Westover Hall towered over the forest surrounding it, an intricate working of gray-pink granite capped with red sandstone. It looked every bit the imposing, cold building Percy had been expecting. Snow drifted down from looming clouds, dense and heavy, and he shivered despite himself.

In the passenger seat, Thalia had one headphone in, halfway listening to music and halfway listening to Sally talking her ear off with baby stories, school stories, and any other story she could think of about Percy. It was embarrassing, but it had been an eight hour car ride - there wasn't much else to do really, and so it had kept them all somewhat sane. Next to him, Annabeth was reading a book, something to do with colonial versus post-colonial architecture in the Northeastern U.S., and that left Percy cringing in the backseat as his mother told Thalia about that one time with the baseball team and the horses.

It had been a very, very long car ride.

As they approached Westover Hall and it drew into sharper focus through the snow, Annabeth and Thalia both perked up somewhat. The building seemed to grow taller and colder as they grew nearer, and the sea only a short ways behind it pitched nervously, frothing whitecaps colliding as the wind and tides drove them at oblique angles into each other. It was certainly winter - December 15th - and the storm was settling in over the coast, preparing to unleash itself onto the sleepy little town and, more importantly, the military academy a few miles away from it. A flash of lightning cracked down into a wave as it broke, and Percy jumped.

Twisting around as she heard him startle, Thalia smirked. "Scared of a little lightning, Percy?" Annabeth groaned and shrunk into the door, burying herself into her book as though it would stop the two of them from fighting, but before either of them could get further into the fight, Sally spoke up.

"Everybody have their phones, their spare drachmas? Jackets, spare socks-"

"Yes, Mom, we've got everything, I promise," Percy interrupted, feeling slightly bad but knowing that she would have kept going for a long time without it.

"Nectar and ambrosia? You'll stay out of trouble, right, Percy?" She shot him a pointed look, and he wilted slightly. Maybe he was the demigod son of one of the most powerful entities ever, but he knew better than to piss off his mother. Fortunately, Annabeth piped up to assure Sally.

"We'll keep him out of trouble, Ms. Jackson, we promise. We've brought everything and I've got spares for the spares, too, so it'll be fine." Sally smiled warmly at the daughter of Athena. Annabeth was, to Sally, the only person capable of keeping Percy on the straight and narrow - or maybe just alive - and Percy had to admit she was right. Didn't mean he was happy about admitting it.

Shortly after, they were standing in the biting wind and snow, shivering despite their dozen layers, and watching the truck's tail lights disappear into the snow. Thalia was the one to break the slightly awkward silence. "Your mom is seriously cool, Percy."

He nodded. She was seriously cool, and despite being occasionally embarrassing when it came to sharing every detail of Percy's past (or being slightly overbearing) he appreciated that she cared. The group set off towards the imposing main gates, their heavy wrought steel conspicuously open for them. Bracing themselves against the wind, the girls hunkered down into their coats a little further. Percy found himself a little less bothered by it for whatever reason - maybe Poseidon's heritage gave him more resilience to these poor coastal conditions - and glanced over at each of the girls.

Their friendship had resumed itself instantaneously after the daughter of Zeus had emerged from the tree, and though she was a little shocked to see Annabeth six years older than she had last known her, the two quickly settled back into an easy familiarity. The dynamic had shifted somewhat now that Thalia didn't have to take care of Annabeth quite so much, but the two still matched each other's stride, still settled into a formation automatically, still ate every meal together and spent nearly every waking minute together. Percy probably would have been jealous of Annabeth's attention were it not for how happy she was. He simply couldn't bring himself to begrudge her any of this returned happiness.

"Yeah, she is. What, uh, what about you? You, uh…" He let the sentence die as both girls turned a frosty glance onto him. Suddenly he was feeling very cold indeed, and strode ahead to the massive white oak doors set deep into a stone archway. Hauling one open, he held it for the girls to march through, then dragged it shut against the wind as the slightly warmer air of the hall tried its damnedest to escape. The hall was somewhat more welcoming than the exterior, but not by much. Massive oak timbers braced the roof high above in a peaked shape, and the walls were adorned with various flags, weapons, medals, pictures, and accolades.

The fireplace at one end of the hall was roaring but not welcoming; its fiery arms reached skyward as though it were trying to climb up the chimney and escape this somber place. In front of it stood two particularly displeased adults, one vaguely French-looking man with a flat nose and a diminutive woman with a ferocious glare behind her half-rimmed glasses.

"And who might you be?"

Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other nervously, realizing they'd forgotten to plan this far ahead, but Thalia stepped forwards confidently, snapping her fingers low by her hips. "I'm Thalia, and this is Percy and Annabeth. We go here? We're here for the dance."

The woman blinked, glanced at the man beside her, then nodded slowly. "Right, Thalia, and Percy, and Annabeth. You're sophomores. Dr. Thorn, my mistake - I didn't recognize them."

The man seemed wholly unconvinced, pinning Percy with a stare, and Percy did his very best impression of a student at a military school rather than whatever he really was. He stood up a little straighter, squared his shoulders, frowned. Annabeth almost giggled as she watched, but managed to contain herself long enough for Thorn to nod stiffly and pat down his own French suit.

"Well, then, you'd best get back to the gymnasium, children," he sniffed, spinning on his heel and whisking away with a measured pace. Percy grimaced - he knew exactly how long it had taken him to get that pace down, walking around with string tied to both ankles measuring his paces exactly. Then, eager not to arouse more suspicion, the trio hurried off towards the gymnasium. Percy was burning with curiosity about the finger-snap-convince-people magic Thalia had used, but figured it could wait a bit.

Suddenly, Grover appeared from around a corner, bleating in happiness. "There you guys are! I gotta talk to you," he called, grabbing Percy for a quick hug before he turned to the others. "I found two." Everyone glanced at each other in shock. Two was a lot. These days, it was rare to even find one half-blood away from camp.

"Any idea who their parents are?" Thalia asked, hushed, but Grover shook his head.

"They're siblings - a freshman and a seventh grader - and they're powerful. They don't know yet, though. You know how it goes when a half-blood finds out about it, they smell so much stronger." The group nodded solemnly, as it was a truth that Annabeth and Thalia had experienced firsthand. "There's a monster, too. He suspects them but isn't quite certain. Every time I try to get close to them, though, he's right there. It's so frustrating!"

Percy blinked at the anger in Grover's voice, and then again as he looked to Thalia for answers. That kind of stung, but it made sense. Thalia had by far the most experience dealing with monsters and the general practice of saving the day, though Percy felt he wasn't too far behind after his experiences with the whole saving-the-world and saving-the-camp quests of the past summers. He knew that Thalia had experience in what mattered, though. Survival.

"These half-bloods are at the dance, yes?" She asked, and when Grover nodded, she said something that made Percy really hate her. "Then let's dance."

Pretty shortly thereafter Annabeth and Grover had moved onto the dance floor and tried to make their way towards the half-bloods Grover had pointed out. Both di Angelos were reedy, tall and thin and dressed in clothes that were unassuming but looked like they'd been pulled straight from the 40s. Nico, the brother, wore slacks and a button down, while his sister worse a long and flowing skirt and a turtleneck sweater, topped with a beanie. They were having a hushed conversation in the corner, and it looked a lot like she was scolding him. Percy shrugged and glanced over at Thalia.

"Well, uh… What do you think about that school you and Annabeth are at?"

Thalia blinked. "Uh, it's okay I guess. They don't really like me, and I don't really like school, but there are some cool people there. It's nice to be in the same place for a while, you know?"

Percy did know, even if he hadn't experienced running to the same extent as Thalia. This kind of community and shelter was a new thing for her after a childhood spent running from monsters and relying entirely upon herself. It was probably a huge change, but she didn't seem to be too perturbed by it, and he had to admire that. He just watched her for a second, thinking. She didn't seem to appreciate that.

"Well, Percy? What are you waiting for? Dance!" she growled, and he looked at her helplessly, then glanced around the hall. It was full of girls in fancy dresses and imposing heels, tittering at each other as they waited for the cute boys to come and dance with them. The boys, for their part, were huddled and murmuring on the other side of the hall, too afraid to speak to the girls under any circumstance.

"Yeah, but with who?"

He doubled over as Thalia's elbow smacked his ribs, none too gently. "With me, jackass."

"Oh."

The two danced in silence for a bit, Percy's steps unsure at first - it had been years since he'd been forced, practically at gunpoint, to learn to dance. Thalia was passable, though, and so Percy picked it back up quickly. He searched desperately for a way to remove some of the awkwardness that had built up over the course of his blunders through the night. "So, uh… You glad to be back in the land of the living?"

Thalia snorted. "That's a dumb question, isn't it?" Percy asked rhetorically, and when she nodded, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. You know what I mean, though," he said, and when the song changed from a slow dance to something by Green Day, she shifted away for a minute to dance as the song demanded. He grimaced but danced along as best he could, sure that he'd pissed her off - until she reappeared and nodded, smiling more softly than he'd ever expect for the punk daughter of Zeus who wore Medusa on her wrist.

"Yeah, it's… it's nice. I missed Annabeth, a lot. Also, don't tell anyone this: being a tree, it's really fucking boring," she shouted over the song, and he grinned slightly. This Thalia was a lot more fun than the one he'd fought with over the summer. "I mean, everything is so… different… but it's nice."

He grimaced as he realized she was probably talking about Luke. Somehow, the guy had betrayed camp and tried to kill Percy, even tried to kill Thalia basically, and she and Annabeth both still missed him. Was it wrong to be jealous of that? Probably, but Percy couldn't really help it. Thalia turned around to face him again, and he quickly shaped the grimace into a smile again. She looked down slightly, then met his eyes and held the contact for a second. After a long, lingering moment where Percy noticed gold flecks in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, she looked away, searching for the green beanie Bianca had worn. She swore.

"They're gone, Percy. Where the hell are Grover and Annabeth?"

Percy's head snapped around to catch the gymnasium door swinging shut, and he pointed it out to Thalia. "You go find Annabeth - I'm going after them." Before she could argue, point out that she was better at fighting, stealthier, he had already vaulted the punch table and began moving through the crowd. He was tall, broad shouldered, trim, built like a sailor already even though he wasn't yet seventeen, and the crowd of dancers swayed to create a gap as though they were the ocean and he were a warship slicing through waves. Thalia watched him go for half a second before she, too, snapped into action, searching for Annabeth and Grover. They were by the bleachers, stuck in a crowd and gesturing furiously for her attention. She gesticulated wildly at them and they began shoving their way over, Grover bleating apologies as they tried to catch up to her.

In short, it was a catastrophe. Percy barely registered the cacophony behind him as the others rushed to catch up, too focused on finding the missing di Angelo children. Somewhere in the back of his head, his brain registered that Dr. Thorn was missing too - the neatly pressed French suit had been watching from near the DJ stand, but now it was conspicuously absent. Ignoring how that niggled at him, Percy catapulted himself past a group of middle school boys awkwardly huddled under the basketball hoop. One of the boys stumbled and Percy shot an apology over his shoulder but he was already a dozen paces away and speeding up.

Percy barreled through the gym door, spinning to dash down the hallway towards the just barely closing door to the outside. Riptide was already in his hand, still in pen form, and he pushed himself a little harder to cover the distance. His thighs were burning already but his lungs felt great, and silently he was glad that he'd kept up with his workouts during the fall semester. The cold air in the building felt great, Percy wearing only a few layers after having ditched the majority in the dance hall. Oh well - maybe Grover would grab them.

Nearing the end of the hallway one of the axes on the wall came loose and tumbled down towards Percy's head. His demigod reflexes saved him before his human brain had even registered the movement, forcing Percy to drop to the ground and slide like a baseball player ducking a throw to take home plate. It wasn't easy in jeans and combat boots, but he managed - the alternative was eating a nice double-bit sandwich, and Percy wasn't in the mood for steel. Shoving himself back up with his arm, the demigod threw his shoulder into the gigantic wooden door and shunted it open.

As he burst out into the snow, the biting cold slammed into him, and he paused for a half second to try to get his bearings. Unfortunately, that delay cost him. Something massive and sharp slammed into his sword arm shoulder, spinning him around halfway. He swore. The impact smashed him back against the opposite door to the one he had opened and he could feel fire coursing through his veins. Presumably, the arrowlike thing had been poisoned somehow. It also felt like the projectile had cut something important, but glanced off of his collarbone - he still had mobility, it just hurt like hell. His shoulder grated and popped as it swung, and the enormous spike sticking out of it didn't make Percy feel particularly happy, but he had bigger problems.

His arm hanging limply by his side, he lunged into the cover of the archway, slamming Tyson's wristwatch against his leg to trigger it. As the shield expanded out to its full size, the demigod swung his shoulder experimentally a few times - good enough for now. With a deep preparatory breath Percy spun around the corner, ducking another thorn on instinct and blocking the next with his shield. The one he had ducked slammed into the oak door and stood there, quivering and giving off an ominous tone as it vibrated that conveyed exactly to Percy just how much energy each was carrying.

The next one, however, punched through the shield and pierced into his arm, fixing the shield in place firmly and sending pain shooting up his shield arm as well. The monster laughed harshly, turning to jog away and dragging the di Angelos, shivering and unhappy, behind him. Percy ducked behind a rock and watched the creature that had once been Dr. Thorn slink away. His right arm was improving, and he used it to dig out the ambrosia from his jean pocket. With his shield, he wrenched the spike out of his shoulder, then chomped down on the small golden square. Normally it was a pleasant feeling to be healed by ambrosia, but the poison still coursing through his veins fought it and he felt like every inch of his insides was burning.

Snapping off a small portion of the godly food, the Son of the Sea did something he'd heard Thalia talk about doing - he chewed it and created a makeshift salve, then spat it onto the shoulder wound. The pain in his shoulder redoubled and the demigod bit damn near through his lip in an effort to keep quiet. He could feel the skin and muscle knitting itself back together. It wouldn't last forever. There would be a definite need for proper medical attention.

Later.

He shrugged his shoulder experimentally, grunted, and dashed off after the manticore - right into another spike.

Hey all. Welcome to the story. These first maybe 9 chapters were all written over the course of a week or so so they're a little rough and I'm doing a little editing before I move us on to the next arc of the story (Battle of the Labyrinth-ish). This chapter was posted 4/13/23 and updated 6/5/23.

Anyways - I hope you enjoy the story. Feel free to review or PM me with questions/thoughts/advice. I really do appreciate any criticism or thoughts.