ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter one
━━━━━ THE ONLY REASON Violet had gone on this expedition was that she could barely stand another moment at Camp Half-Blood. She didn't hate Camp, no Violet loved it a lot; Camp Half-Blood was the closest thing to home. However, Violet's childhood and her ADHD gave the girl such a restless nature.
Since Violet had left Manhattan for good, she had been living at Camp Half-Blood for two years. Two very long years. She had stayed at Camp, in Cabin Eleven, for longer than she had at any other place in her entire life. It was more sad than anything.
The campers were allowed to leave if they wished, but Violet knew going back to her mother wouldn't be the best option. She had left Dahlia's house on bad terms—she had left for a reason—and the two have never talked since. The only time Violet had left the Camp's borders was to go on the occasional mission, she helped another satyr bring back a half-blood once before some months ago, and to the outskirts of Camp to kill monsters.
Violet was itching to do something new, to change her mundane routine at Camp Half-Blood. To prove she was more than 'just another love kid'. She was itching to do some monster killing.
She had a reputation to upkeep. She had to prove that she was one of the best archers at Camp; to prove that she knew all the weaponry terminology Sherman Yang insisted she didn't know. She had to prove she knew what she was talking about when she talked about love. She had to prove that she wasn't just a pretty face. Violet had to prove that she wasn't some 'off-brand Aphrodite kid'. ( Mr. D has not gotten nicer over the years, but Violet had learned to ignore all his snide comments better. )
And perhaps Violet thought helping Grover Underwood save a couple of demigods would help her case.
Besides, Violet was getting to see her friends Annabeth and Thalia soon. That was always a plus.
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Violet stood at the edge of the snack table that was shoved against the brick wall of Westover Hall's gymnasium. She looked over the top of the clear, a plastic cup in her hand. She took a small sip of the fruit punch, keeping an eye out for the other campers sent out to help with this expedition.
Grover had left the gym five minutes before to go look for the three—Annabeth Chase, Thalia, and Percy Jackson—who were supposed to have arrived already. As the seconds ticked by, Violet was getting more and more anxious. She could only tell so many lies to the di Angelos as to why she was watching the doors like a hawk.
( And Dr. Thorn—who had to be the monster—kept breathing down her neck, waiting for the perfect opportunity before he revealed his monstrous side. )
Grover and Violet had been shipped off to Bar Harbor, Maine to help two siblings, Bianca and Nico di Angelo, get from Westover Hall to Camp Half-Blood. That all sounded simple enough but nothing ever was, not when Greek gods ruled the world.
Violet pushed herself away from the table as four people entered the gym. It was the four she was waiting for. Grover, a satyr; he was lanky and walked with a limp ( because of his goat legs, which he had to hide because—well, what mortal had goat legs? ), and had dark skin that was paired with curly brown hair and brown eyes. Grover was talking to Annabeth, probably one of Violet's favorite people at Camp ( besides AJ, who would've been offended to learn he has to share his spot as 'Violet's favorite' ).
Annabeth was a daughter of Athena, but don't ask Violet how the children of Athena were born when the goddess was supposed to be a virgin. Annabeth had dark skin and startling, stormy grey eyes. She technically had black hair but Violet had managed to convince her that blonde braids would make her eyes stand out more. ( And Violet had been right! ) Annabeth had an athletic build and a sort of know-it-all look in her eyes, like she was planning the best way to take you down in a fight.
Next to Annabeth was Thalia. Violet didn't know much about the daughter of Zeus—like, personally. She knew of Thalia and all she had done and been able to accomplish, but nothing personal. ( Besides the fact that Thalia still has some extremely complex feelings for Luke the Traitor, but that's a whole other story. ) Violet didn't even know Thalia's last name; that seemed like pretty basic information to her.
Thalia was pretty in an ... intimidating way. She had short, spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. She was just as athletic, and she preferred to wear darker clothing like a leather jacket. Violet even saw some black eyeliner traced around her eyes.
"So what's the emergency?" Percy Jackson asked as Violet met up with them.
Percy, a son of Poseidon, had sea-green eyes and curly black hair. He had gotten taller since the last time Violet had talked to him; they were now eye-level with each other. Not that Violet wasn't salty about it ( what was the point of being taller than the average girl if you couldn't be taller than other people? ). Still—the boy still had a thin face and a tall nose, even after two years of growing up and maturing.
Grover looked at Violet, taking a deep breath. "I found two," he said.
"Uh—we found two," she corrected.
The satyr shot her a look. "We've talked about this before; I found them, and you're helping get them back to Camp."
Thalia's eyebrows drew together as she asked, "Two half-bloods? Here?"
Violet crossed her arms over her chest, looking around the gigantic gymnasium. She nodded and said, "Yeah."
The fact Grover had found two was a miracle. Finding one half-blood was rare enough. For the entire year, Chiron had put satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade all the way through high school for any kids with godly DNA. Camp Half-Blood was getting to desperate times; they were losing campers faster than they were gaining them. They needed all the fighters they could get. And for once, the problem was the gods were having fewer kids, right as they needed them.
"Sister and a brother," Violet explained. "Twelve and ten, I'm pretty sure. Grover and I haven't had any luck guessing their parentage, but Grover's sure they're strong."
Grover nodded, chewing on his bottom lip nervously. "And we're running out of time," he warned.
"Monsters?" Percy asked.
"One. 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 me or Vi try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking us." Grover shrugged, looking helpless. "I don't know what to do. We've tried everything at this point!"
"Besides trying to kill him," Violet added. "I wanted to but Grover said no way."
"Because they could trace it back to us!"
"Right," Thalia said, looking around the gym. "Who's the monster?"
"Oh," Grover said, looking around, as if looking for the monster. "You just met him. The vice-principal, Dr. Thorn."
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Do you want to know the weird thing about military schools? The students go absolutely nuts when there's a special event. It was the same at every military school Violet had ever attended before. The kids felt the need to overcompensate, knowing it would be one of the few times they wouldn't be in uniform and could do pretty much whatever they pleased.
There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and the guys were kicking them in each other's face, or trying to strangle each other with the crêpe-paper streamers tapped on the wall. Girls moved around in football huddles, and every once in a while, they would surround some poor subject, giggling among themselves. And when the group was finally finished, they would move on, and the victim would be left with messy attempts at makeup. Some of the olders guys hung out by the walls, clearly uncomfortable, wishing they were anywhere else.
Violet looked past some of her classmates and pointed to a pair of younger kids arguing by the bleachers. "That's them," she said. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."
The girl, Bianca, wore a floppy green cap, trying to hide her face. The boy, Nico, was her younger brother. They both had silky, dark hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. Nico was shuffling some trading cards—Mythomagic if Violet was remembering correctly. Bianca seemed to be scolding him for something; she kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.
"Do they ... I mean—have you told them?" asked Annabeth.
Grover and Violet locked eyes before each shaking their heads. "You know how it is," the satyr said. "That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."
If she was honest, Violet never actually understood the whole 'half-bloods have scents that attract monsters' thing, but she knew it could get her killed.
"So let's grab them and get out of here," Percy said.
He started towards the siblings, but Thalia put her hand on his shoulder. The vice-principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out of the 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, Violet guessed Dr. Thorn was already catching on to them. He suspected who they were. He was waiting to see exactly why the newcomers had arrived, or he was waiting until a golden opportunity arose to kill the di Angelo siblings.
"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."
Violet frowned. "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, her nose wrinkling at the idea.
Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Who chose Jesse McCartney?" she asked.
Grover looked hurt. "I did."
"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"
"Green who?"
"Never mind. Let's dance."
"But I can't dance!"
"You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."
Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.
Annabeth smiled.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Nothing," the girl said. "It's just cool to have Thalia back."
Violet bounced on the balls of her feet. Maybe it was a nervous tick, but it was more likely her inability to stand still for longer than five minutes. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking between Annabeth and Percy, her mind reeling with her plans on getting the two together.
If there was anything Violet took after her father for, it was matchmaking ( and archery, but whatever ). Even though the girl hadn't been super successful in her endeavors, Violet knew who liked who. She liked to call it a family gift. She was absolutely certain that Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson liked each other.
"Dancing's a good idea," the girl suggested, hoping on Eros's name she didn't sound too eager.
If possible, Annabeth's nose wrinkled even further, as if someone had stuck rotting food underneath her nose. "No one here's my type."
Violet looked at Percy, who simply raised his eyebrows at the daughter of Athena's honesty. He didn't look hurt, offend, or anything similar. The daughter of Eros fought back a frown. "Well—what about—"
"Hey, you guys!" Thalia called out to them. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins. "Dance!" the daughter of Zeus ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
Annabeth let her grey eyes roam around the people in the gymnasium. "I'm telling you, no one here's my type. I'm going to the snack table."
Violet frowned heavily as the blonde walked off and got lost in the crowd. Percy watched the girl walk away before looking slowly at the daughter of Eros.
"Why such a sour face?" he asked suddenly. "What? You think I'm that gross?"
Violet blinked. The boy had the completely wrong idea. "Er—no. It's just ..." she trailed off, shrugging slightly.
Percy looked over his shoulder, over at the di Angelos, who were still talking between the two of them. "They're not going anywhere," he said. "Thalia's right."
Violet swallowed her annoyance at grabbed Percy by the arm, leading him out to the dance floor. She didn't want to be the one to dance with Percy, it should've been Annabeth, but then the blonde had bailed and escaped for the snack table.
The daughter of Eros begrudgingly put one hand on Percy's shoulder and clasped his hand with her open hand. The boy awkwardly placed his other hand on her hip. Violet fought the urge to roll her eyes. The boy was holding her like she was a piece of hot metal.
"I'm not going to bite you," she told him. "Well—if you don't try anything, I won't."
It wasn't meant to be a joke, but the son of Poseidon cracked a smile.
Violet didn't smile back. "I wasn't joking," she said dryly. Immediately, she winced. She hadn't meant to sound as mean as she had.
The smile on Percy's face faded. He cleared his throat, and a deafening silence was left between them. The two shuffled around for a few minutes. Violet noticed how Percy would look everywhere but her. He would concentrate on the streamers behind her head, or the gaggle of girls passing by them, or the balloons they would have to kick out of their way.
"Hey ..." Violet was the one to break the silence first. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh earlier. I was kind of joking."
"Kind of?" Percy repeated.
"Hey, man," Violet said, shrugging carelessly. "You gotta do what you gotta do to get away from the creeps."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling me a creep? Moreover—are you saying you've bitten someone?"
Violet gave the boy a faux-outraged look. "I haven't actually bitten anyone!"
"What about my first question?"
The daughter of Eros huffed dramatically, rolling her eyes. "I'm not calling you specifically a creep, I was just saying in case you were one."
Percy nodded and looked over Violet's head, at the decorations strung along the wall behind her. He seemed to be racking his mind for a new topic to talk about before another round of silence descended upon them.
"So," he started a couple of seconds later, "why'd you go on this extraction?"
Violet pursed her lips, a look of deliberation crossing her face. "I ..." she trailed off. "Um ..."
"Forget it," Percy said quickly, catching on to Violet's non-answers. "Touchy subject. I get it."
The son of Poseidon was right. It was a touchy subject. Violet didn't want to admit she had gone on this extraction to prove she was worth something. However, Violet said nothing more, giving the boy a grateful smile; touchy subjects were something every half-blood knew all too well.
Violet looked over Percy's shoulder, freezing suddenly. "They're gone," she gasped.
Percy hadn't expected the stop, his momentum making him stumble over her foot. He looked at her quickly. "What?"
She let go of Percy, shaking off his hold. She moved past him, over to where the di Angelos should've been standing. However, as Percy looked after Violet, he saw that the di Angelos were no longer there, the door next to the bleachers was wide open, and Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.
Violet turned back to Percy, grabbing him by the forearm. "We have to find the others! Before Dr. Thorn can do anything to them," she told him. She looked around the gymnasium frantically. "Oh—where are they?"
She started to head off in the direction she knew Annabeth had walked off in but Percy grabbed her arm.
"Wait," he told her. "We don't have that kind of time. We have to go after them ourselves."
Violet gave the son of Poseidon a What the fuck? look. "Are you stupid?" she demanded.
Percy looked offended, but he didn't answer the question, and instead, came out with his own; "Do you have a weapon?"
"A bow," she answered. "In my locker."
"Well—c'mon," Percy said, pulling Violet along.
The two ran down a dark hallway, Violet keeping a hand on the cold metal beside her. She stopped Percy next to one, holding out a hand. The hallway was deathly quiet around them, but just up ahead, Violet could hear the sound of scuffling and a painful grunt.
"This is my locker," she whispered.
As she put in the code to her locker, Percy took out a ballpoint pen and uncapped it. Right before her eyes, a bronze Greek sword grew in Percy's hands. Violet popped the metal door open, taking out a bow and slinging a quiver over her head.
It seemed inconvenient to keep her weapon inside a locker ( and it was inconvenient, don't get Violet wrong ), but it was the best she could do with her circumstances. She wasn't like Percy or Annabeth, both of whom had magical items from their parents.
Percy and Violet jogged down the corridor, but when they got to the other end, no one was there. The boy opened a door and Violet saw they were in the main entry hall. The two had made a full circle. However, she didn't see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were Bianca and Nico. The siblings stood frozen in horror, staring at Percy and Violet.
Percy entered the room slowly, lowering his sword until it face the ground. "It's okay. We're not going to hurt you."
Neither sibling answered him. Their eyes were full of fear. Violet was tense, notching an arrow and pulling it tight. None of this felt right to her. It felt like she and Percy were waltzing straight into a trap.
"My name's Percy," the son of Poseidon said. "And this is Violet. We're going to get you out of here. Get you somewhere safe."
Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Violet was too late before she realized what the look actually meant; Bianca was afraid, she was trying to warn them.
Percy and Violet whirled around and something sailed past Violet's head. A cold chill crawled its way up her spine. She had seen a tail wrap around Percy's shoulder and drag him over to the wall, next to the di Angelo siblings.
Her fingers pulled tighter around the bowstring. Violet's nostrils flared as her eyes racked through the darkness, looking for any sign of Dr. Thorn. A cold laugh echoed through the hall.
"Where are you?" she demanded loudly, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. "C'mon—show yourself. Stop hiding in the shadows like a coward!"
"Yes, Violet Beaumont," Dr. Thorn's cold voice said. "I know who you and Perseus Jackson are."
His French accent mangled the J in Percy's last name.
Percy was pulling at the thorn trapping him. To Violet, it looked like his coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile half a meter long.
Violet inched closer towards the di Angelo siblings and Percy. She kept her eyes trained on the darkness that surrounded them. And when a dark silhouette moved in the gloaming, she raised her bow directly at it. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light provided by the Celestial bronze weapons. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his two-toned eyes glinted darkly.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym," the monster said. "I hate middle-school dances."
Percy tried to swing his sword again, but Dr. Thorn was just out of reach.
There was another loud sound, the sound of something flying through the air. A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. It was as if someone invisible was standing behind him, throwing shots.
Next to Percy, Bianca yelped. A second thorn had impaled itself into the stone wall, an inch from her head.
"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."
🌷 JAN. 17TH, 2023 / first chapter!! not edited like at all so if there are typos or something like that, that's the reason why
vi is my chaotic child that doesn't get social cues whatsoever
is completely oblivious to romantic attention someone will give her but best believe she will know if someone has a crush on someone else
she's such a gourlboss like that
we also need to figure out a ship name for her and percy,, i was thinking something like perclet or vircy
but those are kinda ugly now that i've written it out
anyways,, thoughts?? opinions??