Date: November 6

     "And today he asked me if I would liked to be his empress when he takes over the world," Rachel said.

     "And what did you say?" Juniper asked.

     Rachel threw back her hair and said with a chuckle, "I told him to conquer the world first and then I'll think about it."

    Frank laughed along with the rest of the people seated as his lunch table. He caught sight of Hazel's head thrown back in mid-laughter and he felt a bubble of warmth in his chest. He wanted her to be this happy forever, but then again, she would experience pain, but also moments even better than this.

    "I'm not sure why Octavian thinks he's going to be the next Alexander the Great," Jason said with a snort. "Does he seriously think everyone will quake in fear when they see him disembowel Pillow Pets?"

    "Maybe," Percy said. "I'm still traumatized from preschool with him."

    "Not this story again," Annabeth said with a sigh.

    "What?" Percy demanded. "He killed my panda Pillow Pet. Spots was my favorite!"

     "You guys won't believe this," Frank said. "Guess who my grandmother talked to yesterday."

      "My father?" Nico suggested.

      "The mayor?" Annabeth asked.

       "The president?" Piper asked.

        "Ooh, I got it," Hazel said. "My step-mother?"

      "Why would she call Persephone?" Percy asked.

      Hazel began to fan herself and managed, "Maybe she's trying to set us up?"   

    "You're all wrong," Frank said. "Although my grandmother is very fond of Hazel."

     "She talked to Octavian," Rachel guessed.

     "Once again, you're correct," Frank said.

    "Wait, what?" Grover said. "Why were they talking?"

     "He called her while Hazel and I were at the zoo," Frank said. "Apparently they talked about world domination."

    "Oh my gods," Rachel said. "I thought this was all an elaborate joke. Is he trying to be voted as biggest meme in the yearbook?"

    "I think he's serious," Jason said. "He showed me this music video called 'One Like Putin' last week and he said that he wanted girls to adore him like women adore Putin."

   "It's more likely that he'll become the dictator of some second-world country," Percy argued.  

   "Seaweed Brain, Russia is a second-world country," Annabeth said.

    "Nevermind then; he'll become a D-list dictator," Percy said. "Thinking of Octavian being the next Putin is quite frightening. None of our stuffed animals will be safe."

    Frank was glad that the lunch bell rang just then. Thinking of Octavian as the next V-list dictator was depressing. He made his way to Mr. Chiron's history class. That day, they were discussing dictators.

    "Why do you believe that people allow dictators to amass power?" Mr. Chiron asked his question.

    Frank smiled. One thing he liked about Mr. Chiron was that he didn't spend the entire time lecturing. He respected their opinions and even allowed them to argue with his opinions.

    "I think it's because when one person holds a lot of power, others are too scared to speak out," Annabeth said. "That's why democracy is important."

    "Democracy is a joke," Octavian said. "There's a reason we see dictators on the rise; people want strong leaders like Augustus and Alexander the Great. Humans naturally gravitate towards monarchies and dictatorships; democracy is unnatural."

     "Well, it looks like he wants to be voted as most likely to become a Z-list dictator," Hazel whispered into Frank's ears.

    He giggled. 

    "Do you have something to say, Mr. Zhang?" Mr. Chiron asked.

    "Only that Octavian is wrong," Frank said. "Democracy is as old as dictatorships are. Besides, Thomas Hobbes said all governments are unnatural."

     "Good point," Mr. Chiron said.

    Frank exhaled in relief. Hazel flashed him a smile. Hazel was even less likely to take over the world than Octavian, but Frank thought that she may have taken over his heart.