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The last thing Percy wanted to do was go to yet another school and blow it up. And this time! He wasn't even enrolled! And yet, here he was, Monday morning, the first week of June, sitting on a bench in front of Goode High School on East 81st . Goode was this big brownstone building overlooking the East River. A bunch of BMWs and Lincoln Town Cars were parked out front. Staring up at the fancy stone archway, Percy couldn't help but mentally die.
His father had said, 'go to Goode.' So here he was, going to Goode. It was ridiculous in his opinion. What the Hades would his father need with Goode? Especially a pathetic orientation tour where is mother's boyfriend worked!
And Percy already graduated, why did he still need to go to schools? He thought he was done with high school once he received his diploma. By the skin of his finger, nevertheless.
Paul Blofis was standing out front, greeting future ninth graders as they came up the steps. With his salt-and-pepper hair, denim clothes, and leather jacket, he reminded Percy of a TV actor, but he was just an English teacher. Percy didn't care much for him. If it wasn't for the fact that Sally was absolutely smitten with him, Percy wouldn't even think of being polite to the man.
If everything went as planned, he'd be out of here by noon and complaining about the useless mission his father had sent him on.
He'd rather be in community college or something else as equally stupid! Anything was better than this. The shadows seemed to laugh at his pain.
If everything went as planned...
Percy wanted to stab himself for jinxing himself as he stared at Dallas Storme standing in the crowd of future ninth graders. He rolled his eyes, realising that things would never go as planned now.
Well, at least it explained why his father wanted him to be there.
Dally went pale slightly, looking alarmed. Percy followed his eyesight to find Paul Blofis greeting a girl with frizzy red hair. She wore a maroon T-shirt and ratty jeans decorated with marker drawings.
Dally ducked down, and slipped out of the crowd. Failing horribly in trying to sneakily enter the building through a separate entrance.
Percy shook his head at the young boy, not really caring what he did at this point. After having to deal with the imbecile for almost three years, nothing fazed him at this point.
As he slipped into the building with the rest of the children who were entering for the ridiculous orientation, Percy's shadows warned him of the monsters who were in the building with him. Monster cheerleaders monster cheerleaders monster cheerleaders
Percy already just wanted to go home.
He stood in the shadows, blissfully invisible to all the little children and teachers. Two cheerleaders in purple-and-white uniforms were standing at the side entrance, waiting to ambush freshman.
Percy snorted, more like monsters waiting for the champion of the sea god so they could eat him.
Ah, the life of a demigod is so much fun.
Dallas was causing a large commotion at the door as he locked eyes with the weird redhead he had spotted earlier. The boy sprinted towards where the orientation was to occur, but Percy had a good feeling he would get lost.
The son of Hades sighed as he slipped off the wall and weaved through the small crowd, unnoticeably, as he went after Dally, the read head and the cheerleaders. If anything was going to happen, it was with them.
Surprisingly, Dallas hadn't gotten lost. Can we get a standing ovation for him? The shadows shrieked in laughter at his pathetic comment. Hades, Percy was going insane with boredom. The shadows really needed to tone it down and stop making fun of his thoughts.
There were around three hundred sweaty teenagers crammed into the bleachers in the gym. Percy elected to staying hidden in the shadows near the exit.
A marching band stopped playing. A guy in a pinstripe suit came to the microphone and started talking, but the sound echoed around the gym so Percy had no idea what he was saying. He might've been gargling, for all the nineteen year old boy could have known. Percy's eyes flashed upwards when his shadows informed him that there was a situation beginning with Dally.
The redheaded girl had grabbed his shoulders, and Dally, though shocked, was holding up a conversation up with her. Percy sighed, hoping whatever was going on between him and that girl had nothing to do with the mythological world.
Knowing his luck, it would have everything to do with it.
"Hi, guys!" a cheerleader bubbled into the microphone. "My name is Tammi, and this is like, Kelli." Kelli did a cartwheel.
The redheaded girl had yelped, causing Percy's eyebrows to raise in confusion. She was staring at the cheerleaders in horror, terrifying mortal horror.
Percy murmured, "she a demigod?"
His shadows whispered from every corner of the room, mortal mortal mortal
So, Percy wondered, another human that can see through the mist? Interesting... The redhead had begun to push her way to the edge of the bleachers, ignoring everyone around her. Dally, after a few moments of hesitation, had gotten up as well, following her out of the gym.
Percy sighed, pushing off the wall again and following after them.
His life felt so repetitive.
As he trudged through the hallway, not even bothering to hide his presence, Percy couldn't be more grateful that he had graduated. Sure he had just barely, but that wasn't his fault. He wasn't able to show up to half of high school because of the mythological world and his father, the other half he was either exhausted, lazy or fighting a monster at school.
In between all that, where the Hades would he find the effort or ability inside of him to actually learn things?
And its not like he had a choice, whether or not he wanted to continue his studies. As the crowned prince of the Underworld, his probably had one of the strongest demigod presences as he walked through the mortal world. Monsters would have never left him alone.
Even starting a family would be impossible for him without protection from the underworld.
The monsters would get to him eventually, and he could never risk his loved ones for that.
That basically left him with only one choice. To serve his father to his death.
Or, if things kept going they way they did, to become an immortal and take over as ruler of the underworld when his father faded away into nothing. Though that option was still millennia's away.
The read head and Dally were hiding out in the band room. Percy slipped into the room, quietly. The two fourteen year olds not even noticing him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes at their ineptness at literally everything.
Her eyes were bright red with fear as she whispered to Dally, "you...you wouldn't believe me."
"Oh, yeah, I would," Dally promised. "I know you can see through the Mist."
"The what?"
"The Mist. It's...well, it's like this veil that hides the way things really are. Some mortals are born with the ability to see through it. Like you."
She studied him carefully. "You did that at Hoover Dam. You called me a mortal. Like you're not."
Percy rolled his eyes. Oh for goodness sakes! Get on with it! He appeared beside them, leaning against a black box. "Ever heard anything about Greek Mythology princess?"
Both of them jumped, just holding back shrieks. The girl had grabbed a junior violin and lifted it, prepared to chuck it at the mysterious boy who had appeared out of nowhere.
Thankfully, probably saving the red heads life, Dally was able to stop her before she could chuck anything at Percy and get herself in a life threatening situation. "Stop! I know him, Rachel! Its okay!"
She blinked slowly at Dally, asking, "you... you know him?"
Dally shifted awkwardly, "uh, yeah." He turned to Percy quickly, as if only just realising that he was actually there. Like actually. "What are you doing here?"
Percy rolled his eyes, "underworldly business, kid. But if it makes you feel any better, let's pretend its just because my mother's boyfriend is a teacher here and I want to make sure nothing bad happens to him."
"Is that true?"
Percy rolled his eyes. Kids. "Both are true, but that doesn't really matter right now. The cheerleaders will be here soon." Fear had gripped Rachel again. But, Percy being Percy, didn't really care and told her harshly, "the monsters of Greek mythology, all the Greek gods—they're real."
"I knew it!"
He felt a headache coming on. So what? What did Percy care if the little brat 'knew it'?
He just prayed that Rachel wouldn't turn into an obsessive stalker, as he has classified Annabeth and her crush at this point.
"You don't know how hard it's been," she said. "For years I thought I was going crazy. I couldn't tell anybody. I couldn't—"
Percy's chuckle stopped her. It was harsh and cruel. It gave her the time to observe him. In a slightly-creepy-checking-him-out kinda way. The young man wore dark clothes, obviously expensive. He was covered in scars but remained insanely handsome, as if out of a fairy-tale story. Almost godly... There was a large jagged white scar that went down his neck, the rest of it hidden by his clothes. Rachel had to hold back a shiver at what could have done that, and all the other scars, to him.
He sneered at her, "I don't know how hard its been?" Percy scowled to himself, "who the Hades do you think you are? When you actually have to start fighting these monsters because they can follow your scent, and you've had to do so since you were a young child, then we can talk about you having it hard. Until then..." he glared at her, "keep your mouth shut."
It was silent for a bit before Rachel cleared her throat, suddenly feeling cold in the aura that the boy was emitting. It reminded her of death. "What are you guys'?"
"I'm not a monster." Dally told her uselessly. Percy snorted mentally, no really?
"Well, I know that. I could see if you were. You look like...you. But you're not human, are you?"
The dark eyed boy interrupted them, "we're half-bloods. Half human."
"And half what?"
Percy just smiled, strikingly handsome as the shadows seemed to wrap around him.
Just then Tammi and Kelli stepped into the band room. The doors slammed shut behind them.
"There you are, Dally Storme," Tammi said. "It's time for your orientation."
"They're horrible!" Rachel gasped.
Tammi and Kelli were still wearing their purple-and-white cheerleader costumes, holding pom-poms from the rally.
"What do they really look like?" Dally asked.
Oh for Zeus's sake, Dallas, why does it matter? It was official, Perceval hated kids.
"Oh, forget her." Tammi gave Dally a brilliant smile and started walking towards them. Kelli stayed by the doors, blocking the exit. Neither had noticed Percy yet. They had technically trapped them, but Percy was relaxed.
Rachel glanced at him, worriedly as Tammi approached them, using her allure to attempt to seduce Dally. It didn't really bother Percy as he didn't have a thing for brunette's. Girls with black hair on the other hand...
Tami was getting closer. She held out her pom-poms.
"Dally!" Rachel said. "Snap out of it!"
It seemed to take all of Dally's willpower, but he pulled out his weapon anyways. Tammi's smile turned to a sneer.
"Oh, come on," she protested. "You don't need that. How about a kiss instead?"
Percy wrinkled his nose, she smelled like roses and clean animal fur. That's disgusting. Animal fur? He knew empousai were ugly, but this was ridiculous.
Tammi began to change as the two children argued with her, colour draining out of her face and arms. Her skin turned as white as chalk, her eyes completely red. Her teeth grew into fangs. Below the cheerleader skirt, her left leg was brown and shaggy with a donkey's hoof. Her right leg was shaped like a human leg, but it was made of bronze.
He felt so bored. Hades, he could've been hanging out with Silena, or even doing his shift in the underworld. Alecto was already hackling him enough as it is for missing so many shifts because of quests, school or other ridiculous reasons.
All of a sudden, Rachel threw a snare drum at the empousa's head.
The demon hissed and batted the drum away. It went rolling along the aisles between music stands, its springs rattling against the drumhead. Rachel threw a xylophone, but the demon just swatted that away, too.
"I don't usually kill girls," Tammi growled. "But for you, mortal, I'll make an exception. Your eyesight is a little too good!"
She lunged at Rachel.
"No!" Dally slashed with his sword. Tammi tried to dodge his blade, but it sliced straight through her cheerleader uniform, and with a horrible wail she exploded into dust all over Rachel.
Rachel coughed. She looked like she'd just had a sack of flour dumped on her head. "Gross!"
"Monsters do that," Dally said. "Sorry."
His pet crush on the red-headed mortal was almost cute. That is, if Percy did cute. The whole relationship thing was a really weak point for him. The only stable relationship Percy had ever had was his mother, and maybe Silena now.
But that was another issue.
He truly couldn't get too involved with her, or Kronos would target her, and as she was already betraying the camp because of a foolish agreement, she would be very easy to remove from the equation.
"You killed my trainee!" Kelli yelled. "You need a lesson in school spirit, half-blood!"
Then she too began to change. Her wiry hair turned into flickering flames. Her eyes turned red. She grew fangs. She loped toward the trio, her brass foot and hoof clopping unevenly on the band-room floor.
"I am senior empousa," she growled. "No hero has bested me in a thousand years."
Percy finally made himself known, "oh is that true?"
The empousa paled. "Lord Perceval?"
He grinned, flicking his hand, causing a large cello to hover from the ground and throw itself at Kelli as if no one was touching it. "Tell Hecate I said hello and we need to hang out. It's been awhile." She dodged the large stringed instrument and rolled into the brass section, knocking over a row of trombones with a mighty crash.
Rachel scrambled out of the way. Dally jumped in front of her as if to someone help her. Kelli's form shimmered—sometimes a demon, sometimes a pretty cheerleader.
"Poor dear." Kelli chuckled. "You don't even know what's happening, do you? Soon, your pretty little camp in flames, your friends made slaves to the Lord of Time, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. It would be merciful to end your life now, before you have to see that."
From down the hall, Percy heard voices. A tour group was approaching. A man was saying something about locker combinations.
The empousa's eyes lit up. "Excellent! We're about to have company!"
She picked up a tuba and threw it at Dally. Rachel and Dally ducked. The tuba sailed over their heads, heading straight for Percy, but he just held up his hand as shadows rushed up and congregated from around, stopping it seconds from him.
The voices in the hall died down.
"Dally!" Kelli shouted, pretending to be scared, "why did you throw that?" Kelli picked up a music stand and swiped a row of clarinets and flutes. Chairs and musical instruments crashed to the floor.
"Stop it!" Dally said.
People were tromping down the hall now, coming in our direction.
"Time to greet our visitors!" Kelli bared her fangs and ran for the doors. Dally charged after, as if trying to protect the arriving mortals. Percy sighed.
"Percy, don't!" Rachel shouted.
But it was too late.
Kelli flung open the doors. Paul Blofis and a bunch of freshmen stepped back in shock. At the last second, the empousa turned towards Dally like a cowering victim. "Oh no, please!" she cried.
Dally sliced her in half, Kelli exploding into flames like a Molotov cocktail. Waves of fire splashed over everything. Percy waved his hand again, protecting them all from third-degree burns with the cool semi-solid touch of his shadows.
When they covered Rachel, she couldn't help but observe them in awe.
Silena had told Percy the first time he had covered her with them that experience seemed otherworldly, even for a demigod who lived right in the middle of the mythical world. To Percy, the shadows and his life seemed worth it. But apparently, nothing was like that.
Annabeth Annabeth Annabeth Annabeth annabeth
If she had arrived, it was time to go.
Flames engulfed the doorway and from the corner of his eye, Percy could see Paul Blofis staring at him from across the fire, completely stunned. Percy could already imagine his mother scolding him from being scene at the crime scene.
It was one of the first thing Sally had taught him after he was arrested for the first time, never get spotted at the crime scene. His mother was wonderful, almost as if somewhere deep inside of her she realised the reason for his arrest had not been a mortal matter.
Kids screamed and ran down the hall. The fire alarm wailed. Ceiling sprinklers hissed to life.
In the chaos, Rachel tugged on Dally's sleeve. "You have to get out of here!"
The school was in flames and it seemed that Dally would be held responsible. Unless someone from the mystical world dealt with it, seeing as it just looked like he had attacked a helpless cheerleader in front of a group of witnesses.
Percy picked up an acoustic guitar and swung, letting it go as it flew out of the window. Shattering it into shards of glass raining on the floor around. He waved towards the new exit, gaining the attention of the frantic fourteen-year old's. "After you."
The smirk on his face was positively frightening as the flames flickered across his face, the head was becoming painfully unbearable.
They burst out of the alley onto East 81st, Percy walking calmly after them as Annabeth was introduced to Rachel, jealousy dripping from her at the fact that the mortal knew Dally.
Annabeth really needed to get her priorities straight and decide who she was going for, this back and forth game was getting ridiculous. Either choose the hero of Olympus, or choose the prince of hell.
There was no in-between.
Annabeth was wearing jeans and an orange camp T-shirt and her clay bead necklace. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her grey eyes flashed with recognition, eyes raking over Percy's lax form.
She just didn't give up. He had practically killed his own brother in front of her, came back to life and laughed in his sisters face when she screamed at him for 'killing' her brother.
Police sirens wailed on FDR Drive.
"Percy, Dally," Annabeth said coldly. "We should go."
"I want to know more about half-bloods," Rachel insisted. "And monsters. And this stuff about the gods." She grabbed Dally's arm, whipped out a permanent marker, and wrote a phone number on his hand. "You're going to call me and explain, okay? You owe me that. Now get going."
"But—"
"I'll make up some story," Rachel said. "I'll tell them it wasn't your fault. Just go!"
She ran back toward the school, leaving the demigods in the street. Percy was wondering why she was carrying around a permanent black marker in her pocket. Like was that a normal thing for teenagers these days?
Dally and Annabeth had a small spat. Percy stared at nothing, bored out of his mind. They were such children.
Annabeth headed towards York avenue, smoke billowed up from Goode High School behind them. She quickly called a taxi and the three of them slipped in to the back, Annabeth happily taking the middle seat as it meant she was equally as close to both Percy and Dally.
It was so awkward.
Dally blinked, turning to Percy. "Aren't you banned from camp? After... everything?"
The demigods were certainly too forgiving, as if he hadn't committed any serious crimes and as if he was completely normal like them. They were so naïve. Percy could only hope that they would learn before they met someone that would truly screw them over.
Annabeth explained, "negotiations had occurred and they have lightened the ban. He's allowed to stay at camp for short periods, not any longer."
And even then, the only reason they let him back in, despite Alecto's excellent argument and case for his innocence, was because he was an extremely skilled fighter, both powerful with his weapons and abilities, and was probably the best chance for the camp against any of Kronos's attacks.
Just the thought of how he was being used made him huff.
Silena had smiled when she heard the news, of course only after she updated him on everything that Luke had been letting her now and what information she was leaking to the 'dark side'.
His mother severely enjoyed Silena's company, as she had visited many more times after the quest and during the early summer, getting to know the entire Jackson family better. Already, Percy's mother was nudging him to ask the daughter of Aphrodite out.
Percy wasn't sure what Aphrodite would think of the relationship. Either she would absolutely despise it out of loyalty for Olympus and her hate for Hades, or she would love it and its forbidden aspects.
But just the thought of actually committing to a relationship made Percy uncomfortable.
No offense to his mother, but Paul was literally the first good bloke that treated her correctly. Sally didn't have the best instincts when it came to love prospects, seeing as she dated Hades and Gabe. No matter the reasons.
Annabeth had apparently already returned to camp, after spending spring in monster-infested San Francisco. She also mentioned that she had learned nothing about the whereabouts of Bianca di Angelo.
Both fourteen-year-old's glanced over at Percy to see his response. He kept his face impassive.
"Any word on Luke?" Dally asked.
She shook her head. "Mount Tam is still overrun with monsters," Annabeth said. "I didn't dare go close, but I don't think Luke is up there. I think I would know if he was."
"What about Grover?"
"He's at camp," she said. "We'll see him today."
Percy had to hide a groan. If only the underworld ran a camp, at least he wouldn't have to hang out with satyrs and go-lucky demigods.
"Did he have any luck? I mean, with the search for Pan?"
"You'll see," she said. But she didn't explain.
The group road in silence after that. The city melted away until they were off the expressway and rolling through the countryside of northern Long Island, past orchards and wineries and fresh produce stands. The fact that he was travelling in a taxi instead of shadow-travelling alone darkened his mood.
Dally was staring at the number Rachel had scrawled on his hand.
The taxi exited on Route 25A. Heading through the woods along the North Shore until a low ridge of hills appeared on the left. Annabeth told the driver to pull over on Farm Road 3.141, at the base of Half-Blood Hill.
The driver frowned. "There ain't nothing here, miss. You sure you want out?"
"Yes, please," Annabeth handed him a roll of mortal cash, and the driver decided not to argue.
Percy trailed after them as they hiked to the crest of the hill. The young guardian dragon was dozing, coiled around the pine tree, but he lifted his coppery head and let Annabeth scratch under his chin. Steam hissed out his nostrils like from a teakettle, and he went cross-eyed with pleasure.
"Hey, Peleus," Annabeth said. "Keeping everything safe?"
Still...something felt wrong. There was tension in the air, as if the hill itself were holding its breath, waiting for something bad to happen.
Most of the campers had arrived last Friday. The satyrs were playing their pipes in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow with woodland magic. Campers were having flying horseback lessons, swooping over the woods on their pegasi. Smoke rose from the forges, and hammers rang as kids made their own weapons for Arts & Crafts. The Athena and Demeter teams were having a chariot race around the track, and over at the canoe lake some kids in a Greek trireme were fighting a large orange sea serpent. A typical day at camp.
As they walked down the hill, past the dragon. The campers stared at him, watching him with close eyes. The enigmatic boy was a mystery in itself, and that mystery just kept getting darker.
The rumours that he was a son of Hades never seemed so true. Yet, some still held back their judgement, waiting for the day that he would be claimed. He had not used his powers in front of them, giving them more reason to doubt.
"I need to talk to Clarisse," Annabeth said.
Percy rolled his eyes before slipping away from them, he had better things to do than deal with kids.