𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫
December 14, 2019
PERCY JACKSON WAS CONFUSED ABOUT OLIVIA ANWORTH.
She'd been growing distant with Annabeth for a while now since their last quest, and slowly turning to him for help with everything instead, especially when she came to New York on the weekends.
After she dragged him to see Frozen 2 while babysitting her cousin, she said something to him that caught him completely off guard:
Give me an I-M when you get the chance, yeah? See you around, pretty boy.
Percy had felt himself blush from the roots of his hair to his neck. Looking back, Olivia probably hadn't meant it that way, but at the moment, he thought she was flirting with him and he'd panicked and done finger guns before running inside.
Percy had briefly danced with the idea of seeing Olivia in a romantic way after she'd kissed him on the cheek following his victory at the chariot races. The idea spun wildly out of control, Percy somehow convincing himself that he actually liked her. Somewhere down the line, it went from a harmless thought to something he didn't know if he could keep himself in check regarding.
Maybe that was why he was so embarrassed sitting next to her in his mom's car.
They were going to a boarding school on a Saturday, and as someone who'd gone to boarding school before, Percy was very disappointed in these people for holding students on a Saturday. Apparently, the weather had been too much of a conflict yesterday, so the students were forced to stay until tonight. Either way, how tragic to be trapped in school for longer than necessary.
They were traveling now that the weather had lessened somewhat, and there she was, leaning on Percy's shoulder. Olivia fiddled with her yellow scrunchie, her curls falling loosely around her shoulders.
"Right after I get my hair done," she complained, looking out the window. "I love Grover, but he has such terrible timing."
Thalia sat in the passenger seat so they would all fit. Percy and the others girls sat in the back, with him in the middle, Annabeth on his left, and Olivia on his right. The daughter of Apollo kept looking at Percy questioningly, her brows furrowed in concern.
"You've been acting weird these last few weeks," she commented. "You okay?"
Percy managed to laugh a little. "I'm good, Sunshine," he assured her. "Why?"
She shrugged, sitting up. "I don't know. I was just asking."
Sally Jackson sat up front, driving. She gave Percy a look, eyeing him and Olivia as the latter rested her head on his shoulder again. Percy had to silently beg her not to say anything. Ever since he told her about the whole "maybe I think Olivia's kind of cute" thing, she'd been embarrassingly interested in them. Percy's face felt hot as she gave him a classic I'm not saying anything! smile, turning her eyes back to the road.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. In the months since summer ended, Percy hadn't seen Annabeth or Thalia in months, Olivia being the only one that was still interacting with all of them. Well, mostly with him, but still. But between the blizzard and the thought of what they were on their way to do, they were too nervous to talk much. Except Percy's mom. She talked more when she was nervous.
Percy was getting sick of all the baby stories she insisted on telling. By the time they finally got to Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told the girls every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about him. He wanted to curl into a ball and hurl himself into the River Styx.
When they finally arrived, Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked... for lack of a better word, evil. It was black stone, with towers even Hades would complain about. The group stood in front of the set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff, which seemed dangerous, but who was Percy to judge?
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" his mom asked.
"No, thanks, Mom," Percy said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
She frowned. "But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
Percy was blushing. He could feel his face burning.
"It's okay, Ms. Jackson," Annabeth assured her. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
Percy watched as his mother relaxed. He understood it. He'd be dead a thousand times over if not for the girls "All right, dears," she said softly. "Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."
"Extra sweaters?" she asked. "You have my cell phone number?"
"Mom—" Percy cut her off.
"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?" she continued.
"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine." Percy snapped. "Come on, guys."
She looked a little hurt, and Percy felt a pang of guilt. Evidently, Olivia was also displeased with him, because when he offered to help her out of the car, she swatted his hand away and climbed out herself. Percy's mom drove off without a word, and he sighed.
Once the car was out of sight, Thalia said to Percy, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."
"She's pretty okay," he agreed. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"
As soon as she heard the words, Thalia gave Percy an infuriated side eye. "If that was any of your business, Percy—"
"Okay, inside,"Olivia interrupted before they could argue like they'd done all summer at camp. "Grover's waiting. And we need a plan."
Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right," she admitted. "I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."
"Nothing good," Olivia said. "Now for the plan—"
"We'll figure it out as we go," Thalia said. "Come on."
Olivia gave Annabeth an exasperated look, but Annabeth simply said, "Thalia knows what she's doing."
The daughter of Apollo glared at her before rolling her eyes. The quartet of half-bloods turned, and the oak doors opened with the loudest of groans as they stepped inside the school surrounded by the flurries of December.
"Whoa," Percy murmured.
That was all there was to say. The place was huge, really living up to the description of a villain's castle. The walls were lined with battle flags and displays consisting of antique rifles, battle axes, and other forms of weaponry. Even for a military school, this was more than a bit much.
Olivia fiddled her scrunchie, using it to pull her hair back. Her pale pink jacket—not even a coat—hug loosely over her shoulders as she unzipped it.
Percy reached for Riptide. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, where her shield was contained. They were thinking the same thing: a fight was coming.
Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"
The doors slammed shut behind them, startling the group.
"Okay," Percy mumbled under his breath. "Guess we'll stay awhile."
He could hear the faint sounds of music echoing from the other end of the hall, sounding like school dance music. They stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. They barely got five steps forward when a man and woman appeared from the shadows, right in front of the teenagers.
Both adults had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven. They both walked stiffly, like grandparents that yelled at you for slouching.
"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Um..." Percy said, looking for a way out of this. Olivia gave him a glare like she was saying I told you so. "Ma'am, we're just—"
"Ha!" the man snapped, making Olivia yelp in surprise and jump back, almost crashing into Percy. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be eee-jected!"
He had a terrible French accent, and he pronounced the letter J like in Jacques, He was tall, with the face of a hawk. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard for Percy to focus on his entire face and not just his nose, and he had different colored eyes—one brown and one blue.
Before he could some up with something, Thalia stepped forward, raised her hands, and snapped her fingers.
The sound was sharp and loud, echoing through the hall. A strong gust of wind rippled across the room, washing over everything and everyone. The banners on the wall rustled, and everyone's hair blew briefly from the wind.
"Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said sweetly. "We go to school here."I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth, Olivia, and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. Olivia turned to Percy, who was silently asking her what the hell Thalia was thinking. The man seemed to be hesitating, almost confused. He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?" he asked her wearily.
Don't laugh, don't laugh, Percy told himself. The woman was a teacher named Got Chalk? It was too good to be true.
Ms. Gottschalk blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I... yes. I believe I do, sir." she confirmed.
Then she frowned at the half-bloods. "Olivia. Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you lot doing away from the gymnasium?"
Before they could answer her, Percy heard more footsteps. 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 Dr. Thorn. His tone made it clear that he hated Grover's very existence. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."
Grover swallowed, trying to come up with a plausible lie. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn." he rambled. "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 the half-bloods. One of his eyes didn't look real. He looked like he wanted to pitch the children off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs. Gottschalk said dreamily, "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"
They only needed to be told what to do once. 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 quickly hurried the others down the hall in the direction of the music.
Percy could feel the teachers staring at their backs, but he chose to ignore it for the time being. He walked closely to Thalia and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"
"You mean the Mist?" Thalia asked him. "Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"
Percy fought the feeling of resentment. Chiron had mentioned teaching him about that before Thalia had been brought back, and yet Thalia could do it already?
"I can do it," Olivia said to him softly, which didn't help Percy's mood. "It's 'cause I'm a legacy of Hades. It's not that strong, though. You should see my mom control the Mist."
Grover rushed them to a door that had GYM written on the glass. "That was close!" he said breathlessly. "Thank the gods you got here!"
Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. Olivia practically tackled him. Percy gave him a big high five. Grover had gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers over the summer, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human. He wore a red beanie to hide his goat horns—after last summer, Olivia had been fed up with his rasta cap and forced him to switch to beanies. He also wore baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt that Percy had a bit of trouble reading, but eventually figured out.
WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT.
Whether that was Grover's rank or just the school motto, Percy wasn't exactly sure.
"So what's the emergency?" Percy asked.
Grover took a deep breath. "I found two," he confessed.
"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"
Grover nodded.
This was important. As much as the gods fooled around, it was rare finding just one half-blood. Satyrs were working overtime to find them all across the country, looking from fourth grade through high school for recruits for the camp. Percy had heard Olivia and her friend Alice talk about this in great detail over Iris-message.
"A brother and a sister," Grover continued. "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?" Percy asked.
Grover was almost hyperventilating, he looked so nervous. "One," he said. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but yesterday was the last day of term. They postponed the party to tonight, so he couldn't take them then, but I'm sure he won't let them leave campus now without finding out."
Olivia shivered. "That guy's weird," she told the group. "Not mortal."
"Huh?" Percy asked.
"Thorn," she said. "I can't feel a soul in him."
"Wait, what?" Thalia questioned. "I don't get it."
"This may be our last chance!" Grover exclaimed. "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. Percy raised an eyebrow, trying not to let it bruise his ego. It made sense. Even though Thalia was expected to have seniority because her dad was Zeus, he'd still been shocked that Grover no longer turned to him for answers.
"Okay," Thalia said. "These half-bloods are at the dance, right?"
Grover nodded.
"Then we should dance," she said.
"Wait, what?" Olivia questioned.
"Who's the monster, anyway?" Annabeth asked.
"Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. Livvy even talked about him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
OLIVIA USUALLY LIKED SCHOOL DANCES. Now she realized she didn't like military school dances. Why? Because the kids went insane at the thought of a special where they could be out of uniform and cut loose.
There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and immature boys were kicking them in each others faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved around in football huddles, faces caked in unblended makeup with spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like something from the Fields of Punishment. It wasn't the clothes themselves that were bad, but the terrible combinations. Silena Beauregard would die on the spot if she saw the girl with stripes and plaid.
They'd occasionally surround some poor boy, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, he'd have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick all over his face.
Some of the older kids watched everything wearily, as if getting ready to fight off anyone at anytime.
"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,which partially hid her face from the world. 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 same way Olivia did when she talked with her friends.
The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards that she couldn't clearly see, His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong or that they were being watched.
"They look a little like you, Via," Percy muttered. "Just a little."
She hummed thoughtfully, considering it. "Maybe."
"Do they..." Annabeth trailed off. "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, who nodded in agreement.
"So let's grab them and get out of here," Percy said.
He started forward, but Olivia flung a hand in front of him and pointed. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers. He stood near the di Angelo siblings and gave the group a cold nod of acknowledgment. His blue eye seemed to glow.
Judging from his expression, Thorn hadn't been deceived by Thalia and her controlling of the Mist like they thought. He suspected who they were. Maybe he actually knew. But he was just waiting to see why they were here.
"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?" Percy asked.
"We're four powerful half-bloods," Thalia told him. "Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."
"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.
Thalia nodded. She 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. If you wanted to go for throwbacks, couldn't you play, like, Green Day or something?" Thalia asked.
"Green who?" Grover questioned.
"Never mind," Thalia sighed. "Let's dance."
"But I can't dance!" Grover protested.
"You can if I'm leading," Thalia insisted. "Come on, goat boy."
Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.
Olivia fiddled with her emerald ring as Annabeth leaned over to Percy. She whispered something to him, and Percy's face turned red.
"She doesn't," he told her.
Annabeth gave Percy a look, then made her way to the punch bowl.
"What was that about?" Olivia questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Percy awkwardly cleared his throat, looking away. "She just made a random suggestion, that's all."
"What was it?" Olivia asked.
Percy choked on air, spluttering to answer. "Um—nothing to worry about. I mean, don't—"
Olivia listened to the song as it came to an end. She turned to Percy and tilted her head. He'd gotten taller, but so had she, and now they were the same height. His forever messy hair seemed slightly more tamed now, but his sea green eyes seemed brighter.
Then a slower song started to play, and she turned to Percy. "Hey, how about a dance?" she asked, unconsciously smiling softly.
Percy looked around. "With who?" he questioned.
Her smile dropped.
Percy raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Sunshine. It was a joke."
"Hey!" Thalia called to the two. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping constantly, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die.
"Dance, you guys!" the daughter of Zeus ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
Olivia glanced over at Annabeth, who was watching them from the punch bowl. She turned back to Thalia, frowning somewhat. Was that new or was Thalia always so pushy and Olivia had been clouded by nostalgic memories?
She finally turned back to Percy. "Come on, Kelp Face. Let's dance."
"Oh,"Percy said. "Oh, right."
The two walked over to the dance floor, and Olivia slowly realized she was nervous. She glanced at Percy, who was already sweating, and then to Thalia and Grover. Grover, much like Percy, looked like he was ready to jump off the roof. She took a deep breath and gripped Percy's hand tighter. Someone had to lead.
She put one of Percy's hands on her hip, and she clasped the other hand firmly. "I don't bite," she reminded Percy.
"Yes, you do," he argued. "Your older brother has the marks to prove it."
Olivia chuckled. "Okay, fair," she admitted. "But seriously, are there no dances at your school?"
Percy blushed and stared at her.
They danced for a few minutes, then Percy said, "This is a long song."
"Whatever," she said.
"Um... how's school?"
Olivia smiled at him. "I've taken over as assistant stage manager for the musical in spring," she told Percy. "Didn't think it'd go to a freshman. Maybe Amy's trying to set me up to take over in my junior year."
Percy nodded. "Cool. How's the training with... wait, what?"
"What?" she asked.
"You're in high school?" Percy asked incredulously.
Olivia nodded. "Yeah. Why did you think I was doing high school work?"
"I thought you were just doing it for fun, to be honest," he admitted.
Olivia sighed. "No, Percy. My mom realized I got put a grade behind after my time with Luke and Thalia, so I got skipped a grade in the middle of the year to be in the right grade again. That's part of why we moved."
"Oh..." Percy said slowly.
"Yeah," she agreed.
Percy nodded. "Are things between your parents still working out?"
Olivia frowned slightly. She hadn't seen her father in a while. "Well, as far as I know, yes," she answered, "but we haven't seen my dad since October, right around Alice's birthday."
Percy frowned. "I'm sorry," he said.
She shrugged. "It's not a bad thing. We don't see him that often, anyway."
"Still," Percy said. "Must suck."
She shrugged again. It wasn't that bad.
She started to feel like the song was getting too long to have not glanced at the di Angelos. Instinctively, she looked at the bleachers. "The kids!" she yelled suddenly, pulling away from Percy. "Oh, gods, the kids!"
Percy followed her gaze to the bleachers, where the two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, had disappeared from. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was gone.
"Oh, gods!" Olivia yelled, grabbing Percy's arm. "Come on! We need to find the others and go look for the kids!"
She ran through the crowd, but she lost Percy to a mob of girls. She hurriedly ran through them until she saw that Percy was gone, but she didn't see him anywhere.
"No, no, no!" she yelled, running around the gym in a frantic panic.
She ran into Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover in seconds.
"The kids are gone!" Annabeth shouted.
Thalia darted her eyes over to the bleachers, then cursed under her breath. "We've gotta get Percy."
In that moment, Olivia tried using her powers to sense him, but found nothing. "Percy left, I think! I can't feel his presence in the room. He and the kids are gone, but they probably haven't left the building."
"How do you know that?" Thalia demanded.
Right. Thalia still didn't know Olivia was a legacy of Hades. "My sense of life!" she explained, hoping that Thalia would connect it to Apollo. "And Percy's in danger. I feel it."
"He's jeopardizing the mission!" Thalia shouted.
"And more importantly, he could die!" Olivia yelled, extending the barrier of her senses. "Come on! I can feel where they are! They're going towards the cliff behind the school!"
"I can feel it, too!" Grover said. "He's contacting me through the empathy link. Let's go!"
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
THE HALF-BLOODS AND GROVER RAN THROUGH THE SCHOOL. They found no trace of Percy until they got outside, where they finally heard voices when they got to the cliff. Olivia used the light from the moon to shroud herself in invisibility. She watched as Annabeth put on her Yankees cap.
A flicker of movement behind Thorn caught her attention, and a missile whistled by Percy and the kids. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.
What kind of monster was he?
"Unfortunately," Thorn said menacingly, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."
She approached Percy and the di Angelos quietly, thanking the gods that the snow here had miraculously stayed light enough for her footprints not to show.
"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico and I..." Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."
Olivia froze momentarily, staring at the girl. She still couldn't piece together where she'd seen the di Angelos before, but she recalled Grover mentioning their ages. Bianca was only twelve. Nico was only ten. And already, the only family they had was each other.
Olivia couldn't imagine such a thing.
"Aww," Dr. Thorn said sarcastically, almost taunting the young girl as Olivia continued walking. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."
"Luke," Percy said bitterly. "You work for Luke."
Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste at the mention of the son of Hermes. Olivia felt her mouth do the same. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson," he huffed. "I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."
"The General?" Percy asked with a French accent. "I mean... who's the General?" he corrected in his normal voice.
Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
Olivia turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. The chopping of helicopter blades sounded, getting louder and closer.
"Where are you taking us?" Nico said.
"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army!" Thorn proclaimed. "Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."
"They're not dolls! They're figurines!" Nico argued. "And you can take your great army and—"
"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well... there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway."
The Great Stirring? Olivia mouthed.
"The Great what?" Percy asked.
"The stirring of monsters," Dr. Thorn said, smiling viciously. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"
"Okay," Bianca whispered to Percy. "He's completely nuts."
"We have to jump off the cliff," Percy whispered back as Olivia managed to stand right behind him. She sensed Annabeth's presence beside her and sighed, thankful she'd possibly have help with whatever the Hades she thought she was doing. "Into the sea."
"Oh, super idea," Bianca muttered sarcastically. "You're completely nuts, too."
In perfect unison, Olivia and Annabeth slammed into the trio, sending them down into the snow.
"What?!" Dr. Thorn spluttered, taken by surprise. He tried to fire his thorn-like missiles, but they zipped harmlessly over the kids' heads. This gave Thalia and Grover a chance to advance from behind—Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.
Thalia running into battle is a terrifying sight to behold. Her weapon was a spear that expanded from a collapsible Mace canister she always kept in her pocket. Her shield is modeled after one her dad Zeus uses—also called Aegis— which was a gift from Athena. The shield has the head of the gorgon Medusa molded into the bronze, and even though it wasn't able to turn anyone to stone, it was still terrifying enough to have most people running just from the sight of it. Even Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.
Thalia moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"
She jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia's shield as he slashed. Without that shield, Thalia was probably about as dead as a doorknob. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.
Olivia light beamed and appeared behind Dr. Thorn, summoning her dagger and kicking at him before hiding in shadows. He roared and tried to slash at her. But Olivia dropped to the ground and kicked his legs out. The sound of the helicopter was getting louder, but she refused to look back.
Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia, and Olivia saw his tail more clearly—a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down.
Grover sprang forward as well. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.
Dr. Thorn roared once more and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.
"A manticore!" Annabeth (who was visible now) and Olivia exclaimed in unison. In her surprise, Olivia dropped the shadows hiding her.
"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power, plus five to saving throws!"
Before she could wonder about that, Olivia saw the manticore claw Grover's magic weeds to shreds. Once they were gone, he turned toward them with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, Percy hit his wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield Tyson gave him last summer. Olivia brought up a shield made from light.
The thorns impacted against Percy's shield with such force they dented the metal. They almost pierced Olivia's own shield, but she rolled away as she brought it down. There was a thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to Percy with a thud.
🌣⸻➳⸻🌣
HOW'D THEY FAIL THIS BAD?
Percy had never felt like such a failure before.
The plan was simple: get into the school, find Grover, grab the kids, and run. And then there they were, losing to Dr. Thorn, who'd turned out to be a manticore. Something they weren't prepared for. Something they weren't trained for.
With everyone besides Thalia down (Olivia had left the fight to help him sit up, frantically feeding him ambrosia), he already lost faith in their group. But then the light from a helicopter and its sudden thunderous noises caught her off guard. A sleek black military-style gunship, complete with model laser-guided rockets. The helicopter couldn't be manned by anyone but mortals. But if that was the case, what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster? They couldn't see what the inhumane beasts they worked with were?
The blazing searchlights blinded Thalia, leaving her vulnerable. Thorn swatted her away with his tail. As she flew through the air, her shield flew off into the snow, her spear landing in the other direction.
"No!" Percy yelled. He frantically ran to her, parrying away a spike just before it impaled her. Olivia called after him. Poison from one of Thorn's spikes earlier weakened him, and he collapsed. His lungs felt like they themselves were collapsing. He coughed as the bitter cold air rushed through him faster than he could breathe.
He tried to raise the shield Tyson forged to protect them. Dr. Thorn laughed mockingly. "Now do you see how hopeless it is?" he taunted them, his French accent thick. "Yield, little heroes."
Between a monster they weren't trained to fight and a fully armed helicopter, they were doomed.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
The sudden sound of a hunting horn blew in the woods. Something in Thorn changed. Percy watched, barely conscious at this point as the manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.
"No," Dr. Thorn said, his voice shaking in a strange fear. "It cannot be—"
His sentence was cut short something like a streak of moonlight hit him, and a glowing silver arrow much like the ones Olivia carried with her sprouted from his shoulder as he howled in pain. He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Auntie!" Olivia cried out. She stood up from where she sat with Grover, her light pink winter coat giving her an ethereal look as she started practically glowing with glee.
"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He furiously unleashed his spikes, dozens at once, but the mysterious silver arrows came back nearly twice as fast. Somehow, they intercepted the thorns in midair, slicing them in two.
Impossible. Percy had always found Olivia to be the rare exception to how good an archer could be. She was the only Apollo kid he'd ever seen with aim that good. Being trained by the Twin Archers really advances your skill, she'd told him.
Dr. Thorn yanked the arrow out of his shoulder, shrieking in pain. His breathing labored, he panted heavily. Percy attempted an attack, swiping at him with Riptide. Unfortunately, Thorn wasn't as injured as he looked. He easily dodged Percy's attack, slamming his tail into Percy's shield, knocking him aside. Percy coughed as he tried to sit back up, his eyesight blurry again.
But he could see them. The young archers. About a dozen girls, ranging from ten to fourteen, all dressed in silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore, determination on their faces.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried gratefully.
Thalia muttered woefully, "Oh, wonderful."
"Auntie!" Olivia called. "Over here!"
Before Percy could question her, one of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. Tall and graceful, with coppery skin. A silver circlet was braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?" she asked.
Thorn wailed miserably. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."
"Not so," another young girl said. She was maybe twelve or thirteen years old, auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and startling silvery yellow eyes, similar to the moon. Her expression was stern and dangerous as she stared Thorn down. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast."
The archer looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoë, permission granted."
The manticore growled at them. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"
He lunged at Thalia and Percy, knowing they were still a little weak and dazed.
"No!" Annabeth yelled, charging at the monster with her celestial bronze dagger.
"Get back, half-blood!" Zoë warned her. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth didn't listen. She was stubborn like that, especially when it came to her friends. She leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. Once again, Thorn howled, turning in circles. His tail flailed, Annabeth hanging onto him for dear life.
"Fire!" Zoë ordered.
"No!" Percy screamed, his lungs burning and his throat closing in. The adrenaline in him kicked in, forcing him to his feet.
Those cursed Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward. "This is not the end, Huntress!" he vowed. "You shall pay!"
Olivia suddenly shot up, ghostly hands flying through the air around her and dragging Annabeth off of Thorn's back. The spirit of Princess Andromeda, wife of the hero Perseus, appeared from nothing and helped her pull Annabeth away by her hand. Thorn growled and tried to grab onto the daughter of Athena. Olivia dragged herself over to them, grabbing Annabeth's other hand while Thorn had her ankle. The two yanked as hard as they could, their feet firmly planted in the snow. Andromeda yanked harder and Thorn stumbled, freeing Annabeth from his grasp. She landed in the snow with a loud groan, and Percy sighed in relief.
And then it went downhill. Thorn's spiked tail wrapped around Olivia's ankle. He leaped off the cliff, pulling with enough force to break the rocks holding Olivia down and drag her off the cliff before she could even scream.
"No!" Andromeda screamed, fading into nothingness the moment Olivia was gone.
"Via!" Percy yelled, racing towards the edge of the cliff. "Olivia!"
The snap-snap-snap of gunfire came from the helicopter, stopping him. Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the auburn-haired girl looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals," she announced with displeasure, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—wait, it wasn't dust. The black metal shifted, dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.
The Hunters advanced on them. Zoë stopped short when she saw Thalia. She sneered as she narrowed her eyes. "You," she said with distaste.
"Zoë Nightshade." Thalia said bitterly. "Perfect timing, as usual."
Zoë scanned the rest of the group, looking around. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
"Olivia!" Percy called desperately. "You have to let us save her!"
The auburn-haired girl turned toward him, sympathy covering her features. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson," she said softly, "but you must leave this to me."
Percy tried to struggle to his feet. The air around him seemed thinner. A couple of the girls held him down, but he still tried to stand. "Let go of me!"
"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said.
"Let me go!" he demanded. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Zoë stepped forward as if to smack him. Percy almost wanted her to, just so he could have a reason to run Riptide's blade through her. Who was she to attack him for his loyalty? Wouldn't she do the same for her friends?
"No," the younger girl said firmly, stopping Zoë. "I sense no disrespect, Zoë. He is simply distraught over my niece. He does not understand."
She stared down at Percy, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."
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