𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍
𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍
❛ my feelings asked if
you could stay, and i
told them no ❜
𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋, 𝕬urora Stark wasn't one for cold weather. Coming from the sunny side of Malibu, cold weather was not in her dictionary and nor was it on her clothing list. While her tank tops, t-shirts, and skirts sat snuggly inside her walk-in bedroom closet—parkas, sweatshirts, and leggings sat on the cabinet of her nightstand. ( something pepper bought, and although Aurora wasn't one to complain, she'd likely have to go with her mother figure the next time they went shopping )
And she surely wouldn't bring her father, the man too adamant on dressing the girl up as a nun every chance he got, and this wouldn't exactly be the first time he's done something like this either.
"Dad, all you have to do is give me your credit card and I'll go in there and buy the clothes. I won't be long, I'll channel my inner Speedy Gonzales."
Happy looked at them from the rear-view mirror, "I say that's a rather sweet deal. I'd take it."
Tony furrowed his eyebrows at the man, "What do I pay you for? For driving me or for being our family therapist?"
"Well if not me then who?"
Aurora blinked, "Happy, it'll never be you."
"Why not? I'm a family guy. I'm the familiest guy ever."
"Alright, that's it. You lost your talking privileges. Put up the partition."
They watched as Happy begrudgingly pressed the button to raise the partition. His face watching them with a disappointed look in his eye. Yet, before the partition was fully raised, he lowered it a bit, "See if I ever help you out with your family problems again. If you ask me, you know what I'll say? Ask me, ask me what I'll say."
Tony rolled his eyes and indulged him, "What happy? What will you say?"
"To ask your mother."
The partition rose.
Aurora turned to her father, "Can I please have the card now?"
Instead, all her father did was unbuckle his seatbelt and step out of the car. Aurora watched with her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed the impatient look on his face. He peeked back in through the open door and rose his eyebrows, "Are you coming?"
Aurora knew there was no use in arguing. Her father had been keeping a sharp eye on her ever since she came back from camp. Sometimes, he'd even sleep in her bed. Like he needed comfort that his daughter was there and not in the midst of a journey where she could easily see death coming to her.
"You didn't have to come, dad. You know that."
"Eh, it beats staying in the same car as Happy,"
She glanced at him, knowing something was on his mind but didn't decide to press him, "So what's the budget for today?"
Tony only shrugged as they entered a luxurious store ( one way too empty for auroras liking ) it was quiet except for the retail workers there. The chandeliers glimmered as the artificial light landed on them.
"Depends on if we're taking this opportunity to back to school shop as well."
Aurora immediately tensed and blew out a breath from her lips, "Dad, I'm sure we can wait—"
"Okay," he huffed and sat her down next to him on a small white velvet couch. "What's on your mind kid? MIT was your dream since you were a kid. They're practically begging to see you as one of their alumni alongside your old man," he dramatically tugged at his tie. "This was your dream. What happened to it?"
Aurora frowned and bit her lip as she looked away from her father. He was right, she'd been dreaming about attending MIT since she had learned that was her own father's Alma mater when she was a mere child. He had attended when he was fourteen years old and seeing as she was now fourteen it would be a great time to attend, especially if she wanted to follow in his footsteps. The only issue was with the way they'd given her the academic schedule for next year—some classes fell on the summer, meaning only one thing.
She'd have to miss camp next year.
Its the only reason she hadn't given the board of MIT and her father any answer on the matter, when they had given her the paper and her eyes landed on the overlap the only thing she did was frown and quip a short, "i'll think about it."
Tony noticed the growing frown on his daughter and sighed, "You know, I can't help you if you don't let me in," he tilted his head, his usual sarcasm washing away from his face. "Come on, kid, it's just you and me."
Aurora frowned, "If I go to MIT, I miss camp. I-I can't do that. What about Percy? Annabeth? Grover? My sisters, they all need me! Especially . . ." Her voice faltered. "Especially with what happened with Natalie."
"Einstein once said—"
"What does Einstein have to do with this?"
"If you let me finish I'll tell you," he sassily replied. Aurora only rolled her eyes. "Einstein once said, 'without knowledge action is useless' if you want to be a better person for your friends and for yourself, you'll need knowledge. But that doesn't mean you follow in your old man's footsteps. I'm happy if you're happy, princess. Knowledge is what you want it to be, not what society makes it out to be."
Aurora took a deep breath, "I want to go to MIT, it's the best way to make a change in the world, but my friends—"
"I think they have it handled, kid. You underestimate them."
"That's not it!" She immediately argued. "I just . . ." Her voice faltered again. "What if they need me?"
"They'll call. But I wouldn't be too worried about it."
Aurora didn't know what gave her more anxiety, the fact that her friends might not need her next year or that they actually might.
——————
Even with the new parka adorned her body and leggings underneath her jeans, Aurora was still cold. The heater in their limo was hardly any help throughout their journey to Westover Hall. The cold seeped in every chance it could making Aurora rub her gloved hands together in hopes for a bit of warmth. Even her father tried to wrap an arm around her shoulder to warm her up, but immediately grimaced and retreated into his own jacket for warmth.
"You know," Aurora began as she put on her lipgloss. "Sally would've offered a blanket."
"You already have my money, what more do you want from me."
"Dad, I'm just saying I'm cold," she pouted.
Tony begrudgingly ( not at all ) rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around his daughter, biting back the sharp pricks of pain due to the cold now hitting his arm. He watched from the corner of his eye as Aurora scooted further against him and relished in her father's warmth—and in that moment a memory resurfaced in his mind. One that reminded him of this very moment. When they were on a trip to New York during the winter and Aurora insisted on taking a walk on the boardwalk near Coney Island. She was five and the snow was about a feet deep, so Tony would have to give her a piggyback ride every time she'd get her boot stuck in the snow ( she'd tumble because of this but laughed it off with her father ) Nonetheless, when Tony was tired he placed them both down on a cold bench to which his daughter snuggled up to him. She was pouting and her eyes were big, all because she had noticed her hair was wet.
She grown far too quickly than he could ever imagine.
"Who the hell lives here Dracula?"
Happy had lowered the partition as they neared Westover hall. The medieval looking castle towered over them forbiddingly. The thick black like structures being a completely contrast to the white hills surrounding it.
"I don't like this, kid. This place looks like it has a monster infestation, isn't that something you demigods try to avoid? Not very smart for your monster camp," Happy continued as he parked in front of the said building.
"What did I say about your talking privileges?" Her father pinged at Happy. "Revoked."
Aurora glanced behind her ( ignoring their usual bickering ) and watched as a familiar car pulled up behind them, "That must be the others."
Tony pulled on her hoodie preventing her from leaving the car, "Be careful, princess. I mean it. Also," he sent her a look. "This might be the time to break the news."
Right, she'd have to tell her friends she won't be attending camp next summer.
Aurora rolled her eyes and forced a smile on her face, she placed a chaste kiss on her father's cheek, "I'll be fine, dad."
Tony's eyes still held a stern look within them, "I'm serious, Aurora."
"I'll see you later, dad!" She turned and pushed open the door. "Bye Happy!"
"Later, kid."
The cold air hit her making her shivering quickly intensify. She wrapped her arms around her and placed her parka hoodie over her head, as she approached the car full of her friends. She waved at Sally through the window and a grin was adorned on her face when she saw Aurora.
"Aurora! How have you been sweetie?" her face lit up as she rolled down the window. "Percy's told me so much about the trips you've taken with your father, Did you have fun?
Aurora sweetly grinned at the woman before her, she could feel the heat emanating from inside the car, "I'm okay, Ms. Jackson. And they were great! My father said the offer still stands to take a long vacation in bora bora," she singed.
"And who would take care of Percy?" She laughed. "Speaking about Percy, he's caught me up on all of your adventures outside of camp. I'd say you're all he's ever talking ab—"
"Alright! Bye, Mom!" Percy quickly cut in and practically ran out of the car with a blush on his cheeks.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Sally turned back towards Percy.
"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
"Don't worry, Ms. Jackson." Aurora smiled reassuringly. Her rosy cheeks and nose were prominent because of the cold. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
Annabeth rolled her eyes, "No, i'll keep them out of trouble."
She relaxed a little, "All right, dears," she said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"
"Mom—"
"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"
"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."
Sally's face formed into hurt, and it made Aurora's heart clench. She hit Percy upside the head and smiled at the older woman completely ignoring Percy's cry of pain, "Bye, Ms. Jackson." she waved as Percy grumblingly pulled her along. "Have a nice day!"
Aurora, Annabeth, and Thalia followed Percy inside. Once Sally's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
"She's pretty okay," Percy admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"
Aurora exchanged looked with Annabeth. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with the punk clothes she always wears—the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants, and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner, and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave Percy now was a perfect evil ten. Something even Aurora hadn't seen that much on the girl.
"If that was any of your business, Percy—"
"We'd better get inside," Annabeth stated. "Grover will be waiting."
Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."
Percy stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," he guessed.
Aurora walked in between Thalia and Percy when they stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow. The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. They all knew Westover was a military school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.
Aurora tensed at the deep feeling in her gut. She could already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Percy gripped his pen through his pocket and Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. Aurora knew they were all thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.
Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"
The doors slammed shut behind them.
"Oo-kay," Percy mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."
Aurora glanced at her friend, "As if we have a choice now."
They could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music ( something she could so easily decipher because of her father ) They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. They hadn't gone very far when they heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them.
They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to Aurora. They both walked stiffly like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.
"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Um . . . " Percy said, "Ma'am, we're just—"
"Ha!" the man snapped, which made them all jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be eee-jected!"
He had an accent—French. Seeing as she was fluent Aurora could easily distinguish it. He pronounced his J like in Jacques, He was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare up his nose, and his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like alley cats.
Aurora whispered to Thalia, "Do you want me to charmspeak?"
Thalia shook her head, "I got this, baby stark."
Thalia stepped forward completely confidently and snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Aurora felt a gust of wind ripple out from Thalia's hand, across the room. It washed over all of them, making the banners rustle on the walls.
"Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth, Aurora, and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. The man seemed to be hesitating.
He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"
Aurora glanced over at Percy and narrowed her eyes when she saw him bite his tongue to keep from laughing. She rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side. The woman blinked like someone had just woken her up from a trance.
"I . . . yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at them. "Annabeth. Aurora. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"
Before they could answer, they heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You—" He stopped short when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh—"
"What is it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."
Grover swallowed. "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 at them.
Aurora nodded using her charmspeak, "Well, I made the punch the others helped. It was my grandmothers old recipe. Wasn't it delicious?"
Mrs.Gottschalk said dreamily, "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"
They didn't wait to be told twice. They left with a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.
Grover hustled them down the hall in the direction of the music. Aurora could feel the teachers' eyes on her back, but she watched as Percy walked closely 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?"
Aurora could see the minuscule frown now written on Percy's lips. The one small movement told her enough about the boy and how he was feeling. Where others hardly glanced at him because of his power, she stared. Now accustomed to his tells . . . . but not in an overbearing manner, he was a friend and she cared deeply for him.
Grover hurried the group to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with her dyslexia, she could read that much.
"That was close!" Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here!"
Annabeth, Aurora, and Thalia both hugged Grover. Percy gave him a big high five.
He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, but otherwise, 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 that took the group a few seconds to read. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT.
"So what's the emergency?" Percy asked.
Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."
"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"
Grover nodded.
Finding one half-blood 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. These were desperate times. The camp was losing campers. They needed all the new fighters they could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.
"Well," Aurora smacked her glossed lips ensuring they were still neatly coated. "Spill it grooves."
"A brother and a sister," he said as he shoe a glance at Aurora. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. We're running out of time, though. I need help."
"Monsters?"
Aurora really hoped Happy hadn't jinxed her with the building being infested in monsters. It's definitely make their job a lot harder.
"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!" Grover looked at Thalia desperately.
"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"
Grover nodded.
"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"
"Oh," Grover said and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice-principal, Dr. Thorn."
Auroras face morphed in surprise, "Grover, you couldn't have told me that before I charmspeaked him? Now he might know we're here for the siblings!"
"How was I supposed to know? I was trying to keep a low profile!"
Aurora blinked, "So were we!"
Thalia nudged Aurora, "Come on, baby Stark."
Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform. Percy guessed it's because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.
There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each other's faces or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls.
Aurora crossed her arms and grimaced, "Ugh! Boys"
Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Aurora furrowed her eyebrows at the outfits, they weren't aesthetically pleasing to look at at all.
Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face. Some of the older guys looked more like Percy—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute they might have to fight for their lives.
"Say," Aurora crossed her arms and looked at the girls as she nudged Percy. "I might have to throw you into the lions den, barnacle brain. That lipstick would really bring out the color of your eyes."
"Not a chance, pretty girl."
Aurora shrugged the corner of her glossy lips turned up in amusement, "Thought I'd try my luck anyway."
Percy knew she was joking, her tell being how hard it was for her to hide an amused smile. He could spot it a mile away, but if she wasn't joking . . . he wasn't sure he'd deny her. Not if she was looking at him like, well . . . that.
"There they are." Grover nodded toward 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 they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.
Annabeth said, "Do they . . . I mean, have you told them?"
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."
He looked at Percy, and The Son of Poseidon nodded.
"So let's grab them and get out of here," Percy said. He started forward, but Thalia put her hand on his shoulder. The vice principal, Dr.Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in their direction. His blue eye seemed to glow. Judging from his expression, Aurora guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist after all. It also meant he knew she was trying to charmspeak him. He suspected who they were. He was just waiting to see why the demigods were here.
Peter looked at Grover, "So he normally does that?"
Grover nodded, "Pretty much"
"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."
"How?"
"We're four powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."
"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.
Aurora grinned, "I'm Tony Stark's daughter. I was basically made for this."
Thalia cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney?"
Grover looked hurt. "I did."
"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"
Aurora nodded in agreement, "Or Led Zeppelin"
"Let's dance!" Thalia exclaimed as she looked at Grover.
Annabeth smiled.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."
Annabeth had grown taller than Percy since last summer. She had always been taller than Aurora, so the girl didn't mind one bit if anything she grew accustomed to her friends being taller than her.
Annabeth used to wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long blond hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason.
Aurora, on the other hand, continued to grow beautiful. Not that Annabeth wasn't ( because her best friend was already breathtakingly beautiful ) but Aurora just had an aura around her that simply radiated beauty. It grew the older she got and Percy was kind of scared to think how she'd look in her twenties.
Or mainly he was scared of the looks the Daughter of Aphrodite was receiving from the female and male population everywhere she went and feared the looks becoming more bothersome the beautiful she grew.
Her red, yellow, and black striped turtleneck tickled her neck every time she turned to survey her surroundings. When she pulled off her hoodie her earthly colored hair was freshly cut and reached the tip of her shoulders, completely straight without a hair misplaced. Her chocolate eyes ( the same as her father ) held more golden flakes than Percy had last seen in them.
Her usual high-waisted skinny jeans were clad on her legs accompanied by her also usual all-white converse high. Instead of the small earrings Annabeth had, Aurora had small gold hoops that seemed to make the gold in her eyes brighter.
Annabeth glanced at Percy who was still looking at Aurora with his jaw almost on the floor. Aurora was too busy scanning her surroundings to even notice the boy looking at her. Annabeth smirked and waved at them, "I'm going to go get a drink. I heard the punch was amazing."
"So . . . " Percy trailed off. "Um, design any new weapons lately?"
Aurora's eyes lit up at the thought of her blueprints.
"Oh my gods, ocean eyes! I had a few ideas to connect both the demi-gods . . . " She went on to explain how she'd designed communication devices and AI's with different algorithms to connect with different demigods.
Percy tried his best to listen but he couldn't. He knew she wanted to be the CEO of Stark Industries when she grew up—she loves technology and engineering and all that—but Percy hardly understood a word of what she was saying. Just like he hadn't when she built the weapons for their chariot. The truth was Percy was kind of disappointed to hear that she hadn't tried to see him more often, because he sure as hell has been hoping to see her more often.
"Yeah, uh, cool," Percy said. "So have you had any contact with Nate?"
Her face got dark. "No."
Ever since last summer, Aurora hasn't had any contact with the man. Even now it was worrisome, he'd always be there in her dreams at least four times a week and suddenly it looked as though he never even existed. No trace of him anywhere. And seeing as Aurora hardly knew anything about him, her fear all but worsened.
"Hey!" Thalia called to them. She was slow dancing with Grover.
"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
Aurora smirked, "Hey! I think I look great."
"Of course you do, Baby Stark."
Percy looked nervously at Aurora who frowned when she saw his head turn towards the girls with painfully uncoordinated outfits.
Aurora rolled her eyes, "Come on, ocean eyes. You're my new dance partner."
She dragged him by the hand towards the dance floor where Aurora sent him a small smile and guided his hands to where they were supposed to be. One on her hip and the other in her hand.
"You still haven't heard anything from him?"
Aurora pursed her lips. "No, none at all."
"Maybe he needed a break?" he cringed.
Aurora rolled her eyes, "And where do mystical protectors vacation to?"
"I've seen plenty in New York," he shrugged. "Maybe he'll decide to send you a postcard soon."
Aurora giggled, "I'll be waiting for it."
This might be the time to break the news.
Her face fell, so much so, Percy took notice.
"You shouldn't be too worried. I'm sure he's fine." Percy tried to assure as his hand continued to grip her hand. He delivered a small squeeze to her hip, doing his best to comfort her.
Aurora sighed, "Yeah, I know," she pulled her hands back and began to fiddle with the rings on her fingers. "Listen, Percy, I have something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" He questioned noticing the flush to her cheeks.
"I-" she took a deep breath. "I got accepted into M.I.T."
"That's awesome! I knew you could do it!"
This made Aurora momentarily relax as she looked at him in the eyes, "Yeah?"
"You're . . . well, you. There's nothing you can't do."
Her heart began pounding against her ribcage, so much so she felt the vibrations throughout her body. Through his eyes, she noticed their matching aura colors—magenta. But this magenta was infused with more red, it looked as though the tendrils were waiting to take over and color their auras with its light.
It made Aurora nervous, can she really leave when she knew all too well what that color meant. Would she risk loosing him? Her friends? Others?
He had grown a couple of inches from the last time she'd seen him. Now she has to tilt up to look him in the eye. His raven hair was a little longer, but swept out of the way to not cause any issues. His skin was a little paler, likely due to the weather, but still tanned enough to know he was a beach boy through and through.
He wore a black puffer jacket which was currently unzipped revealing his Nirvana t-shirt. If Aurora could place a name on his aesthetic it'd be the typical skater kid.
It definitely suited him.
"And here I thought you were planning on getting rid of me soon," she tried to joke.
"Nah," he shrugged. "The promise I made last year still stands. It'll stand until you don't want it to."
"Even if I don't come back—" Suddenly she froze. "Oh, Styx. They're gone!"
"What?" Percy followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.
"We have to get to the others!" She ran a hand through her hair.
Percy nodded and linked their fingers together, "We'll look for them together" They scanned their surroundings until Aurora nudged Percy in the arm and pointed at something terrifying.
About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one Bianca di Angelo had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards. Then they caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.
"Ocean eyes, come on! If we run we still might be able to reach them!"
Aurora's fatal flaw was showing and Percy knew he shouldn't have followed her, but he was not going to let go of her hand anytime soon so he did. He let the beautiful girl drag him along ( it's not like he minded ) Percy took Riptide out of his pocket and ran with Aurora to Dr. Thorn.
The door led into a dark hallway. They heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt. Percy uncapped Riptide. The pen grew in his hands until he held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with a leather-bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.
Aurora let go of Percy's hand and brought up her wrist, "Daggers!" her gold technology split into two. One of them stayed in her right hand and the other slithered up her body and bag down her left arm and now she had a dagger in each of her hands.
They jogged down the corridor, but when they both got to the other end, no one was there. Percy opened a door and found themselves back in the main entry hall. They have completely turned around.
Aurora furrowed her eyebrows in thought, "What the hell?"
They didn't see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room was the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in horror, staring right at them.
Aurora practically ran towards the younger children and rose her hands up in surrender to let them know that she meant no harm, "Are you okay?"
Percy followed along, "We're not going to hurt you."
They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear.
Aurora's gears turned in her head, she kept her grip on her daggers. Something wasn't right, the girl knew.
"My name's Percy," Percy said, trying to keep his voice level. "This is Aurora. We're going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."
Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did Aurora realize what her look meant. She was trying to warn them.
Aurora whirled around when she heard a WHISH! and a cry leave Percy's mouth. She turned around just in time to see Percy be yanked backward and slammed into the wall. He slashed with his sword but there was nothing to hit.
"Percy!"
A cold laugh echoed through the hall.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson and Aurora Stark." Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the J in Percy's last name. "I know who you are."
Aurora rushed over towards Percy and placed a hand on his cheek but he already began to look pale, "Come on, ocean eyes. You are not passing out on me now"
She did her best to free Percy but it was hard both his coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of his shoulder as it passed through his clothes, and the cut burned. The closer Aurora looked the more she noticed that it was once again poison.
His eyes began to grow heavy and Aurora frantically shook her head, "Percy! Stay awake!" She took her dagger and began to cut through the fabrics to free him when out of nowhere Percy forcefully pushed her to the side.
Aurora was about to stand up and ask what his problem was when she turned around and looked at the dark silhouette now moved toward them.
Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of Percy's sword.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."
Aurora stood and threw her daggers which he merely moved aside. Percy tried to swing his sword in order to help but Dr. Thorn was out of reach.
WHIIIISH!
A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.
Aurora yelped when she saw the thorn mere inches from her face. Percy began to struggle a bit harder but he knew there was no use.
"All four of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."
— NAT TALKS !
I love them, your honor! They're lovesick fr!
anyways, I figured I'd let you guys know ( since we're in act three ) that the next act is iron man two!!!!! Are yall excited ?? What would yall like to see??
Also, where's Nate??
I hope you all are well, I'm sending much love!!
❛ allure me. ❜ ༢ ͎۪۫ ༊*·˚ ╱
❪ the prodigy, 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 book. ❫
༢ ͎۪۫ ༊ ❛ ©CELESTIALAPHRODITE 2023. ❜ ¨. ༢ ͎۪۫ ｡𖤐
❪ 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 ❫ ©CELESTIALAPHRODITE, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒅.