The Child Of the Moon: The Sea of Monsters
Disclaimer: I do not own "Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters" all rights reserved to Rick Riordan and I don't own Pepsi or Mountain Dew and Keele and peele came up with the name Blaque. The only thing I own are oc's.
Alert: This story will have a ton of oc's and I myself will be in this suggestions will be appreciated in this story just leave a comment below and i will maybe put it in my story.
Please criticize it just don't completely bash it. Thank you and enjoy. Also remember to leave a comment about what you thought of the story.
Chapter 2: Dodge ball goes up in smoke
The walk to the number two train in a word...uneventful. When we reached the number two train we met with, I would have to say the nicest Cyclops you could ever meet. His name is Tyson you see he was abandoned by his parents just like I was and from what I could tell he is just a baby Cyclops. 'Oh the irony, I am the son of the woman who hunts monsters and yet here I am making friends with one.' I thought to myself.
You see we first met him in our school Meriwether College Prep. I knew the very first day when I met him that he was a Cyclops because of my monster sensing since he was abandoned he was homeless, so the school adopted him as a community service project so all the students could feel "good" about themselves. Unfortunately, most of them couldn't stand Tyson. Despite his six-foot-three height and build like the Abominable snow man he cried a lot, and was scared of just about everything, including his own reflection. His face was kinda misshapen and brutal-looking. Since I could see through the mist somewhat his one big eye was brown.
As soon as the kids discovered he was a big softie at heart, despite his strength and scary looks, they made themselves feel "good" about themselves by picking on him. Luckily he had friends like us to look out for him and make sure the bullies would back off.
"Hey Ty." I greeted Tyson as we walked up to him.
"Hello." Tyson said with a huge grin.
Ember also greeted Tyson giving the big lug a hug. Percy just gave Tyson a high five. The train then pulled up in the subway station coming to a squealing halt. All four of us then boarded. There were two seats and I let Tyson and Ember sit in the seats while Percy and I stood.
I noticed a few creeps looking Ember over. One guy even stood up and walked over to her. He was a fat guy who wreaked of booz and had no hair on his head. The man smiled at Ember with a crooked grin.
"Well hello sweet heart," The man said greasily. "How bout you come with me and we can have a good time."
I immediately grabbed the guy and shoved him back in his seat. Ember was fuming and looked about ready to murder the guy. The guy stood up again and this time walked up to me and pulled out a pocket knife.
"I don take kind to de way you just treated me kid." He said angrily and drunkenly.
I looked to the side and noticed Tyson just about ready to cry, while Ember looked at me with worry, and Percy was glaring at the man.
"Apologize and give me all your money kid then I will let it slide, and maybe if the nice girl here can do something nice for me I might just not cut your throat." He said looking at Ember with an evil look.
"Hmm how about no you go to hell." I said, and within a second I knocked the pocket knife out of his hand, and then hit his head against the pole that Percy and I had our hands on.
He then fell to the floor unconscious.
Everyone looked at me in shock and after a moment of silence they all cheered for the brave act. Finally our stop came and we exited the train.
"Thanks Blake for that back there, you didn't have to do it I could have taken care of it myself." Ember said gratefully yet irritated that I had gotten involved.
"I know you could have Ember, but I hate guys like that it just gets me so angry, those are the type of guys who give other guys who do good things get a bad rep." I told her as I knew several man haters.
We then walked out of the subway and walked to our school. You see Meriwether College Prep is a "progressive" school in downtown Manhattan, which means we sit on bean bag chairs instead of at desks, and we don't get grades, and the teachers wear jeans and rock concert T-shirts to work.
Which I honestly thought was really cool, instead of the teachers being super strict all the time it made things nice. Of course I would do some learning outside of school to keep up with kids in other middle schools. The down side is that the students here aren't really all that bright. Not to sound arrogant, but Percy, Ember, and I were probably the smartest people there no offense to Tyson of course.
For example my first class today: English which luckily I had with Ember, Percy , and Tyson. Our whole middle school had to read this book called Lord of the Flies, where all these kids get marooned on an island and go psycho. So for our final exam, our teachers sent us into the break yard to spend an hour with no adult supervision to see what would happen. What happened was a massive wedgie contest between the seventh and eighth graders, two pebble fights, and a full-tackle basketball game. Which we just stayed out of . The school bully, Matt Sloan, led most of those activities.
Sloan wasn't big or strong, but he acted like he was. he had eyes like a pit bull, and shaggy black hair, and he always dressed in expensive but sloppy clothes, like he wanted everyone to see how little he cared about his family's money. One of his front teeth was chipped from the time he'd taken his daddy's Porsche for a joy ride and run into a PLEASE SLOW DOWN FOR CHILDREN SIGN.
Anyway, Sloan was giving everyone wedgies until he made the mistake of trying it on Tyson. Us three were pretty much Tyson's only friends.
Percy's mom had complained to the school a million times that they weren't doing enough to help him. She'd called social services, but nothing ever really happed as Tyson was a Cyclops. The social service workers claimed Tyson didn't exist. They swore up and down that they'd visited the alley we described and couldn't find him. Which was probably the mist hiding Tyson.
Anyway, Matt Sloan snuck up behind him and tried to give him a wedgie, and Tyson panicked. He swatted Sloan away a little too hard. Sloan flew fifteen feet and got tangled in the little kids' tire swing. Which I wanted to take a picture of, but sadly as I am a demi-god we couldn't have cell phones as it was like a signal for monsters, like saying here I am come and get me.
"You freak!" Sloan yelled. "Why don't you go back to your cardboard box!"
Ember was about to say something, but I said something before she even could.
"Sloan shut the hell up." I said and then I then I noticed Tyson had started sobbing. "Take it back Sloan!"
"Why do you even bother, Love? You are as much of a freak as he is. I mean you probably were such a disgrace as a kid your own parents left you to rot in the woods." Sloan said with a smirk.
As soon as he said that I was really close to changing into a lion and ripping his head off, yeah that's right I said change into a lion you see I can change into any animal of my choosing even some monsters such as a dragon, but not Cyclops's only monsters that represented animals such as the griffon.
Percy who stood next to me just stood there pissed off.
"Why you. Shut the hell up Sloan. They aren't freaks they are nice people. You on the other hand are apiece of shit." Ember said hotly her violet eyes becoming dark. And tip of advice never make Ember angry when she is angry she can be really scary.
"Humph, why do you even hang out with them Ember. You should hang with me and my crew. We are so much cooler. Hell you would probably have friends if you didn't hang out with those losers." Sloan said pointing at me, Percy, and Tyson and was now laughing with his goons. And I honestly could sense that the goons surrounding Sloan were monsters. So we were going to have to make sure they didn't try anything.
"Go to hell." Ember said flicking her hair back.
Sloan just growled then looked at me. "You wait till PE. You are all so dead."
When first period ended, our English teacher, Mr. de Milo, came outside to inspect the carnage. He pronounced that we'd understood Lord of the Flies perfectly. We all passed his course, and we should never, ever grow up to be violent people. Matt Sloan nodded earnestly, then gave me a chip-toothed grin, he then looked with an evil smirk at Ember she was too engrossed in a book to see what he was doing, I however saw what he was doing and was about to go punch the guy, but Percy held be back.
"Not now man. You don't want to get in trouble the last day just a few more classes." Percy said calming me down even though I could tell he was just as pissed as I was.
Percy to get Tyson to stop sobbing promised to get him extra peanut butter sandwich at lunch.
"I…I am a freak?" Tyson asked Percy.
"Just ignore them Ty," I said with a smile. "They are just jerks believe me we aren't freaks."
Percy and Ember smiled at him encouragingly and nodded in an agreement.
"Yeah," Ember agreed. "If anyone is the freak it's Matt Sloan."
Tyson sniffled. "You are all good friends. Miss you all next year if…if I can't…"
His voice trembled. I realized he didn't know if he'd be invited back next year for the community service project. I wondered if the head master had even bothered talking to him about it. The people here can really be pricks.
"Don't worry, big guy," Percy managed. "Everything's going to be fine."
Tyson gave Percy a grateful look, but it was kind of dumb of him to say that. He couldn't just promise that, because if in the end Tyson isn't aloud at this school he might be even more heart broken then when people pick on him.
Our next exam was science. Mrs. Tesla our science teacher told us that we had to mix chemicals until we succeeded in making something explode. Ember was my lab partner as usual while Tyson and Percy were lab partners. Tyson's hands were way too big for tiny vials so Percy would have to do all the mixing, but within minutes Tyson knocked a tray of chemicals off the counter and made an orange mushroom cloud in the trash can.
After Mrs. Tesla evacuated the lab and called the hazardous waste removal squad, she praised Tyson and Percy for being natural chemists. And Luckily because of the time taken up none of the other students had to take the final. So I gave a round of high fives to my friends for not having to do anything else for her class.
Man the morning was going by so fast. I guess the saying is true "Time flies by when you're having fun."
However I couldn't stop thinking about what Sloan had said to me this morning about my parents more specifically my real parents, my mother Artemis goddess of the hunt had left me to rot in the forest as a child because in her eyes I was her biggest mistake and she hated me even more as I was the very thing she despised, but she soon began to accept me being here and is sorry for what she has done to me, slowly but gradually I was forgiving her as I knew she was truly sorry. But I wondered about my real dad. 'Who was he?'
Anyway in social studies, we had to draw latitude/longitude maps, and while we were doing so I noticed Percy pull out a picture of Annabeth that was inside his note book. The picture was from when she went on vacation to Washington, D.C. she was wearing jeans and a denim jacket over her orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back in a bandanna. She was standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial with her arms crossed, looking extremely pleased with herself, like she'd personally designed the place. You see, Annabeth like all children of Athena wanted to be an architect when she grew up, so she always visits monuments and stuff. My adoptive dad had a fondness for architect too as he also was a son of Athena. However he became a Greek Mythology Philosopher. She'd emailed Percy and I a picture after spring break, and every once in a while I would catch Perce take a peek at the picture.
I could tell he wished she were here. I knew Perce had a thing for her. But I decided that I wouldn't get involved I will just let Percy take control of that.
I then noticed as Percy was about to close his note book with the picture inside, but Matt Sloan reached over and was about to rip the photo out of the rings, but I caught his hand before it could happen. He tried to pull away. But I was too strong for him to get out of my grasp.
"Let me go you freak." He said in anger.
"Keep your hands off of my friends stuff." I said as I felt my eyes turn to slits.
His eyes widened in fear, and then looked at his buddies, who just smirked. They were new kids who were visiting, as they were wearing name tags. The guy on Sloans left name was Marrow sucker, the one to his right Skull Eater, and lastly the guy behind Sloan his name was Joe Bob. These guys were the ones I was sensing earlier. Ember glanced up from her book and looked at them nervously. She must be seeing something as well. Finally I let go of Sloan's hand. He rubbed his wrist in pain and glared at me.
"These guys are moving here next year," Sloan bragged, like an idiot trying to scare Percy but utterly failing. "I bet they can pay the tuition, too, unlike your retard friend."
"Alright Sloan you are way out of line!" I shouted angrily now standing from my desk. The teacher paid us completely no mind at all just staring down at her book.
"And what are you going to do, make me shut up." Sloan said with an arrogant smirk.
"Why would I do that I don't touch trash, my hands would get to dirty." I said with a smirk.
Sloan now was fuming. "At least I have parents. At least I'm wanted in my family." Sloan said with a grin.
As soon as I heard that I couldn't take it, if I stayed in the room I would change and rip out his throat, I then ran out of the room. Once out of the room I lowered my head. My brown hair covering my silver blue eyes. All I heard from behind me was Ember calming Percy down and then the door opened with a squeal. I then felt a pair of arms wrap around me in a hug. I felt something on my shoulder light but cool to the touch it was a purple crystal the one I had gotten for Ember for Christmas. I looked to the left to find Ember gently hugging me. I let her embrace me for a moment. I then pulled away.
"People do care for you Blake, Sloan is just an idiot. Plus we will get him back at dodge ball." Ember said trying to comfort me balling her hand in a fist and then smashing it into the palm of her other hand.
"I know Em, it's just…" I didn't finish as I didn't know really what else to say.
The bell then rang.
"Come on Blake lets go." Ember said as Percy and Tyson were leaving the class.
"Um what about the assignment?" I asked her.
"Don't worry about it." She said holding up my backpack and handing it to me apparently she had turned it in for me.
We followed Percy and Tyson to the locker rooms. Ember took the opposite direction to change in the girls, while Percy, Tyson, and I went into the men's.
It was now time for PE. Our coach had promised us a free-for-all dodge ball game, and Matt Sloan promised to kill me and my friends.
The Gym uniform at Meriwether is sky blue shorts and tie-dyed T-shirts. Fortunately, we did most of our athletic stuff inside, so we didn't have to jog through Tibeca looking like a bunch of boot camp hippie kids.
I changed as quickly as I could in the locker room because honestly I didn't want to see Sloan for another minute. I kept my gauntlets on and my watch and ring just in case things with these monsters went south. Hopefully they wouldn't attack with so many mortals around. As I left I noticed Percy kept watch for Tyson. You see the reason Tyson has Percy cover for him is because Tyson has some serious scars on his back and is afraid that people will make fun of him. I said I would be waiting for them outside. Which Percy nodded at.
Once out of the Locker room and into the gym, Coach Nunley was sitting at his desk reading Sports Illustrated. Nunley was about a million years old, with bifocals and no teeth and a greasy wave of gray hair. He kinda reminded me of the Oracle at camp. Just the thought of the Oracle I shivered. I met up with Ember who had gotten out at the same time.
"You ready to kick Sloan's teeth in." Ember asked raising her fist her eyes seemed to blaze a bright but dark violet color.
I chuckled and gave a cheesy smile. "Yeah, were going to kick some ass."
I looked at the coach and before Sloan had a chance asked if I could be team captain. Sloan glared at me.
"Eh?" Coach Nunley looked up from his magazine. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Mm-hmm."
I grinned and said to Sloan. "You are second captain."
He glared obviously wanting to be first captain. I first chose Ember of course. And honestly it didn't really matter who I chose because all the popular kids moved to Sloan's side. Along with the three visitors. Some of the popular kids wanted to join my side, but one look from the visitors made them decide otherwise.
So officially on my side I had Percy, Ember, Tyson, Cory Bailer the computer geek, Raji Mandali the calculus whiz, and a half dozen other kids who always got harassed by Sloan and his gang.
Matt Sloan spilled a cage full of balls in the middle of the gym.
"Scared," I heard Tyson mumble from the right of Percy as I was on Percy's left and on my right was Ember. "Smell funny."
I knew who he was talking about it was the visitors.
"What smells funny?" Percy asked looking at Tyson.
"Them." Tyson pointed at Sloan's new monster friends. "Smell funny."
The three monsters were now cracking their knuckles, eyeing us like it was time for a slaughter.
"Hey um, Blake." Ember whispered to me.
"Yeah." I whispered back.
"Are they um…monsters?" Ember asked nervously.
"Yeah, I believe so my sensing abilities go into overdrive when near them." I whispered.
"Oh, do you know what they are?" She asked nervously.
"Not quite yet, but don't worry I will figure a way to take them out. Worst case scenario I use these." I whispered back pointing at my ring, watch and gauntlets which I used the mist to hide. I then noticed that she was wearing her choker in PE, which surprised me. 'She must have forgotten to take it off.' I thought to myself.
Sloan then blew the coach's whistle and the game began. Sloan's team ran for the center line. With Ember on my right we took off in a sprint me being faster than most people grabbed two balls. I handed one to Tyson as he was our strongest player and Ember only grabbed one. I also noticed some of our players actually were leaving. Raji Mandali yelled something in Urdu, probably saying "I need to use the restroom." and ran for the exit. While Corey Bailer tried to crawl behind the wall mat and hide. The rest of my team did their best to cower in fear and not look like targets.
I threw one of the balls and hit a jock square in the chest knocking the wind out of him. Ember was looking for Sloan.
"Tyson," Ember said. "Let's aim for-"
She was cut off as I saw a ball sailing at her with tremendous speed. I gently pushed her out of the way, and took full blunt of the hit the ball sent me sailing towards the matt behind us my back hitting the wall. The other team exploded into laughter.
My eyesight was fuzzy. It was a little hard to breath, but still do able.
"Blake are you alright!" Screamed Ember in worry as she ran towards me.
"I-I'm fine." I said to her as I went to stand which was really difficult, and I hated lying to Ember, but the less she knew about how bad it actually is the better. Because I think I broke a rib or two.
However she gave me a look that said she didn't believe me. All of a sudden another ball was coming. I wrapped my arms around Ember and spun us in the opposite direction. As I spun her I heard Percy say "Hey! You could've killed somebody." Ember's back was now on the wall and I was in front of her my arms wrapped around her back. I then realized where my hands were and I felt my face heat up and I removed my hands. I then moved my hands to my broken ribs in pain.
"Hehe sorry Em." I said rubbing the back of my neck painfully.
"I-It's fine. You saved me. Are you sure you are alright though you seem to be in pain?" She said gratefully and worriedly.
'Huh, what did she mean "saved me."' I thought to myself Ignoring her question and then I looked where the ball had previously hit the wall was smoldering from the impact.
I then turned back around, I knew who had thrown the ball it was one of the new kids or I should say one of the monsters.
Joe Bob then looked at Percy. "I sure hope so, Perseus Jackson! I hope so!"
'Well shit.' I was kind of hoping they wouldn't try to kill us in front of mortals, but then again when did anything I hope for ever come true.
I then took a better look at the monsters my vision not as blurry as before when getting hit by the dodge ball. The three monsters now stood eight feet tall, giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms tattooed with snakes and hula women and Valentine hearts.
"Shit Laistrygonian!" I yelled to Percy.
Matt Sloan dropped hi ball. "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who…"
The other kids on his team started screaming and backing toward the exit, but the giant named Marrow Sucker threw a ball with deadly accuracy. It streaked past Raji Mandali just as he was about to leave and hit the door, slamming it shut like magic. Raj and some of the other kids banged on it desperately but it wouldn't budge.
"Let them go!" Percy yelled at the giants.
Joe Bob growled at Percy. He had a tattoo on his biceps that said: JB luvs Babycakes. "And lose our tasty morsels? No, Son of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"
He waved his hand and a new batch of dodge balls appeared on the center line-but these balls weren't made of red rubber. They were bronze, the size of cannon balls, perforated like wiffle balls with fire bubbling out the holes. They were searing hot as I could feel the intense heat from all away from across the gym. But it didn't bother the giants none as they just picked one up.
I then looked at Ember and smiled and ran forward. I then clicked my watch and watched it change from a watch to a Golden bow with a quiver of arrows named spirit τηςζωής which meant Spirit of life. I then notched an arrow painfully, but I still took aim at the giant and shot. However the giant Joe Bob threw one of the metallic balls obliterating one of my arrows and as the ball was about to hit me I rolled to the right barely dodging the damned thing. Ember also had moved from her spot from the back and stood next to Percy.
"Coach!" Percy yelled.
Nunley looked up sleepily, but if he saw anything abnormal about the dodgeball game, he didn't let on. Okay well this is why some mortals just suck. They cannot see through the mist only a few can.
"Yeah. Mm-hmm," Coach muttered. "Play nice."
And he went back to his magazine
So to get his attention, I notched another arrow and took aim at his magazine my arrow wouldn't hurt him, but just to be sure I aimed the arrow to where it would just pin the magazine to the concrete wall behind him. I the shot the arrow and took the magazine and lodged itself into the wall.
Coach just looked up angrily.
"Hey kid watch where you throw that dodgeball." Coach said.
See the mist works in mysterious ways.
The coach then looked at the opposite side of the field and he must have finally realized what was going on and he ran to the door like all the other kids had done. Trying to open it. 'Moron.' I thought to myself.
The giant named Skull Eater threw his ball at Percy. Percy and Ember dove aside as the fiery bronze comet sailed past their shoulders.
"Corey!" Percy screamed.
Tyson had pulled him out from behind the exercise mat just as the ball exploded against it, blasting the mat to smoking shreds.
"Run!" Percy yelled to everyone. "The other exit!"
They ran for the locker room, but with another wave of Joe Bob's hand, that door also slammed shut.
"No one leaves unless you're out!" Joe Bob roared. "And you're not out until we eat you!"
He launched his own fireball. All the kids scattered as it blasted a crater in the gym floor.
I noticed Percy reach for Riptide, but I knew he didn't have it as he was in his gym shorts. I notched my bow again and aimed at the huge giants this time putting 3 arrows in the bow.
My arrows hit their mark embedding themselves in the arm of Joe Bob. He then looked my direction as I now had his full attention. He then sent another fire ball this time my direction. Now I would have dodged, but the problem is, well let's just say the fire ball was the size of a horse. Even if I rolled to the side it would hit me fatally in the head.
So I closed my eyes waiting for the fire ball to hit, but it never hit. When I finally opened my eyes I saw Ember standing in front of me her arms outstretched. The fire now completely different it was a black flame that was redirected back at the giant.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
"H-how did you…" I questioned in astonishment.
She looked back at me with exhaustion.
"I-I don't know." She said looking down at her hands her eye lids halfway down showing how exhausted she was.
I then looked at the monsters on the opposite side of the gym all that was left was two piles of dust and half the gym ablaze with black fire.
"My brothers!" Joe Bob the Cannibal wiled looking at Ember with hatred. He flexed his muscles and his Babycakes tattoo rippled. "You will pay for their destruction girl!"
"Ember! I shouted. "Look out!"
I then ran to Ember as fast as I could with a couple of busted ribs and jumped on her pushing us both out of the way. I then realized the position we were in me on top of her. I then rolled off with my face completely red. I then rolled on my back and looked to my right and saw the fire ball be redirected by Tyson towards the stands making a large KA-BOOM where Coach Nunley was hiding. As the fireball passed over his head he looked up in shock, and awe.
Kids were running around screaming, trying to avoid sizzling craters in the floor. Others banging on the doors, calling for help. Sloan himself the dumb ape stood petrified in the middle of the court, watching in disbelief as balls of death flew around him.
Coach Nunly then profoundly passed out on the bleachers. I could guarantee the whole school heard and felt the ruckus going on in the gym. Honestly I was kinda glad that no policemen or teachers were getting involved.
"Victory will be ours!" Roared Joe Bob the Cannibal. "We will feast on your bones."
All of a sudden I noticed three other students change into monsters as well the same ones as Joe Bob. 'Great more of these shits.'
Then Joe hefted another ball, but didn't throw his. And the other three giants followed his lead, but threw theirs in our direction, two at me and Ember and one at Percy.
I then clicked my ring and summoned my bone sword with my shield. Percy however I saw run to the lockers. I then ran in front of Ember and lifted my shield to block us, but Tyson ran in front of my shield and hit two of the balls back at the owners and blasted them to ashes.
Which left two giants left standing.
I looked to my left to see another ball headed towards Percy. Percy dove at the last moment demolishing the locker room door.
And because of all the buildup of gases in the boy's locker room it caused an explosion.
The wall blew apart. Locker doors, socks, athletic supporters and other various nasty personal belongings rained all over the gym. I lowered my shield and saw Tyson take off in a sprint charging at the giants. And I followed in suit I came around from the right as Tyson went to punch one of the giants. The giant ducked and went to punch Tyson, but I used my bone sword to cut him in half turning him to ash.
Then Joe Bob, threw his ball at me, but Tyson knocked me out of the way and took the brute force of the ball straight to the chest.
"No!" I heard Percy yell.
I looked to see the ball had made Tyson fly all the way back to a wall, leaving a huge crater in the wall. Tyson tried to pick it up, but he fell back, stunned, into a pile of cinder blocks.
"Well!" Joe Bob gloated. "I'm the last one standing! I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggie bag!"
He picked up another ball and aimed it at Tyson.
"No!" I yelled. This time I clicked a button on my shield turning my sword and shield back into a ring. I decided to use a light weight weapon instead, my gantlets. My bow was strung on my back along with my quiver of arrows.
"My lunch approaches me." He raised his arm to throw. But I ducked and stabbed the moving arm in mid flight with my hidden blade. I then rolled to left as his other arm swung at my head. Then with his foot he kicked me in my broken ribs knocking me to the floor. I groaned in pain. He growled with a smirk on his face.
All of a sudden he stopped moving. The giant's body went rigid. His expression went from cocky to surprise. Right where his belly button should've been, his T-shirt ripped open and he was pierced by a glowing blade.
Both arms dropped. The monster stared down at the knife that had just run him through from behind.
He muttered, "Ow," and then burst into a cloud of green flame.
"Well sure took your time Annabeth." I said as the smoke dissipated and there stood Annabeth.
Her face was grimy and scratched. She had a ragged backpack slung over her shoulder, her baseball cap tucked in her pocket, a bronze knife in her hand, and a wild look in her storm-gray eyes, like she'd just chased a thousand miles by ghosts.
I then heard running footsteps coming towards me. I turned around and saw Percy and Ember making their way over to where we were.
"Well that was fun." I said as I stood up clutching my ribs in pain from being kicked by a giant.
"You idiot," Ember said bonking me on the head and then hugging me tightly causing me to feel tons of pain in my ribs. "Why did you charge in like that? You could've died."
"Well someone had to back up Tyson." I replied back now letting go of her.
She just looked away, not wanting to really talk about what had occurred.
Matt Sloan, who'd been standing there dumfounded the whole time, finally came to his senses. He blinked at Annabeth, as if he dimly recognized her from Percy's notebook the picture he had almost got if not for yours truly. "That's the girl…That's the girl-"
Annabeth then punched him in the nose and knocked him flat. "And you," she told him, "lay off my friends."
The gym was in black flames and red flames. I remembered in my book about dragons about how black dragons can control black flames. I looked at Ember. 'She must be a demi-dragon.'
"Hey Ember can you do me a favor?" I asked.
She looked my way and nodded.
"Can you try to will the black flames to be gone?" I asked gently not trying to push her to do anything she isn't capable of doing.
"I can try, I suppose." She said as she gained a look of concentration. Which looked actually quite cute. 'Wait where did that come from.' I thought to myself. She had sweat dripping from her brow with grime smudging her face. Luckily her choker was still intact nothing was wrong with it. She had also gotten her red and black hat from where the lockers had exploded. Luckily the hat was still in one piece.
Finally the black flames then disappeared leaving red flames in its wake, but it seemed to exhaust Ember as she nearly lost consciousness. But I helped her stand.
"I'm good Blake I will be fine." She told me now standing on her own.
Kids were still running around screaming. I heard sirens wailing and a garbled voice over the inter com. Through the glass window of the exit doors, I could see the headmaster, Mr. Bonsai, wrestling with the lock, a crowd of teachers piling up behind him.
"Annabeth…" Percy stammered. "How did you…how long have you…"
"Pretty much all morning." She sheathed her bronze knife. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you all, but you guys were never alone."
"You are the one I was sensing in the shadows." Ember said.
I then saw Percy's face heat up. "The shadow I saw this morning-that was. Oh my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?"
"There's no time to explain!" She snapped, though she looked a little red faced herself. "I just didn't want to-"
"There!" a woman screamed. The doors burst open and the adults came pouring in.
"Meet me outside," Annabeth told us looking warily at Ember and Tyson. "And them." She said pointing at both Tyson and Ember who huffed. But Annabeth looked at Tyson with even more distaste.
"What?" Percy asked.
"No time!" she said. "Hurry!"
She put her Yankees baseball cap on, which was a magic gift from her mom and my grandmother Lady Athena and vanished.
That left myself, Percy, and Ember standing alone in the middle of a burning gym with instead of black fire normal red fire dancing along the walls and lockers. With the headmaster come charging in with half the faculty and a couple of police officers.
"Percy Jackson, Blake Love, Ember Jackson?" Mr. Bonsai said. "What…how…"
Over by the broken wall, Tyson groaned and stood up from the pile of cinder blocks. "Head hurts."
Matt Sloan was coming around, too. He focused on Percy and I with a look of terror. "Blake and Percy did it, Mr. Bonsai! He set the whole building on fire. Coach Nunley will tell you! He saw it all!"
Coach Nunley also who awoken from his unconscious state hearing his name and started to shout about monsters and kept freaking out.
The other adults looked at him as if he was crazy. They turned to us obviously wanting to question us about what really happened, but they first off would never believe us second according to Annabeth we were really pressed for time.
Percy grabbed riptide from his ruined jeans, told Tyson, myself, and Ember, "Come on!" and jumped through the gaping hole in the side of the building. I grabbed my bow from around my chest with reluctancy as my ribs were really sensitive to the touch and I then touched a certain area returning my bow and quiver back to normal. We then followed in suit leaving a ruined building in our wake.