I inhaled the fresh summer air. It was a beautiful day. I had survived another year without blowing up my school and/or getting expelled. I was on my way to meet Annabeth, so that we could go to The Java Moose together. Everything was perfect.
Which is why, looking back, I curse myself for not predicting what was about to happen next.
I was turning the corner when suddenly somebody barreled into me.
My hand moved instinctively to my pocket, which housed the most dangerous ballpoint pen I had ever heard of.
"Nico!" I exclaimed.
I was staring at my friend and fellow half-blood, Nico. He was wearing dark jeans, and a black T-Shirt under a weathered black leather jacket, despite the heat. He had grown about three inches since last summer, and his hair was a dark and shaggy as ever. A few more inches, and he would be almost as tall as me, which was alarming, as I was about four or five years older than him.
"Hey, Percy! We gotta run!" he panted.
"Why? What's happening?"
He pointed down the street. Three small hellhounds were far behind, but quickly gaining. Nico turned the corner and started to run, but I grabbed his jacket.
"We can't run! I'm not sure what these mortals see, but the hellhounds might try to attack them!" I took out Anaklusmos and uncapped it until I was holding a three-foot long blade made out of Celestial Bronze. The sight and aura caused the hellhounds to slow, which was good, because they were now about ten yards from us.
Nico sighed. "I suppose you're right." He unsheathed his sword. It was short and pure black, forged from Stygian Iron. It caused the hellhounds to stop completely. By this point all the regular people on the street were running and screaming.
"Thank the gods they're tiny," I muttered. The evil mastiffs were only about the size of a Honda Civic, which, for hellhounds, is small.
Suddenly one whimpered in pain and Poof! It was like throwing a vat of sand into a small tornado.
Before I had time to wonder what had happened, the other two were upon us. One tried to tackle me, but I jabbed Riptide straight up.
Nico stabbed the other with his blade, and his sword began to drink up the essence of the beast, until there was nothing left but a pile of dust.
I looked up to see Annabeth taking off her magical Yankees cap she had gotten for her twelfth birthday.
She trained her stormy-gray eyes on me.
"Jeez, Seaweed Brain. I just can't leave you alone, can I?" she asked, but she smiled.
I couldn't communicate in words how great it was to see her again, but I think she saw it in my eyes. We had planned several times over the school year to hang out, but for one reason or another, it never happened.
"Hey, Wise Girl." We stepped closer together, and our lips were just about to touch when Nico cleared his throat.
"Um… sorry to ruin this reunion," he said shiftily, "But I just thought you should know… I was being chased by twelve of them!"