'Nico!' I yell, laughing as I chase my best friend through to the hall. He ducks his head back, and blows a loud raspberry in my direction, speeding away. How is he so fast? I wonder and up the pace. I skid into the main hall, my sneakers squeaking on the polished wooden floor. The entire school is gathered in the middle of the hall, and I receive several disapproving glares as I jam on the brakes, and slip into line next to Nico. He giggles, covering his mouth, as his sister Bianca gives him the evil eye. 'Missed me, Jade.' He whispers conspiratorially. The head of our boarding school, Dr. Thorn, stands up for a speech, obviously long and boring. I start to trace patterns on the floor with my finger. I looked up, and Dr. Thorn's eyes met mine. Nico elbows me, and I sit bolt upright. The glint in Dr. Thorn's eyes is really weird… kind of… hungry, I guess. I blink, and his gaze travels elsewhere, leaving me wondering what just happened.

I suppose I should explain. My name is Jade Roberts. I am ten years old. The school I go to is a boring military one. You know, with the medals and trumpets and camo and all. It's called Westover Military School. The sad thing is I board there. My dad- my only living relation (and a jerk) - dumped me here so he could go off on a cruise with his girlfriend. Thing is, he was supposed to come back three weeks ago. Between you and me, I'm basically an orphan now. I'm not telling Nico that though. Even though he is as well. An orphan, I mean. His mum died when he was young. His dad- somewhere up a river, according to Bianca. Nico won't ever talk about his parents. The slightest mention of the word mom or dad and he goes all tight-lipped. I guess he's still getting over it.

Nico looks kinda scared too, so I nudge him. He glances at me and smiles distractedly. He's glaring at Doctor Thorn like he's something he found living in his trash can. Nico always freaks out near Dr. Thorn. I mean, he scares me too, but Nico freaks out whenever he's near. He'll moan slightly, maybe clap his hands to his head, take disorientated steps like a drunk. Once Dr. Thorn caught us toilet-papering our teacher's office on Halloween. He clapped his hands on Nico's back, and I swear he almost passed out.

So what if we toilet paper things? What else are hyper kids with ADHD and dyslexia supposed to do on Halloween, the one night you're allowed to be hyper and act crazy? I miss having Halloween at my Dad's. I don't miss my dad though. Jumped up butt-kissing double crossing…

Oh wait, Dr. Thorn's speaking up. Wait? Could it be? Yes! The school dance! I thought that was banned two terms ago, when me and Nico put anti-depressants in the punch. Good times. Very good times.

'It has been decided between the staff and me that the annual school dance will occur tomorrow. This only occurs once every two terms, so make the most of it. Troublemakers will be banned from further dances. The theme is… retro so everyone bring your dancing shoes.'

He looks right at me and Nico when he says troublemakers, pronouncing every syllable in a deadpan voice. We look away, and tuck our hands behind our backs. Thorn stalks away from the podium, and another teacher dismisses us for lunch. Nico's other friend, Grover, comes up. I personally think Grover's a little weird. When we first met, he sniffed me up and down. I freaked, especially when he went a little too close in the personal bubble, if you know what I mean. It took all I had to not run away screaming like a little girl.

Apparently, Grover's got this really weird kind of condition that means he can tell who people are by their smell. Whatever, like I believe that. I'm actually looking forward to seeing Grover dance, to be honest. He wears these big square shoes all the time, and when he walks in bare feet, they make a little clip-clop noise against the floor. Apparently this is another "condition". Don't mind me, but I think Grover's making something up to hide something. Like haircut day.

Because this is an army school, boy's hair is not allowed to reach their shoulders. So they have a monthly haircut day. According to Nico and some other boys from his troupe, Grover was acting really nervous right up till they started cutting his hair. Then, when they started trimming the top, he panicked. He bolted for the doors of the bus, jamming his cap on his head, yelling about some kind of contagious hair disease. After that, he sat at the back of the bus, holding his cap firmly onto his head. Nobody could make him take it off, so he just stayed like that. Isn't that just a bit weird to you? I think Grover's got a secret that he's not telling anyone.

'Hey Nico, school dance will be fun, huh?' Grover cheerfully remarks. I keep my distance. Nico nods. 'Yeah, I guess. At least it's a little break for us. If I got to choose what to do, I'd have a Mythomagic tournament. I just got a new one in the mail, a thunder upgrade. If I put this with Zeus's abilities and Titan Boulders, it'd be totally…'

'You and your cards, Nico!' I interrupt, laughing and shaking my head at him. The one annoying thing about Nico is that he's obsessed with this Mythomagic trading card game. It's like all the Greek gods in mythology, Zeus, Hera, Poseidon… the lot. Don't tell anyone, but when I'm in a good mood, I occasionally play with him. He thumps me every time.

Grover chuckles slightly, a little bleat of mirth. I wince. It's so annoying when he does that, it's like a nervous tic or something. He sounds exactly like a sheep, or a donkey or something. You'd expect him to grow big floppy ears any second.

He moistens his lips, and then says to Nico 'Actually Nico, I'm looking forward to the dance. I've got… some friends coming. It'll be fun- you might get to meet them. They're really cool.'

'Sounds great!' Nico replies, grinning. I can't help but notice the lack of enthusiasm in Grover's voice. It almost sounds like these friends are going to kill Nico or something. I shake my head, sigh, then march to lunch, debating what to wear for the dance.

This is my first PJO story, so please rate and review!! Please don't flame… think of happy places, bunnies and cookies- then write the review, kay?

Plush toys, flowers and psychedelic Grover hugs for all who review!!!