Disclaimer: PJO is obviously not mine. Homer translation by Ian Johnston.

Note: This chapter takes place a few months after Battle of the Labyrinth. And, in case anyone was wondering: Cyclopes (singular Cyclops).

Acceptance

Chapter One

Paul was, like most of his students, relieved that it was Friday.

He had taught high school for a little over a decade, and the years had taught him, if nothing else, that he could expect very little participation on early days. This class, especially, was full of freshmen eager to go home and start the weekend, more so since they were getting out early today.

Paul, while he would dearly love to join them, had a curriculum to follow and critical thinking skills to impart, but he thought today they all deserved a break. What was the point in giving them a head start on the weekend otherwise?

He leaned against his desk as students shuffled and settled their things as the second bell rang.

"Okay, class," he began. "I know we have half our usual time, so we're only going to finish up our discussion from yesterday. Then I'll pop in a movie."

The sea of bored faces perked up slightly at this, and he resisted the urge to smile.

"Which you'll be taking notes on. Get out your books."

And cue the groans.

Paul liked Homer. Furthermore, he liked teaching Homer, but it didn't always go over well in freshman English classes. Today, at least, they would be covering one of the more interesting books.

"Now can someone tell me where we left off yesterday?"

He looked around the room; some of the usual students had their hands raised, a few were thumbing through their notes, a couple were staring determinedly at their books, and – Carlos. Staring at the clock. He didn't talk much in class, but he usually kept up with the reading.

"How about you, Carlos?"

"Oh! Uh…Odysseus got the cyclops, Polyphemus, drunk. And then he and some of his men stabbed him in his eye, and they snuck out with all the sheep."

Paul nodded. "Good. Nice summary, Carlos. But let's back up a bit. Who remembers what name Odysseus gave Polyphemus?"

Julie, in the front, raised her hand.

"He told him his name was Nobody."

'And why is that important? Sarah?"

Sarah looked up from her book. "Because…the other cyclopes couldn't tell that a real person had attacked Polyphemus, and he couldn't curse Odysseus."

"Exactly. Which leads us to the reason why it took Odysseus years after the war to get home. Percy, could you read the prayer to Poseidon?"

Percy winced from his spot by the windows. He flopped his book down on his desk, and before he moved his arm, Paul just caught a glimpse of the page. It had looked like Greek for a second.

"The whole thing?"

"Yes."

There was a strange look on Percy's face as he eyed the page. Belatedly, Paul wondered if it was because of his dyslexia. It was why Paul didn't often call on him to read in class, but Percy hadn't had any problems reading Homer over the last couple weeks they had been covering him.

Percy sighed.

"Hear me, Poseidon, Enfolder of the Earth," he began, "dark-haired god, if I truly am your son / and if you claim to be my father…"

Paul watched him, curious. Sometimes he really didn't know what to make of Percy. The kid in his school records seemed very different from the kid Sally had introduced him to, and the one he saw everyday. For one thing, his ADHD and dyslexia, combined with his expulsion from multiple schools was the sort of thing that generally marked troubled, attention-seeking students – and yet Percy seemed to go out of his way got not to get noticed.

And then there was the strange way he'd been behaving the last couple of weeks.

Belatedly, he realized Percy and the rest of the class were staring at him.

"Right. So, Odysseus, at the very last moment, gives his name to Polyphemus. Up until now, whether you approve of what Odysseus has done since leaving Troy or not, you have you admit he's normally shown to be pretty clever and cunning."

Julie's hand went up again.

"Odysseus said he did it for glory."

"Yes, he did. But was it worth it? Everyone may know who blinded Polyphemus, but because of this Odysseus suffered Poseidon's wrath and wasn't allowed to return home for years. Now, some of you who may be sympathetic to Odysseus can say the punishment doesn't fit the crime, considering the Cyclops ate some of his men. Some of you may feel like Polyphemus was provoked – after all, curiosity led Odysseus to the island. Whatever your opinions, I want you to come back ready to discuss them Monday. For now, I promised you a movie."

The strange look that had been making an appearance on Percy's face was back. He had looked a little amused when the "Nobody" ploy had come up. He had been like that the past two weeks – at times he had grimaced or smirked at different parts while they covered Homer, and it had been a little odd. Percy usually sat as quietly as he could in class, and even generally refrained from making smartass comments like he did in other classes (Paul took this a mark for much he liked him). He had never seen Percy engage this much in anything they were reading.

It was almost as if he could relate on some level.

Paul shook that thought off. That was just ridiculous. Percy may have been a little strange, but that was well beyond the realm of possibility.

The bell rang, and his students rushed for the door, eager to get to their last class and for school to end. As they headed out the door, Paul got another look at Percy's book. The brown paper covering had slipped, and the edition underneath was not the one Paul had ordered for the class from the school library.

He hadn't been imagining it was in Greek.

Paul frowned and leaned back in his desk chair as he waited for his last class. He loved Sally dearly, and he had grown to care for Percy, but there was so much he didn't know about them. His thoughts, inevitably, drifted to Percy's fifteenth birthday a couple months ago. That had been a very peculiar experience, the more he thought about it: from Tyson being Percy's half-brother, to his father dropping in, and that kid appearing out of thin air.

Sally and Percy had been through a lot together, more so than he would probably ever understand, and had understandably been vague or evasive about some things. He hoped, one day, they'd feel comfortable enough to tell him.

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