snowfall // percy jackson x OC

chapter 6

As the two of them neared the other side of the gym, Percy's composure stiffened as he looked down to find a green cap- the same cap Bianca di Angelo was wearing. Next to it was a small pile of trading cards that Eira had seen Nico, her brother, playing with on the bleachers beside her.

Before Percy could run off again, Eira threw the cards in her back pocket, setting a silent reminder to give them to Nico when they find him.

"There, look." Percy extends his hand to point at the door in the back of the gymnasium. Eira watches as Dr. Thorn escorts the siblings out of the gym  and into the hallway in a quick but aggressive maneuver. She shares a knowing glance with Percy before bolting out the door to follow.

When they enter the hallway they tread lightly, trying to get to the other end of the building as quickly as possible without alerting the attention of anyone who may be listening. As they pass the pillar with their bags, Eira leans down to grab her sword along with her homemade leather sheath, throwing it around her shoulder as quickly as possible before catching up to a now stopped Percy.

"There's nobody here." She says in a hushed whisper, "Where did they go?"

He responds by grabbing her forearm and dragging the two of them up next to a door that she believes leads back out into the main entry hall. Percy doesn't even need to explain himself, Eira can tell that by his stance, he's sure they'll be in there. The silence in the building is deafening. Each footstep rings down the tall hallways regardless of their attempts to stay quiet.

"I'll go in first, you cover behind me."

"Percy, we should wait for-"

"No time. What if something happens to them in there." He says, looking at her with a pleading glint in his eyes.

She hesitates for a moment, noting for the first time since they had first entered Westover Hall that she still wasn't feeling her sharpest. The nerves cloud her better judgement of staying away, but she wouldn't let him go in there alone.

"Fine. But we're going in together." Eira asserts.

He nods in response. Before she could even tell him to open the door slowly, he was already barging his way into the room, sword extended in his hand. Eira took a more mellow approach, walking in with him, leaving her weapon by her side, but ready to strike with her powers if she needed to.

In the center of the room stood Bianca and Nico di Angelo. Eira's heart sank. Their faces were tout tight with fear and they were so still they almost reminded her of their run in with statues in medusa's lair on their first quest.

Eira and Percy exchange a glance before moving towards them slowly, hands raised in an attempt to calm the young demigods down.

"It's okay. We're not going to hurt you." He says while lowering the tip of Riptide to the floor.

"We're here to help." Eira adds, stepping up to face the two that were still frozen in fear. Eira assessed the room with her senses, trying to find a way to push the cool air away for a moment to warm them up, but the building was too closed off for her to be able to make a difference.

"My name is Percy. This is my friend, Eira" he looks to her and by his expression, Eira can tell he is feeling the same way- that they were in danger. "We are going to take you guys out of here, get you somewhere safe."

Before Eira could add anything to Percy's previous statement, Bianca's eyes broke from the fright-induced trance and widened suddenly. Eira turns around immediately. Before Percy could even react to the sudden change in Bianca's demeanor, Eira is completely turned around, face to face with a dark hallway and an impending threat.