The Beginning and Ending of Everything

Chapter Nine

Dedicated to @Tea—time for voting. Thank you!

Percy Extended POV-October 6, 2023-11:34 AM-Goode Cafeteria

"Move!" Percy yelled as he ran at the men, pulling out Riptide. The students immediately scattered, backing away until they were out of the way. None of them left, though. They all stayed in the cafeteria, watching.

The men got into fighting stances, pulling out their weapons. Clint grabbed his bow off his back and started to put an arrow in, Steve grabbed his shield off of his back, and Thor hefted his fancy hammer.

Percy continued running, and right before he got to them, he stepped up onto the bench on a nearby table, using it to step onto the table. From there, he jumped. Percy used his momentum to clear their heads, doing a front flip. Mid-flip, he grabbed Clint's bow from his hands, as they were surprised that he didn't go right for them.

Percy landed, stumbling a bit, turning to face them as they spun around to do the same. He could just run out the doors, which was now unblocked, but that would mean leaving Annabeth. Hopefully, jumping over them and making them turn would leave Annabeth enough time to get the daggers out of her backpack.

Percy threw Clint's bow as far as he could across the room, away from him and Clint. The students there screamed and moved to avoid getting hit. Percy still didn't trust himself with a bow, and he didn't like the idea of him and Annabeth fighting Steve and Thor while Clint stood back, firing arrows at them.

"Hey!" Clint protested, turning back to Percy after he watched his bow being thrown across the room, "That was my bow!"

Percy smirked. "Made you look."

All three of them spun around, just in time to see Annabeth running at them from behind, a dagger in each hand. Clint jumped back to avoid her swipe, and Steve raised his shield, her dagger scraping across it, making sparks and a horrible sound.

While they were distracted, Percy uncapped Riptide. It grew heavier as it elongated in his hand. In a half of a second, Riptide sat in his hand, sharp and familiar.

He lunged at Thor while he was distracted, managing to cut his arm before Thor jolted away.

Thor brought up his hammer, taking a swing at Percy. Percy leaned backward under it as if he were playing limbo. He had no space or time to swing, so he opted to stab Thor with Riptide.

Thor moved out of the way just in time, his swing causing him to stumble forward after missing Percy. Both of them off balance, they turned back towards each other as fast as they could. Thor's hammer started to spark as he came at Percy again, electricity jumping and snapping around it.

Percy dodged his hammer, his ADHD already making him hyperaware of everything around him, and attacked with Riptide.

I thought I was done with electric weapons after breaking Clarisse's spear five years ago, Percy thought, irritated.

Percy reached out to the water nearest him, still fighting Thor. Avoid the weird electric hammer, he thought, dodging it again as he swung Riptide.

Percy caught a glimpse of Annabeth doing her best against Clint and Steve. Clint had pulled out a gun, and Steve seemed to be fighting with his shield. The edge of his shield seemed sharp, so Percy guessed that that made a little sense, even though he was used to shields being used for defense.

Thor swung again, and Percy dodged and swung with Riptide. He didn't want to touch his sword to the hammer because that would probably electrify him. With a more noticeable tug in his gut, the water finally burst out of the sinks in the kitchen. Percy directed it to the floor while he fought.