*sigh* Honestly, if you didn't see this coming, I don't know what to do at this point. Of course, a monster is noticing all this. But, the team didn't know if either Carter or Clark were half-bloods. It might have been someone else altogether.
It knocked. Nothing about the day was so out of the ordinary that Annabeth should've given it a second glance, so she didn't.
She hasn't been sleeping. It is fantastic news about Leo and Calypso, but Percy has been acting odd. With everything going on, she shouldn't be questioning her relationship. Does he want to follow their friend's footsteps, right now? Then again, things are never not going to be chaos. It is the life of a demigod.
She has also been losing sleep from dreams about something big coming. Why can't she ever get a clear sign for anything?
It knocked on her classroom door at 8:45 am. Halfway through her first class, and one that was actually going well for once.
The kids saw a janitor. The man had a bushy beard and smelled funny, but that was all.
Carter saw something very different. They started screaming and cowering against the farthest wall of the classroom. Some were laughing at the spectacle, others were too confused to do much of anything.
Annabeth gulped and pressed her watch because she knew exactly why her student was terrified. She could see the horns and the scales. And this thing was ugly.
"I got a call," the man says, "My friend here says you need a disposal right away." Clark stands up and stretches into his true form. Even though the Mist shades them from the truth, the students know that something is up and shuffle unease towards their teacher.
The monster piles some of the desks to block the only exit out of the room. Having heard Annabeth's distress signal, Piper is first to the door and locks eyes with her friend throw its window.
Kickin open the door like it's made of cardboard, Piper groans when Annabeth motions for her to take the kids.
"Why do I always miss out on the fun? Yep! Okay, come on kids, lets get out of here," Piper hurries to her task after meeting Annabeth's glare.
Leo and Percy are next to join the fun, late as usual. The fire alarms won't go off without detecting anything, so Leo gives it something to cry about. Once the whole building is screaming, he walks the halls, warning about an electrical fire and adding that this is just a precaution.
That leaves Percy, Annabeth, one student, and two monsters.
"The one day for Will to take off!" Percy says.
Annabeth turns to her student while Percy keeps the monsters distracted for a moment. "Carter, I need you to go outside with the rest of the school. I will explain it all. You are not dreaming. This is real and you cannot tell anyone."
Carter isn't screaming anymore. No tears run down their face, only determination. "Nope. I never run from a fight. I'm not going anywhere." Annabeth could argue, but when she recognizes the fierce look in Carter's eye as one of her own, she gives in. "Fine. But, you stay behind me and do everything I tell you."
Clark hears it all. "Ooh! I have to go through you to get her? Two for the price of one!" Him and his partner work to corner the two. Percy jumps on the one who posed as a student and holds his Riptide to it's throat. Who throws him off easily, but it becomes too distracted to worry about Carter.
Annabeth drops her aggression and puts on an act, "You boys look mighty strong. What are you doing all this worrying for over one little half-blood? One who doesn't even know anything." She has to do everything she can not to look at Carter's broken expression.
"Yeah, Κλάρκ, Posideon didn't give us a reason," the older monster says. It would be a perfect time to take out Percy, who froze at his father's name, but Clark seems stuck on the difficult question.
"We never question our Lord! He told us to scare you under orders of" he declares. Percy laughs and tucks his sword back into his pocket.
"Gentlemen, I am insulted that you do not recognize me," Percy says. The two goblin-resembling creatures stop to tilt their heads. "Because I'm his favorite son." This little bit of ego gives Annabeth the opportunity to slide a knife in each monster's back.
They collapse and she blows on the bloody weapons like they are pistols in an old Western movie. "I love it when they're dumb. It's like a game of improv."
The monsters turn to dust. The students start to file back in. Annabeth shoves her knives in her bag.
And Carter is nowhere to be seen.