I was doing an Olympic-level job of not falling asleep. Seriously, if they ever added "surviving the world's most boring class" as an event at New Rome University, I'd be bringing home the gold. The only thing keeping me awake was imagining Annabeth's death glare if she caught me drooling on the desk again.
"...characterized by elaborate rooflines embellished with conical roofs..." the professor droned, reading off his iPad like he was narrating the world's most depressing audiobook.
I had about zero interest in Scottish architecture. Unless Scotland had built a castle out of blue cookies, I was checked out. Yum yum. Meanwhile, Annabeth was taking notes so fast I was genuinely worried her hand was going to catch fire. I even looked around for a fire extinguisher, just in case.
Then the professor's voice switched from "background noise" to "you're about to regret your life choices."
"Jackson," he said. "You'll be accompanying the ladies."
I blinked awake so fast my neck made this huge 'CRACK' sound. "Uh, yeah! Totally! I'm... super ready! Uh... where exactly are we going?"
Half the class laughed. Classic.
The professor sighed like I'd personally offended the gods of education (You never know, there's like gods for EVERYTHING nowadays). "Scotland, Jackson. You're going to Scotland. Flights are booked for this afternoon. Pack."
By the time we left the classroom, I was already plotting my escape. Unfortunately, Annabeth and Rachel had me flanked like a pair of highly efficient bodyguards. Everyone else watched us go like we were about to win the lottery instead of catch hypothermia in the Highlands.
What is a hypothermia anyways.
***
Ten minutes later, I was in an epic battle with my suitcase. Annabeth had already yelled "PERCY, HURRY UP!" about six times from down the hall.
How did she expect me to pack in ten minutes? I had essentials to gather! Toothbrush, toothpaste, two T-shirts (probably clean), one jacket, three pairs of jeans, five pairs of shorts (because why not), two sneakers (not matching, obviously), a flip-flop, some socks, a bottle of sunscreen I hadn't touched since last summer, swim trunks, and my wallet (which may or may not contain actual money).
"Eh, I'll do it later," I muttered, flopping onto the bed.
Big mistake.
Annabeth stormed in like the goddess of vengeance (Sorry Nemesis) herself, her face doing that scary calm thing that meant I was about to die.
"PERSEUS JACKSON," she said. "Are you seriously procrastinating? Again?"
I stared blankly, picked up a sock, and (because I'm a genius) sniffed it. Immediate regret. The sock smelled like it had been soaking in Tartarus water.
Yup. Laundry day was about three months overdue.
Groaning, I collapsed back onto the bed. "This is gonna take foreveeeeer," I whined.
After about a hundred Annabeth threats (and maybe a few sock-related tragedies), I somehow finished packing. I dragged my suitcase downstairs and gave Annabeth my best please-don't-kill-me grin.
"Sorry I took kinda long..."
She didn't even answer. Just grabbed my hand like a drill sergeant on a mission and yanked me toward the door. I let out a very heroic, very masculine yelp.
Annabeth snorted. "You scream like a little girl."
"Do not!" I yelled, absolutely NOT screaming like a little girl.
Outside, Rachel was already waiting, looking way too smug.
"Check out the car," she said, smirking like she'd just conquered Olympus.
My jaw hit the pavement. "Holy Hera. Is that a Lamborghini Urus?"
Rachel shrugged. "Perks of having a rich dad."
I practically drooled all over the leather seats as I climbed in. Somewhere, I was pretty sure Leo felt a disturbance in the Force.
Once we were speeding toward the airport, I managed to tear my eyes away from the dashboard. "So, uh... what's the plan once we hit Scotland?"
Rachel answered before Annabeth could. "I've got some distant relatives near Devon. They said we could crash there. Maybe even enroll in school if we're stuck for a while."
I nodded like I totally knew where Devon was. (Just for clarification: I didn't.)
After that, I tried starting, like, six conversations, and failed every single one. Eventually, I gave up and stared dramatically out the window like a rejected Disney prince.
Meanwhile, Annabeth and Rachel chatted nonstop like they'd been besties since birth.
By the time we got to the airport, my stomach was doing Olympic-level flips. Annabeth buzzed with excitement, Rachel rambled about Scottish art, and me? I was about 80% sure I was going to die. Okay wait cancel out the 80% and change it to 99%.
"Relax, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said when she noticed my death grip on the boarding pass. "It's just a plane ride."
"Easy for you to say," I muttered. "Your dad doesn't control 70% of the world's water."
Onboard, I wedged myself into the seat, clutching Riptide (in pen form) like it was going to save me from turbulence. Every bump, every flicker of light, every weird airplane noise convinced me we were seconds away from plummeting into the ocean.
Rachel tried not to laugh. "You really don't like flying, huh?"
"Nope," I said through gritted teeth. "I like my feet firmly on the ground, thanks."
Annabeth buried herself in a travel guide. Rachel started sketching clouds. Me? I stared at the seatbelt sign like it was the only thing keeping me alive.
"Why do I feel like we're a million miles from anything safe?" I muttered.
Annabeth reached over and squeezed my hand. "Because you have the imagination of a caffeinated squirrel. We're fine, Percy. Think of all the amazing castles and myths we're gonna find."
Rachel added, "And all the art!"
"Yay... art," I said weakly.
Hours passed like centuries. I tried watching movies, sleeping, not screaming, none of it worked. Every time the plane bounced, I mentally composed my last words.
"Just breathe," Annabeth said during a particularly bad patch of turbulence. "Almost there."
Finally, finally, the plane started to descend. I caught my first glimpse of Scotland: misty hills, old castles, and a sky that looked like it had secrets. For the first time in hours, I didn't feel like hurling.
"Land," I muttered, sagging in relief. "Glorious, beautiful land."