Chapter Text
Cedric Guerrero steps off the school bus with heavily-lidded eyes and a mildly dazed expression on his face. He had fallen asleep on the vehicle, and the drive over had given him ample time for a satisfying nap.
Luckily he had been sitting by himself, as he had woken up sprawled along the seat horizontally. He wouldn’t have wanted to place the unfortunate luck of being his personal pillow on anyone.
He yawned, turning his back to his classmates and waiting for his friends to step off of the bus. They had been sitting behind him, so he didn’t have to wait long for—
Cedric frowned, suddenly alert and all weariness forgotten, “Why is there sandwich in your hair, Grover?”
Grover Underwood shuffled towards him quickly and muttered, “Nancy threw her lunch at me. I barely convinced Percy not to go at her.”
Ah. Suddenly Cedric understood.
Nancy had thrown her lunch at Grover. Percy had gotten upset. Grover had held him back (possibly because of Percy’s probation). And so Grover had tolerated the abuse the whole drive over.
Cedric suddenly felt guilty over having enjoyed his brief nap while his friend had gotten bullied right behind him.
“Sorry man,” Cedric said, as Percy stepped up to them. “If I hadn’t fallen asleep I could’ve talked to Nancy—”
“You’ve been having a hard time sleeping, Ced.” Percy interrupted, as if that explained everything. “Nancy was being a little shit, there wasn’t much you could’ve done to stop her.”
Cedric hesitated, because he had been having a hard time sleeping these past few months. But also, he knew he could have convinced Nancy to at least pause her abuses for a bit. He knew she had a soft spot for him. Many people tended to.
Cedric sighed. In resignation. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help,” He said, unable to help but apologize again. “Let’s try to get as much sandwich out of your hair while they role call, Grover.”
They tried their best, and they did manage to get a good amount of sandwich out of the older boy’s hair, but peanut butter and ketchup stains resolutely dyed Grover’s shirt for the rest of the day.
In the museum, Mr. Brunner lead the class as well as any seasoned museum tour guide. He lead them around a thirteen foot tall stone column with a big sphinx on top that the teacher called a stele. He spoke of the details of the carvings on the sides, but his voice was hard to hear over the noise the other students were making.
Cedric huffed under his breath, starting to get irritated by the distractions around him. He was a student interested in the material, and the behaviors of his classmates were annoying him enough to want to do something about it.
He could feel Percy’s agitation next to him, and—remembering he was on probation—placed a hand on his friend’s elbow for his attention.
“We should get closer,” He muttered to him but—
Percy was already turning towards Nancy Bobofit, who was snickering and muttering about the nude man on the stele—
“Will you shut up?”
Mr. Brunner stopped talking. The entire group started to laugh at the comedically timed interruption.
“Mister Jackson,” Mr. Brunner said, his voice calm—kindly so, “did you have a comment?”
Cedric could feel how tense Percy had gotten. He squeezed Percy’s elbow once before letting go, not wanting to further any embarrassment for him.
“No, sir,” Percy said, his voice almost strained.
Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. “Perhaps you’ll tell us what this picture represents?”
Cedric glanced at Percy out of the corner of his eye, to see if he needed help with the answer. However, Percy’s face was relaxed, and his voice was almost confident as he answered, “That’s Kronos eating his kids, right?”
“Yes,” Mr. Brunner said, and he said it the same way all teachers do when they expect more from you. “And he did this because…”
“Well…” Percy paused, and Cedric was looking at him properly now, as all the students were. Cedric couldn’t help but think, with amusement, that he could almost see how fast Percy’s mind was moving to find the information, “Kronos was the king god, and—”
“God?”
“Titan,” He corrected himself, “And… he didn’t trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his father, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—”
“Eww!” One of the girls behind the trio commented.
“—and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans,” Percy kept going, having found his confidence, “and the gods won.”
In the silence following Percy’s answer, Nancy Bobofit’s voice could clearly be heard, “Like we’re going to use this in real life. Like it’s going to say on our job applications, ‘Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.’”
“And why, Mister Jackson,” Mr. Brunner said, his voice a little louder for dramatic effect, “to paraphrase Miss Bobofit’s excellent question, does this matter in real life?”
Grover snorted, “Busted.”
“Shut up,” Nancy hissed, her face and ears as red as her hair.
That’s unfair, Cedric thought. Because while Mr. Brunner had caught Nancy, as one of the few teachers at the school who did, he was still pressuring Percy in front of the whole class.
Percy looked to be thinking. But he didn’t think long before shrugging, “I don’t know, sir.”
“I see,” Mr. Brunner said, looking visibly disappointed. “What do you think Mister Guerrero?”
Cedric jumped a little at the question, having been caught off guard. He gave Percy a quick glance, trying to find an answer as to why he was being roped into the situation, especially since Mr. Brunner seemed to be making a point by using Percy and Nancy.
Yet Percy’s surprised expression gave no explanation.
Is it because I’m standing next to Percy? Cedric thought, mind racing. How the hell did I get roped in?
Cedric contemplated Mr. Brunner’s question, yet no, “right” answer came to mind.
“I guess…” The brunet said, making things up as he went, “The Greeks and Romans were so influential to the Founding Fathers that their stories continue to influence our government to this day.”
Cedric couldn’t help but think that that was a very diplomatic answer for the son of a diplomat to say.
Mr. Brunner’s face of disappointment didn’t go away at Cedric’s response. And that alone told Cedric he didn’t give the teacher the answer he wanted to hear.
“Well, half-credit, Mister Jackson, Mister Guerrero. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan’s stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest pit in the Underworld. On that happy note, it’s time for lunch. Missus Dodds, would you lead us back outside?”
Cedric sighed in relief, muttering a, “Thank god,” to Percy and Grover. “I’m starving.”
“Do you think they’ll have packed apples today?” Grover asked, making way towards the exit.
“Mister Jackson. Mister Guerrero.”
Okay, Cedric thought. Now this is really unfair.
Percy and Cedric stopped walking.
There was a resigned expression on Percy’s face, like he had expected this interruption to come. And that alone made Cedric want to groan at the injustice of it all.
Percy told Grover to keep going, and Cedric reminded him to save Percy and his’ lunches for them.
Cedric shifted a little, but waited. Only once Grover was completely out of sight, did Percy turn to face Mr. Brunner, his expression neutral. “Sir?”
The older man’s eyes were grave, and the seriousness in them made Cedric’s stomach start to hurt in anxiousness. “You must learn the answer to my question, boys.” He said, and Cedric was confused for a moment.
“About…?” He asked.
“About the Titans?” Percy clarified.
“About real life. And how your studies apply to it.”
“But…” Percy looked at Cedric, and the brunet could only blink at him in confusion. Cedric didn’t know what this was about as much as Percy knew what this was about.
“While Mister Guerrero’s response was sufficient,” Mr. Brunner continued, having seen their confusion, “it lacked the answer I was looking for.” Ouch. “What you learn from me is vitally important.” He said this part gravely—so seriously in fact that it made the anxiety in Cedric’s stomach heavier, “I expect the both of you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. Cedric Guerrero.”
Cedric could feel the familiar lump of shame build in his throat.
Cedric Guerrero has had several teachers throughout his life. More so than the average student. And many of them had pressured him to do well. Many of them had urged him to excel in the classroom. Many of them had done their best to encourage him that his ADHD and Autism weren’t a shackle to his education. They had used inspiring words and reassured him that powering through his disabilities were enough for him to be just as good as his other classmates.
But real life doesn’t work like that.
Pretty words don’t magically make his brain work.
And oh, how he wished they did.
But the way Mr. Brunner pressured him felt different.
It felt urgent. Grave. As if his teaching material really were a matter of life and death.
Percy managed to mumble something about trying harder.
All Cedric could manage to do was nod.
Mr. Brunner shifted his attention to the stele.
For a moment, the expression surprised Cedric. Because it wasn’t one of just sadness. It was one of familiarity and sense of loss that made it seem as if he had actually been at the girl’s funeral.
And then Mr. Brunner dismissed them.
Percy and Cedric couldn’t hurry out of there fast enough.
There was a storm brewing outside, with clouds darker than Cedric had ever seen in New York. Granted, Cedric had not spent much time in the state, but what time he had spent in it only seemed to convince him even more just how imminent of a threat climate change was becoming.
The color and size of the clouds were reminiscent of what Cedric had learned to identify as pre-hurricane. But what disturbed him even more was the lack of thought or care about it. Foot traffic on Fifth Avenue continued without care. And the class gathered around the front steps of the museum continued their attempted pickpocketing and pigeon pestering as normal.
Cedric gave a little sigh, almost in resignation, and followed Percy as he headed towards Grover a little ways away from the group.
Grover looked up as they approached, and next to him on the fountain rim were two paper bags of school provided lunch. Grover held his own in his lap.
“Detention?” He asked, as Percy sat next to him.
“Nah,” Percy replied, sounding more nonchalant than Cedric was feeling. He took one of the paper bags and handed Cedric the other. “Not from Brunner. I just wish he’d lay off me sometimes. I mean—I’m not a genius.”
Grover didn’t respond to that, but Cedric was too busy inspecting the lunch they received today to think too much about it.
Ham sandwich with cheese. An apple.
Cedric felt a familiar feeling in his throat. “Do you want my cheese, Grover?” He asked, repeating a comfortable routine the trio of them had fallen into.
“Sure,” Grover answered, adding the extra slices of cheese to his sandwich. He habitually offered the meat to be divided by Percy and Cedric. Cedric rearranged his sandwich until he was satisfied, and only then did he begin to eat.
He was halfway through his lunch before he noticed Percy had yet to take a bite. Cedric watched him curiously, noting the look of nostalgia on Percy’s face. He was looking off into the distance wistfully, and when Cedric followed his gaze, he couldn’t pinpoint where exactly Percy was looking off to other than it being the distant skyline.
And then he remembered that Percy grew up in New York. And that he had bounced around schools throughout the state his entire academic career. And Cedric could sympathize. He was the child of a dad who moved constantly due to their professional career—switching schools was something he could relate to.
But whereas Percy was always within three hundred and thirty miles of his mother, Cedric had moved countries every three years.
Maybe Percy got the worst of it, Cedric couldn’t help but think. Because while he had grown up with a sense of displacement, Cedric was always allowed to return home to his family at the end of the school day.
Percy, however…
Nancy Bobofit and her group of friends walked up to the trio. And before either of them could say anything, she dumped her half-eaten lunch on Grover’s lap.
Cedric shot to his feet in surprise, unintentionally dropping the rest of his lunch on the concrete. “Nancy!” The word came out almost scolding, but all Nancy did was make eye contact with Percy, who was sitting between his two friends. Her grin was slow and intentional as she said, “Oops.”
Percy’s expression was livid.
Cedric stepped closer to her, angling his back slightly towards Percy to block his view of her. Maybe if he didn’t see her he would be able to calm down a little. The last thing Cedric wanted was to have things resort to physical violence. Maybe if he talked to her he could get her to back off—he’d been able to do it before. “Nancy, don’t—”
There was the familiar sound of roaring water, and then the sensation of Cedric’s shirt being suddenly soaked. Cold— He managed to think. He was blinking rapidly, trying to understand this abrupt frigid feeling through the vague awareness of someone screaming.
“Cedric!” Nancy. Nancy was screaming—almost wailing, “Cedric pushed me!”
Cedric Guerrero stared at Nancy Bobofit.
The girl was inside the fountain. On her butt and her hands in the water with her feet on the fountain’s edge as if Cedric really had pushed her over the edge.
“I…” Cedric managed to say, but he couldn’t get any more words out. His hands were shaking at his sides.
He didn’t remember pushing Nancy. But there she was, clearly sprawled in front of him, looking as if he had pushed her.
“Did…” Cedric looked at Grover and then Percy, heart pounding in his chest in panic. “Did I—?”
“No!” Percy said, jumping to his feet.
Cedric was vaguely aware that the other students were whispering around them. He was vaguely aware that Mrs. Dodds was saying sweet condolences to Nancy and was helping her out of the fountain.
But his mind was still reeling over what had happened. His thoughts running at lightning speed to try to make sense of what he had seen.
Because Cedric thought he saw—
Mrs. Dodds looked at Percy and Cedric with a vicious look of triumph on her face. Her expression was hungry and it made Cedric’s panic grow.
“Now, honey—”
“Cedric didn’t do anything!” Percy said quickly, stepping forward. “I pushed Nancy in the water.”
Cedric was confused. Percy couldn’t have pushed Nancy. He had been sitting down when it had happened.
Then again it wasn’t as if Cedric could make water move.
But Percy really couldn’t either—
If anything, Percy’s admittance only made Mrs. Dodds expression grow even more victorious.
“Come with me.”
“Wait—” Cedric stuttered.
“Wait!” Grover yelped, shooting to his feet and grabbing Percy by the arm. “It was me. I pushed her.”
Grover’s lie seemed to calm Cedric some.
For Grover, who was scared of Mrs. Dodds to death, to try and take the blame was so out of character and downright courageous of him it made Cedric gape at him.
“I don’t think so Mister Underwood.” She said slowly, with a hint of amusement. The words were chillingly degrading, and Cedric’s dislike for the pre-algebra teacher sky rocketed.
“But—”
“You will stay here.”
Grover looked at Percy desperately. It was a look that seemed too extreme for the situation, in Cedric’s opinion. He didn’t understand it. “It’s okay, man.” Percy said, looking resigned. “Thanks for trying.”
Percy reached over to place a hand on Cedric’s shoulder. “Sorry, Ced.”
“Honey,” Mrs. Dodds barked before Cedric could reassure him. “Now.”
Percy spared Nancy a lethal look before following Mrs. Dodds. Cedric tried to watch them go, but his attention was caught by Grover hurrying towards Mr. Brunner.
“I hope he gets expelled, the dick.” Nancy muttered, catching Cedric’s attention again.
Cedric felt a calm anger replace his fading shock. He wasn’t the type to anger easily. But when he did lose his temper...
Well.
“Hey,” He said, turning to face her, “that’s a shitty thing for you to say when you started it.” He felt emboldened. Maybe because this really would be the final straw the school would use to expel Percy. But more because the situation was unfair for his friend, especially considering he had risen to defend him and yet Percy had still taken the blame.
Nancy made a face at him. Cedric thought she was trying to snarl, but her features weren’t in the right place yet. “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about you pushing me in the fountain Cedric. Pretty face or not, I’ll get you back.”
Cedric frowned at her, unable to take her threat seriously when she looked like a drowned rat. “Getting me back or whatever, I hope you stay away from us the rest of the school year. If you know what’s good for you.”
“Are you threatening me?” This time she really did snarl. And while Cedric had never been in a fight in his life, he knew how to use his words wisely in situations like this. He had learned from his dad how words could be used as a form of battle.
“Yeah,” Cedric said, and he clenched his fists tightly to steady himself. “I am. Back. Off. Or the school board will expel you for threatening me with a knife.”
Nancy sneered, but her expression was one of more confusion than anger. “The hell. I’ve never threatened you with a knife.”
Cedric smiled at her, and this time, the one wearing the wicked expression was him. “Who will they believe? Me? Or you?”
Nancy pressed her mouth shut. And it was then that Cedric knew he had her.
Because Nancy got away with a lot of things. She was slippery and sly and she had gotten her way this time. But she was notorious for getting into trouble. She had a record.
And Cedric was a model student. So his word would be taken above her’s easily.
And she knew it.
Nancy turned away with a curse, and Cedric watched her walk away with her circle of friends before he collapsed on the fountain’s rim. He placed his elbows on his knees and clenched his hands together, hoping the pressure would make him feel better.
He exhaled shakily, his heart pounding. So much had happened in such a short amount of time that his head was reeling from it.
He felt light headed. And for a brief moment he thought he might be having a panic attack.
But no. This didn’t feel the same.
Cedric felt rain start to come down. He straightened, looking around to see Grover coming back with museum maps to use as makeshift umbrellas while they waited for Percy.
Cedric thanked him, but he didn’t try too hard to keep the rain away. The front of his shirt was soaked already, and he could tolerate a little more drizzle on his torso. He just wanted the rain off of his face.
Grover and he didn’t talk while they waited. Which Cedric was thankful for, as he was busy trying to figure out how Nancy had fallen into the water when he hadn’t pushed her when he heard—
“I hope Missus Kerr kicked your ass.”
“Who?” Cedric turned, and Percy was coming down the museum steps. He looked disheveled, as if he had run a brief sprint, but Mrs. Kerr didn’t come after him.
“Our teacher. Duh!”
“What are you talking about?” He said, looking confused.
Nancy rolled her eyes and walked away. Percy continued toward the duo, looking bewildered.
“Where’s Missus Dodds?” He asked, accepting the spare museum map Cedric handed him.
Cedric recognized the name, but when he tried to think of the face associated with it, nothing came up. It’s familiar, he found himself rationalizing. The same way actor’s names were vaguely familiar to him.
Grover hesitated initially too, as if he had had the same feeling as Cedric. But his, “Who?” did not seem genuine. It had sounded nervous to Cedric.
“Not funny man,” Percy said, turning to Cedric. “Ced?”
Cedric thought about it. “Is that the name of the teacher who had a mental breakdown before Missus Kerr took over…?” Cedric asked tentatively, trying to guess right.
Thunder boomed overhead. Cedric couldn’t tell if the noise had been an affirmation or a negation.
Percy frowned, and then caught something over Cedric’s shoulder.
“I’ll be right back,” he muttered, marching towards Mr. Brunner.
Grover sighed in relief. He seemed to deflate in size when he did.
“What is it?” Cedric asked, confused.
“N-Nothing.” He muttered, avoiding Cedric’s eyes.
Cedric raised an eyebrow, but didn’t press. He was starting to forget about the events that had happened. As if a fog had clouded the memory. Altering it.
Changing it.
Disregarding it.
Whatever. He found himself thinking. If it wasn’t important enough for it to harass Cedric’s thoughts, then it must not have been noteworthy enough for him to remember.