first. Mr. Chiron cleared his throat. They all stopped and gasped, simultaneously. I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. They all turn to me with eyes of anger. Oh crap, I hope they don't remember me. This is unacceptable, Chiron raged. Why are you not in your classes? Our teacher isn't here. So we decided to leave the classroom and go to the lounge, chimed a boy who looked a bit older than me with dark hair and sea green eyes. We thought we'd just study but someone had to pull out a silly string can. Percy was actually the one who started it, said a pretty girl with blonde curly hair and gray eyes, I tried to stop them but- Her awesome ADHD skills kicked in and she went crazy, said Percy. Shut up, Percy! the girl whispered to Percy. Her face reddened and she bowed her head. I suddenly felt invisible and I didn't know what to do but to awkwardly stand there. Get to your classes! he yelled.

With that, the thirty some kids scurried out of the lounge to their designated classroom. Mr. Chiron