𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐄

𝐕

Sally maneuvered the car to a stop at the entrance of Westover Hall.

Thalia seized the opportunity for a "private" conversation with Percy and Annabeth, and by 'private', it meant conveniently located just ten feet away.

Selene and Sally, on the other hand, were leaning against the car door on the opposite side of the discussion. They exchanged glances, both seemingly listening to the conversation but pretending they weren't. Despite their attempts at whispering, their voices carried, and Selene couldn't help but overhear every word.

"Sooo..." Selene turned to Sally, "Poseidon, huh?" she raised one eyebrow at her.

"Alright. What do you want to know?"

Selene's eyes sparkled, "Is he like the portraits? I saw this book in Percy's bedroom..."

Sally chuckled, "I must say Percy resembles his father a lot."

"Oh no. Then it's nothing like the portraits..."

They both laughed, yet Annabeth's voice cut their conversation, "There's a reason why Tsiphone kneeled upon her! She's bad, bad news."

Selene didn't dare look back to see them, she could perfectly picture what was happening just by hearing their voices.

"She's not a threat; she's my friend," Percy insisted, his desperation evident despite his attempt to maintain a low tone. "Thalia, you spoke to her. She doesn't seem dangerous. Selene and I have been friends for months, and we even slept close to each other. If she wanted to harm me, she had the chance."

Annabeth's irritation with Percy was palpable, evident in the raspiness of her tone. "You don't find it suspicious how everything seems to connect her to you?" she queried, her voice low and intense. "Are you genuinely going to buy into the whole 'I'm just a dancer' and 'I'm clueless about Greek gods' act just because she's a girl? A Fury kneeled in her presence. Do you even realize who Furies work for?"

Selene felt the urge to intervene, to at least say, 'Hey, if you're going to discuss me, at least include me in the conversation.' However, she was already overwhelmed with everything transpiring, and the last thing she wanted was to be labeled a liar.  Sure, she'd lied before—skipping dance practice by pretending to be sick or claiming she took medication she'd forgotten. But those were trivial compared to lying about her very essence, her personality, who she is.

"I'm taking Percy to Montauk this summer. He wants to learn how to surf. We always stay at the same place every year," Sally began, attempting to ease the tension in the conversation. "Maybe you could come with us. I'm sure he wouldn't mind—"

"I won't be handcuffing her, Annabeth," Percy screamed, and everyone looked at him. Their eyes met before he shifted his gaze away. "I mean," he added, lowering his voice but still audible.

"There's no need for that." It was the first time she heard Thalia's voice. "Let's bring her along with us and I'll keep an eye on her. All things indicate she's a demigod, so it'd be far too risky if we let her go back to New York with Ms. Jackson."

After a while, they came back. Percy's face was flushed, as if he'd either run a marathon or something had thoroughly irritated him. Annabeth, on the other hand, kept her distance and avoided direct eye contact with any of them. Thalia, true to form, seemed entirely unfazed.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" Sally asked after they'd taken all the bags off of her truck.

"No, thanks, Mom," Percy replied. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."

"But how will you get back?" She leaned closer to him, "And how about Selene? I'm worried, Percy."

"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond braids were tucked into a ski cap and she walked in their direction, not even once looking at Selene. "We'll keep him out of trouble."

"All right, dears," Sally said, "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia responded. "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."

The biting wind cut through Selene's coat like icy daggers. She stood somewhat awkwardly behind Thalia, who casually glanced over her shoulder, acknowledging her presence.

"Did you listen to that?" Thalia whispered.

"Most of it, yeah," she replied. "Annabeth's quite the charmer, isn't she?"

"Can't blame her. I passed down the 'trust is earned' wisdom... You know, the basics."

"Well, at least you weren't keen on slapping cuffs on me."

"That's because you're equally threatening cuffed or free." Thalia winked at her. Once Sally's car was out of sight, she continued, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."

"She's pretty okay," he admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"

If there's one thing Selene learned about Thalia so far, was how good she was at giving frightening looks—and the one she gave Percy was the worst so far.

Her lips were curled into a slight snarl, and there was a subtle clenching of her jaw. "If that was any of your business, Percy—" 

"We'd better get inside since it is decided she's coming with us no matter what I say." Annabeth interrupted. "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 and touched Selene's shoulder, who was quietly doing the same. "Nothing good," he guessed.

The oak doors groaned open, and the four of them stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

Beside Selene, she overheard Percy saying, "Whoa."

The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. It was, apparently, a military school.

Selene noticed Percy shifting uncomfortably, his hand reaching for his pocket. Thalia, too, was rubbing her silver bracelet, and it seemed like they sensed something wrong.

The doors slammed shut behind them.

"Oo-kay," Percy mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."

"Do you have a plan or is it just vibes?" Selene inquired as they walked down the hall. So far, she only knew one thing: they needed to find Grover. And that was all.

They had stashed their overnight bags behind a pillar and were walking in the direction of the blasting music down the hall.

"Oh, yeah..." Percy appeared to ponder, then turned to Thalia, "Maybe we should've thought of a plan before coming."

So, no plan. Great.

They hadn't gone very far when Selene heard footsteps echoing on the stone floor. A man and a woman emerged from the shadows to intercept them. Both sported short gray hair and wore black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, while the man was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward. They both walked stiffly as if there were broomsticks taped to their spines.

"Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?" 

"Um..." Percy just nervously glanced at them through the corner of his eyes, visibly unaware of how to respond. "Ma'am, we're just—"

"Ha!" the man snapped, which made both Percy and Selene jump a little. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be eee-jected!"

He had an accent—French, maybe. 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 an alley cat's.

Selene thought, well, that's it, because the guy looked like he was seconds away from tossing them on the snow. Maybe her epithet could be "gone too soon. didn't even have one single adventure."

But then, Thalia stepped forward and... snapped her fingers? The sound was sharp and loud, and a gust of wind rippled out from her 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, Percy and Selene. We're in the eighth grade."

Actually, Thalia, I'm a freshman, she raised her finger in protest in her mind.

The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes and, for a moment, he hesitated. Selene just stared at Thalia, in complete amusement, as whatever she did right there had clearly worked somehow. He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?" 

Percy and Selene looked at each other, biting their tongues so they wouldn't laugh at the name Got Chalk. Selene murmured to him, "stop!", yet she, herself, even had tears on the lower lid of her eye due to how much she suppressed a laugh.

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. Selene. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"

Before any of them could answer, Selene heard more footsteps and looked around, seeing Grover running up to them, breathless. "Selene, my lady! You're here! 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!"

Once, Selene helped one of the older brothers from St. Michaels to sneak Sister Natalie's hidden bottles of vodka and tsipoura for his graduation after-party. When caught by her, she had to come up with a story in a matter of seconds to not be grounded—she said they were taking the bottles for a deep cleanse in the attic. She felt exactly like that again, in this current situation.

The thing was—Sister Natalie didn't believe in them, yet said nothing else, as if she already wasn't being paid enough to care for that. Dr. Thorn didn't look as nice.

Dr. Thorn glared at them, Selene specially. He even tilted his head, as if trying to solve puzzles inside his head. He looked like he wanted to pitch them 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. 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.

Selene couldn't help but notice Grover's nervousness as he hurried them down the hall toward the music. His eyes seemed to avoid direct contact with hers, yet she caught him stealing furtive glances from the corner of his eye. Grover's body language betrayed a subtle tension, his shoulders slightly hunched, and a bead of sweat forming on his forehead.

But the thing was, Selene was too focused on staring at Thalia with the dreamiest look ever. She walked closely to Thalia, who had Percy on her side, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?" she asked, "And can you teach me?"

"You mean the Mist?" Thalia tilted her head, "You'll learn from Chiron once we get you to Camp. Right, Percy?"

Percy didn't nod. He just looked at them, and seemed to have a lump formed on his throat. By the way he furrowed his brows slightly, and the bit lip, Selene could comprehend there was something off with him.

"Ehm... Yeah... I don't know." He quickly brushed off the subject.

Grover hurried them to a door that had GYM written on the glass. "That was close!" he said. "Thank the gods you got here, and..." he acknowledged her presence, "My lady! Mene, I've missed you so much!"

Grover tried to kneel, but she held his shoulders before he could. "What did I say about being a freak?"

"You said only in front of the girls from Ballet..."

"Exactly," she replied, giving him a lop-sided grin while going for a hug. "And don't sniff on my hair, please?"

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged confused looks. "You know each other?" Thalia asked, eyebrow raised.

Both Percy, Selene and Grover looked at each other and just straight-up started laughing. "You could say so," Grover replied.

Annabeth and Thalia hugged him, and Percy gave him a big high five. Grover had gotten a little taller, and he wore a red cap on his curly brown hair, baggy jeans and sneakers, as usual. He was wearing a black T-shirt that said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT.

"Wait, why did you guys bring her here?" He pointed at her. "Did I miss something?"

"She's a part of our world apparently," Annabeth replied. "She was being tutored by a Fury disguised as a nun."

"Dope," he nodded, then turned to Percy. "I told you about her smell!" He patted on Percy's back.

"Grover, what kind of weird greek monster are you?"

"I'm a satyr!" He took out his red cap, revealing goat horns. He also showed his furry legs and hooves that were hidden by the baggy jeans. "I'm a creature of nature—totally not a monster."

"Oh so that explains the hairy legs..." she said. "I noticed it but thought it would be offensive to ask."

Percy chuckled, looking around, "So what's the emergency?"

Grover took a deep breath. "I found two."

"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed.

"Here?"

Grover nodded.

"What? Like it's rare?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "It's rare to find real half-bloods," she said. "And we've been scouting new ones throughout the country to help us in battle. We need all the fighters we can find."

"Weird of you to call kids fighters, but okay."

Annabeth's fists clenched tightly at her sides. A vein pulsed on her forehead, and her jaw tensed so much that the muscles stood out. She leaned forward slightly, yet didn't say anything back to Selene.

"Found 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?"

"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's eyes widened, pleading with a mix of desperation and hope as he turned his gaze towards Thalia. His shoulders slumped, and his hands fidgeted nervously.

"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"

Grover nodded.

"Then let's dance," Thalia's eyes sparkled as she surveyed the group, ensuring everyone was on the same page. A subtle grin played on her lips, "Who's the monster?"

"Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

Selene couldn't help but feel slightly underdressed for the occasion.

Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform. 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.

Girls moved around in football huddles wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy, 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 just like Selene—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute they might have to fight for their lives.

"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, and 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."

"So let's grab them and get out of here," Percy replied.

Percy started to walk 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 whilst staring right into Selene's eyes, and his single blue eye seemed to glow. 

Judging by his expression, the Mist sadly had little to no effect on him. He suspected who they were, and he was just waiting to see why they were there.

"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 three powerful half-bloods..." she looked over at Selene, "I'm sorry. We're four powerful... somethings... 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. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"

"Green who?"

"Never mind. Let's dance."

"But I can't dance!" Grover exclaimed, glancing hopefully at Selene. However, she looked away, unwilling to dance with someone who had a habit of sniffing and trying to eat her hair at any given chance.

"You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy. You too, Annabeth. You better get that scorn off of your face."

Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his and Annabeth's hands and led them onto the dance floor. 

Selene's eyes flickered around the gymnasium, unsure of what to do. From afar, the group of older boys were stealing occasional glances on her way and whispering things on each other's ears.

"So..." She heard Percy's voice as he slowly walked to her side, "I'm sorry for having to drag you into this."

A small, genuine smile played on her lips while she maintained her eyes on the dance floor, "Well, everything happened so fast and so out of nowhere. My brain's still buffering, and I'm pretty sure y'all have taken one too many hits from some moldy blunt."

He grinned. "Usually when people arrive at camp we show them the orientation film, so it's easier to understand everything. Maybe we can watch it, if you're still confused..."

"Is it G or PG? Cause Sister Natalie is quite strict..."

"It's PG-13."

"Nice!" Selene chuckled, her laughter blending with the rhythm of the music around them. She nudged him with her elbow, and as she turned to face him, Selene saw him also smiling while looking away.

She was still grappling all they'd explained to her, her mind still trying to absorb the events of the past few hours. In her usual life as Class President, attending Ballet practices, and spending time at Percy's apartment, everything seemed relatively normal. It wasn't a perfect life, but it brought her happiness. She was content that way.

At the same time, she always knew there was something wrong. She couldn't ignore the glimpses of Sister Natalie's true form, the occasional sightings of peculiar creatures like the Black Pegasus following her, and the day she witnessed Percy battling Alecto in the bathroom. Even when she attempted to convince herself that these anomalies were mere coincidences or products of an overactive imagination, the truth refused to be dismissed.

Either way, she was still thinking about it. Why did Sister Natalie—or Tsiphone—had kneeled before her and called her 'lady'? Or, to be more specific: what was she, really?

"Hey!" Thalia called them. She was slow dancing with Grover and Annabeth. They were in a circle, tripling all over themselves. For a moment, they saw Grover kicking Annabeth with his shins, and she looked like she wanted to die.

"Dance, you guys! You look stupid just standing there."

Selene, feeling a bit nervous, glanced around the room. "Hm, should I dance with one of those guys?" she pondered aloud.

Percy's hands slightly fidgeted, and there was a soft yet endearing smile on his face. He seemed to be adjusting his posture, standing a bit straighter than usual.

He raised his hand in her direction and said, "Would you grant me a dance, Lady?" pronouncing the title with the same tone Grover had used earlier.

Selene chuckled and nodded, her fingers lightly brushing against Percy's hand. As soon as their hands touched, the melody of 'Nobody Gets Me' by SZA began to play.

"You're the dancer here," Percy whispered close to her ear, slightly leaning down due to his height. "How do we do this?"

"Your hands," she guided his hands to her waist, her touch delicate, "Right here." Then, she placed her arms around his neck, continuing, "And mine will go here."

Percy's fingers were slightly clumsy, yet hers tightened the grip on the back of his neck, reassuring him.

"Now we dance."

At first, they had no rhythm or synchronization. Selene went to the right whilst Percy had gone to the left.

"I can't do this," Percy murmured, his eyes fixed on his own feet, a tinge of defeat in his voice.

"Relax, just look at me and follow my lead."

But when Percy raised his head and their eyes met, she faltered and stepped on his feet.

Selene's cheeks carried a soft blush. A sheepish smile played on her lips as she admitted, "Oops. My bad."

Neither of them had realized they had leaned so close to each other they were almost hugging.

Percy leaned towards her, whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry for what they said earlier about you. I know you heard it. I don't believe you're a threat, not at all. Remember, we're co-workers."

"Well, the entire situation with Sister Natalie was a bit odd, I won't lie. I understand why Annabeth and Thalia are both apprehensive," she said, avoiding to turn her head even the slightest. Selene just kept staring at the lighting on the ceiling.

He shrugged off. "I've noticed you are a bit sad—I've seen you hiding behind Thalia or me, being quiet the entire time instead of saying lots of nonsense. And when you get all sad, your lips quiver a little, and you wrinkle your nose a bit."

Selene shook her head, "How do you even notice that?"

"Because you look hilariously ugly when you do that."

She playfully smacked his arm with her elbow.

Once again, he leaned closer to her, a mischievous smile on his lips. "Also, for someone who dances professionally, you're not really good at this."

"Oh yeah?" She leaned back, eyes meeting his. "You sound like you're speaking from experience. Many admirers chasing for an opportunity to dance with the Lord of the Bathroom before?"

He sighed dramatically, "You have no idea..." Except for the fact he'd never danced with someone before. The only dances he attended were due to Sally forcing him to, and usually he'd join the group of boys playing basketball in the corner.

Suddenly, Selene froze. "Percy, they're gone."

"What?"

He 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.

Annabeth went running on their direction, "We have to get Thalia and Grover!" she looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off to? Come on!"

Selene and Percy immediately separated, their dance interrupted by Annabeth's urgent call. Their eyes met for a brief moment before quickly moving away from each other.

Annabeth dashed through the crowd, with Selene following closely. While Selene anticipated Percy to be right behind them, a glance over her shoulder revealed an empty space where he should have been. "Annabeth, wait!" but there was also no one else in front of her. Selene turned a full circle, searching for familiar faces – Grover, Thalia, Annabeth, or Percy – but she found herself alone.

But then she saw something that sent a shiver down her spine.

Her attention was then drawn to a disturbing sight about fifty feet away. On the gym floor lay a familiar floppy green cap, identical to the one worn by Bianca di Angelo. Scattered nearby were trading cards. In the midst of the confusion, she glimpsed Dr. Thorn hastily ushering the di Angelo siblings out a door at the opposite end of the gym, holding them by the scruffs of their necks like kittens.

Immediately after, Selene caught a fleeting glimpse of Percy in pursuit, wielding his three-foot-long double-edged sword.

Without a second thought, she scanned her surroundings, making a beeline for the buffet table and grabbing the metal ladle that kids were using to serve punch. Wasn't Thalia's spear, but it would work.

Selene sprinted down the dark hallway, following them with her makeshift weapon in hand. As she reached the other end, a moment of confusion struck her; the corridor was eerily empty.

"My name's Percy,"  came Percy's voice from somewhere close to her.  "I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."

A sudden, ominous sound—WHIIIICK!—pierced the air, accompanied by a chilling laugh that reverberated through the door.

Following the chilling noise, she opened a nearby door to find the di Angelo kids frozen in horror on one side of the corridor. On the opposite side, Percy was slammed against the wall. A weird spike, like a black dagger, passed through his coat and shirt, pinning him to the wall. The projectile, about a foot long, had grazed his shoulder, leaving a visible mark even through his clothes.

Selene's eyes widened as she took in the scene. Her gaze locked onto Percy's face—his brows furrowed, teeth gritted, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. But when he looked back at her, his fists clenched.

As she ran on his direction, trying her best not to make any more noise, a cold laugh echoed through the hall.

"P-po-ison," he mumbled, pointing at the blade. Selene nodded, murmuring back 'stay quiet', while she tried to take the dagger off of his shoulder.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson" She recognized it as Dr. Thorn's voice because his accent mangled the J in Pecy's last name. "I know who you are... Funny how I came for a meal and you brought me a feast."

She turned back, seeing a dark silhouette moving 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, you both." he said. "I hate middle school dances."

Selene's hand tightened around the metal ladle. She raised it high and aimed directly at Dr. Thorn's head. The ladle sailed through the air and hit him. Dr. Thorn faltered and stepped back, pressing one hand on his forehead a bit dizzy.

She took the opportunity and whirled around, managing to take the dagger out of Percy's shoulder. He collapsed on the ground, grunting in pain.

Yet Dr. Thorn's cold laughter echoed again, and out of nowhere, she heard a WHIIIISH! once more. Whilst still turned back, hands pressing Percy's wound, she uddenly she felt a searing pain erupting on her back.

A second projectile had been shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.

She heard Bianca yelping, and suppressed a scream whilst blindly searching for the dagger that hit her. It had impaled her spine.

She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth. Selene gripped on the hilt of the dagger, slowly extracting it out and tossing away right after.

"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."