First Lie || Deception Book I ||

The Kindling Pt. 1

"I'm going to kill her," Percy mumbled.

"It's okay, I like peanut butter," Grover responded.

I turned around. Bobofit was throwing sandwich pieces at Grover, which stuck in his curly brown hair. I sighed.

"That's it," I heard Percy say angrily, and he stood up. Grover pulled him back down, muttering something about probation and suspension. I stood up and made my way to where Nancy was sitting. "Stop it," I hissed at her.

She glared at me and sat back down, sulking.

In the second week I'd been helping out, I had taken off my rings to polish when Nancy had tried to steal them. Let's just say it didn't go so well for her, and she'd been abnormally quiet around me since.

I muttered another warning to her and headed back to my seat, nodding at Percy and Grover, who mouthed "thanks" to me. 

***

I looked up at the sky. A huge storm was brewing and the storm clouds were blacker than I'd ever seen. It was getting worse. Just then, Nancy screamed.

I spun around, searching for the source, and my eyes landed her, with her but in the fountain, and Percy standing there, anger written on his face.

Oh, no.

Mrs. Dodds walked up to them, and I hurriedly started towards them. Percy was busy glaring at Nancy, and I discreetly shadow-travelled to where Mrs. Dodds was waiting on the stairs.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at her.

"Rianna, stay out of it," she snapped.

"Percy-"

"I said, stay out of it!"

I glared at her. "Fine."

Just then, Percy passed me, and I gave him a reassuring nod and watched him vanish into the building with Alecto. This was not going to end well.

I ran down to where Mr. Brunner was sitting. "Mr. Brunner," I said worriedly. "Mrs. Dodds just brought Percy inside."

Just then, Grover limped over as well. "Mr. Brunner!" he gasped. "She got him."

Mr. Brunner looked between us. He met my eyes. "I don't know what your motives are, child, but I have to trust that you'll stop her from killing Percy." He handed me his pen. "Give it to him."

I took it and instantly recognized the mist concealing the sword. Nodding, I sprinted into the museum, pulling the mist up with me. Using the shadows in the building, I located Percy and hurriedly materialized in front of a large marble frieze of the Olympians.

I arrived just in time to see Mrs. Dodds turn into a shrivelled hag with bat wings and claws and fangs, poised to rip Percy into ribbons.

"Percy!" I yelled at him. He turned around. "Catch and duck!" I screamed at him and threw the pen through the air.

Percy dodged Alecto's talons and snatched the ballpoint pen from the air, which turned into Mr. Brunner's bronze sword. I stepped forward.

"Mrs. Dodds!" I yelled at her. "What are you doing?"

She hissed. "I told you to stay out of it, Rianna!"

"I can't, now when you're trying to kill my charge! He's not yours! And tell Hades that he doesn't have the helm!"

Mrs. Dodds hissed again in fury and turned back to Percy. She lunged at him, and miraculously, Percy swung the sword, which passed through her body. Mrs. Dodds exploded into yellow powder and vaporized on the spot.