Every night Percy was haunted by his decision to keep the truth from her. The look of complete betrayal in her electric-blue eyes danced in his nightmares to such a degree that it rivaled the grief he felt when his mother was kidnapped and presumed dead. For the rest of the summer, Thalia wouldn't even look at him. Annabeth wasn't exactly being helpful, but at least she wasn't flat out ignoring him. Most of her time was spent with Thalia to assist her acclimation to camp, so she didn't have much time for Percy. Tyson had also left camp; he had gone to Atlantis to begin his internship with Poseidon.

That meant his nights were eerily silent, and he absolutely hated it. Why couldn't she understand? Why didn't she get that he wasn't being malicious? Chiron was at least sympathetic, but that didn't do much. After all, it wasn't the centaur who he wanted to spend time with. Percy had lost his best friend because of a stupid decision, and even worse, she didn't believe him about Luke. The Crooked One had shown him her final moments, her final desperate pleas for salvation. Yet, they fell silent on the ears of her father. Percy wouldn't mind seeing him burn in Tartarus just for the crime of abandoning her.

Still, despite the face of despair that now haunted his nightmares, maybe their reunion this summer wouldn't be so bad. Annabeth and Thalia had gone to an all-girl's boarding school in the city, so other than the occasional Iris message, he had lost all contact. Although it wasn't as though Thalia really wanted to speak with him anyway. In a way, he was grateful for that, because every time he thought about it, his heart would just get twisted in knots. As challenging as the subject of Luke was, at least Annabeth didn't make his heart go crazy.

His mother wasn't being very helpful either. Every time he would try to bring up his feelings, she'd just chuckle at him like she knew something he didn't. Then, she would usually end with something along the lines of 'just give her some time.' Why didn't anyone else seem to understand his dilemma? His best friend hated his guts and he didn't even have the chance to make it better.

So, when Grover had sent out the distress signal, it was perplexing. Sure, he was excited and always ready to help his friends, but knowing that Thalia and Annabeth would be there too? It sent his heart into a frenzy, like the restless tides. Although the longer he spent trying to decipher the waves, the stranger they became.

Annabeth wasn't completely blameless either, at least in Percy's mind. She knew the truth, but could not grapple with it, leading her to try and walk a tightrope that didn't exist. Sure, it was understandable given her past history with Luke, but that only explained the struggle, not the conclusion. Arguing that he 'wanted Luke to be evil?' That accusation sliced through him. He had been good friends with the guy before he went off the rails, but he had chosen his side. He wasn't going to sacrifice his friends to give an enemy one more chance. Still, Thalia ran with the comment. Relationships were complicated, or at least girls were. If she were forced to choose between him and Luke, what would happen? At the current rate, he didn't like his chances.

Still, he was willing to put his mixed feelings aside. Grover needed help, and no one was going to get in his way. He was even willing to have his mom take him all the way up to Bar Harbor, Maine, an eight hour drive. Was it mildly embarrassing to have his mother drive him to his battles? Sure. But embarrassing was better than dead, or even worse, allowing his friends to die.

It was even worth the baby stories that his mother told the girls. With the exception of Sally, everyone was silent. Grover had been pretty vague in his distress signal. Being demigods, any unknown was a great source of anxiety, even for arguably the three strongest demigods of the generation. Still, despite the embarrassment, it was nice to see the girls smiling for the first time in a while.

As they rolled to a stop, Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun. Although I'll admit, I prefer summer weather."

Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff, overlooking a big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other. Percy felt at home the more he reached into the depths over the cliff, as though his father was giving him some reassurance. He wondered if Thalia felt that way in the sky.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Sally asked. "I don't want you guys to be stuck here. Besides, everybody needs a getaway driver."

"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take, but we'll be okay."

"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."

Heat crept into his cheeks, even as his heart filled with appreciation.

"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. "We'll keep him out of trouble."

Sally seemed to relax at that reassurance. She's convinced that Annabeth is the most level-headed demigod to ever make it to high school. Sure, she was right, but that didn't mean Percy was happy about it. He and Thalia were incredibly impulsive, as evidenced by their expulsions and general behavioral troubles. Annabeth had once described them as incredibly similar, and that distinction was becoming more apparent the longer they spent with one another. Annabeth had even described the mischievous glint in their eyes as the same.

"All right, dears," Sally said. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. She wore a matching ski cap with Annabeth, except her cap was black instead of gray. Her short black hair fit inside nicely, highlighting her silver earrings.

"Thanks for the ride, and please, don't hesitate to tell us more stories about Percy."

"Oh don't worry dears," Sally chuckled. "There's always more."

"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Thanks for the ride. We've got everything. Annabeth will make sure of that. Come on guys." Percy said, eager to end the conversation.

She looked a little hurt and Percy was sorry about that, but he was ready to be out of that car. If his mother told one more story about how cute he looked in the bathtub when he was three, he was going to burrow into the snow and freeze himself to death. He didn't need the girls to know every embarrassing thing he ever did. He gave them enough material in the present as it was.

Percy ducked out of the car, the girls following him outside. The wind blew straight through his coat, cutting like little daggers. Annabeth seemed acclimated, but Thalia shivered and pulled her hood up over her ski cap. Her coat stood out among her usual wardrobe: a thick silver parka over her black jeans and Green Day t-shirt.

Once Sally's car was out of sight, Thalia turned. "Your mom is so cool, Percy."

Well, it was a start. Not bad for the first words the pair had spoken in nearly four months.

"She is pretty cool." Percy admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he wished he could take them back. For one, whenever the topic would be broached in his dreamscape she would usually deflect, making her thoughts on the matter known. Still, despite preparing, the glare she shot at him pierced his soul, as though she could squeeze the life out of it if she wanted.

Thalia was always immaculate at giving evil looks, and her punk get-up helped as well–the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry. The black eyeliner, purple lipstick, and intense electric blue eyes. Percy couldn't help but think that it suited her perfectly. Her usually hidden blond roots betrayed the fact that she dyed her hair, but he thought she looked better that way anyway. Blond was Annabeth's thing. Hell, Thalia had even asked him to find a way to get some black dye when they were in his dreamscape so she could touch it up.

But now, all that ire was trained directly on Percy. As though he were in the crosshairs of a sniper. "If that were any of your business, Percy–"

Annabeth, sensing an upcoming fight, spoke up quickly. "We'd better get inside, Grover will be waiting."

Thalia shot Percy one more glare before looking up at the castle. She shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."

Percy joined her in gazing up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," he concluded.

The oak doors groaned open, and the trio stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

All Percy could say was, "Whoa."

The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. Sure, Westover Hall was a military school and everything, but the decorations seemed like overkill. You'd think a school that tries to emulate military service would know when something was truly dead, but apparently not.

His hand drifted to his pocket, where he kept his lethal pen, Riptide. His senses were going off the rails, alerting him that something wasn't right. Even more curiously, he thought he could sense pomegranates. Sure, he had some weird quirks about his parentage, and some of it had been revealed after he had been confronted in the Underworld, but some of it was still a mystery.

Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item, the same nervous energy overtaking her as well. A fight was coming, and it was going to get ugly.

Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where–"

The doors slammed shut behind them in response.

"Oo-kay," Percy mumbled. "Guess we'll stay a while."

Dance music echoed from the end of the hall. They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started towards it. They hadn't gone very far when Percy heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows, intercepting them.

They both had short gray hair and black military uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, which did not suit her, and the guy was clean-shaven. Percy wanted to ask the guy how it felt to have a woman able to better sport facial hair, but he figured it probably wasn't the time for that. They both walked stiffly, as though they were forced to move with brooms taped to their spines.

"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…" Percy's heart filled with dread. He had been so worried about the fight he hadn't thought of actually getting in the building. Mortals could be just as troublesome as monsters. "Ma'am, we're just–"

"Ha!" the man snapped, which made Percy jump out of his shoes. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall beeee-jected!"

He had a French accent. Or at least that's what Percy assumed given that he pronounced his J's like inJacques. He was tall with a hawkish face, which was mildly unsettling. It was as though his human face was simply a facade. Upon further inspection, he was alsoreallytall. Not in a physically impossible sort of way, but in a way that a man who stood around eight feet tall shouldn't be able to move as gracefully and effortlessly as he did. Combine that with his flaring nostrils and dual-colored eyes –one blue, one brown– you've got a creature on the borders of uncanny valley.

Percy watched as Thalia stepped forward, almost as if she was in slow motion. Like if she was in an action shot about to do something badass. Then, instead of impaling the guy, which would have been Percy's vote, she snapped her fingers.

The sound was sharp and loud. Much sharper than a snap should be. He wasn't sure, but he could've sworn he felt a small gust of wind ripple out from her hand across the room. As though the fabric of reality that undergirded everything was suddenly disrupted. The only confirmation that it wasn't his imagination was the slight rustling of the banners on the walls.

"Oh, but we're not visitors sir," Thalia said, her voice oozing confidence. "We go to school here. You remember? I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the tenth grade."

The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. Something wasn't right. Now they were going to get thrown out for lying AND trespassing. Still, the man seemed to be hesitating, like a saboteur unsure if the moment was right to strike.

Finally, he looked over at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"

In spite of the danger they were currently in, Percy had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher namedGot Chalk?The irony clearly wasn't lost on Thalia either, as he thought he caught a small chuckle from her as well.

The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance, or at the very least the best nap of her life. "I…yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at the trio. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium? I could've sworn we were quite clear as to the boundaries of the dance."

Before they could answer, Percy heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You–"
He stopped short when he saw the teachers, afraid to say more. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh–"

"Whatisit Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover more than a dead bug under his shoe. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."

Grover swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant, I'm so glad they made…the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"

Dr. Thorn glared, seemingly unconvinced. He looked like he wanted to throw everyone, even Mrs. Gottschalk, off the castle's highest tower. Then, his colleague interrupted his unfriendly glare.

"Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again unless you want to spend a month erasing math books. Off with you!"

Percy shuddered at the reminder. Maybe this woman was the real monster after all. That was a punishment only Hades' Furies could think up. Still, she didn't smell like Pomegranates, so at the very least she couldn't be one of those. Creatures from the Underworld gave off a very distinct aura. He figured his ability to sense that was just part of his interesting parentage. It also probably helped with the whole dream buddies thing with Thalia. He was the first demigod in millennia to be able to both sense souls and control water. He wasn't sure he liked it. Learning how water worked was hard enough. Because no one worshiped the gods anymore, most people had a spiritual disconnect which often led to very unhappy souls. So generally, he ignored that portion of his abilities.

Grover snapped in front of Percy's face. "Hey dude, you alright?"

"Yeah man, sorry. Just spaced for a second." Percy replied.

"Let's go, the teachers are still watching."

"Sounds good."

Grover rushed them down the hall in the direction of the music, eager to escape the menacing glares of Dr. Thorn and his mustached companion. The teachers' eyes felt like they were burning a hole through Percy's back. He edged closer to Thalia and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"

"You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"

An uncomfortable lump formed in Percy's throat. Chiron was the head trainer, but he was admittedly…forgetful sometimes. Still, why Thalia got to learn that while Percy was left in the dark…it hurt just a little bit. Especially because there was some kind of Great Prophecy that was supposed to end the world or something once one of them turned eighteen. As far as anyone could tell, Thalia was a couple months younger than Percy, so it wasn't even an age thing.

Grover hurried them to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with his dyslexia, Percy was able to decipher it pretty easily.

"That was close!" Grover said with a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods you got here!"

Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. Percy opted for a high five, as he wasn't a huge fan of the hugging thing.

It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, matching Percy's own black ones. Otherwise though, he looked like he always did when he passed for human –a red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt, the lettering on it taking a few seconds to work out. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. Whether that was referring to Grover's rank or something like the school motto remained a mystery. For his friend's sake, Percy wasn't going to ask.

"So what's the emergency?" Percy asked.

Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."

"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here? In the middle of Maine?"

Grover just nodded in response.

Finding one half-blood in a school was rare enough. This year Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. Normally, such an action would be unthinkable, but with the upcoming war and the always growing risk of defection, camp needed as many new campers as they could find.

"A brother and a sister," he said. "They're twelve and fourteen. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. We're running out of time, though. I need help getting them out."

"What's a twelve year old doing in a high school?" Percy asked.

"It's a combined junior high and high school." Grover explained. "In remote areas like this, sometimes schools combine due to lack of numbers."

That idea sounded completely foreign to Percy, but he took Grover's explanation for it. He was a city slicker at heart.

"Monsters?" Thalia asked, trying to refocus the conversation.

"One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term. I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do. I think he's having a little bit of trouble figuring out where it's coming from. I think he's figured me out though. Still, the presence of a satyr doesn't really mean much because we're everywhere, demigod or not."

Grover's desperate gaze swung to Thalia, and Percy tried not to let it sting. Grover used to look to him for answers, but he seemed to have lost that privilege. Being roughly the same age, he couldn't really use that card, and Thalia's dadwasZeus. It was just the truth in the Greek pantheon that Zeus was treated with greater reverence. Plus, Thalia had sacrificed herself for the camp, and that gave her a rightfully earned celebrity status. Once word had gotten around that Percy had kept the truth about Luke from Thalia, he wasn't exactly hated, but people seemed to trust him less, leading to a sudden and unceremonious demotion.

"Right," Thalia said, snapping Percy out of his internal monologue. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"

Grover nodded.

"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"

"Oh," Grover said, looking around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

Percy froze. Well, at least that explained his uncanny appearance.

It was kind of funny in hindsight. At military schools, the strictest of all, the kids go absolutely nuts whenever there is some kind of special event and they get the slightest bit of freedom. It made sense. Crushing their individuality, or moreover, channeling it, would lead to occasional explosions whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Immediately, Percy's eyes were assaulted with all sorts of colors. Black and red balloons were the centerpiece, but streamers of all colors were all over the floors and walls. The guys were being…guys. Throwing the balloons at every passerby and generally being obnoxious. The girls weren't being any better though, saving their torment in the form of unwanted makeovers. They traveled in little huddles like beauty piranhas, with the eyes of any unfortunate boy close enough betraying his fear. By the end of the ordeal, he would have ribbons in his hair and lipstick graffiti over his face. Some of the older guys looked a bit more like Percy at his dances–uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide from the gaggles of girls.

"There they are," Grover beckoned towards a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and both used vibrant hand gestures as they spoke. Given Percy's familiarity with all the good New York pizza places, he immediately placed them of Italian descent. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something, but the boy didn't seem to care. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

Still, the most perplexing thing was the overwhelming smell of pomegranates. Grover had once mentioned that underground smelled like monsters. For Percy, everything in or from the Underworld reeked of pomegranates. The smell was unique to creatures and beings who called the Underworld home. But that didn't make any sense…especially because the demigods were obviously biological siblings as well. Signifying that Hades would have had to spend significant time away from Persephone. Despite the usual godly flaws, he adored his wife, and he had kept his exploits to a minimum in the last century or so.

"Do they…I mean, have you told them?" Annabeth asked.

Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."

Percy realized the wisdom in not telling the kids the truth. If they were truly children of Hades, or by some miracle even his own godly siblings, knowing the truth would pretty much kill them immediately. As it was, Dr. Thorn would probably be making his move on these kids any moment now.

"So let's just grab them and get the hell out of here." Percy voted. "Dr. Thorn already knows."

Thalia placed her hand on Percy's shoulder. She nodded over at Dr. Thorn, who had slithered his way into the gymnasium doorway. He nodded coldly at them before angling himself toward the di Angelo siblings. His blue eye began to glow faintly. "Not yet," she urged. "He'll kill them before we even get the chance."

Percy wanted to protest that he was going to kill them anyway. Thalia's lightning was pretty fast, and he could bring the building down in a moment if he absolutely had to. Still, he bit his tongue. There were too many people around to try something so drastic. Things hadn't gotten quite that dire. Yet Dr. Thorn hadn't been fooled by the Mist trick; he already knew who they were. Percy felt a pit open in his stomach.

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get to them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"You think that'll work?" Percy asked. "I think he already suspects."

"We don't have much choice," Thalia grit her teeth. "If he takes them, we don't have a chance. Just keep an eye on the kids."

"How can we throw him off?"

"We're three of the most powerful Half-Bloods of the generation. Hopefully our presence can confuse him as to his targets. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing."

"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose Jesse McCartney?"

Hurt flashed across Grover's features. "I did."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Next time, I vote Green Day."

As much as he liked Grover, Percy agreed with Thalia's assessment. Grover could rival Chiron when it came to choosing music.

"I have a better idea." Annabeth said. "Grover and I will go scour the edges of the gym. As children of the Big Three, you should be able to draw Dr. Thorn's attention. With my cap, I should be able to get in close to the kids."

"So, you get to have all the fun while Percy and I are stuck at a dance?" Thalia asked, deadpan.

"Exactly." Annabeth said with a smirk.

"This isn't the first time you've used me as bait." Percy grumbled.

"At least I'm telling you this time! Besides, I don't think we have a better option."

No one wanted to admit it, but Annabeth was right. Dr. Thorn was still trailing the siblings, and he needed a bigger prize to make him lose interest. Percy and Thalia, at least in terms of raw power, were by far the more attractive targets. Still, a shiver down Percy's spine, filling him with dread. Something seemed off about this plan.

"Can he smell you if you're invisible?" Percy asked. "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"

Silence. No one really knew the answer to that question.

"Loathe as I am to admit it, Percy's right." Thalia said. "We can go with the plan, but only if you keep your distance until he strikes for us. Deal? I don't want you to get hurt, Annie."

Annabeth pouted a little as her plan was reworked, but she reluctantly agreed to keep her distance. "Fine, but like Thalia said, we need to avoid looking at the kids as much as possible. Dr. Thorn already knows who we are, and if we show interest, we'll just be confirming his suspicions. Play dumb."

"Percy does that without even trying." Thalia said.

"Hey, wait a minute," Percy began to protest. "What does that mean?"

A shrug of the shoulders was all he got in response.

Annabeth pulled out her magic Yankees cap. "Have fun you two," she said. Then, she swapped hats and vanished from sight. Percy could've sworn he saw a wink as she vanished.

As Grover scampered off to join her, that left the two Big Three kids in the middle of the dance floor.

The tension in the air felt suffocating. All the things he wanted to say were racing around in his mind, but instead of saying something helpful like 'I'm sorry' or trying to make amends, all he said was, "So, dancing, huh?"

"Forget it." Thalia huffed.

"'We're three powerful half bloods, mingle, do some dancing,'" Percy snarked. "Or was that just for show?"

"Consider yourself lucky if you're alive by the end of the night." Thalia said with a glare.

"That still wasn't a no."

He waited for the air to crackle like it usually did when Thalia was upset, but it never came. Instead, the tension seeped into his bones, like a fermata that never came to its conclusion. Her eyes seemed perplexed, as if she was debating between murdering him on the spot, or just admitting defeat. He began to shift foot to foot, unsure of what to do. She remained silent, her bright blue eyes fixed towards him, relishing in his discomfort.

"Fine," was all she said.

She raised an eyebrow, silently asking if he was going to take the lead, or if she was going to have to. His heart began to race. Still, he wasn't going to let her lead, not after he had just challenged her. The only problem was…he didn't know how to dance. At all of his school dances, he had been part of the group that hid in the corner playing cards or some other games. Now, he had a beautiful girl who had, begrudgingly, accepted his invitation to dance. He could only hope she wouldn't notice the sweat on his palms.

He quickly scanned the gymnasium, trying to pick up something useful from other couples. From what he could see, the guys would take their partner's left hand in theirs and place their right hands on the girl's lower back. The steps looked simple enough. Sensing Thalia's impatience, he quickly grabbed her left hand and guided his other hand towards the small of her back. He felt a small jolt as it found its target.

"I'm not going to go easy on you," Thalia said, smirking. "Just remember, don't do anything stupid."

Easy for her to say, she wasn't the one being shocked all the time. Still, it felt…surprisingly natural. Before tonight, the pair of them hadn't shared any words since the night in the Big House. Every attempt to approach her since then had resulted in an unpleasant electrical shock that left his fingers numb for the next few minutes.

As they danced, his mind refused to slow. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but every sentence caught in his throat. Despite his initial surprise at allowing his hand on her back, his heart continued to race and his breaths felt quick and shallow. Instead of dissipating the tension that had worked its way into the room, the pressure felt as though it had multiplied, leaving nothing but an uncomfortable silence as he mulled over his words.

The song was nice. He wasn't familiar with it, but it sounded like one that would be played at his own school dances. One that would usually have the DJ get on the loudspeaker and invite the boys and girls to pair up. It was pretty easy to keep time with his steps, and even if he didn't, it probably just helped him blend in a little bit more with the awkward teenagers around him.

The tension was nearly unbearable at this point. Even Thalia looked a little uncomfortable, her steps becoming slightly more erratic. He looked into her eyes and saw the familiar crackle they always held whenever she was too lost in her own mind. So many things to say, so little time. He swallowed his pride and decided to just go for it.

"Look…Thals…"

"No, don't," she shot back. "You already know."

"How am I supposed to apologize if you won't even let me?" Percy said, trying to keep his voice level. "I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have kept the truth from you, I just didn't know what to do."

"I thought we were friends." Thalia said, eyes narrowing. "I trusted you with everything, but you couldn't even tell me the truth about my best friend."

Hearing Luke be called her best friend sent a flare of jealousy through Percy. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because he knew the truth about him, and he knew that trusting the son of Hermes would only lead to future hurt. Why didn't she understand? He was just trying to make her happy and protect her from the pain that Luke inflicted everywhere he went.

"He's just going to hurt you." Percy said evenly. "Tell me, if you hadn't come back. Would you have still wanted to know the truth? Knowing your best friend poisoned you and left you for dead?"

"He knew the fleece would bring me back. He was just trying to help!"

"He's trying to use you. Manipulate you. He did it to me too."

"Oh, like hiding the truth from me to spare my feelings? Did he do that too? I'mnota child."

"I told you, I'm sor–"

"Just shut up, Percy. I don't want to hear it."

The air began to crackle, and Thalia's expressive eyes began to match the shifting in the room. The tips of her fingers began to vibrate and her glare fixed itself on Percy. Instead of backing down, he rose to meet the challenge. Why didn't she understand the truth? He was going to tell her, even if he got hurt in the process.

"If you want me to shut up, you're going to have to make me." Percy said, his voice betraying a false sense of confidence.

The energy in the air instantly dissipated. Instead of the quick anger Percy had been expecting, Thalia's expression morphed into one of confusion. She was clearly taken aback by the challenge. The pressure cooker that was the gymnasium had once more turned into a thick mist. One moment turned to two. The blood raced in Percy's ears. Maybe he had gone too far and she really would kill him. The rest of the world seemed to go completely silent, fading away until it was just the two of them.

His eyes flitted between her stunned gaze and her full lips. She had used a darker shade of purple lipstick than normal, and it suited her. When they weren't talking about how much they hated him, her lips looked…really good. Soft. For a brief moment, he wondered how they might feel against his. Heat began to rush to his face, and the entire room felt as though it was heating up. Her lips pursed slightly, a sign that she was deep in thought.

Suddenly, Thalia's eyes widened in alarm, her attention on the bleachers. "The kids, they're gone."

That got his attention. He looked over to where the Di Angelo siblings had been. All that remained was a single playing card. Dr. Thorn was nowhere to be seen, and if Annabeth had gotten his attention he still would have remained in the gymnasium. That left only one option.

"Thorn has the kids." Percy deduced. "We need to go after him."

"I'll go get Annabeth and Grover. I know exactly where she'll be, and Grover won't be far from her." Thalia wrenched herself from his grasp and turned toward the exit.

The protest died on Percy's tongue. He attempted to follow, but a pack of girls stopped him in his path. By the time he could maneuver around them, Thalia had vanished,Shit,he thought. They were running out of time. That left him with one option.

His instincts told him that Thorn wanted the kids for more than a simple meal, otherwise he would've taken the chance to nab them already. He was probably trying to take them somewhere. Percy's heart sank as the realization settled in that this could've been a recruiting mission. He didn't have time to wait around to find the others.

He took off into the hallway to look for Dr. Thorn, leaving the others in the gymnasium to catch up later.

The door opened into a dimly lit hallway. Scuffling sounds came from the darkness ahead, followed by a painful grunt. Sensing a fight, Percy uncapped Riptide.

He jogged down the corridor searching for the noise, but he didn't have any luck. He opened every door throughout the damp hallway, but eventually he found himself back at the main entry hall. Dr. Thorn was nowhere to be seen, but on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen, like statues. The only indication that they were still alive were their twitching eyes.

Still, something didn't seem right. Obviously, Thorn had taken the kids there, but now that he was gone, that meant he was either scared of Riptide, which was possible but not likely, or somewhere close by. Right now though, the kids stared at Percy, frozen in fear. He felt a pang of sympathy. His first encounter to the demigod world had been when one of Hades' Furies, his math teacher, had tried to kill him.

He lowered his sword to try and calm the young demigods. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Percy. I'm going to get you out of here and take you somewhere safe."
Bianca's eyes widened and immediately he realized that the Di Angelos weren't scared of him. They were trying to warn him.

Sharp pain exploded in his shoulder as a force like a massive hand yanked him backward and slammed him into the wall. His chest immediately tightened as he struggled for air, the impact knocking it out of him. Instinctually, he swung his sword in the direction of the attacker, but nothing was there.

A cold, creepy laugh echoed through the hall.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr. Thorn's sinister French voice rang out. "I have been waiting for you. Every monster has been wanting to get a piece of you for quite some time now. I see you are without your little friends. A pity."

Percy tried to roll his shoulder, only to find it pinned to the wall. A thick, black spike protruded from the gaping hole like a tent stake. Burning emanated through his nervous system at the point of impact. Fog began to permeate the edges of his mind. Poison, and a strong one at that.

Using Riptide, he pointed the blade towards the middle of the spike and stabbed. The spike began to collapse as its structural integrity was compromised. He didn't think it was a fair trade, a shoulder for a spike. Now that his arm was free, he attempted to use his hand. The response was slightly sluggish, but nothing too alarming. He rolled his shoulder to assess the rest of the damage, and a sharp jolt of pain greeted him in response. Still, it felt usable, and he said a quick prayer to the gods for limited damage. He could deal with the pain. In fact, he welcomed it. It helped keep the dingy fog in his mind at bay.

A dark silhouette emerged from the hallway. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. The shadows made his uncanny features look even more ghoulish. His already waxy skin now seemed to be nothing more than a mask. His teeth were a perfect white, and his dual colored eyes glinted from the soft bronze glow of Riptide.

"Thank you for leaving the gym," he said, his smile looking more like a ghastly grimace. "I hate high school dances."

Percy tried to swing his sword, but Dr. Thorn was clearly expecting it. He simply took a step back, leaving the tip of Riptide to swing inches from its target.

Another stake-like projectile shot from behind Dr. Thorn, although he didn't appear to move.

Bianca yelped as the second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face. The threat was clear. Attack him, and the kids die.

"Now that I've made myself clear. All three of you will come with me." Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, or if you call out for help, I will show you just how accurately I can throw." Then, his ghastly smile bordered on demonic. "I won't hesitate to hunt down your friends who are still in the gym either. You may be fast, but even you can't outrun my spikes."

Percy's heart filled with dread. He had only one option, even though he felt like a complete coward for doing it. He ducked his head as he and the Di Angelo siblings followed Dr. Thorn down the hall.

AN: Thanks for the great responses everyone! On AO3, this is currently an every other week upload, but I will upload every week here until I catch up with AO3(Currently on chapter 4). Responses to reviews/comments below

pjowriter27: Glad you're enjoying! I absolutely love your fic so it's nice to see such an amazing author willing to read my own.

: Same to you, glad you're enjoying. Thank you for reading!

Robotdocter: I'm glad you had that reaction, that means I wrote it well. Thalia isn't being completely rational at the moment, but that's to be expected. It's challenging to write angst where both characters can feel somewhat justified in their feelings, so I hope I've done that.