𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝 - 21 𝚂𝚊𝚟𝚊𝚐𝚎
0:37 ━❍━━━━━ 3:36
↻ ⊲ Ⅱ ⊳ ↺
Y/N WIPED THE FOG off the windshield with his sleeve. He peered through the frosty glass, taking in the sight. "Wow. This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle, with it's all black stone, towers, dark windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking a forest on one side and the grey churning ocean on the other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Percy's mom asked.
"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." She frowned. Percy rolled his eyes, blushing slightly.
"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Y/N smiled reassuringly. He sat in the front, his floppy brown hair shoved under a beanie, and his bright amber eyes pierced through the darkness like two orange flashlights. "We'll keep him out of trouble."
Sally relaxed a little, before turning to the rest of them. "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—" Percy interrupted.
"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." He groaned, pushing open the car door and hurrying outside. Y/N, Annabeth and Thalia followed him outside. The wind whistled around them, causing Percy's teeth to chatter slightly.
"Your mom is so cool, Percy." Thalia admitted, once Sally's car was gone.
"She's pretty okay," Percy said. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"
Thalia glared at him with a look that could cut the ears off a donkey. "If that was any of your business, Percy..."
"We'd better get inside," Y/N smiled thinly, putting his arm around Thalia and practically dragging her along. "Grover will be waiting."
Annabeth looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."
"Nothing good," Percy guessed. The oak doors groaned open, and the four of them stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.
.
.
.
The place was massive. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and other weapons.
"For a military school, these decorations seem like overkill." Thalia murmured.
"Literally." Y/N agreed. "There's something wrong with this place." His hand immediately went to Aithon, his shapeshifting bracelet around his wrist. He fidgeted nervously, looking around.
Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where..."
The doors slammed shut behind them.
"Oo-kay," Percy mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."
There was music echoing from the other end of the hall, sounding a bit like disco. They decided to stash their overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. Footsteps rang out on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept them.
They both had short grey hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines.
"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"
"Um..." Percy began. "Ma'am, we're just..."
"Ha!" the man snapped in a sharp French accent. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be eee-jected!" He was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, and his eyes were two different colours. One brown, and one blue, like an alley cat's.
Y/N glanced at Percy with a check-this-out stare, and stepped closer to the two teachers, snapping his fingers. The sound was sharp and loud, and a gust of wind seemed to ripple out from his hand, across the room. It washed over all of them, making the banners rustle on the walls.
"Oh, but we're not visitors at all, sir," He said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Y/N. And this is Annabeth, Thalia and Percy. We're in the ninth grade."
The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes, and glanced at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"
The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I... yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at the demigods. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. Y/N. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"
Before them could answer, there was 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, like he wanted to pitch them all 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 didn't wait to be told twice. Grover hustled them down the hall in the direction of the music.
Percy walked closely to Y/N and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"
"You mean the Mist?" Y/N frowned. "Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?" An uncomfortable lump formed in Percy's throat. Y/N shrugged. "It's pretty easy, I'll show you later."
Grover hurried them to a door that had GYM written on the glass.
"That was close!" Grover sighed in relief. "Thank the gods you got here!" He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, but otherwise looked like he always did when he passed for a 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 said 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. "A brother and a sister," he said. "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?" Y/N raised an eyebrow.
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 Y/N for reassurance. He shrugged. "Well," he 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."
.
.
.
The students were going absolutely nuts.
Despite being a military school, the kids seemed to go hog wild when it came to parties. Probably to compensate for the lack of entertainment.
There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys 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, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly coloured pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Some of the older guys looked more uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide.
"There they are." Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angela"
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. Y/N glanced at them, before narrowing his eyes.
"What is it?" Grover said.
"I-I'm not sure. But I swear I've seen that kid before..." Y/N shook his head in confusion.
"Do they... I mean, have you told them?" Annabeth asked Grover.
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."
"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 Percy's direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.
"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "I doubt Y/N's trick fooled him. 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 said.
"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.
Thalia nodded. Y/N cocked his ear to the music and made a face. "Really? Who chose Ed Sheeran?"
Grover looked hurt. "I did."
"Dude. Booooring. Can't you play, like, some Joji or something?"
"Jelly who?"
"Never mind." He turned to Thaila. "C'mon, Let's dance."
She blushed furiously. "W-wait! I don't-"
"Know how to dance? You will if I'm leading," He grinned "Come on, pine tree." She shrieked loudly as he practically dragged her onto the dance floor. Annabeth huffed in annoyance, before rolling her eyes.
"What is it?" Percy said.
"Nothing. Just... go play basketball or something."
Y/N and Thalia spun around on the dance floor, with Y/N leading with far more elegance. Thalia was trying her best not to imitate a tomato while moving around.
"You know, for someone that was a tree for 6 years, your not too bad at dancing." Y/N teased.
"For someone that doesn't go to school, you seem a little too good." Thalia smirked. "Did you take ballet when you were younger or something?" Now it was Y/N's turn to be embarrassed.
"Uhhh... No... well, something like that..." He murmured. Thalia laughed, causing Y/N face to go even more red. "Shuddup." He grumbled.
Thalia glanced at Grover and Annabeth, who were awkwardly talking together. "Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there." Annabeth shrugged, before leading a groaning Grover onto the dance floor. She turned her attention back to Y/N.
"Soooo... I heard you're going to go to a new boarding school with Annabeth after the winter break is over." He said. Thalia nodded,
"Yeah..." She said after a moment, "It shouldn't be too hard. I've dealt with worse before."
"Eh, I doubt it'll be hard for you anyway," Y/N remarked, his gaze fixed on Thalia. "You could probably just scare the teachers into giving you good grades." Thalia rolled her eyes.
"Real funny, Firecracker." She smirked. "Although, I bet you would-" She stopped, glancing back at the bleachers. "They're gone."
"Who's gone?" Y/N glanced at the bleachers, spotting a floppy green cap laying on the floor. He looked over towards the kids playing basketball. Percy was nowhere to be seen.
.
.
.
Thorn looked toward the horizon, the sea below the cliff churning with rage. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."
Percy turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea, the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.
"Where are you taking us?" Nico trembled.
"You should be honoured, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls." Thorn cackled.
"They're not dolls! They're figurines! 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 what?" Percy asked, clutching his grazed shoulder. 'Anything to keep him talking while I try to figure out aplan.' Percy thought.
"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "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 told her quietly. "Into the sea."
"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too." Percy never got the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed directly into him.
Annabeth ploughed into the di Angelos and Percy, knocking them to the ground. For a split second, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over their heads. This gave Thalia, Y/N and Grover a chance to advance from behind.
Y/N quickly transformed Aithon into a large bronze lighter the size of a small playing card. With a wave of his hand, a massive wall of fire blasted towards Dr. Thorn, causing him to recoil from the flames. Y/N then quickly advanced, his lighter shifting and morphing into a spear.
He jabbed at his head, but Dr. Thorn snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that lunged at Y/N. Thalia quickly stepped in, shielding her and Y/N's body with Aegis. If it hadn't been for the sheild, Thalia would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. The moulded gorgon's face cause Dr. Thorn to grimace and wince at the sight.
Grover sprang forward. 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 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 said, now visible.
"Again?" Y/N groaned.
"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"
"A manticore?" Nico gasped. "He's got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!"
The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned towards Annabeth and Percy with a snarl.
"Get down!" Annabeth pushed the di Angelos flat into the snow. At the last second, Percy remembered his own shield. He hit his wristwatch, and metal plating spiraled out into a thick bronze shield. Not a moment too soon. The thorns impacted against it with such force they dented the metal.
There was a loud thwack and a yelp, and Grover landed next to Percy with a thud.
"Yield!" the monster roared.
"Never!" Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, Percy thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets.
The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow. Her spear flew in the other direction.
"No!" Y/N ran out to help her. His spear quickly morphing into a bronze shield. He parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. He raised the sheild above Thalia, but it was hopeless.
Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."
Then there was a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods. 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. "It cannot be—"
His sentence was cut short when something shot past Y/N like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder. He staggered backward, wailing in agony.
"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in mid-air and sliced them in two.
The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy lunged at him with his sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. The manticore dodged Percy's attack and slammed his tail into his shield, knocking Percy aside.
Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.
"The Hunters!" Annabeth cried.
"Oh, wonderful." Thalia muttered.
One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery coloured skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"
The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."
"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little younger, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."
The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!" He lunged at Thalia and Y/N, who were weak and dazed.
"No.'" Annabeth yelled, and she charged at the monster.
"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"
But Annabeth leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on for dear life.
"Fire!" Zoe ordered.
"No!" Y/N screamed.
But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"
And before anyone could react, the monster, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.
"Annabeth!" Y/N yelled.
He tried to run after her, but there was a snap-snapsnap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire.
Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.
"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."
She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night. The Hunters advanced on the demigods.
The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw Thalia. "You," she said with distaste.
"Zoe Nightshade." Thalia's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."
Zoe scanned the rest of them. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."
"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."
"Annabeth!" Y/N yelled, rushing to the cliffs edge. He kneeled down and peeked over the side, a massive drop with sharp black rocks and grey sea tossing and churning. Nobody could ever make that fall, not even Percy. Tears pricked at the corner of Y/N's eyes. "No... No no no no..."
The auburn-haired girl slowly advanced to him. "I'm sorry, Y/N, but your friend is beyond help."
"Shut up!" He roared, flinging his hand out at her. The air steamed and rippled, and the snow evaporated around him in a large circle. A wave of fire seemed to ignite from the very air, rolling over the small girl. Instantly, all the archers all rolled away, notching arrows in their bows.
"Archers! Fi-" Zoe yelled out. The smaller girl held up a hand.
"No," she ordered. "I sense no attempt of an attack, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."
The young girl looked at Y/N, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."
A/N: Sorry for the late chapter. Been dealing with important stuff and just life in general. Also... how did Y/N make that wall of fire? Are his powers evolving over time? We can only wait and see...