It was a couple weeks later when the next text showed up.

5:27PM XXX-XXXX
taraksipus

Annabeth squinted at her phone. She had briefly turned it on, planning to connect with Thalia for sparring after classes when it arrived. What was he talking about? And why in Hades was he texting her again?

5:27PM
Excuse me?

5:28PM XXX-XXXX
uhhh
tara…
tarazypus?

It took her a moment of staring at the words, her own dyslexia battling with his apparent problem with spelling, before it clicked.

5:28PM

Do you mean Taraxippus?

5:28PM XXX-XXXX
thats it!
taraxippus. you know how to get rid of them, right?

She bit back a grin. So he was contacting her for monster fighting tips now.

5:28PM
You're having a problem with horse-hating spirits?

5:28PM XXX-XXXX
maybe i am.
tell me
unless….
miss know it all DOESNT know?!

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

5:29PM
You need a talisman, something blessed in Poseidon's name
An amulet, charm, anything like that.

5:29PM XXX-XXXX
r u serious
its that simple?
damn haha
ur good at this!

5:30PM
I prefer staying alive, personally.
I find knowing about the monsters you're going to be fighting helps with that.

And you really did have to be looking for monsters in order to be running into them so regularly. New Athens, with its sprawling sky scrapers and bustling streets was something of a haven for Demigods and mortals alike, with Mount Olympus positioned high above the Empire State Building. Of course the Gods wanted their own town to be well protected, so the outskirts were enforced with all sorts of spells to keep monsters out- not to mention the border guard.

5:30PM XXX-XXXX
pretty sure ur calling me a dumbass again :p

5:30PM
I never used those words.
You decided that on your own

5:31PM XXX-XXXX
nah but u were thinking it!
i can tell

5:31PM
How do you have a run in with taraxippus anyway?
I don't imagine many are in the wild.

5:31PM XXX-XXXX
aha! something miss know it all DOESNT know!

5:32PM
Please tell me that nickname isn't going to stick.

5:32PM XXX-XXXX
what? u dont like miss know it all?
how bout lady knowledgeable

Annabeth couldn't stop the snort that escaped her. That was no good. He was making her laugh.

5:32PM
Absolutely not.

5:32PM XXX-XXXX
smart female
wait no that sucks
clever woman
astute lass
...witty gal?

5:33PM
No way do you know the word "astute"

5:33PM XXX-XXXX
alright you got me
i looked it up, wise girl.

She held back another laugh. She so called it. Glancing around, she began typing a response when a hand on her shoulder made her jump. Quickly, she tucked the cell phone away, hiding the screen and feeling oddly guilty about her new text friend, and whirled to see a pair of familiar, electric blue eyes framed by a smattering of freckles.

"Whoa there, where's the fight?" Thalia laughed, raising an eyebrow at Annabeth's reaction.

The blonde pulled away, crossing her arms, though her grey eyes twinkled at the sight of her friend, "Not here, unfortunately. You ready?"

"To kick your ass? Always." A friendly nudge and they were on their way across the quad towards the sparring gym.

The sun was warm on their faces, a light breeze ruffling the grass and causing the trees to sway. The campus itself was large and beautiful, ionic columns holding up the buildings, domes gleaming in the light, and cypress trees lining the winding paths of the parks and avenues. The Demeter children kept the gardens well tended, and Annabeth couldn't help but feel a sense of home as they passed her favorite spot- a duck pond, the perfect place for studying.

The gym itself had the same fabulous exterior that Annabeth loved, but inside was a whole different story. Modern glass doors led to the balconies and bleachers overlooking the arena, a rubber floored mess of painted lines, netted off areas for training, and bins of weaponry. In the corner, a couple of students were facing down a smallish hellhound, one that was obviously summoned for the purpose of training.

This was not abnormal in the drilling areas, but something felt off as soon as Annabeth and Thalia swung open the door. Immediately, the hound turned, lowly growling at Annabeth in particular. It's hackles were raised, its coat smoaky and dark, and its eyes glowed red as it seemed to size her up. Instinctively, the daughter of Athena's hand went to her knife, a weapon Luke had given her when she had first been accepted at the school.

"Uh… what's its deal?" Thalia sounded more confused than worried, her own hands reaching to grasp the spear strapped to her back.

"I'm… not sure." There was an uneasy silence as the other two demigods circled their target, oblivious to the new developments.

Then all at once, it pounced.

Up over the heads of its original foes, the hellhound lunged at its target. Annabeth and Thalia separated, Annabeth rolling to the right, knife in hand as Thalia jumped left, swinging her spear and managing to jab the hound under the shoulder blade as it smashed into the doors previously behind them. It howled, but otherwise paid Thalia no mind, shifting to face Annabeth once more.

"What the heck is going on?!" Thalia shouted, yanking her spear back as Annabeth and the hellhound stared each other down.

"No clue-" Annabeth breathed, then cut herself off.

The phone, in her pocket. It was still on.

Cursing herself in as many languages as she could, she readjusted her grip on her knife, watching the way the hound shifted on its back legs, preparing for another strike. The bleachers were behind her, if she could get to higher ground…

But moving to do so would put her at a disadvantage, and leave her open to be viciously mauled. The other Demigods were shouting now, running over with weapons in hand to try and help, and Annabeth knew she had to act fast. When the hellhound lunged again, she was ready.

She ran headfirst towards it, sliding to the ground at the last minute and raking her knife across it's open belly. A risky move, but one that paid off as with a whine and a hiss the monster turned to dust- all over Annabeth, because of course. She coughed, her arm burning from the slide across the rubber and helped herself up, Thalia already at her side.

"Holy Hades, what the hell was that?! "

"My fault." Annabeth coughed again, pretty sure she got monster dust up her nose. Gross. Her hand went to her pocket, pulling out the cell phone and Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Your phone, Annabeth? Rookie mistake."

With a sheepish look, Annabeth pressed the 'off' button. That had been foolish of her, to tuck it away while still on. While the city limits were generally safe, you never could know when a monster was summoned for training or slipped past the guard. It wasn't guaranteed security.

"I know, I know I… forgot."

Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"You never forget stuff like that. Like… ever."

She was met with a shrug, and Annabeth quickly turned her attention to cleaning her knife, Thalia seemed to accept the lack of answer for now as she turned to the other two Demigods who were at a loss for words themselves.

"Hey! You know you have to lock the doors if you summon monsters in here! Someone could have seriously gotten hurt!"

"W-we're sorry!" The wide-eyed one apologized quickly. No one could stand to be on Thalia's bad side. With her dark clothes, combat boots, and black makeup, she was quite a sight.

"Really sorry!" The other piped up.

"And without a faculty supervisor to look out for you?! The hell were you thinking?"

The two cowered a little in fear of her rage.

Freshmen.

Annabeth and Thalia only ended up sparring for a little less than an hour. Despite Annabeth's protests, Thalia insisted she needed a hot shower and a chill night after the earlier attack.

"Look at you, you're covered in dust!"

"It isn't that bad!" Annabeth complained, before promptly sneezing and proving the other's point.

They parted ways, and on her walk back to the dorms Annabeth stopped at the pond. No one else was around, the blue hues of evening contrasting with the city lights in the distance. It was hard to see the stars here. Not like home, or the summer camp she used to go to as a kid. A heavy sigh accompanied her slouch to the ground, and after a quick glance confirmed there were no more monsters (for now), she pulled out her phone and turned it back on.

7:07PM XXX-XXXX
what do u know
the amulet thing worked
nice going wise girl
hello?
aw come back i need more monster advice
ill stop calling u wise girl
promise

The messages came pouring in. Annabeth smiled.

7:08PM
You can call me Wise Girl.

7:08PM XXX-XXXX
thats good because i wasnt really gonna stop anyway!

7:08PM
What's this about a monster?
Again? Already?

7:09PM XXX-XXXX
oh that?
that was just to get you to talk to me again haha
no more monsters for me!
well
no more today

She bit her lip, debating how to respond. It was pretty easy to talk to him, whoever he was, and she had enjoyed their interactions, however brief. But he could be anyone on the other end! He was obviously some sort of adrenaline junkie, with all the monster fighting, and also an idiot since he never seemed to know what he was doing. On the other hand…

He was strange, and new. And Annabeth Chase, with her studies, and her focus, and her dreams, had not experienced much new, not really, in quite a long time.

7:10PM WISE GIRL
You weren't the only one killing monsters today.

7:10PM XXX-XXXX
ooooo wise girl is a fighter too!
what was it?
sphinx? manticore?
please say something cool

7:11PM WISE GIRL
Well…
It was a small Hellhound.

7:11PM XXX-XXXX

ok a little basic
how far outside the city was it?

7:12PM WISE GIRL
On campus.

7:12PM XXX-XXXX
wait what

The glow of the phone illuminated her grin as she quickly continued.

7:13PM WISE GIRL
Some freshmen didn't lock the gym doors while sparring with one.
My phone was on, so you can imagine…

7:13PM XXX-XXXX
wait wait wait
u go to the school?

7:13PM WISE GIRL
Obviously.
Don't you?

7:14PM XXX-XXXX
well yeah i just didnt consider that u might!
thats awesome!
wait so it attacked u?
u okay?

7:14PM WISE GIRL
I'm fine.
Dusted it easily.

7:15PM XXX-XXXX
damn wise girl
gotta be careful with those cell phones tho

7:15PM WISE GIRL
What about you?
You seem to be texting pretty constantly.

7:15PM XXX-XXXX
i figure im already a monster magnet lol
might as well.

Monster Magnet? So he was powerful, then. And still an idiot.

7:16PM WISE GIRL
Ah, so you have a death wish.

7:16PM XXX-XXXX
not at all!
but if theyre coming anyway…
i want to enjoy the little things
like texting my friends

7:17PM WISE GIRL
That's certainly one way to look at it.

7:17PM XXX-XXXX
well
its how i look at it

Annabeth leaned her back against the trunk of the tree behind her, uncrossing her legs and gazing across the quad. A few students here and there were walking back to their dorms, and the sun had set, leaving that delicious quiet that filled you up inside. Enjoying the little things… Maybe she would give it a try.