Glass rained down on their screaming classmates. Terrified, they ran for cover as two- somethings burst through the broken window. Brett could have sworn they were some sort of dinosaur-like creature, but then he blinked and they were crocodiles. What were they doing here? And how did they get here? Last time he checked, they didn't have crocodiles in New York. Did they escape from the zoo?
Brett knew he should move- run- but he was frozen in place. He could only watch as everyone panicked and dashed for the exits. But the creatures seemed to have no interest in his classmates. Instead, they locked eyes on Annabeth. Annabeth was staring down the creatures with none of the fear that Brett expected. She didn't even look all that surprised. Instead, she simply crouched into a fighting stance, looking determined and unstrapping something- was that a ruler?- from her hip.
He watched as the creatures rushed her. Somehow, that gave him enough courage to move. This was his moment. He would save Annabeth from the creatures; he would be her hero. Maybe then she would see how great he really was.
"Annabeth, run!" He called out, chasing after the creatures. "I'll hold them off!" He expected her to nod and run, maybe give a weak protest that he can't sacrifice himself for her. He thought maybe he was even lucky enough that she might kiss him before she ran. She did none of those things. Instead, she just startled at his voice.
"Brett? What the hades are you doing?" She yelled at him.
"I'm trying to save you!" He replied, throwing himself in front of Annabeth as the creatures continued to rush toward her.
He was sure she would run. There was nothing else she could do. But Annabeth once again surprised him.
She tackled him out of the way as the creatures barreled past them. She had refused to leave him behind! Maybe she finally realized how much she cared for him and now she was going to fight not to lose him! "What do you think you're doing?" Annabeth cursed, "Get out of my way you idiot!" Instead of the concerned passion he had expected from her, her voice was sharp and angry. She stood up and shoved him roughly toward the exit.
He stumbled, and could only watch as the creatures rushed Annabeth again. Amazingly, she stood her ground. When they got near enough, she actually engaged them in a fight. She clearly knew what she was doing, and it was amazing to watch, all graceful movements and powerful strikes.
"I thought we told you to wait!" a voice from behind him startled Brett out of his mystified stupor. Percy and Nico rushed past him to join the fight, both carrying what looked like yard sticks. How did they expect to fight off anything with measuring tools? And how were they all holding their own despite their useless weapons?
"I didn't plan to set off the trap!" Annabeth argued, ducking as one of the creatures swung its tail at her. "As soon as I got near it they appeared."
"And what exactly are they?" Percy yelled back, blocking a swipe from the other creature with his yard stick. Nico attempted to sneak up on Percy's creature from behind, but it whipped around, snapping at Nico and forcing him to jump back to avoid its teeth.
"I'm working on that." Annabeth slashed at the creature, but it hit her with its head and sent her crashing into one of the pottery displays.
"Annabeth!" Percy called out, but he couldn't turn his attention away from where he was fighting the other creature.
Annabeth groaned, but managed to get up. She was bleeding all over where the shards of pottery had cut her, several nasty looking pieces were still sticking out of her upper arm. "I'm alright," she assured Percy, rushing back into the fight.
At that moment the creature that had hit Annabeth opened its mouth and let out an earth-shattering roar. Cracks snaked their way across the marble floor, and the few remaining intact windows and pottery shattered at the sound. Brett threw his hands over his ears, but it did nothing to dull the noise.
"They're neades!"
"What?" Percy yelled, still in battle with the other creature with Nico.
"Neades!" Annabeth called again. "They are native to the island of Samos! Their roar can split the earth!"
"I could have told you that!" Nico shouted, gesturing at the cracked marble under his feet. Annabeth rolled her eyes.
How could they still make jokes in the middle of fighting for their lives? Even though they were hurt and bleeding and facing terrible things, Brett had yet to see any of them look truly worried. They weren't even afraid. He could only watch in horrible fascination as Annabeth, Percy, and Nico fought. They took the fight seriously, but they still acted like this was relatively normal. Just who were these people?
Annabeth slashed at the creature's neck but missed and was knocked off balance by its swinging head. Brett thought for sure she was done for as she hit the ground, the creature looming over her, but she used the momentum of her fall to roll between the creature's legs. She came up kneeling underneath the creature, and stabbed her ruler up into the creature's soft underside. Brett opened his mouth to tell Annabeth to move or she would get crushed under the weight of the dying creature, but before he could even get a word out, the creature dissolved into golden dust right before his eyes.
Annabeth was coated in a thick layer of the dust, but she didn't seem surprised by what had just occurred. If anything, she seemed annoyed.
"Ugh, yuck!" she spat. "I hate monster dust, it never comes out of my hair."
"Talk to Lacy," Percy called from across the room where he was still fighting the remaining creature. "She gave me some great stuff after that fight in Hampton. I'd never been so coated in dust, but the stuff she gave me worked like a charm."
"What was it called?" Annabeth asked as she ran over to help Percy and Nico fight the last creature.
Percy continued the casual conversation as he slashed the creature across the chest. "I can't remember, but I think she got it from her mom."
"Her mom invented it for Lacy for her birthday, after she got covered in monster dust during capture-the-flag that one time," Nico supplied.
"That's right. Hey Annabeth," Percy made a quick gesture that meant nothing to Brett, but Annabeth and Nico seemed to understand perfectly. Percy and Nico moved to flank the creature from either side, and Annabeth vanished. Brett tried to see where she went, but he couldn't find her anywhere.
"Hey Neade! Over here!" Percy taunted, waving his yard stick.
"No, look at me, you overgrown lizard!" Nico joined in. The creature couldn't keep track of both of them at once. It swung to face Nico, hitting Percy and sending him flying as it did so.
Percy hit the water fountain so hard it cracked, spraying water everywhere. Blood dripped from Percy's temple and water soaked him, but despite all that, he grinned. "Big mistake."
The water seemed to revive him. Brett swore he could see several of Percy's smaller cuts and scrapes healing before his eyes. Percy raised his hands and the water followed. It surged toward the creature, pushing it back directly into Annabeth's waiting ruler. She had somehow managed to sneak behind the creature without it, or Brett, noticing. The creature let out one last cry of agony, causing the cracks in the floor to grow, before dissolving into dust. Brett stared on in amazement, barely comprehending what he had just seen, but even as he watched Percy, Annabeth, and Nico inspect each other for injuries, his memories began to change.
There had been an earthquake. The museum had been damaged in the quake, and millions of dollars of ancient artifacts had been destroyed, including the golden bridle, which had been crushed so thoroughly that not even a fragment remained. The earthquake had also damaged the enclosures at a nearby zoo, and two crocodiles had escaped, somehow making their way to the museum.
The students gathered on the front steps of the museum, waiting for the bus to take them back to the school, where their parents were waiting to pick them up. Annabeth had disappeared along with Percy and Nico. Ms. Mason had said that Annabeth's guardian was concerned, and came to pick up Annabeth right away, but for some reason Brett couldn't quite believe that. Wherever Annabeth was, Brett would still see her at school on Monday. He could talk to her then.
