Archive of Our Own

Dear Percy,

Hi, I know it’s been a while since I sent my last letter, but if I’m being honest with you… I haven’t had enough time to write back.

Thalia and I visited my dad in San Francisco on Halloween and, honestly? It was good. His wife, Natalie, made us some delicious cookies. I’m still thinking about them.

My relationship with my dad, though… it’s still hard, but he tries his best, I guess.

Also, Thalia didn’t really take Luke’s “rebellion” well. Sometimes she says he can change, that he’s just lost, even though she's really mad at him for what he did to me. If I’m being honest with you, I’m scared she won’t accept he won’t come back… and I’m scared I won’t accept it either. Spending so much time with her in New York has been the happiest I’ve ever been, but every time Luke’s name comes up in conversation, everything goes cold. 

It’s been some weird months, and since the last time I wrote to you (which, if I’m not mistaken, was in October), I’ve been looking for new things to do, new opportunities. And I also found out I love architecture. It’s so fun to create new things, don’t you think?

Anyways. I hope you’re not mad at me for taking so long to write you back. I hope to see you soon, Percy.

When you reply, please don’t try to convince me to watch Jaws again.

With love, Annabeth

P.S. I said that because I finally watched Jaws. Turns out now I’m scared of the sea. Thanks, I guess.

The morning light slid through Percy’s window.

His eyes were barely open when he noticed the light coming in. He glanced at his nightstand, his clock read 6:07am. He had barely slept.

Rubbing his hands over his face, half asleep, half awake, he stood up and went straight to the shower.

It was the second day of winter break, and he couldn’t get his mind to rest. His ADHD didn’t give him a break, and this past week, the nightmares had been coming too often.

That night, he had dreamed of Thalia again.

He didn’t want to sound crazy, but he had been rereading Annabeth’s letter for the fifth time (he had received it two days ago, by the way), and the part about Luke and Thalia stuck with him.

Now that Thalia was back, and that she was fifteen years old, the weight of the prophecy (which he barely knew anything about) had lifted from his shoulders, so… why couldn’t he relax?

Well, maybe because she had literally been a tree.

What would a tree know about saving the world?

Or about saving Annabeth?

He thought that if Annabeth or Luke were in danger, what would Thalia do? Would she save Annabeth like Percy would? Or would she choose Luke?

His head was a mess.

As soon as he got out of the shower, he put on some comfortable clothes and decided he wouldn’t go out. Not that he had many friends to go out with besides Grover and Annabeth, but… well, they were hard to talk to when they weren’t at camp.

Sometimes Grover would send Percy a message through their empathy link, but he usually couldn’t talk for long because he started helping find lost demigods before Kronos’s army could reach them for some months now.

So whenever he could, they talked for a bit.

And as if Percy had summoned him, suddenly he heard Grover’s voice in his head.

“Percy!” he shouted. “Percy, can you hear me?”

Percy tried to concentrate. His mind pulled him somewhere else.

He suddenly found himself in a small room. Dark wooden walls and floors. A tiny bed next to a window, though it was almost impossible to see outside with all the snow that was falling. 

He barely had time to take it all in before he suddenly felt the urge to laugh.

“What are you wearing?” he asked, laughing. 

“Hey! I didn’t bring you here so you could make fun of me,” Grover shouted.

He was wearing some kind of military jumpsuit and a hat, probably to cover his horns. He looked ridiculously harmless for what he was wearing.

“Then why am I here, Grover?” Percy said, crossing his arms. “I literally just woke up.”

Grover sighed.

“Well, I already Iris messaged Annabeth and Thalia, so don’t worry about that. But I need to tell you that I need all of you to come help me bring these demigods to camp. Now.”

His tone was serious. 

Percy raised his eyebrows, “Now?”

“Yes, Percy. It’s urgent. Please. I told Annabeth the exact location. Contact her and Thalia and come as soon as possible, okay? Thank you!”

Before Percy could say anything else, Grover disappeared, and Percy was suddenly back… on his bathroom floor?

Great.

He stood up quickly and ran to wake his mom up, already forming a plan.

In her room, Sally lay comfortably in her sheets, her window half open, letting the cold air in.

She felt something. Was that… a hand? Shaking her arm frantically.

“Mom, please wake up,” she heard a voice say.

With barely any strength, she started opening her eyes, but the sunlight shining softly through the window made them close again.

“Mmhm,” she murmured. “Is everything okay?” she managed to say. It was too early on a Saturday morning to be awake.

“Yes… no! I mean yes, but I need your help.”

“Help… with what?”

“I need to go somewhere. I don’t know exactly where it is, but Annabeth does, and we need to help Grover now. He sounded really serious.”

She stopped, sitting up in bed for a second, thinking.

“I’ll take you,” she said finally, standing up and giving him a light pat on the shoulder. “Now go get a bag with everything you… need on those quests, and let’s go.”

Percy didn’t question her and left her room.

He started packing. Then he saw, under his nightstand, a small bag he had completely forgotten about.

Inside, there were three drachmas.

His eyes lit up.

He grabbed them quickly and sat on his bed, staring at the wall where he needed to focus.

“Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering,” he whispered. 

The light shifted suddenly.

A faint rainbow shimmer appeared, moving slowly across the wall, glowing softly.

“Annabeth Chase,” he said, firmly.

The image flickered, then shifted again, darker this time, unstable. Something was moving fast on the other side. Well… someone.

“Where’s the drachmas?” a voice said.

Thalia.

“How am I supposed to know? You were the last one to use them to call Grover,” Annabeth replied. 

“…Hey,” Percy said, awkwardly.

Silence.

Thalia’s face appeared way too close to the image.

“Percy?” she said. “Finally! The fish boy decides to call us. At this point, we weren’t going to find our drachmas.”

Someone nudged her to the side.

“Percy!” Annabeth said, a bit more enthusiastic. But then she glanced at Thalia, and her expression turned more serious. “Grover talked to you, right?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah. He did. I have everything ready, but I need to know where you two are so I can pick you up and… you know, actually find Grover.”

He spoke quickly, almost tripping over his own words.

Thalia frowned. “Wait… you said pick us up? How?”

“My mom’s taking us,” Percy said. “So please tell me where I need to go before we leave.”

Once they picked the girls up, the ride to Westover Hall, which was a fancy military school, would take about seven hours.

The car was filled with silence. The only sound being the music playing softly on the radio.

Annabeth stared out the window, blankly. She had barely said more than “Hello” when she got in the car, and “Thank you” when Percy offered her some chips.

Thalia, on the other hand… She was asleep.

“So…” Sally’s voice broke the silence. “How’s your school year been so far, Annabeth?”

Annabeth blinked, like she had just come back from somewhere far away.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” she said softly, looking at Sally through the rearview mirror.

Sally smiled. “Don’t worry. It’s too early in the morning… even for me.”

Annabeth let out a small laugh.

“I asked how your school year’s going.”

Annabeth glanced out the window again. “Well… it’s good. I like New York, but it’s very busy.”

“It always is,” Sally nodded.

Annabeth noticed Percy looking at her.

Even from the front back seat, she could tell. The slight turn of his head, the way he wasn’t really pretending not to.

She looked away quickly.

Instead, her eyes met Sally’s in the rearview mirror. They shared a small, quiet look. And understanding looks in her eyes. Though Annabeth wasn’t entirely sure what Sally understood. She just ignored it.

As the time went on, the music got a little louder. Sometime in between the hours that went by they made a quick stop at a gas station.

“Buy me a coffee please and… Thalia, do you want anything?” Sally asked, turning to the girl, who was now awake.

“An energy drink please,” she begged, almost looking like she's melting on the seat.

“Okay,” Percy said and closed the car door.

Annabeth left the car too, she got nervous the second she got out of the car, she just needed to go to the bathroom and Percy was going to buy some snacks. 

But this whole situation was getting on her nerves because she knew the second Percy was going to see her he would notice something was wrong and she didn't want to tell him, not yet. She planned how to do it, when to do it, but not now.

She hoped he would respect her decision, maybe not quite like it but it was her life. She wanted this. It was the best she could do before everything got worse.

She wrapped her arms around herself, walking a bit ahead, trying to look normal. Trying to seem calm.

When they entered the store she saw Percy open his mouth and her best decision was to run to the bathroom. Great.

Percy's brows frowned “Okay…” he whispered. And went straight to shopping.

Like ten minutes later, he had already secured the bag and was waiting for Annabeth outside the bathroom door. He didn’t understand what was wrong with her. Was she mad because he didn't answer her card? Well, he received it like a day before, he didn't get the time to…

“Can we go?” he heard her say, coming out of the bathroom. She looked somehow even prettier than Percy remembered, he didn’t had quite time to fully look at her face like right now. And he really, really liked her braids. And how they were in a low ponytail, framing her face with some front pieces. 

And the slightly tip of gloss she had on her lips. Was it lipgloss? Or did they look like that naturally? Would it be weird for him to ask if…

“Percy?” 

Back to reality, Annabeth was arm crossed, looking at him with a literal question mark on her face.

“Yeah,” he coughed, “Let’s go.”

Annabeth was glad he didn’t say anything else to her in the rest of the car ride.

When they got to Westover Hall, Percy saw from his window a big castle, like the ones you see before they kill you in a horror movie. All covered in black tiles with towers and some huge wooden doors. All covered in a huge snow, that still was falling over them.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait for you?” Sally said, while she fixed Percys black jacket that he was wearing. 

He shook his head “Don’t worry mom. We don’t know how long this will take us, but thank you,” he hugged her “For everything.”

She hugged him tightly. It was still hard for her sometimes to let him go. 

“Okay. But…” she started pulling away from the hug,  “But how are you going back to the camp?”

Annabeth then, who was quiet for the last three hours, stepped to the front, “Don't worry, Mrs. Jackson. We'll find a way, we always do.”

That simmered to calm her a bit, “Okay, okay. But call me when you get back at camp, and don’t forget to be careful.”

Percy nodded one last time and stared at his mom for some seconds before he opened the car door and left.

“Bye Mrs Jackson, thank you so much for taking us,” Annabeth smiled.

“Annabeth call me Sally. And don’t worry, take care of each other,” she said.

Thalia greeted her too and left after Annabeth. The three of them watched as the car left, snow covering their shoes, leaving them in front of the huge wooden door. 

“Well, let’s find Grover, we have no time to loose.” Thalia applauded and knocked on the huge doors. 

Once Thalia knocked on the doors, they slightly opened by themselves.

“It’s open,” Thalia whispered,  and without loosing more time, she entered the building, followed by the other two. 

The inside was dark. Even though they were inside the castle, it felt colder than the outside. It was full of shelves filled with weapons, emblems, and photographs that were possibly more than fifty years old. They knew the “school” (if that's how you want to call this huge castle) they were getting into was what it looked like a military school but, the inside was dark, cold and sinister. An ominous silence filled the entrance hall, allowing them to hear nothing but their own breaths and footsteps. As they walked into the main hall, a gigantic staircase that led to different parts of the building. Large chandeliers hung from a seemingly endless ceiling, and everything was made of grayish stone under such a dim lighting that everyone was startled when they heard a voice to their right 

“Excuse me.”

All three of them turned at the same time. To their right there was a man and a woman. Both with gray hair, black uniforms, the woman had a moustache, and the man on the other side had perfectly hairless skin. 

“So?” The woman looked at us up and down with a strange look on her face. “What are you three doing here?” she crossed her arms.

“We…” Percy tried to say, but then he realized they didn't prepare any excuses. Percy only wanted to reunite with Grover as soon as possible.

The man interrupted Percy, his voice cold. “Visits are not permitted during the dance. You will be expelled!” he exclaimed.

Percy took a step back. The man was truly terrifying. He was very tall, and his eyes were different colors, one brown and the other blue. His face was sharp, with features that made him look especially frightening. In the dim light, he seemed almost monstrous.

Annabeth and Thalia were standing on both sides of Percy. Thalia had her hand near her bracelet, which could transform into a very powerful weapon. Annabeth, on the other side, kept her gaze fixed on the woman, her hand tucked into the right pocket of her jeans, where she kept her dagger. 

The three of them felt a strange sensation coming from those two people. Thalia was the one who stepped forward and snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. It felt like a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room.

“We are not bringing any visitors,” Thalia began, moving a little closer to the man. “We are students. I’m Thalia, she’s Annabeth, and he’s Percy We’re in the eighth grade. Remember?”

The male teacher narrowed his two coloured eyes. Hesitating.

He looked at his colleague. “Ms Gottschalk, do you know these students?” he said.

The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. “Uh… yeah. I believe I do.” she said with a confused look on her face. She frowned at them. “Annabeth, Thalia, Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?” “And without the proper clothes for a…”

Before she could keep talking, they heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up to them, breathless. 

“You finally made it” He stopped when he saw the teachers. “Oh, Mrs Gottschalk. Dr Thorn! Hey…”

“What is it, Mr Underwood?” the man said. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. “What do you mean they made it? These students live here. Right?”

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”

“Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You shall change your clothes to proper ones for the dance and go, now.” Mrs Gottschalk said, firmly.

They nodded and left without saying anything else.

Grover hustled them up the creepy stairs to a corridor full of doors which were all probably for students. At the end of the corridor there was a door left, he opened it and let them all come in. 

Percy recognized it at the instant he saw it. Small room. Dark wooden walls and floors. A tiny bed next to a window, and it looked even smaller with all of them inside of it. 

Once Grover locked the door behind them, he started searching something in his closet.

“How… how did you do that?” Percy turned towards Thalia, frowning.

“You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that?” An uncomfortable lump formed up Percy’s throat. 

Why had he shown something so powerful to Thalia and not him?

“No, he didn't, why did he not…” 

He tried to say but Grover interrupted him. “Found them!” He was holding up two black suits and a white dress that went a little below the knees, with thin straps and a pattern that looked like overlapping scales. 

“What is this for?”

“Annabeth see… theres this dance today and i thought maybe today is the perfect oportunity to take these two demigods to camp. Because the professors that where talking with us earlier are monsters.” Grover said, almost in a whisper.

“Two half-bloods?” Thalia asked, amazed. 

Grover nodded. “Yes! And we have to be quick and go to the dance before they notice I’m not there, so go get changed! I only found one dress in lost and found, and here are the two suits I have, so please don’t rip them… I kind of like them… “ he sighed.  “Now go change already! The girls bathroom is at the start of the hallway on the right. Hurry while nobody’s upstairs! Don’t take too long!”

“Annabeth nodded, taking the dress in one hand and the suit in the other. She smiled at Grover before leaving, and Thalia simply followed her lead.”

Percy had a feeling that something was going on with Annabeth, something she didn’t want to tell him… but why was it that every time they were apart, she came back acting weird around him?

Meanwhile, on the other side, Annabeth and Thalia walked into the bathroom and quickly got changed. Thalia checked herself out in the mirror above the sinks as best as she could. She was wearing the black suit pants from Grover’s outfit and the same black turtleneck shirt she’d already had on before. Her hair was tied back into a sleek ponytail, and her makeup was a black eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow. She also had on the long black coat she’d arrived in.

“Not bad. I look good. Right, Annabeth?” she asked with a small grin.

But Annabeth was too focused trying to fix her braids in a hairstyle properly to really pay attention.

“Yeah, I figured,” Thalia muttered under her breath before walking over to her with a smile. “Let me do it.”

She caught the frustrated look Annabeth gave her through the mirror. Annabeth sighed and let her arms fall to her sides.

Thalia started fixing her braids carefully, taking her time. She pulled half part of her hair pieces back neatly while leaving the rest of the braids falling over her shoulders, also a small part of her braids falling on the left side of her face, giving her a soft but elegant look. 

Silence filled the bathroom for a few seconds before Annabeth finally couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Thalia…” she called quietly.

“Mhm?” she hummed, still adjusting her hair gently.

“Do you think it’s a good idea if I tell him tonight?” she asked almost in a whisper. She’d barely spoken all day, so her voice came out weirdly.

Thalia instantly knew what she meant. She turned toward her and pulled some makeup out of her bag.

“Want me to do your makeup?” she asked softly.

Annabeth nodded.

Thalia gently brushed some blush onto her cheeks, and Annabeth immediately felt herself calming down. She was grateful Thalia was there. Somehow, just being around her helped.

“You know… as annoying as it’s been hearing you talk about Percy nonstop ever since I came back…” Thalia rolled her eyes dramatically.  Annabeth felt heat rise to her cheeks, and this time it definitely wasn’t the blush. “It’s obvious you care about him a lot. Probably as much as you do about me,” Thalia admitted. “So yeah, I think it’s the right thing to do. He deserves to know your decision and respect it, the same way I did.” She sighed, “And if he doesn’t, I’ll kick his ass.” She added with a smirk, making Annabeth laugh for the first time that day.

“Thanks, Thalia. It’s just… I don’t know how he’ll react. Last summer, he said something to me that really worried me,” she confessed.

“What did he say?”

Annabeth went quiet for a second while Thalia applied gloss to her lips.

“He said… he would burn down Olympus down for me.”

Thalia's face was indescriptible, “What.”

Thalia slowly set the lip gloss down on the sink, still processing what she had just heard.

“Annabeth,” she said finally, turning toward her, “ That’s… probably just like I said I will punch his ass for you.”

Annabeth shook her head, “No, you don’t understand Thalia, he didn’t say it in this way. He really meant it… he sounded so serious.”

“Percy always sounds serious when it comes to you.” Thalia crossed her arms with a sigh. “Though honestly, burning down Olympus doesn’t exactly sound like something he could possibly do.” Thalia studied her carefully through the mirror. “You’re just making excuses because you are scared of telling him.”

Annabeth looked away.

“I’m not making excuses.”

“You kind of are.” Thalia softened her tone slightly. “Annabeth, you’ve faced monsters, sirens… and somehow this is what terrifies you?”

“It’s different.”

Percy loved with everything he had, without limits, without hesitation, and that kind of devotion felt far more dangerous than any weapon Annabeth had ever faced.

“He trusts me,” she said quietly. “Completely.”

Thalia’s expression softened a little more. “And you think telling him will break that?”

She nodded. “Yeah. He might hate me. He’s not going to understand why I’m doing this.”

“Then tell him why.”

“I… can’t. It’s just…” Annabeth tried to say, but then stopped as she heard someone knocking on the door.

“Are you girls ready yet?”

“Yeah, just give us a second.” Thalia said immediately, already grabbing her jacket. 

Annabeth opened the door first, stepping out with a concerning look on her face.

Grover was standing in the hallway, looking slightly impatient but mostly concerned, like he’d been waiting for too long and was trying not to show it.

“You two take forever,” he said, then softened a bit when he saw Annabeth’s face. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied casually. 

Grover didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he stepped aside. 

Annabeth saw him then right by Grover's side, suddenly forgetting how to breath, every breath she made, 

For a second, neither of them moved.

Then his expression shifted slightly, like something in him had snapped into focus. Annabeth felt her heart slam painfully against her ribs.

He was wearing a black suit with a white button up shirt underneath. The jacket was slightly buttoned, leaving a few buttons open so the white fabric showed through.

Grover coughed. “Do any of you need to leave anything in the room before we go?”

Thalia nodded. “Yeah, my bag.”

“Alright, come with me.” Both of them headed down the corridor, leaving the others alone.

“Percy, remember to put on your tie!” Grover shouted over his shoulder before disappearing with Thalia into the hallway.

They looked at each other for a second, and that was when Annabeth noticed it, he was holding a tie with his right hand. A striped one, dark navy blue with green lines running through it.

“Nice dress,” he said, his voice soft.

Annabeth blinked, caught slightly off guard. “Thanks… your suit looks good too.” she said and for a second regretted it, her tone sounded very cold.

A faint, uneasy twist settled in her stomach, like she couldn’t quite figure out where to place her hands or her thoughts. Everything suddenly felt too close, too quiet like the space between them had become smaller without either of them moving.

Why was something so simple suddenly so difficult?

Why did everything that included Percy in it made her so nervous? She couldn’t tell him she was joining the hunters of Artemis like this.

He lifted the tie toward his collar, tried to loop it once, then stopped. Tried again. And the fabric slipped through his fingers, uncooperative, refusing to become anything resembling a proper knot.

Annabeth watched in silence for a few seconds, arms loosely at her sides. The longer she waited, the more obvious it became that Percy was not, in fact, improving.

“It’s not supposed to fight back,” she said finally.

“I know that,” he replied quickly. “It’s just… this one is weird. It’s… aggressive.”

“That’s a tie.” she laughed.

“Yeah, well. It feels personal.”

He tried again. The knot came out uneven, crooked, and immediately started to unravel as soon as he let go. Percy stared at it like he was considering not wearing it.

Annabeth exhaled through her nose, something almost like a laugh slipping out before she could stop it.

“Let me do it for you,” she said.

Before he could protest, she stepped closer. The space between them shifted instantly, it became small enough for her to see the faint crease of concentration between his eyebrows, the way he was trying too hard to act like this didn’t matter.

Her fingers reached for the tie. Percy kept still.

She didn’t look up right away as she worked, folding the fabric with ease, looping it cleanly, tightening it just enough. Her movements were precise, automatic. But she was very aware of how close she was standing. 

When she finished, she adjusted the knot and smoothed the fabric down his chest.

“There,” she said softly, letting go.

Percy let out a breath like he had been holding it the entire time. Their eyes meet for some seconds and it was like his mind got blinded by her, her eyes, her face, her hair, everything about her.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” he said, half joking, half mesmerized.

Annabeth froze for a fraction of a second.

Something tightened in her chest, sharp and uncomfortable, like the words had landed in a place she wasn’t prepared to defend. She forced a small nod, stepping back just a little too quickly.

“You’d manage,” she said, but her voice didn’t sound as steady as she wanted it to.

He looked at her confused. “What do you mean?”

“We are back!” 

Grover’s voice echoed down the hallway before they actually appeared. 

Annabeth stepped back fully, faster than she meant to, as if distance alone could fix whatever had just happened in the space between them.

Percy blinked, still half stuck in the moment, the knot of his tie suddenly feeling too tight against his throat for some reason.

Thalia walked in first, glancing between them immediately. “You two look ready for a dance, am I right Grover?”

Grover followed behind, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Yeah” he looked at both of them, slower this time. “Anyway… we should go now.”

Thalia crossed her arms. “Finally.”

The group started moving again, but Annabeth didn’t immediately follow. For a second she just stood there, watching Percy adjust the tie she had just fixed, remembering for a second she was the one there holding the tie.

The three of them followed Grover through the corridors and stairs until they were in a hallway full of classrooms. They began to hear the distant sound of music coming from two giant doors at the end of the corridor.

They pushed them open and the first thing they saw was a sea of lights.

The entire gymnasium had been transformed into some sort of winter wonderland. White trees covered in tiny fairy lights decorated the edges of the room, their branches glowing softly beneath the colorful lights hanging from the ceiling. Snowflakes made out of paper dangled everywhere, slowly spinning above the crowd.

Hundreds of students filled the dance floor.

Music blasted through the speakers while groups of teenagers laughed, danced, and ran around the room. Some were crowded around tables covered with snacks and drinks. Others were sitting together beneath the decorations, talking and taking pictures.

In the center of the ceiling, a silver disco ball reflected flashes of blue, purple, and pink light across the entire gym, making everything feel almost dreamlike.

For a second, it was easy to forget they were there to rescue two demigods.

Even Thalia looked slightly impressed.

“Woah,” she admitted. “This is a lot cooler than I expected.”

Percy adjusted the tie of his suit nervously.

“Don’t get distracted,” he warned. “We’re still on a mission.”

“Yeah, okay, water boy. You don’t get distracted either,” she replied coldly.

The dislike they felt towards each other was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Percy didn’t trust Thalia. Not even a little. Not after everything the previous summer had brought him. The prophecy, her return, the constant feeling that somehow everyone expected him to be relieved now that the burden wasn’t entirely his anymore. Meanwhile, Thalia seemed just as irritated by his existence as he was by hers.

“I said, where’s Luke?” Thalia repeated, her voice sharper this time. Without meaning to, she tightened her grip slightly on Annabeth’s arm.

Annabeth turned completely toward her, her chest tightening painfully. Just hearing Luke’s name was enough. Every memory of him carried the same ache. Luke and Thalia had been her family for years, the people she trusted most in the world. She had already lost one of them. She wasn’t ready to watch Thalia go through the same thing she had.

Before Annabeth could answer, Chiron stepped forward. “It’s a very long story, Thalia,” he said carefully. “But he… well, he isn’t with us anymore. He…”

“He betrayed us,” Percy said.

Thalia immediately turned toward him. “Luke? Luke Castellan?”

Percy nodded once.

Thalia looked back at Annabeth and let go of her arm so she could face her properly. “Is that true, Annabeth?” she whispered, desperately hoping for a different answer. She wanted Annabeth to tell her Percy was wrong. That there had been some mistake or some type of joke.

But as she watched Annabeth’s eyes begin to water, she knew. The tears never fell, but they stayed there, making her brown eyes shine under the light.

“Yeah,” Annabeth said quietly. Her voice cracked despite her efforts to keep it steady. “He’s with Kronos now. He… he betrayed us.”

The room fell silent.

After that day, something in Thalia changed completely. At first, she barely spoke, hardly ate anything, pushing food around her plate during meals before disappearing back to her cabin. The entire camp stared at her as if she were some kind of ghost. Technically, she was. Everywhere she went, people stopped her to ask questions. What had it been like being a tree? Did she remember anything? What did she think about the prophecy? Most of the time, she answered with a few short words before finding an excuse to leave. As time passed by she just… accepted that he was not the same anymore.

Rebuilding her relationship with Annabeth took almost no effort. Some things had changed over the years, but most hadn’t. Annabeth was still Annabeth, and for that, Thalia was grateful.

Percy, however, was a different story.

He always seemed to be there. Sometimes intentionally. Sometimes without even realizing it. He was constantly around Annabeth, talking to her, training with her, sitting next to her during counselors meetings, looking for her whenever she disappeared for too long. Thalia only knew him through what Annabeth used to tell her. A forbidden child, like herself. A son of the Big Three. Someone who considered Luke a friend before everything fell apart.

Still, there was something about Percy Jackson that irritated her very much.

Maybe it was how stubborn he was. Maybe it was the way everyone seemed to orbit around him without realizing it. Or maybe it was because every time she looked at Annabeth, Percy wasn’t far away.

Whatever the reason, she couldn’t stand him.

And judging by the way Percy looked at her whenever they had to be in the same space, the feeling was entirely mutual.

Grover snapped her back to reality. “Okay, everybody focus,” he said as they walked further into the gym.

They stopped near one of the corners of the room. On the way there, Grover greeted several students who seemed to know him. Once they were far enough from the crowd, he turned toward them.

“They’re siblings. The older one is Bianca di Angelo. She’s twelve, has blue eyes and brown hair. Her brother is Nico. Brown hair, brown eyes, ten years old. He’s the younger one.” Grover glanced around carefully before lowering his voice. “We need to get them out of here without drawing attention.” His expression became more serious. “I’ve been sensing something strange around the school for the last few days.”

Percy immediately straightened.

“What kind of strange?” Thalia asked.

Grover shook his head.

“I’m not sure yet. I have a suspicion, but I’ll tell you later if it turns out to be true.” He looked around once more before adding quietly, “Just stay alert.”

Then he cleared his throat and forced a smile.

“In the meantime… act normal. Dance or something, I guess. You know… the type of stuff normal people do in a dance.”

Nobody said anything. They simply nodded and headed toward the refreshments table. The long table was covered with bowls of punch, trays of appetizers, cupcakes, cookies, and enough sugar to send an entire cabin of campers into cardiac arrest.

Grover immediately grabbed a cupcake.

Thalia followed his example.

“Finally, something useful about school dances,” she muttered before taking a bite.

Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth ended up standing next to each other.

Neither of them said anything.

The music filled the gym around them. Students laughed, danced, and shouted over the noise. Colored lights flashed across the room, reflecting off the disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Yet somehow Percy was painfully aware of only one thing. Annabeth standing beside him. Close enough for him to catch the faint scent of her, close enough that if he turned his head slightly, he’d be looking directly at her. He focused very hard on the disco ball hanging from the ceiling.

Annabeth seemed equally determined to study the balloons on the floor.

The silence between them wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. It was worse. It felt like there were a thousand things waiting to be said.

“There they are.” Grover said.

Percy, Thalia and Annabeth followed his gaze.

The girl was wearing a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her younger brother. They looked so alike it was almost impossible to miss. Same dark hair. Similar features. Even the way they talked with their hands matched. The younger boy was shuffling through some kind of trading cards while his sister seemed to be scolding him about something. Every few seconds, she glanced around the gym as if she could sense something was wrong.

Then Bianca suddenly said something sharply and she began to walk towards the gym door.

“We should follow her,” Thalia said immediately, looking at Grover. “We can’t leave her alone if you think there’s something strange here.”

Grover nodded.

Before Percy or Annabeth could respond, Thalia grabbed Grover by the arm and started heading toward the exit Bianca had disappeared through.

Halfway there, she turned around.

“Keep an eye on Nico. And…” She pointed to both of them. “Act normal. Don’t just stand there looking suspicious. Do something.”

Then she disappeared through the doors.

The second they stepped into the hallway, Grover stopped abruptly.

Something lay on the floor.

He bent down and picked it up.

“The cap.”

Thalia frowned.

“What?”

“Bianca’s cap.” His voice dropped into a whisper. “It’s the one she was wearing.”

The hallway stretched out in front of them. There was no sign of Bianca anywhere.

Grover’s grip tightened around the cap.

“We need to find her. Now.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the doors, Annabeth felt a pressure settling heavily on her stomach.

Act normal.

What exactly was she supposed to do? Dance? Drink the suspiciously bright-colored punch? Stand in a corner pretending not to stare at Nico?

Dancing was probably the least suspicious option.

All she had to do was grab Percy’s hand and walk onto the dance floor. They didn’t even have to talk. It would let them get closer to Nico without drawing attention to themselves.

Annabeth sighed and smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress nervously. Before she could change her mind, she glanced twice at Percy’s hand and grabbed it.

Percy immediately looked down at their joined hands. For a second he seemed too surprised to react, then he followed her.

Annabeth could feel the warmth of his hand against hers, and immediately hated how aware of it she became. Heat crept into her cheeks as she guided him through the crowd.

They stopped near the center of the dance floor, directly in front of the DJ booth. On Annabeth’s left side she could see Nico di Angelo sitting alone on a bench, absently sorting through the cards in his hands.

Annabeth internally groaned, of course she had to do everything herself.

Trying to ignore the sudden nervousness twisting in her stomach, she took his hands and placed them on her waist. Then, she rested her own hands on his shoulders. 

Percy let out a breath, like he’d been holding it without realizing.

Annabeth looked up and met his eyes.

“Relax,” she whispered. “Act normal or they’ll realize we don’t go to this school.”

Percy swallowed.

“It’s hard to act normal when I don’t know what we’re up against.”

“Yeah, true.” Her voice came out quieter than intended.

For a moment she had the uncomfortable feeling that Percy wasn’t just looking at her. He was really looking at her, like he was trying to figure something out. Like he was waiting for her to say something.

His mouth opened slightly, then closed again. Whatever he’d been about to say, he seemed to think better of it.

“Can you see him?” he asked instead.

For a moment Annabeth was confused.

“What?”

“Nico.”

She turned her head slightly and looked across the room. 

Nico was still sitting on the bench, though now he wasn’t looking at his cards anymore. His attention seemed fixed on the disco ball that was hanging from the ceiling. 

Annabeth nodded. “Yeah. I can see him.” Then she lowered her voice. “Turn a little to the left so I can get a better view.”

Without realizing it, she stepped slightly closer to him. Percy did exactly what she asked, shifting his body, the distance between them grew slightly smaller.

And somehow, neither of them seemed willing to move away.

For a few moments neither of them spoke.

The music continued around them, Until I found you by Stephen Sanchez playing in the background, students laughing and talking as colored lights flashed across the gym floor. It should have been easy to blend into the crowd. It should have been easy to focus on the mission.

Instead, Annabeth found herself painfully aware of the warmth of Percy’s hands resting on her waist.

She hated how much she noticed it.

Percy shifted awkwardly.

“This suit is ridiculous.”

Annabeth blinked.

“What?”

“The suit.” He glanced down at himself. “I look like somebody’s dad at a business meeting.”

The corner of Annabeth’s mouth twitched.

“You do not.”

“I do.”

“You really don’t.”

Percy narrowed his eyes slightly.

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m literally not.” she said softly, a small laugh escaped her.

Percy immediately noticed.

“There it is,” he said quietly.

Annabeth’s smile disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.

“What?”

His voice softened. “You’ve barely smiled all day, or spoken, at least to me, Annabeth.” 

Annabeth immediately looked away.

The conversation was heading exactly where she didn’t want it to.

“Percy…”

“No, seriously.”

She felt his hands shift slightly against her waist as the crowd moved around them.

“I don’t want to annoy you with this, Annabeth. I really don’t.”

She swallowed.

“But?”

“But ever since I saw you get in my moms car, you’ve been acting weird.”

Annabeth’s stomach dropped.

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

His answer came so quickly she almost laughed.

“You keep disappearing every time I try to talk to you. You look nervous all the time. Half the time you won’t even look at me.” He paused. “And I don’t know what’s going on.”

The music seemed louder suddenly. Or maybe her heart was.

Percy hesitated before speaking again.

“I just…” He looked down for a second before meeting her eyes again. “I don’t want what happened last summer to happen again.”

Annabeth froze.

The words hit harder than she expected.

“I don’t want you feeling like you can’t tell me things.”

Her chest tightened painfully.

Because the worst part was that he was right. There was something she wasn’t telling him. Something she had been carrying around for weeks. Something she thought about every time she looked at him.

Something that became harder to say every day she waited.

Annabeth forced herself to look away.

“I’m fine.”

Percy’s expression didn’t change.

“Annabeth.”

“It’s because of my dad.”

The excuse came out before she could stop it, she immediately hated it.

“He wants me to visit more often. Things have been complicated.”

Percy stared at her for a few seconds, them he sighed.

“Why are you lying to me?”

Annabeth’s breath caught. He didn’t sound angry, If anything, he sounded too gentle.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She looked back at him, his eyes never left hers.

“I know you.”

The simple certainty in his voice made something twist painfully inside her chest.

“Percy…”

“No.” He shook his head slightly. “Maybe that’s part of it. Maybe your dad is bothering you. But that’s not what’s making you look like this.”

Annabeth felt herself growing nervous, not physically.

“There’s something else.”

His voice lowered.

“Something’s been bothering you all day.”

And all these past two months, Annabeth wanted to say.

The distance between them had somehow disappeared almost entirely now. Not because either of them had moved on purpose, but because every time the music shifted and people brushed past them, they instinctively stepped closer together.

“Or am I wrong?”

Annabeth stared at him.

For a second she genuinely considered lying again. It would be easier..

She could wait until later, wait until camp, wait until tomorrow, or just let him know a day before she actually did it.

But Percy was looking at her like he always did whenever he thought she was hiding something.

“If only you were easier to lie to.”

Percy’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“So there is something.”

Annabeth immediately regretted saying it.

“Annabeth.”

She closed her eyes briefly.

When she opened them again, Percy was still there. His eyes examining every part of her face.

And somehow that made everything harder.

“There is.”

The words barely came out above a whisper.

Percy’s expression softened immediately.

“Okay.”

Annabeth stared at him, the words she had planned to say to him for a long time now were stuck in her tongue. 

“Annabeth, you’re scaring me.” Percy said, getting unconsciously closer to her. “Whats going on?” he whispered, tilting his head.

She sighed, It was now or never. 

Her hands, still wrapped around his shoulders started to softly caressing them. 

Both of them were staring at each other, Annabeth with fear of how he could react, and Percy… Well, Percy was mesmerized.

“I… I’ve been thinking…” she looked away. “Percy, have you ever heard of the hunters of Artemis?”

He looked at her with confusion.

“What?” he said. 

Percy looked at her for a few seconds.

The confusion on his face only seemed to grow.

“The Hunters of Artemis?”

Annabeth nodded.

“They follow Artemis. They hunt monsters, travel around all type of places…” she looked away. “They’re immortal. Well, as long as they stay Hunters and they well, have to stay by her side, always.”

Percy frowned.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Annabeth swallowed.

“That if I join them I won't come back to camp, Percy.” she said, looking at him. “A few months ago I found one of their flyers.” 

“A flyer.”

“Yes.”

“The Hunters have flyers?”

“Percy.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Annabeth sighed.

“I started thinking about it after that. Then I talked about it with Thalia.”

The second she said her name, Percy visibly stiffened.

“Thalia.” he said, starting to get annoyed now.

“Yes.”

Neither of them spoke for a second.

Percy looked away.

Annabeth knew him too well.

“You think she put this idea in my head.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You thought it.”

Percy stayed quiet, which was basically an answer.

Annabeth sighed.

“Percy, this has nothing to do with Thalia.”

“Then why does she know before I do?”

The question hit harder than she expected.

She looked away immediately.

“See?”

“Stop.”

“I’m serious.”

“Percy.”

“You told her.”

“Because she’s my friend.”

“So am I.” he didn’t realize how close they were until he could see how she had to turn her head slightly upwards to look at him properly. So he backed up a little.

Annabeth felt her chest tighten.

“You don’t get what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

She didn’t answer. Percy swallowed. His head felt like it was spinning.

Nothing about this made sense.

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

Annabeth blinked.

“A while.”

“A while isn’t an answer.”

“A few months.” she murmured.

Percy’s face immediately fell.

“A few months?”

She instantly regretted saying it.

“Percy…”

“A few months?”

He clenched his jaw.

“You’ve been thinking about leaving for months?”

“It’s not like that.” she said, almost in a whisper.

“Then what is it like?”

Annabeth looked away again.

Because suddenly looking at him felt impossible.

“I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Why?”

Percy stared at her.

“Annabeth…” he whispered

When she didn’t answer, he looked away for a second and ran a hand through his hair.

Then he looked back at her.

And Annabeth hated how hurt he looked.

“Don’t do it.”

She froze.

“Percy.”

“I’m serious.”

“Percy…”

“Don’t leave me.”

His voice cracked slightly.

His eyes looked red, like he hadn’t blinked in forever. Like he was trying really hard to keep himself together.

“Please.”

Her chest physically hurt.

Because she had never heard him sound like that before.

“I need to do this.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Annabeth.”

“It’s what I want.” she pleaded.

“No, its not. Thalia got this in your head you…”

She didn't let him finish. “Believe me, Thalia did not get this idea in my head. Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Because you’re talking about leaving.” He said, looking more hurt than he pretended to. “You can’t just leave.”

“Why not?”

“Because…”

Annabeth waited.

When he didn’t continue, she felt herself getting angry.

“Percy, this isn’t about you.”

The second she said it she wished she hadn’t.

Percy’s expression changed immediately. Feeling like she had just slapped him in the face.

But Annabeth was too frustrated to stop now.

“This is my decision.”

“And you’re expecting me to just be okay with it?”

“You have to respect it.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“Well, I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

“I want you to stay.”

The answer came instantly.

For a second neither of them spoke.

“Don’t leave me Annabeth. I told you before I… I dont know what I would do without you, please” he begged.

Annabeth stopped breathing. Her whole head spinning.

“You’ll figure it out.” she said. And before he could say anything Annabeth suddenly looked up his shoulder. “Percy, Nico is not here, we have to find him… now.” she said, and started running towards the door.

He stood there for a second and watched her looked around the gym, searching for him, and as she saw he was nowhere to be found, she left through the door.

A minute later, Percy decided to follow her, his brain screwed and his heart hurting.

He opened the gym door and suddenly felt the dark hallway more darker than usual. 

He took Riptide out of his pocket and ran to the first door he saw in the hallway.

Annabeth was probably there, he thought, she couldn't have gone very far.

The door led into a dark classroom. Sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt. Percy uncapped Riptide. 

The pen grew in his hands until he held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with a leather bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of tables. 

Percy scanned the room and found no one was there, he ran out the room and went back to the hallway, he heard a sound coming from the oposite corridor,  he advanced slowly, lowering the tip of his sword. Then he saw them, both Di Angelo siblings were looking at him, a scared look on their faces.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

They didn’t answer. Their eyes were full of fear. What was wrong with them?

“My name’s Percy,” he said, with a smile. “I’m going to take you two out of here, okay?”

“Bianca’s eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did I realize what her look meant. She wasn’t afraid of me. She was trying to warn me. 

He whirled around and something exploded in his shoulder. A force like a huge hand yanked him backward and slammed him to the wall. 

Percy slashed with his sword but there was nothing to hit. 

A cold laugh echoed through the hall. 

“Yes, Perseus Jackson,” Dr. Thorn said. “I know who you are.”

Percy tried to free his shoulder. His suit was pinned to the wall by some kind of spike, a black dagger projectile about a foot long. It had grazed the skin of his shoulder as it passed through his clothes, and the cut burned. He knew what that was from before. Poison.”

Percy tried everything he could forcing himself to concentrate to not pass out. 

A dark silhouette now moved towards 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 Percys sword. 

“Thank you for coming out of the gym,” he said. “I hate middle school dances.”

Percy tried to swing his sword again, but he was just out of reach. 

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

Next to Percy, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face. 

“All three 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.”

Percy had no idea what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast. 

Maybe he could defend himself if he could get his shield activated. All that it would take was a touch of his wrist watch. But defending the di Angelo kids was another matter. He couldn’t do it alone, he needed help, and there was only one way he could think to get it. 

Percy closed his eyes. 

“What are you doing, Jackson?” hissed Dr. Thorn. “Keep moving!”

He opened his eyes and kept shuffling forward. “It’s my shoulder,” he lied, trying to sound miserable, which wasn’t hard. “It burns.”

“Don't exaggerate! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!”

Thorn herded them outside, and Percy tried his best to concentrate. He pictured Grover’s face, focused on his feelings of fear and danger. Trying his best to connect with Grover through their empathy link. He tried really hard to send him a message, something like: Hey, Grover! Just so you know, Thorn’s kidnapping us! He’s a poisonous spike throwing maniac! Help, please!

Thorn inarched them into the woods. They took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights. Percy's shoulder ached. The wind blowing through his now ripped clothes was so cold that it felt like a ice cube. 

“There is a clearing ahead,” Thorn said. “We will summon your ride.”

“What ride?” Bianca demanded. “Where are you taking us?”

“Silence, you insufferable girl!”

“Don’t talk to my sister that way.’” Nico said. His voice quivered, but Percy was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all. 

Dr. Thorn made a growling sound that definitely wasn’t human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Percys neck, but he forced himself to keep walking and pretend he was being a good little captive. Meanwhile, he was projecting his thoughts like crazy, anything to get Grover’s attention: Grover, Pan is here! Tin cans! Get your furry goat behind out here and bring some heavily armed friends!

“Halt,” Thorn said. 

The woods had opened up. They had reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, Percy sensed the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. He could hear the waves churning and he also smelled the cold salty froth. But all he could see was mist and darkness. 

Dr. Thorn pushed them toward the edge. Percy stumbled, and Bianca caught him just in time. 

“Thanks,” he murmured. His voice almost breaking because of the cold.

“What is he?” she whispered. “How do we fight him?”

“I… I’m working on it.”

“I’m scared,” Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something, a little metal toy soldier of some kind. 

“Stop talking!” Dr. Thorn said. “Face me!”

They slowly turned. 

Thorn’s two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first, Percy thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. He pressed the side button and said, “The package it is ready to deliver.”

Percy glanced behind him, wondering how far the drop was if he just let himself fall of the cliff.

Dr. Thorn laughed. “By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself.”

“Wait. What did he call you?” Bianca muttered. 

“I’ll explain later,” Percy said. 

“You do have a plan, right?”

He thought maybe he could get both the di Angelos to jump with him into the ocean. If they survived the fall, Percy could use the water to protect them. 

“I would kill you before you ever reached the water,” Dr. Thorn said, as if reading he was reading his mind. “You do not realize who I am, do you?”

A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to Percy that it nicked his ear. Something had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn, like a catapult, but more flexible… almost like a tail. 

“Unfortunately,” Thorn said, “you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead.”

“Who wants us?” Bianca demanded. “Because if you think you’ll get a ransom, you’re wrong. We don’t have any family. Nico and I…” Her voice broke a little. “We’ve got no one but each other.”

“Aww,” Dr. Thorn said. “Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand new family.”

And that just clicked something in Percy’s brain. “Luke,” he said. “You work for Luke.”

Dr. Thorn’s mouth twisted with distaste when he said that name.“You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you.”

“The General?” Percy asked. “I mean… who’s the General?”

Thorn looked toward the horizon. “Ah, here we are. Your transportation.”

They turned around and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then the chopping sound of helicopter blades getting louder and closer to them.

“Where are you taking us?” Nico said.

“You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls.”

“They’re not dolls! They’re figurines! And you can take your great army and…”

“Now, now,” Dr. Thorn didn’t let Nico finish. “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. Anything to keep him talking while he tried to figure out a plan to scape. 

“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 crazy.”

“We have to jump off the cliff,” Percy told her quietly. “Into the sea.”

“Oh, super idea. You’re crazy, too.”

Percy didn’t get the chance to argue with her, because just then an invisible force slammed into him. 

He fell to the ground and when he tried to look up he saw someone appeared behind Dr Thorn.

Thalia, Grover y Annabeth, started getting closer to Dr Thorn. Thalia wielding her magic shield, Aegis.

Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw her shield. 

Thalia moved in with her spear. “Leave them alone!”

Thalia jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against Thalia’s shield as he slashed. If it hadn’t been for Aegis, Thalia would’ve been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet. 

The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind them.

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia. He had a tail, a leathery, scorpionlike tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down. 

Grover sprang forward. 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, taking her dagger out.

“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!”

Percy looked at him with a literal question mark on his face. What is he talking about? he thought.

The manticore clawed Grover’s magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us 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. The shield was badly damaged. 

Grover landed next to Percy with a thud. 

“Yield!” the monster roared. 

“Never!” Thalia yelled from across the field. 

She charged the monster. There was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind them. 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 helicopter had to be manned by mortals. But what was it doing here? How could mortals be working with a monster? Percy thought. 

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!” Annabeth ran out to help her. She parried away a spike just before it would’ve hit her chest. 

Dr. Thorn laughed. “Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes.”

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. There was no chance to escape.

Then a clear, piercing sound came from the woods, the call of a hunting horn.

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 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 midair and sliced them in two. The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy.

Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten. The oldest, about fourteen, like me. 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 murmured.

Thalia muttered rolling her eyes, “Oh, wonderful.” 

Percy looked up and saw them.

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored 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 princess. “Permission to kill, my lady?” she said, her eyes fixed on the manticore.

“The monster wailed. “This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws.”

“Not so,” another girl said. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, dark as the night itself. Her face was so beautiful it looked unreal, but 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 Percy, knowing they 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!” Percy 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!” Percy yelled. “Annabeth!” he screamed. He started to run after her, ready to jump off that cliff but there was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter, the sound of gunfire.

Some of the Hunters ran after Percy and dragged him away from the edge. The helicopter was still firing at them, bullets tearing through the air around them. He fought against their grip, yelling and trying to break free, but his body was too weak. The poison had already spread too far.

“Let me go! Let me help her!” he yelled. His body was barely moving anymore. He could feel the poison spreading through his veins, making him weaker and weaker with every passing second.

His throat ached from screaming, his ears ringing and his heart threatening to burst out of his chest. But he didn’t stop. He felt someone grab his arm. He could barely hear anything anymore, but he knew it was Grover. He took him by the shoulders and helped the Hunters lead him away.

Then he began to feel how his cheeks were burning, unable to contain tears of rage falling from his eyes. He couldn't save her, but he still hoped that she was alive. The manticore had taken Annabeth. Luke had taken Annabeth. But Percy was going to find her.

“Big collection,” Percy said. 

Nico grinned. “I’ve got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones.”

“You’ve been playing this game a long time?”

“Just this year. Before that…” He knit his eyebrows. 

“What?” Percy asked. 

“I forget. That’s weird.”

He looked unsettled, but it didn’t last long. “Hey, can I see that sword you were using?”

Percy showed him Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it. 

“Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?”

“Um, well, I don’t actually write with it.”

“Are you really the son of Poseidon?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Can you surf really well, then?”

Percy looked at Grover, who was trying hard not to laugh. 

“Jeez, Nico,” Percy said, looking back at him. “I’ve never really tried.”

“Can I ask you something?” he said.

“Go on.”

“If that girl's mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn’t she know better than to fall off a cliff?” he said, looking at the horizon.

Percy clenched his jaw and looked away, trying his best not to strangle Nico.

“Was she your girlfriend?” he asked, seeing he wasn't getting an answer, he looked over at Grover. “Why is he ignoring me?”