POV: Percy

8:54am on Tuesday

Kelli. I can remember that cold sinister voice anywhere. Turning around to face the empousa I started to take note of the small horde of monsters that managed to sneak up behind us.

1 Empousa (Kelli).

6 hellhounds

1 weird creature with a body of a stag, neck of a lion, cloven hooves, wide smile, and yellow bony ridges for teeth.

"I'm sorry Percy. I don't know how they got through my watch." Apologized Daniel obviously tired from the trek here.

"Hey, Kelli. What happened to that unnatural beauty? Is the mist affecting you guys as well?" I faked sympathy trying to distract my old enemy from the mortals.

"Shut it, Jackson. I'm here for your head and I'm not leaving without it." She growled back, taking her focus off the group and onto just me.

"Aah, I'm flattered. But I kind of still need it so… You're going to have to take it from me." I snarked back taking a fighting stance. I barely registered Paul ushering the ragtag group of mortals inside as the monster began to circle me.

Suddenly the stag-bodied monster spoke perfectly in the voice of Daniel. "I'm sorry Percy. I don't know how they got through my watch."

"Creepy" was all I replied to it.

"Like it Jackson? It's called a Leucr..." before Kelli could finish, I cut her off with a "Don't care" and launched forward towards the demonic cheerleader. Seconds before riptide decapitated her, she blocked with a small sword that was previously at her waist. All at ounce the hellhounds and the whatever-the-hell-that-thing-is attacked at once. Ducking under a hound the size of a Sudan as it barely missed me, I lobbed off 3 of it's four limbs. With the added momentum of my dodge, I sliced off the head of another monster with practiced ease. With warry cation the remaining monsters began to circle me again.

"You have gotten better since the last time we talked" Kelli responded with a little fear in her eyes. Smirking at the emotion I responded.

"You scared?"

"No" she lied as she lunged at be with blinding speed that still shouldn't be possible with her mismatched legs. Sending out a miniature earthquake that made her lose her balance as I caught her sword arm twisting her over her shoulder and slamming her onto the ground and with a sickening crack as the cement broke under her. Wasting no time, I incapacitated her by severing all her limbs with riptide. In the nick of time, I picked up her fallen sword and shoved it in the throat of a hellhound that was almost on top of me.

"Screw you, Percy. I curse you to be slowly boiled over a fire and die to then be dragged into Tartarus with me." She cursed at me as I winced knowing somewhere in the depths of Tartarus there was a knew another Arai was formed. Tunning out the pissed-off cheerleader I focused on the remaining beast. What-cha-ma-call-it took a chunk out of my leg as I jumped out of the way. Bighting back the pain I heard a gunshot and in my peripheral vision I saw a light coming from the roof. The scope from the rifle. Smiling knowing that the mortals got my back I finished off the Hellhound that was shot by who I assumed to be Daniel. Noticing the two hellhounds running towards me I pulled on the water flowing through the fire hydrant to the left of them and with a watery explosion the high-velocity-fire hydrant exploded the head of the leading hellhound as the second was pushed back by the torrent of water.

"Screw you, screw you" the shall-not-be-named said in a perfect impression of Kelli's voice.

"Oh, shut up." I answered it clearly annoyed. With a rush forward and a flick of my wrist my annoyance was dead at last. With another crack of the rifle Daniel put out the half-drowned hellhound from its misery. Dragging the still alive but fuming Kelli by her shirt I limped back to the school.

A couple of minutes passed by, and I found myself surrounded by an extremely shocked high school in the gymnasium which has obviously turned into the makeshift shelter in place for the whole school. Gagging Kelli and tying her to the bleachers away from some of the students. Scanning the crowd I zeroed in on Paul and embraced him in a near bone crushing hug that would make Tyson proud.

"Your okay, your okay" I repeated not realizing until now how worried I was for him.

"Were your mom?" he asked sounding worried.

"At camp, I sent her there and as many people I could from the apartment building by shadow travel." I answered wincing from the shooting pain I got from hugging Paul.

"Percy you are hurt! We need to get you some ambrosia! I think I still have some in my classroom from the time you went here." Paul sounded worried.

"Can't. I have a feeling this injury is going to be the least of them today and I must hold out till camp gets here, so I need to save them for when I really need them." I answered Paul.

"Hey, Miss Arbuckle can you get salt water-soaked bandages for Percy" Paul asked the school nurse instead.

As I walked to the center of the gymnasium, I wondered how I looked to the mortals. They probably saw I bloody crazed warrior with more scares than skin. My torn-up clothes and ragged appearance definitely did not help matters. Taking a deep breath, I looked out on the crowd of scared teens and adults who woke up this morning with the only worry on their minds was too much homework, annoying coworkers and who they were taking to the dance this Friday.

"Hello, mortals many of you recognize me from high school last year as the kid who disappeared for a month. But only a few know me for who I truly am. I am apart of a group of warriors who have fought these beasts you have seen today for centuries. I personally have seen kids die in battle that I lead them to and as of an hour ago each and every one of you has entered my world. I'm not going to lie to you my world is horrifying and full of senseless death caused be wars that should never have been fought in the first place. In my world children die horrifying deaths for little more than the crime of being born. I do not know why you all can suddenly see my world or why the monsters have started to slaughter mortals indiscriminately from us. But I and the rest of my kind will try our best to protect you and unfortunately even if we die trying. However, until my family gets here, I need your help to fortify this place. I need 4 kids on each side of the building taking turns each hour watching and reporting any movement of monsters or survivors. I need a couple of people using the equipment from the radio club to send out emergency messages to as many channels as possible letting survivors know we exist. Mrs. Smith and the rest of the secretaries I need you guys to try to get ahold of the military, the police, or anyone you can get ahold of…" I went on like that assigning everyone a job knowing how much easier it is to coup when you have something to take your mind off the situation. Sighing, I let Miss Arbuckle wrap my leg in the soaked salt bandages. The pain began to subside as the water soaked into my wound.

Paul POV:

Percy is doing it again. Acting years ahead of his time and with an air of sadness. Percy tries to hide this side of him from us, especially Sally. I think he believes that he has to protect us from his world. We see the effects of the life he has led on him almost daily even with his attempts to hide it. We see how when the house gets quite he gets a fair away look. Or how he looks so tired all the time like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He may not be my son, but I definitely view him as one and I think he views me as a father figure. Which hurts even more when I see him forced to pick up his blade once more to fight another enemy and climb over another impossible hill.

"Paul, Paul! Were's Percy?" asked a frantic Junior.

"I think he is fighting a hydra on the south side of the building." I answered tiredly, hating how my son had to fight an enemy I could not defend him from.

"We managed to get the military on the phone. They want to talk to the person that has managed to allow us to survive." He said with hope in his eyes, obviously excited that help is on the way even if they are only on the other side of the radio.

Weaving through the school we finally stopped at the south side doors watching Percy finish butchering the 8 headed serpent. As he walked back, he definitely looked like his father with power humming in his eyes, riptide an arch of destruction and a scary determination across his features. But knowing Percy I could see his slight limb, the way he all but dragged his feet, and other minor nuances that would be hidden to anyone who is not familiar with Percy.

"What is it, Paul?" Percy asked as he squeezed through the tight crack. Wincing as he said it probably realizing how cold he sounded when he spoke.

"What is it, Paul?" he reiterated making himself sound more human.

"We got ahold of the military, and they wish to speak with you. Percy, remember you don't have to do this. You don't have to be the hero." I gently reminded him.

"Yes, I do" he spoke in a bitter voice as he started to walk towards the radio room.