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Chapter 2: Fury? Meh


When Clockwork said about Percy, Danny didn't think he will need to go to some school undercover. However, that was a general idea. He could deal with it, but wearing sunglasses 24/7 wasn't the most comfortable part. Danny has already got his schedule from principal. His first lesson was Latin with Mr.Brunner. Phantom smirked, it would be funny, he can speak on it fluently. Finding needed classroom, he knocked on the door and entered after hearing 'come in'.

The classroom looked pretty cool. Are those a Roman armor?

"Ah, you must be Daniel," said the man, who Danny supposed was Mr. Brunner.

Mr. Brunner was middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which smelled like coffee. But Phantom was interested in two things. Mr. Brunner smelled like centaur. First thing was why is centaur here. Second, how is he able to hide his horse part? Quickly shaking out of his stupor, Danny nodded.

"Yes, sir," he said politely. Mr. Brunner smiled.

"Well, Daniel, why don't you introduce yourself?" He gestured to the rest of the class. Danny blinked in surprise behind his sunglasses. Percy was there, eyeing him curiously.

"Ehm, hello, I'm Daniel Phantom, but I prefer Danny. I like astronomy and wanted to be an astronaut. Any questions?" Some redheaded nasty looking girl raised her hand.

"Is this your real last name?" She asked.

"Yep, that's what is written in my birth certificate," Phantom grinned.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses?" Someone else asked.

"I'm blind," Phantom said bluntly, shrugging, "why do you think I have this?" he lifted black cane with silver handle.

"Alright, Danny, take your seat," said Mr. Brunner.

To everyone's surprise, Danny walked to the seat near Percy without a single stumbling.

"There wasn't a sound coming from here," he explained before anyone could say anything.

Mr. Brunner started his lesson, telling about some things Danny wasn't worried about. He noticed, how Jackson was glancing at him. But Phantom couldn't say anything about that, he was 'blind'. However, he could say something else.

"So, you know my name, what's yours?" Danny whispered to Percy.

"Percy Jackson," he said.

"Mind showing me around? I don't think I would be able to find a way"

"Sure," Percy answered with some uncertainty.

"Mr. Phantom, mind explain, what 'Ab altero expectes, alteri quod feceris' means?" Mr. Brunner asked, noticing their conversation.

"Wait from another that you yourself have done to another," Danny said nonchalantly.

"Right," he responded a bit surprised.

-Lateer-

"And here is the gym," Percy said as he was showing Danny around school. His buddy Grover was walking close by.

He was scrawny. He was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him. But Danny knew better. Smart move, satire, smart move. That was probably why Grover was wary of Phantom. He smelled a bit like Titan, unsurprisingly. It was merely a trace, but still noticable.

"Hey, new kid!" Danny sighed. He should have seen that coming. Phantom turned around and saw some jock. When you think about the word 'bully', this stupid face comes to mind immediately.

"Can I help you?" Danny said calmly.

"It's time we invite you to the initiation ceremony," jock said, smirking and punching his palm. He was, surprised, however, when Phantom didn't move a bit, didn't try to run. He laughed.

"Haven't you thought that no matter how our fight will end, I still win?"

"What do you mean?" Jock asked, confused.

"So you haven't, pity. If you win this fight, then, congratulations, you beated the blind. If I win, congratulations, you were beaten by the blind. You lose either way," Phantom smirked. Jock did what every unwise person will do, attack without thinking. Danny sidestepped this punch and tripped him with his leg. People started gathering around, looking at this unusual fight.

Jock got on his feet, angry as hell. However, he used the same tactic as last time. Danny blocked the punch and twisted his arm, making his opponent yelp in pain and fall on the floor.

"Congratulations, you were beaten by the blind"

-Latter-

"How come you weren't suspended?" Asked Grover. Danny shrugged.

"Maybe 'cause it wasn't me who started the fight," he said.

"Principal never cared about it before," Percy pointed.

"THEN maybe principal had a good day"

In reality, a few possessions there and there, and voilà, Danny is a free bird. They were on field trip, which occurred at the end of Phantom's first week. Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, started hitting Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich. She knew Percy couldn't do anything back to her because he was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened him with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.

"I'm going to kill her," Percy mumbled.

Grover tried to calm him down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."

He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"That's it." he started to get up, but Grover pulled him back to his seat.

"You're already on probation," he reminded Percy, "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens"

"So let me handle this," Danny said, turning to Nancy, "if you don't stop throwing food then what will you eat later?"

"Shut up, Casper," she responded, throwing another piece at him and missed. How? It fell on the floor halfway in the air.

"Funny to hear it from the person, whose last name literally means 'stupid' on Portuguese," Danny grinned innocently as she sent him a glare.

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding the group through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.

He gathered them around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling them how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about their age. He told the students about the carvings on the sides. Danny and Percy were trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around them was talking, and every time Percy told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give him the evil eye.

Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when their last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. Something told Danny it wasn't a simple breakdown.

Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.

Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, Percy turned around and said, "Will you shut up?"

It came out louder than he meant it to.

The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.

"Mr. Jackson," he said, "did you have a comment?"

His face was totally red. Percy said, "No, sir."

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

He looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because he actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ..."

"Well..." Percy racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and..."

'And this was the son of Poseidon?' Danny tried not to facepalm.

"God?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"Titan," he corrected myself. "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 dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters..."

"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind him.

"...and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," Percy continued, "and the gods won"

Some snickers from the group.

Behind Percy, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "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, Mr. Jackson," Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busteeed," Danny whispered in singsong voice.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.

At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears, centaur after all.

Percy thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson," Danny raised his hand, "Yes, Mr. Phantom?"

"I wanted to add something, if I may?" At his nod, Danny continued, " Zeus indeed fed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, being immortal gods they were, 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. It's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, can you lead us outside?"

"Good, Mr. Phantom. Full credit"

The class started to drift away.

Grover, Danny and Percy were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson, Mr. Phantom"

They told Grover to keep going then went toward Mr. Brunner, "Sir?" Percy asked.

Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go, intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything. Danny saw this look before. Clockwork something looked ar him like that, and, sometimes, Phantom saw it in his reflection.

"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told Percy.

"About the Titans?"

"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."

"Oh."

"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson"

Danny realized the secret meaning in the teacher's words. Percy would need it in the future, but he can misinterpret this words. Mr. Brunner made it sound like he had expected Percy to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that he has dyslexia and attention deficit disorder.

Percy mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral. 'Maybe he was,' Danny thought.

He told them to go outside and eat their lunch.

The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where they could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. Danny suspected that it has something to do with the reason he was sent here. There werw massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. He wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.

Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.

They sat on the edge of the fountain near Grover, away from the others. Percy and Grover thought that maybe if they did that, everybody wouldn't know they were from that school the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere. Danny just didn't care in the slightest, being here just to keep them company.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"Nah," Percy said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean...I'm not a genius."

"Don't worry about it much, Percy," Phantom said, patting his nephew on shoulder, "I'm sure he has your best interests in heart"

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when Danny thought he was going to give Percy some deep philosophical comment to make him feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.

Percy was about to unwrap his sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of them with her ugly friends, Danny guessed she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists, and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

"Oops," She grinned at Percy with her crooked teeth. Seconds later Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"

Danny noticed how water grabbed Nancy. Looks like it was unintentional use of special abilities. He had a feeling that he saw it somewhere. In a blink of an eye Mrs. Dodds materialized next to them.

"Flames between, lady, how did you get here so fast?" Phantom asked, but she ignored him.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on Percy. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if he'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey..."

"I know," Percy grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."

That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.

"Wait!" Danny yelped. "It was me. I pushed her"

She glared at him hard, but he hasn't even flinched.

"I don't think so, Mr. Phantom," she said.

"But..."

"You.Will.Stay.Here"

Danny looked at Percy worryingly.

"It's okay, man," Percy told him. "Thanks for trying."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at him, "Now"

Nancy Bobofit smirked.

If it wasn't for cover, Danny would fry her with his 'death glare'. Then he turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at Percy to come on. Danny's 'shit-is-about-to-happen' sensor turned on. He walked into safe place and became invisible. Phantom flew inside. When he finally caught up to them, they were back in the Greek and Roman section.

Except for them, the gallery was empty.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.

"You've been giving us problems, honey," Mrs. Dodds said.

"Yes, ma'am."

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket, "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

"I'll...I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shook the building.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain"

"Well?" she demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't..."

"Your time is up," she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons. How come Danny hasn't noticed that his teacher was a fury?! He materialized behind her and tapped on her shoulder. Mrs. Dodds, or whatever her real name is, turned around and was greeted by powerful punch in the face.

"We can do it easy way or hard way," Phantom said, she lunged at him, only to be hit by his cane, which was tougher than it looked like.

"Hard way it is then. WHY do they always choose THIS?" Danny complained.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.

Mrs. Dodds lunged at Percy.

With a yelp, he dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. He snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit his hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword, Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day. 'I definitely need one like that,' Danny thought.

Mrs. Dodds spun towards Percy with a murderous look in her eyes.

His hands were shaking so bad that he almost dropped the sword.

She snarled, "Die, honey!"

And she flew straight at Percy.

Before Danny could blast her, Percy did the only thing that came naturally: he swung the sword.

The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air. Danny then teleported on the street, while Percy tried to process what the heck just happened. He didn't blame his nephew, it was sure a lot.

It had started to rain.

When Percy walked out, Grover and Danny were sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over their heads. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw him, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

"Who?" He aked.

"Our teacher. Duh!"

Percy was confused, it can be easily read on his face.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

Percy asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, "Who?"

Percy noticed scratches on Danny's cane, "What happened with your cane?" Danny raised a confused eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Phantom felt bad for lying to Percy, but Clockwork said that he should find out on his own.

"Not funny, man," Percy told them, "This is serious"

Thunder boomed overhead.

Percy saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.

He went over to him, followed by Danny.

Mr. Brunner looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."

Percy handed Mr. Brunner his pen.

"Sir," he said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at him blankly. "Who?"

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher," Percy explained a bit irritated.

Teacher frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at YancyAcademy. Are you feeling all right?"

Percy stomped away. Mr. Brunner turned to Danny.

"Mr. Phantom, may I ask you to look after Mr. Jackson?" Phantom chuckled.

"That's what I've been doing for last week"

With that Danny walked away. Brunner now possibly thinks that he is another demigod. How will he react to him being the god?

-Laater-

This evening Danny returned to his apartment. He had a special rights to live in his own place, after giving some money to certain people. He lived close by, just in case. Young king just walked through the door instead of opening it. He coughed loudly. For some time it was quiet, until someone jumped on his shoulders.

"Daddy!" Ellie exclaimed happily. She started to live in apartments as well, after pestering her father nonstop.

"Hello, little princess," he said, taking her in his hands, smiling, "do you know what happened today?"

"What is it?" She asked eagerly.

"I fought with a fury in a museum," he answered.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Ellie started to ramble. Danny laughed.

"Well, it started from pre-algebra teacher..."

A.N. First real chapter is done. Phew...




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