To Awesome as Annabeth- And it's got me to Year 12, going on Year 13. After that… not sure :P Depending on my mood, different things are weird, if that makes any remote sense at all O.o Be an earthquake then, picky! I've no idea what we're talking about, but when do we? :D I see you've also changed your pic, very nice ;)
"Percy, are you alright?"
"Nooo…" He complained, massaging his forehead and grimacing. Annabeth sat next to him, placing a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Something's not right…" He told her, opening his eyes a fraction to squint painfully at her.
The words had just left him when an IM flickered to life inches from there.
It was pandemonium at Camp and it was hard to hear what Chiron was yelling over the consistent booming of thunder and panicked screams of demigods.
"GET HERE NOW!" They managed to lip-read before an almighty, splintering crash tore through their vision and the IM.
They sat, stunned, for a mere handful of seconds, before scrambling to leave.
Lilly did not suspect her parents' arrival to be any time soon.
Or ever, for that matter.
Standing atop the hill of Camp Half Blood, she watched with cold delight as wave after wave hammered through cabins and people alike, the water so cold, it was a miracle it hadn't frozen.
Whirlpools guzzled down victims, hurricanes ripped them from whatever shelter they attempted to cower behind. Some had tried to defend their camp; others had tried to help those who were wounded in the initial tsunami.
Lilly was only warming up.
Thunder splintered the sky as the earth shook beneath their feet. Whatever remained of the old cabins was reduced to sodden piles of debris in a matter of heartbeats. All attempts of defending or healing were washed away in a torrent of venomously gloomy water.
She raised her hands, as though embracing the black-purple clouds thick above them. It was so dark and so cold; it could have easily passed for the worst winter's night ever tenfold.
Hurricanes folded from the sky and spiralled chaotically out in various directions.
No.
It wasn't just the camp that pitied and belittled her, that doubted her, would suffer.
How many people had teased her for being quiet, for being shy, for being weak in comparison to her oh-so-beloved siblings?
Far too many.
And far too many were going to pay.
Callum flicked from news channel to news channel and they were all saying the same thing:
Wild hurricanes, an unbelievably gigantic storm cloud that stretched across the US and still going, earthquakes along the fissures, tsunamis along the coast lines- everywhere you looked, all over the country, a terrifying and befuddling scientific phenomenon. It laid waste to villages and towns; who knew what became of those who lived there.
In the end, he switched the TV off and glared at the blank screen. Theo bumped him half-heartedly with his shoulder, trying to offer some reassurance, but he was in no mood for it.
Sage sat across from the duo; marvelling, but understanding, why they were so atypically withdrawn and sullen. She had no words of comfort for them though. There wasn't a lot she could say on the matter, not with so many people outside.
The unfinished swimming pool her father, aunt and eldest brothers had been 'working' on for years had become a shelter for those left abandoned as Lilly's wrath swept through cities. Annabeth and some of her siblings who also lived in the city had put everything into organisation- scavenging parties were sent out for food and other supplies while Leo and some other non-demigod handymen (and women, let's not be sexist) took apart the cubicles to blockade as many windows and doors as they could.
Sage and her brothers got to stay in the office in the basement. Percy had insisted- his whole family was here; his children, his mortal parents, his nieces and nephew as well as Annabeth's mortal family. On her five brothers' insistence, she had been given the comfy leather chair and they refused to trade with her.
They all sat quietly, listening to the muffled howling of winds and booms of thunder. Alvie had his eyes closed and a look of intense focus. They dare not disturb him- they had no idea what he was doing and it was best not to ask until he opened his eyes and talked to them.
Tobias got up from his seat against the wall, pacing the room and rearranging random objects before sinking into a different on the floor. He would then fidget restlessly for five minutes before getting up and moving everything again. Having decided never to take his medication, he was really feeling the brunt of his strong ADHD.
Eventually, Max got up and caught Tobias by the arm, forcing him to sit next to him. They conversed in low Ancient Greek. Tobias shook his head, looking pained. Max said something else, Sage struggling to lip-read from where she sat, but whatever he had said annoyed Tobias and the eldest brother turned away and genuinely sulked.
Alvie broke the silence by inhaling sharply and jerking awake with such a force, he whacked a lamp from the cabinet next to him. Its shatter on the floor seemed to knock some sense into him.
"Alvie?" Tobias was up again, scrambling to crouch in front of Alvie, taking his blinded brother's hands in his own. "It's me, you're OK. What's the matter?"
"She… she's…"
"What?" Theo and Callum demanded in unison, leaning forward in agitated earnest.
"She's… she's going after Olympus…"
Dun dun duuuh…
Not sure when I can update on this again 'cos it's my last pre-written chapter, but I'll try! :D
