Mortality • Percy Jackson

• Fight •

Percy had gone to Grover, and Kate saw the book change. Like actually CHANGE. The words rearranged themselves to fit Percy talking to her.

Kate felt speechless. She edited...the plotline...of this book, just by talking to Percy.

"Shi-" she turned red when she noticed everyone turning to her, and quickly realized her mistake, "I mean, dang,"

Everyone turned back to their own thing, and Kate turned back to her book. It's not my book. She corrected herself. It's that mystery lady's.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends – I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists – and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.

"Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.

I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, 'Count to ten, get control of your temper.' But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.

I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming,

"Percy pushed me!"

Kate looked up. Nancy was sitting on the fountain, glaring at the boy. Kate sighed. She deserved it. She thought to herself.

Ms.Dodds appeared behind Kate. Kate blinked. She was pretty sure she saw her...sink into the shadows...and appear again into the light.

I'm seeing things. Kate concluded, shaking her head slightly.

A kid poked Kate. "Did you see that?" she asked, her blonde hair glistening in the sunlight. "It was if the water grabbed her..."

Water...Percy...Poseidon...

Kate's head spun. She needed...to go inside. She slipped through the doors of the museum.

She remembered something important from her past. Poseidon! Not who he was, just that he had some relation to Percy. Kate slumped. This was useless, she was useless. She couldn't even remember her mother's face anymore. Or if it was her brother or sister who loved pineapple.

She sniffled. I just want to go home.

Kate hadn't even realized she had gone so far into the museum. She was near the Greek and Roman area, where they were a couple minutes before.

Kate heard talking.

"Well?" One demanded.

"Ma'am, I don't..."

Percy.

'Your time is up,' the voice hissed.

Kate looked inside. The weirdest thing happened. Mrs.Dodds's eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice Percy to ribbons.

Then things got even stranger. Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand. "What ho, Percy!" he shouted and tossed the pen through the air.

The pen soared through the air and slipped through Percy's fingers. The pen rolled on the floor until it hit Kate's soft brown boots. Mrs. Dodds turned towards her. Kate gulped.

She grabbed the pen, and uncapped it, the cap hitting the floor with a soft thud. The pen elongated into a sword. Kate's hands shook.

I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this.

Mrs.Dodds approached her, hissing. Kate shut her eyes and swung the sword with all her might.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to-

HISSSSSSSS!

Kate opened her eyes. The hall was empty. Mr.Brunner was nowhere to be seen. Mrs.Dodds was gone. In her hands, was not a sword, but a ballpoint pen. Kate glanced at Percy, and he was thinking the same things as her. What was going on?