Disclaimer: Like always, I hold no ownership over PJATO and KHR as they belong to their respective poeple.

Pairings: Oh geez, should I throw in some Angsty-LukePercy in here just to make it more juicy? It certainly puts a lot more tension in the story.

Warnings: Not anything triggering, at least none that I can see. If you do see, please inform me! But more language. Maybe. Also...suspense? Not thick but..still there, at least.

Summary: If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that nothing in my life would ever be the same again. Not after that conversation.


Suspicious Conversations while hiding in the shadows

I thought about Mr. Brunner. From the very beginning he's always expected me to be more than the others, as if I was something else entirely. While it wasn't a bad thing, it made me feel a little...out-cast, I guess you could say. Having learned from my mom, I appreciated normalcy whenever it was available. To make me feel special didn't quite sit well with me, especially when I had no idea what made me special in the first place.

The guy always pushed me hard. I was used to that, but he expects something else from me. Something I don't know how to show him.

Staring at my Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology textbook, I made a decision. I sat up and picked the book off the soft material of my bed and left my room.

I wasn't ostracized for asking help from a teacher, but it always made me nervous. Would they turn me away, laugh at me, or would they take the time to guide me through what I was supposed to be doing? I hoped Mr. Brunner would do the latter. Maybe he could give me a few tips on the exam, then at least I could leave him with a high score as a parting gift before I disappeared from Yancy forever.

I headed downstairs to the faculty offices. The rooms were mostly dark and vacant, but there were a few lights on that alerted me to the fact that there were still some teachers adjusting grades and checking over exam questions. I was about to knock on Mr. Brunner's door when I heard him ask a question, judging by the tone. He seemed to be talking to someone.

Now, normally, I'd never eavesdrop on someone like Mr. Brunner, considering I never had any reason to, but the voice that answered changed my perspective on the matter.

"...Percy's worrying me, sir."

My hand was three inches away from knocking on the door. That...didn't sound good. Especially if it was about me, and Grover was talking to an adult about it. Granted my behavior was getting worse, but I didn't think that would warrant Grover to...talk behind my back like this. Worried? Why?

I carefully pressed my face on the wall beside the door.

"...can't leave him alone this summer," Grover was saying. "A Kindly One in the school is already too much! It was just a hunch before, but its only a matter of time before they do it again - I mean, they know about Percy now -"

"And rushing things will not help us here," replied Mr. Brunner. "Percy needs to mature a little bit more."

Despite the situation and the worrying state of events, I gave Mr. Brunner a blank look he didn't see.

"He won't have that kind of time. The summer solstice deadline is -"

"Going to have to be resolved without him, Grover. If what I've heard from him is correct, he has enough on his plate to handle, as alarming as being a target for assassination is."

Grover was silent for a few moments. I assumed he was gaping, because that was pretty normal for him. "But sir, he saw her-"

"He will likely think it was another attempt, which is not wrong, but from another group entirely. And even so, the Mist will provide enough cover for him to think it was merely someone else." Uh, yeah, no. Usually when I'm targeted there's gunshots, bombs, and colorful flames. There's no way I would've thought that encounter was one of those. His comment about the 'Mist' bothered me, though. He doesn't know about flames, based on his reactions whenever I brought up subtle references to the mafia.

So what was he talking about?

Grover sniffed. Wait, was he crying? "Sir...you know I can't fail my duties again..." he responded in a pained tone. His emotions were plainly heard by the way he spoke. "I can't let it happen, or else - "

"That wasn't your fault, Grover," Mr. Brunner tried to reassure kindly. "She was more that what I expected; I should've paid more attention. But for now, let's focus on keeping Percy safe and sound until next fall. Just hold on for a few more months, alright?"

"If you say so," replied Grover dejectedly. Footsteps came near my position. Crap. I scrambled away from the door as fast as I could. In my haste, I knocked over a piece of wood leaning on the wall. I cursed silently and dashed to the other side, keeping low and staying as quiet as possible.

The tension was thick as a shadow loomed ominously just where I had been standing. It sounded like feet, but it wasn't human. It was more animal like. They made a clop-clop-clop noise; like some kind of muffled wood block. The shadow was taller that I expected. Had someone else popped up?

I was frozen solid when the shadow grew bigger and closer to where I was, touching my fingertips, when in retracted, getting farther away and to the other side. A bead of sweat slowly made its way down my neck, disappearing into my shirt.

After a few moments, Mr. Brunner spoke again. "Nothing," I heard him murmur. "My nerved have never been any more accurate since the winter solstice."

"Same here," Grover said. "But...just now, it felt like - "

"Head back to your dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "Didn't you have Math as your next exam?" I peeked over a bit to see Grover pale, his shoulders sagging.

"Oh no..."

They walked away, and I was alone in the hall.

I trudged up back to the dorms myself, my mind still stuck on the conversation I'd just heard.

"Hey," Grover greeted me, bleary-eyed. "You gonna get through the test tomorrow?" I didn't answer him. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I was still trying to comprehend the bits of information that was handed to me unintentionally.

"Are you okay?" Grove asked me, concern obvious in his features. "You don't look to good."

"I'm. Just tired, I guess." I didn't lie.

I gave him a single glance before turning away and getting ready for bed.

My thoughts were still whirling around what I could understand of what happened at the faculty rooms. Something had happened, there was some kind of deadline for it to be resolved. It happened on the winter solstice. Just by the word solstice had me wanting to believe it was just some fantasy novel.

But I'd already seen colorful fire, illusions, different dimensions, the like. If Grover and Mr. Brunner thought that I was in some kind of danger, then I'd better step up my game.