Disclaimer – Of course, the Percy Jackson phenomenon is not mine. I just like to play around with the characters a little. Thanks and praise goes to the one and only Mr Riordan!

Chapter 1 - A nice new nightmare comes along

He was falling – falling so quickly, and so hard upon the rocks below. I could just see his blonde hair, and is body crumpled and in a bizarre position. I gazed down from the cliff upon my enemy.

If this is my rival, I thought, and I hate him…why do I get no satisfaction from this sight?

The image dissolved, and suddenly I saw it.

Lines, hundreds of them, arranged in a complicated pattern engraved upon stone. My eyes blurred, the intricate workings of the picture spinning in my brain. It was huge, and the exits and entrances so hard to memorise – the maze – no, what was the name, it was on the tip of my tongue –

THUD!

I awoke with a jolt, sitting up, bewildered and sweating. My breathing was uneven, and I was shaking slightly, the image still clear in my head. I looked across the room where my Maths textbook had fallen to the ground, trying to calm my spinning head. What on earth was that all about?

Is it not possible for this boy to have any normal dreams?

I glanced at the clock and sighed. It was half seven already. First day of high school. Here I come.

I dressed quickly in my new uniform. I hadn't worn a uniform since my military school days, and it was kind of weird. A tie felt pretty strange around my neck, and don't get me started on the done up cuffs.

I glanced at the picture on my wall, feeling a little sad. It was my friends Grover and Annabeth, posing in their Camp Half Blood t-shirts. Grover was grinning, examining his growing beard. He was off in the wild now, hunting for Pan.

On a message given to him by drinking coffee.

My friends are so weird.

I looked at Annabeth. She was posing as a damsel in distress, her hand poised elegantly on her forehead, her long blonde hair around her pretty face. Her storm grey eyes looked straight at the camera, and she was laughing.

"Yep," I muttered, "Annabeth Chase, you certainly are one of a kind."

I looked at her for a few moments, but reluctantly turned away. She was in San Francisco. Far away.

Not thinking about you, Percy. So stop thinking about her.

I went through to the kitchen. My mom wasn't up yet, so I made a smoothie. I drank it slowly, pondering my dream. That image was imprinted in my mind, but its name was still at a loss to me. Not a maze, not a jigsaw…..I was so close…

"Morning, honey."

My mom came in, her dressing gown on and her hair all curly. She smiled at me, and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"You're not at work today," I frowned, "Why are you getting up?"

My mom frowned. "I'm not allowed to see my son off to his first day as a freshman?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Now," my mom said, straightening my collar, "What are we not going to do?"

I grinned. "Get expelled."

She nodded, looking a little anxious, but she gave me a hug. I swung my bag over my shoulder, and I was just about to leave when I turned back.

"Well," I said, smirking, "Not in the first period, anyway."

I kept thinking about my dream, walking to the bus. I was still wondering on the bus, and on the way up to school. Blimey, Percy, I thought in my head, you haven't done this much thinking since Annabeth asked you to spell antidisestablishmentarianism. A – N – T –Y….or was it A – N – T – I - ….

A little uninteresting, but please keep reading…more action and Percabeth next time! Please r+r!