Notes:
(Title from Murders by Miracle Musical. Seriously, I get all my titles from their music, pls give them a listen)
Chapter Text
The world ceased spinning, Apollo in his sun chariot froze in time as Gaea herself became breathless. Percy stared at the cracked, refracted image of himself in the broken mirror. He stayed there, wide eyed and terrified, his mouth still throbbing with pain, for an endless amount of time. From miles away, he heard footsteps.
"Percy? Are you still sleeping?"
It was Annabeth.She was back from boarding school.
The world began turning again.
"Percy?" She asked again.
He blinked and suddenly, Percy was thrown into a blind panic. He took the mirror and the pliers and the can holding his human tooth and rolled it all up in the tarp.
"H-hi, Annabeth!" He shouted.
"Are you alright?" Annabeth asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Fine!" Percy said as he shoved the tarp under his bed.
"Okay, so can I come in?"
"No!" Percy spoke too quickly, too soon. He winced from his own tone, knowing with certainty that Annabeth would notice as well.
"I- I'm getting dressed right now!" Percy said.
"Oh."
Percy looked down at himself and realized he'd gotten blood on his fresh shirt as well. He took it off and flung it in the corner of the room, grabbing a new one from the chest by his bed.
"So anyways, Percy… I was wondering if we could talk? Just us?"
"Uh… sure, why?"
Percy was dressed, but he still couldn't let her see him. Annabeth hesitated, something not like her at all.
"Chiron is worried about you, Percy. So am I."
Percy's blood ran cold.
No. They couldn't know. They couldn't.
"Percy, you've been acting really weird lately," Annabeth said, "and we just want to know what's wrong."
"I'm fine, Wise Girl."
The nickname didn't help.
"Then why won't you let me in, Seaweed Brain?"
"I- I just can't, Annabeth. Give me a second, I… I just need a second."
"Percy? What's wrong? You sound weird, are you alright?"
A pause.
"Percy, I'm coming in."
"Wait-"
Percy lunged for the door, but it was too late. Annabeth walked in, and now there was only a few feet of space between them. Percy froze. Annabeth wasn't staring at his eyes. She was staring at his mouth.
He pressed his lips together and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"Anna-"
"Percy,"she said, breathless and alarmed. Her stormy gray eyes were churning with a thousand thoughts a second. "What happened? How- how did you-"
Percy shook his head, terrified. No one was supposed to know.
Annabeth's stare hardened. "I'm getting Chiron."
"No, please," Percy grabbed her wrist, "don't!"
And she actually wrenched her arm out of his hold. Something flashed across her face for half a second. Not repulsion, but something likefear.
Percy's whole body stiffened.
He needed to get out. He had to go. No one was supposed to know he didn't belong, he never did.The next thing Percy knew, he was pushing past Annabeth and sprinting across camp. His feet moved one after another on auto-pilot.
It was all over, now.
"Percy!" He heard Annabeth shout from behind him. She had more overall training than him, but Percy hadn't been spending seven hours a day for the past four months sitting at a desk. He outpaced her, even as Annabeth shouted for someone to help.
He sprinted in a blind panic, heart hammering and eyes watering. This didn't feel very different from the nation-wide manhunt he'd been subjected to when he was twelve. Except back then, he had Annabeth on his side.
Percy reached the nearest edge of the border to camp. The beach. Just as his feet hit the sand, he raised his head and with two fingers in his mouth, let out a long whistle, a cry for help. A ghostly echo in the wind followed his call.
He shouted."Onyx!"
He heard someone coming up from behind him. It was Annabeth, clutching her side as she stopped just a few yards away.
"Percy-"
The howl of a hellhound cut her off. The pack arrived, melting from the shadows. Annabeth gasped and stumbled backward, away from the monsters surrounding him. Before she could stop him, Percy climbed on Onyx's back.
They locked eyes for a moment. Just a moment, because Annabeth didn't have the strength to look at him even a second longer. But in that one second, he saw that she was crying.
"Don't, Percy.Please.We can figure this out together. Just- just stop and think-"
"Aboutwhat,Wise Girl?" Percy heard himself say. He bared his teeth at her, letting Annabeth see his fangs on full display. It wasn't in his nature to hold grudges, but Percy felt all his frustrations bubbling to the surface.
"No one here has ever liked me! No one can even stomach looking at me anymore! Not even you!"
Percy wiped his eyes just as he caught the sound of horse hooves approaching. Without looking back, he said, "Face it. I'm just a mistake. Goodbye, Annabeth."
Just as Chiron and a handful of curious campers appeared, Percy's pack was already heading for the edge of the woods. They melted into the shadows and vanished.
Percy couldn't remember the last time he was home. It was probably a bad idea taking his pack into the city, and Chiron could have already contacted his mom, but Percy had nowhere else to go. So he sucked in a breath to steady himself and knocked on the front door.
"Coming!"he heard his mom say.
Percy's stomach twisted and coiled in his abdomen. Hearing his mom's voice made him so homesick, despite nowbeinghome. And yet, a part of him felt like he had to go. That he couldn't let her see him like this.
Then the door started opening and for a single second, Percy forgot all his worries.His eyes watered as his throat tightened.
"M-mom," he spoke in a whisper, revealing his teeth as little as possible.
Her hair was pulled back from her face and she was wearing an apron dusted with flour.
"Percy?" She cupped his face in her hands, wiping away a stray tear with her thumb. "Percy, baby, what's wrong? Why are you here? Does Chiron know you're not at camp?"
Percy couldn't remember the last time another person willingly touched him. He pressed his face against his mom's shoulder and stood still for a moment.
"Can I come in?" Percy asked, voice muffled by her shirt.
"Of course."
Percy stepped inside. He sat at the kitchen table, noticing his mom was making pancakes.
She asked, "Are you hungry?"
Without waiting for his answer, she placed a plate full of blueberry pancakes in front of Percy before taking the seat across from him. Percy didn't feel like eating, his stomach oddly quiet.
"Percy, can you tell me what's wrong?"
He didn't answer right away. His mom had always been better than most at maintaining eye contact with Percy, though in the past year even she seemed to have trouble keeping a steady gaze. There was also no way he could hide his teeth from her. So Percy bit the bullet and said,"I don't think I belong at camp anymore."
She startled for just a second, eyes widening, before her expression leveled out.
"Of- of course you do. Camp is the only safe place for you, Percy."
He shook his head. "But I'm not human, Mom! Look at me! I'm a-"
"Percy!" he quieted, surprised that his mom raised her voice so quickly. She seemed surprised too, quickly taking a breath to calm herself. She spoke softly, as if he were a frightened animal. "Percy, whatever's wrong, we can fix it together."
He dared to feel a sliver of hope. To cling to the idea that he could still be loved.
"Now- I'll drive you back to camp and-"
She faltered. They both turned as a white light began shining from nowhere. Percy shot to his feet as he realized it was an Iris message forming. And on the other side was Chiron, quickly coming into focus.
"Miss Jackson, I have urgent matters to discuss with you. Percy-"Chiron's eyes flickered to Percy, who was standing to the side but still visible through the IM,"Percy, you're there? Thank goodness."
"Chiron, what happened at camp?" His mom asked.
"It's nothing-" Percy tried to say.
"Percy ran from camp. Search parties have been sent out into the surrounding area, but more importantly, Annabeth found something in Percy's cabin."
No.
"Chiron-" he pleaded.
"Percy must have pulled out one of his own teeth."
Percy's mother rounded on him. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted in surprise.
"You didwhat?"
Percy took a step back. "I'm sorry! I just- I felt like I had to!"
"What do you mean? Percy, please just talk to me!"
"I-" he buried a hand in his hair, ashamed and afraid. No one was supposed to find out. "I don't- I don't know what's been happening to me, I swear, but it's like..."
Percy wished Chiron wasn't still here. He said, "It's like I don'tfeelhuman anymore."
His mom had that look in her eyes. The one where she might cry at a moment's notice.
"Percy,"Chiron said, steadfast,"you must return to camp at once."
"Mom, don't make me go back. Just give me a day, please."
She took his hands in her own, rubbing her thumb over one of the scars on the backs of his hand that came with all his training.
"Percy, I'm going to take you back to camp."
She wasn't looking athimthough, she was keeping her eyes on his hands.
Percy pulled himself out of her hold."Mom!"
Percy felt something happen around them as his chest swelled at his mother's betrayal, something similar to his cabin. The air rippled as he shouted, sending a wave through the apartment. The pancakes became dry and grainy, the air went stale, the wallpaper faded a few shades. Even the Iris message flickered and dispelled.
But worst of all, his mom stumbled away from him, bumping against the table and falling into a chair. She steadied herself against the table. Then they both stared in horror and confusion as a lock of her dark hair turned pale gray. Percy's mom pinched the loose lock between her fingers, staring at how light and brittle it was now.
"P-Percy?"
He was speechless.He did that to her.
He didn't know how or why, but he made things around him break. Rot.Decay.Both inanimate and living things. To what extent, he didn't know. But he also couldn't risk it. Percy knew in an instant he couldn't stay here. He couldn't hurt his mom again.
But he couldn't let himself go back to camp either. He couldn't put Annabeth in danger.
He sprinted from the room, hearing his mom chase after him. Percy opened the door to his bedroom and forced open the window to the fire escape.
"Percy, stop! Please, don't go!" she shouted.
Percy stood on the railing of the fire escape, looking back to see his mom standing in his bedroom doorway. She shook her head, eyes pleading. The lock of white hair hung over her eyes.
He swallowed. "I'm sorry, Mom. I love you."
He jumped. Halfway to the ground, Onyx burst from the shadows and caught him. Together, they hit the ground and vanished into the darkness.
This felt very much like the start of Percy's first ever quest. It was night, he was cold, and he was more or less lost. No backup plan, no phone, and no adult supervision.
He was in a forest somewhere in upstate New York, on the outskirts of some camping grounds. A few hours before, Percy broke into the on-site store to steal a winter jacket, some boots, a backpack, supplies and toiletries, and some food and water. There were also some glasses with tinted lenses, probably meant for hunting, that he was tempted to steal. He decided against it. They probably wouldn't do much for him anymore. Percy also found a shed that held spare tents, and even though he had no idea how to pitch one on his own, he figured it out eventually. He wasn't proud of the fact he resorted to stealing, but he needed everything he took if he was going to survive.
At least he had his pack. They didn't mind his pitiful campfire or being out in the wilderness. Ruby and Alexander, the two smallest hellhounds, were curled up against his side and back, keeping him warm. He'd given names to almost all of the hellhounds by now. Some just felt right. Ruby looked like a Ruby and Alexander looked like an Alexander. There were a few he was still waiting to name, who deserved names that fit them.These hellhounds might be his only companions now.
Onyx sat with his back to the fire, a silent watchman. As did the two second largest hounds, Abby and Andrea. Percy thought that, maybe, they expected a hunt. But for once, he wasn't hungry.
"I don't know what to do," he told them. Ruby's ears perked up as he spoke.
Percy sniffled. "I don't think I can survive on my own forever, but I don't know if I can go back to camp."
Alexander, a hellhound the size of a great dane, raised his head and licked Percy's face. He wrapped his arms around Alexander's body, grateful for something soft and warm to hold.
When the fire started dying, Percy put it out completely and curled up inside the tent. He didn't have a sleeping bag, but he did steal a tinfoil blanket from the shop. Plus he had some hellhounds to keep him warm.
Percy hoped that with everything awful that had happened to him that day, he'd at least sleep without some nightmares. So he couldn't immediately tell if he was dreaming or having another bad dream when an ordinary school materialized around him.
Well, it looked normal at first glance. As the world came into focus, Percy saw walls of blackened brick and trophy cases displaying rusted battle axes and swords. There were military banners hanging from the ceiling.
"Percy!"
He turned. Grover was standing before him, a big smile on his lips.
"Grover?"
"Sorry for the short notice, but I had to use our empathy link to send word as soon as possible."
"Huh? What's going on?"
Grover squinted, even though Percy was right in front of him."Weird, the link seems unstable. You look really blurry…"
He cocked his head to the side, but then seemed to forget about it. "Look, Percy. I found two really powerful half-bloods in the school I'm in. Ordinarly, I'd get them to camp on my own. But there's also a monster in the school, a really strong one, and I think he's onto me."
"Where are you?"
Grover gave Percy the name of a town in Maine, as well as the name of the school.
"Westover Hall?" Percy repeated.
"Yes! It's this big military school in an old castle. You can't miss it."
Percy hesitated. He didn't have any money on him, so no public transportation. He had his pack, but he had never tried to take them such a long distance before. Still, his best friend was counting on him.
"I'll leave right now."
Grover looked relieved. "Oh, thank Pan."
Then confusion flickered over his face. "You're at camp, aren't you? Why not wait until morning? Take some other campers as backup?"
"I'm, um, actually on a quest right now. But it's nothing major, it can wait. I'll see you soon, G-man."
Grover nodded and the dream began dissolving. Percy startled as he woke, disoriented by the sudden darkness. Ruby and Alexander started barking, alarmed.
"Shush, shush. Nothing's wrong." Percy stood and stretched his arms out in front of him, hearing his joints pop. He unzipped the tent and found the pack asleep all around him, though some were now rousing from the noise. Percy rubbed his eyes and thought that, maybe, he'd gotten an hour or two of sleep at most. It'd have to do.
"Onyx."
His second in command stood at attention, crimson eyes trained on Percy. Deciding the tent would be too bulky to carry, Percy chose to leave it as he used a keychain flashlight from the store to go over the contents of his backpack. Three bags of trail mix and jerky, two large bottles of water, his tin foil blanket, a roll of toilet paper, and a travel-sized first aid kit. He was ready to go.
"Come on," he said, "We're heading north."
The pack raised their heads to howl into the night, and then they were off.
When Sally woke up in the morning, she didn't recognize where she was. She sat up, taking in pale blue walls decorated with photographs of countless children in bronze armor and orange shirts.
She twisted the well-worn sheets in her hands. Right. She was in the Big House. Inside of Camp Half-Blood. She had driven here as fast as she could after Percy ran from home, hoping Chiron knew where he was. But the search parties hadn't come back until late at night, with no clue where her baby boy could be.
Sally had been devastated, and though she and Chiron seldom ever spoke, he kindly offered to let her stay the night. A part of her hoped that Percy would come back in the morning. As she left the guest room and went to find Chiron, she began to feel that that wasn't the case.
"Chiron?" she called.
No response. Sally opened the front door and heard voices coming from around the porch. She turned the corner and paused when she saw Chiron sitting at a round table with a man in a tiger-stripe Hawaiian shirt. Annabeth was standing off to the side. In front of them was an Iris message. Sally immediately recognized Grover on the other end.
"-dangerous here! It's absolutely an emergency!"Grover said,"I knew I should have sent the distress call sooner."
Chiron spoke up, "Calm yourself, Grover. We'll assemble a group willing to take on this emergency mission and send them as soon as possible."
Grover chewed on his lower lip,"Okay, good. I've already talked to Percy, but I think we'll still need backup."
Percy?
"Grover, you've seen Percy?" She asked, stepping forward. She heard the man in the orange shirt grumble something about mortal women.
"Miss Jackson! Oh, uh, hi! What are you doing at camp?"
"Grover," Annabeth cut in,"have you seen Percy?"
There was a sharp sense of urgency in her voice, but her eyes conveyed a sort of stormy calm.
Grover looked between them."Uh, yeah. In his dream last night, through our empathy link. But he said he was already on a quest. Is something wrong?"
"Percy went missing yesterday," Sally said, forcing her voice to keep steady, "do you think he's headed for you?"
Grover's eyes widened. He swallowed and said,"Y-yes! He said he was coming."
Sally planted a hand on the table, leaning forward and fixing her eyes on Grover.
"Where are you?"
He looked to Chiron, who nodded.
Grover said,"I'm in Bar Harbor, Maine. At a place called Westover Hall. It's a big castle, you won't miss it."
Chiron spoke up, "Very well. Annabeth, I'm assuming you want to go?"
"Of course."
"Then we must see if we can assemble a rescue party for Grover, the other half-bloods, and Percy."
Chiron stroked his beard. "A time sensitive mission like this can't be left up to chance. I'll have Argus drive you."
"No need," Sally cut in, "I can drive them."
Everyone, including Grover, stared at her. Sally refused to budge. Twice already, she had to bear the knowledge that her son had undergone life-threatening perils. Once to save her, and once to save Camp Half-Blood. Sally just couldn't let it happen again. No matter what, she was going to find her son.
Percy didn't know what time it was when he left. He only figured out when he found a rest stop off a highway, maybe an hour into his trip, for something important. A big, yellowed clock hung over the entrance, indicating it was now almost two in the morning.
The rest stop was desolate, with only a custodian and a person behind the bar at the twenty-four hour cafe hanging around. The gift shop, holding his prize, was darkened and barred by a metal grate locked to the floor. Percy used the bathroom, pretending that there was nothing odd about a kid walking into a rest stop alone at 2 am. He quickly left afterward, eyes fixed on the ground.
Once he was sure where the gift shop was, he had Ruby shadow travel him through the wall. Quietly, he moved through the darkness and reached the rack holding pamphlets and maps. Neither employee noticed Percy as he took a map for the state of New York, as well as a guide for the entire east coast. Back outside, Percy affirmed that they were headed in the right direction.
For hours, Percy travelled with his hellhounds. Sometimes riding on Onyx as they sprinted through wilderness, and sometimes by shadow travel. Always at a distance from major highways, but close enough to civilization that he could get his bearings with relative ease.
Percy wished he could enjoy the experience more. Moving long-distance via hellhound was a wild ride, not as consistent in speed as a bus or train, but an absolute rush because he didn't actually have much control over his hellhounds. He just gave them the direction he wanted to go in, but it was up to Onyx to decide if he wanted to run or shadow-travel. So at any moment, Percy could go from the cold wind hitting his face to plunging headfirst into the shadows.
At dawn, they had to rest for over half an hour outside a small town somewhere in central New Hampshire. They'd been travelling all night, but oddly enough, Percy didn't feel tired. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was his nerves.
But the hellhounds were exhausted, slowing and clearly in need of rest. Percy used his ability to sense water to find a small creek, which his pack delighted in. Percy also let them run free for a while to hunt some deer nearby while he ate trail mix and dried jerky. For some reason, Percy felt far more comfortable eating monster meat than wild animals. At least griffins and drakons didn't carry diseases. Or, at least he hoped so.
Once they all had their fill, they were off again.
The camp van was deathly quiet.
Annabeth and Thalia sat in the row closest to the front seat, where Sally Jackson had been driving for an hour already. In the row behind them were overnight bags packed with clothes, food, nectar, and ambrosia. And a crossbow with a quiver of celestial bronze-tipped arrows, requested not by Annabeth or Thalia, but by Percy's mom.
Sometimes, she saw Percy's mom touching a lock of her hair. Not brushing it away, but toying with it between her fingers.
Annabeth had brought a book she was supposed to be reading for school, but found herself too antsy to actually process any of the words on the pages. Her mind kept wandering, torn between how panicked Grover was and the sight of Percy with godsdamnedfangs.How did he think he could keep those a secret? Or did he not even think that far ahead?
Percy had been so panicked when she saw, immediately assuming his only option was to run away.
Annabeth bit her lip. Maybe she didn't help the situation. But… she felt nauseous just remembering the sight of Percy's eyes. His aura had definitely gotten stronger, brimming with dread and the distinct sense of impending doom. And now Seaweed Brain was heading for Maine on his own, with no one to watch his back.
Gods, how were they going to get Grover, the demigods,andPercy? What could Annabeth even say to calm him down?
Face it. I'm just a mistake.
How do you calm someone so convinced they didn't belong?
Annabeth prayed she had the strength to at least look him in the eye.
The van jolted, startling her. Thalia was fiddling with the silver bracelet Annabeth knew was secretly a shield. The nerves radiating off Miss Jackson were palpable. After another half hour of driving in complete silence, Annabeth snapped.
"Miss Jackson?"
"Hm?"
Percy never hid how much he loved his mom, or how highly he thought of her.
"You're working on a novel, right? Uh… how's it going?"Annabeth asked. She cringed from her own attempt at small talk. But at least it seemed to work.
"It's going well, I've started taking night classes for writing a year ago," Annabeth saw her eyes flickering toward the rear view mirror, "how did you know?"
"Percy mentioned it once," Annabeth said, voice becoming softer.
Thalia shot her a look, seemingly asking,You sure about this?
But Percy's mom didn't seem to mind. She was a lot like Annabeth's siblings at camp, the ones who liked to talk things out when something upset them. Before either Annabeth or Thalia knew it, Miss Jackson was babbling almost breathlessly about her son.
"Oh, Percy is a wonderful beta reader, you know? It's hard for him to sit still but he loves to talk all about my story ideas when he's home."
She let out a nervous laugh, "He's not afraid to tell me when I've gotten something wrong. I'm writing a historical fantasy, a-and he knew how sixteenth century ships worked. All the- all the technical terms and how to steer them. Did you know that? It must come from his dad's side."
Annabeth realized with a start how little Percy told his mom of their adventures. He only knew all that because they stole Blackbeard's ship from Circe's island in the Sea of Monsters. Clearly, Sally Jackson knew her son was often thrown from deadly situation to deadly situation, but Annabeth could also understand why Percy would want to keep the details sparse.
"You know, Percy was so cute as a baby," Miss Jackson started, suddenly switching topics, "I took him to the beach as a toddler and right away, he headed for the water."
She laughed softly, "I never taught him how to swim, he just always knew. I don't think he even knows he never had to be taught."
Thalia and Annabeth shared a look. After a beat, Thalia asked, "So Percy has always liked the water?"
Thalia had a thing about being in the air, ironically.
Miss Jackson laughed, louder this time, "Oh, he's alwayslovedit. I used to take him on vacations to Montauk every summer. He'd play in the waves and sometimes, I'd see a wild hippocampus or a nymph in the water with him. They'd give him things, like pearls or these little shimmering scales."
She paused, "He always wanted me to have them. As gifts."
On one hand, it was weird hearing stories about little baby Percy while on a quest to bring him back home. On the other hand, getting Miss Jackson to talk seemed to put her more at ease.
On a third hand, Annabeth could see the remaining tension lingering in her shoulders and arms. She could see the white-knuckled grip Miss Jackson had on the steering wheel. Miss Jackson wasn't trying to remind Annabeth and Thalia that Percy was still her son, that he could be reasoned with and saved. She seemed to be reminding herself.
As Thalia kept talking to her, Annabeth's thoughts began to drift again.Percy had a mom that clearly cared about him, how could he so easily believe he had to run away?
Grover was right, Westover Hall was almost impossible to miss. It sat on a cliff above the town like a giant cartoon castle for Dracula. Percy dismounted, Onyx clearly exhausted from their trek. He knelt and ran his fingers through the soft fur behind Onyx' massive, floppy ear. "You did so good, bud. Get some rest, okay?"
Onyx woofed softly, closing his crimson eyes as Percy scratched him. The rest of the pack were equally exhausted. Some had collapsed in piles of fluffy snow while others tried to look more alert.
"You all stay here. I'll call you if I need you."
Percy let his backpack fall to the ground, rolling his shoulders after hours of carrying it. He didn't know if the hellhounds actually understood him like horses could, but his hounds didn't follow as he exited the woods. He glanced back, finding them melting into the shadows of the darkening sky. All that were left were their piercing red eyes, watching him as Percy continued onward.
As he stepped out of the woods and found a cobblestone path, he raised one hand and snapped his fingers. The Mist came in a whirlwind, hopefully putting in the work to cloak his eyes, teeth, and demigod aura. He wasn't worried about mortals, but he needed to keep a watch out for the monster.
Percy trekked on, knowing he didn't look anything like a typical student in his muddied clothes and windswept hair. Nevertheless, he found the front of the school and slipped inside. It looked just like his dream, and from somewhere far away, he could hear upbeat music playing.
With no better idea of where to go, Percy started heading for the music. It seemed like it was coming from the end of the hall. The metal double doors were open, revealing what looked like a gymnasium.
"Percy?"
Grover appeared from behind one of the columns lining the wall. He gave Percy a familiar nervous smile, eyes skittering from Percy to the ceiling pretty quickly. Grover raised his head and smelled the air. "You smell weird, dude. Like...dogs?"
"...It's complicated."
For a second, Percy was scared Grover would see through the Mist. That his fangs would be a dead giveaway that something was wrong. But his training must have paid off, or the Mist was being amplified by the number of humans nearby. Either way, Grover didn't notice a thing as he ushered Percy over.
They crouched in the shadows, which wasn't hard. The school was dark and cold and kind of creepy. Percy honestly wouldn't have been surprised if a ghost started walking through the walls.
"The two demigods are inside the gym," Grover said, "There's a dance going on so they won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
"Okay, and where's the monster?"
Grover stifled a nervous goat bleat. "Also in the gym."
Great. Percy ran a hand over his face, his hours of travel starting to weigh on him. He forced himself to focus. "Okay, okay. We've been in worse situations, right? At least this time, no one's getting married."
"Hey!"
Percy couldn't help himself. He smiled. He'd been through hell over the course of the past two days. But this, being in some strange place with monsters on his tail without any backup, was familiar.
"So what's the game plan?" He asked.
Grover glanced toward the front entrance where Percy came. "Well, I was thinking we'd lay low until the dance was close to ending, in about an hour. When everyone starts leaving to head back to the dorms, we meet up with the demigods and bring them out the back. I've already stashed a bag of food and clothes behind the gym, just in case we have to make a quick escape."
Percy nodded. Then his stomach growled, cutting through the silence. Percy pressed a palm to his abdomen, unsure if it was ordinary hunger orhishunger. Either way, he had bigger things to worry about.
Inside the gym, Percy spotted their three targets pretty quickly. There was a heavy aura in the air, exuding from the two kids sitting on the bleachers in the corner. There was also the distinct smell of monster coming off the guy Grover identified as the vice principal, Mr. Thorn.
Percy and Grover separated to keep their presence from becoming too noticeable. And for a while, he just mingled with the mortal kids in the gym. Percy hadn't been in an ordinary school for over a year, and was surprised by how much he missed the smell of dusty gyms and overripe boy's body spray.
Every once in a while, he'd glance at the two kids. They were apparently siblings, but one looked older than the other. Even though Percy technically had a brother himself, it was hard for him to imagine a god loving a mortal enough to want to have two kids.
Percy killed time by nursing a glass of cold fruit punch and a plate of chips, the most he had eaten in hours, when Grover made his way over to him.
He whispered, "It's almost time."
"Good." Percy chugged the last of his punch before tossing out his cup and plate. One hand reached for Riptide, comforted by the feeling of the pen in his jacket pocket. His stomach was still growling, teetering closer to his hunger being one ofthosecravings, when the air in the gym shifted.
Percy didn't know how he knew. He just got the sense that something powerful was close by. He tried to turn and scan the crowd, but Grover grabbed his arm.
"Uh, dude, look alive! Mr. Thorn might try to make a move."
"Okay," Percy said, "but…"
He trailed off. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. It felt like being rubbed by a balloon.Static.
He turned, despite Grover tugging his sleeve. Annabeth and Thalia were standing at the entrance to the gym, scanning the crowd.Percy whipped back to stare at Grover.
"What aretheydoing here?"
"Well," Grover spoke, eyes wide, "I contacted camp after I sent you my dream message. It was an emergency, and I thought I'd need more help!"
"But you couldn't tell me that they were coming?"
Percy tried to play it cool, but there was no reason for Grover to hide the fact that other demigods would be coming. Not unless...
"Percy, they said you ran from camp. I just- I didn't want to spook you."
Percy scowled and took a step back. He ran a hand over his face, knowing he had a time limit of mere seconds before someone, either the monster or Annabeth or Thalia, noticed him.
"Get the kids. I'll handle the monster."
"But Percy-!"
They both turned toward where the di Angelos were and stopped in their tracks.
The bleachers were empty.
Annabeth knew Percy's aura well enough to know he was close. Ironic, really. The more lost and anxious she felt, the closer she knew he was.
"Do you see Grover or Percy?" she asked Thalia.
"No, but keep a lookout for the monster."
Annabeth nodded. It turned out they didn't have to wait long.
Just as Percy's aura started ebbing and it felt like she could breathe freely, Grover appeared and pulled them to the side.
"Percy's gone!"
"What?"Annabeth asked. "So he's here?"
Grover nodded. "The two demigods and the monster are gone too! We have to find them before anything happens."
Annabeth and Thalia shared a look. Her friend's stormy, blue eyes pierced the dim light of the gym.
"Grover, look for Percy. Annabeth, come with me. I'll search for the monster and the demigods, but I might need you to act as backup."
They nodded and split up. Annabeth pulled out her cap and put it on, turning invisible.
"Still with me?" Thalia asked.
"Always."
They found a door at the back of the gym that led to another hallway. Pushing it open, Annabeth noticed it was colder there than in the rest of the building. Either faulty heating, or someone had recently let in the winter air.
"Stay behind me," Thalia spoke, voice barely a whisper.
Annabeth stuck to the side of the hall as Thalia slowly moved forward. The shadows that clung to the old brick walls made Annabeth feel jumpier than usual. They turned a corner, finding nothing unusual. The hall only led to an exit outside, but when Thalia pushed the door open, they found at least a few sets of footprints in the snow.
"Fuck,"Thalia hissed. She started sprinting, Annabeth close behind. If the monster had the kids, then there was no telling what'd happen to them now.
As they raced into the woods, Thalia tapped her wrist, her silver bracelet turning into a shield. She unclipped the pepper spray from her belt, the canister elongating into a silver spear.
Annabeth felt for the knife strapped to her thigh.
There was barely enough light to see where they were going. But without warning, Thalia slowed and stopped. She crouched behind a tree, gesturing for Annabeth to also stop. They stood at a distance from a clearing by a cliff. In the distance, Annabeth could hear the sounds of the ocean.
"A whole semester I waited to seize this opportunity!" A man said, "Do you know how tedious the work of a vice principal is?"
Annabeth squinted, spotting the man speaking, as well as two kids.
"Mr. Thorn! I don't understand!" A girl said.
"Silence! Soon, it will all be clear. Now, if you'd like to remain alive, you will do as I say. Otherwise,"
Annabeth couldn't see what happened, but she heard the sound of something hitting the ground with a sharpthawk.A boy yelped.
"I may do something drastic," the man finished.
Thalia glanced over her shoulder, at where she must have thought Annabeth was. She gestured with her head for Annabeth to move forward.
Right. Annabeth took a deep breath and started edging closer to the clearing. By the light of the moon, she could see that the man had something sticking out of his back. Wings? No, a tail.
Ascorpiontail.
It was a manticore, and the spikes they launched from their tails were both poisonous and deadly. Annabeth steeled herself and edged forward, dagger drawn. She could feel eyes on her back as Thalia readied her own attack.
Just before Annabeth could lunge, she heard a hellhound howl collide with the call of a hunting horn.Chaos broke out.
Just as a silver arrow, a silver arrowAnnabeth recognized,pierced the manticore's shoulder, a hellhound broke through the shadows at one end of the clearing. From the other side, the Hunters of Artemis burst from the woods. Cloaked in silver parkas and armed with glowing white arrows, they shot down the manticore's spikes mid-air. As Thalia lunged for a hellhound, Annabeth rolled forward and pushed the two kids to the ground, getting them out of the line of fire.
Annabeth was suddenly hit with a terrifying sense of loss. Of dread. The smell of the sea strengthened.
She rolled over and strained to see. After a second, she realized the massive blotch of darkness obscuring the manticore was actually a hellhound the size of a tank. And on top of it was Percy with Riptide drawn.
"Hold your fire!" She shouted to the Hunters, hoping they'd listen to her. Percy whipped around at the sound of Annabeth's voice, hitting her with a fresh wave of unfiltered dread as she stared into his unshielded eyes.Annabeth's mind was flooded with thoughts and feelings that weren't her own: unerring anguish, the fear of being lost in pitch black darkness, the gut-wrenching sensation of falling through nothingness, realizing how finite her own life was-
She snapped out of it when she heard the girl next to her shriek as the boy broke into frantic sobs. Percy scowled and turned his attention back to the fight.
A hellhound yelped, a silver arrow sticking out of its flank. It staggered back into the shadows. Annabeth heard Thalia swear loudly from the other side of the massive hellhound.
"Get out of here!" Percy shouted. His voice sounded rougher than usual.
He jumped from the hellhound's back as it evaporated back into the shadows. The rest of the pack vanished from the clearing with a thundering of footsteps, silver arrows flying after them.
Percy landed on the manticore's back, arms wrapped around its neck.
"Idiot boy! Get out of the way!" a voice shouted.
Percy didn't listen.
The moon and scattered glowing arrows shed just enough light for Annabeth to see what was happening. She watched in silent horror as Percy bit into the flesh of the manticore's neck, right where his human head met lion body. Blood spurted from the wound as the monster wailed.
She was helpless to stop them as the manticore began staggering.
"Percy!"someone else shouted.
It jarred him enough that he froze. The manticore roared, grabbing Percy and attempting to throw him off.
For a single second, they moved as one.
Annabeth watched as the manticore lost his footing, plummeting off the cliff and taking Percy with him.
She didn't remember running to the cliff, but when she looked down into the endless depths of the darkened sea, she couldn't see anything at all. Percy had vanished.
She was still reeling from the shock; it took Annabeth a moment to realize someone was crying. She turned and found Percy's mom kneeling at the edge of the cliff, her crossbow laying in the snow next to her.