Annabeth Chase and the Sea of Monsters

Chapter 4 - I save Percy's sorry behind again

Fortunately, it didn't take long.

I just had to run along the corridors and peer through some windows into the classrooms and try to see if I could spot Percy. After the second or so hallway, I finally managed to find him.

He was staring into his note book, smiling faintly as if he was thinking of something pleasant. I was going to go in and see of I could speak to him, when some huge kids sauntered up to him and ripped a photo out of Percy's notebook. My eyes widened as I recognized it as the picture I sent to him when I was in Washington, D.C. I didn't know he'd kept it.

The boy who took it seemed as shock as I was. He said something to Percy, who's face went bright red as he tried to snatch the photo back. The other boy tossed it to some mates of his, who ripped it up while Percy watched angrily. His face was bright red and his fists were clenched so hard that I'm surprised he didn't snap the pen he was holding. I prayed that he wouldn't start a fight and thankfully he didn't. Maybe some of my wisdom was rubbing off on him.

Then I got a look at the boys who were currently shredding up the photo of me into spit balls. There was something funny about them so I narrowed my eyes and relaxed them, a neat trick Chiron had taught me for looking through the Mist. I was hoping nothing would happen, but I'd never had any luck.

The boys morphed into giants, over two metres tall with pointy teeth, hair all over and tattoos. I cursed. Laistrygonians. And Percy had no idea.

I wanted to burst right in and get him out, but I couldn't in case the monsters decided to attack immediately. Obviously they were waiting for a better opportunity. But why? Surely he was vulnerable. Then I saw the boy sitting beside Percy.

Oh, that's why.

He was huge, towering over my scrawny friend in every way. The clothes he wore were little more than rags and he seemed to cower into them, like they could protect him. The Mist was strong over his face and I could barely force myself to push past its barrier to look at his face. The sight of it caused a shiver to run down my spine and I nearly gagged in horror. Why, oh why, was Percy with that?

Waiting was torture. My ADHD was making me twitch and pace in agitation. Incoming battles and demigods never went well.

I hung about some lockers, you know, cause that's what demigods searching for trouble do, when the bell rang and kids spilled into the corridor. I pressed myself against the lockers, hoping that some kid didn't expect to open his locker when Percy came out.

He'd definitely grown a few centimetres so that we were practically at the same height. It was also strange seeing him in regular clothes as I'd usually only every seen him in a Camp Half-Blood shirt. 

The "boy" he was sitting next to before was walking beside him but I didn't pay him any attention. It was Percy I need to talk to.

"Percy!" I called, then realised that now wasn't the time to reveal myself. The Mist was good, but I didn't think it was good enough to conceal a suddenly appearing girl.

He seemed to hear me though, looking around with a bemused look on his face. I tried to push myself to get closer to him, but then he got caught up in a wave of kids, all heading for the gym. I had to resign myself to meeting him there and allowed myself to be swept along also.

Unfortunately, I got jostled around so much that I was spat out of the crowd like a rotten tomato headed for a bad performer. By the time I managed to catch back up, they'd all disappeared into the gym. I tried to open the door, but strangely, it was locked. Thinking I'd find a window or something, I was heading outside when I heard the screams.

It was like a dolphin being tortured. What was happening in there?

My mind kicked into over time. It had to be Percy. Trouble followed him like a bad smell. I had to get in to help him, but how?

I spun frantically, looking for a solution when I saw the locker room. Ugh, please no. Anything but that. The stories you hear about boys locker rooms give you nightmares nearly as bad as demigod dreams. There didn't seem to be much of a choice though.

I ran to it and threw open the door just as the opposite door that led into the gym was blasted open. The entire room seemed to explode, locker doors and all their belongings collapsing to the ground. I was sent sprawling, my cap falling off as I fell.

"No!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

Percy.

Ignoring the pain in my body, I scrambled to my feet, tucking my cap away in my pocket and whipping out my knife. I ran through the smoke clouding in the gym and took in the scene before me.

There were craters all through the gym, kids running screaming everywhere. The 'boy' that had been with Percy was lying crumpled against the wall, a hole leading outside above his head. He looked dazed and definitely not in any condition to help.

Directly in front of me stood the final Laistrygonian, his back to me. If I looked around him, I could see Percy, his face scraped and his head messy. His clothes were peppered with holes and he looked almost as grimy as me.

"You wish to die first, young hero?" the monster asked.

Percy seemed to want to, because he charged straight at the Laistrygonian. But I was quicker. I ran forward as the monster laughed.

"My lunch approaches," he said as I rammed my knife hilt-deep into his back. He went tense and dropped his ball.

"Ow," he said as he burst into green flames.

Percy spotted me then and his eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. He looked like wanted to say something, but no words came out of his gaping mouth.

The boy who was bullying him earlier looked just as dumb-struck.

"That's the girl . . . That's the girl -" he began as I strode up to him and punched him in the nose, flattening him.

"And you," I snapped. "Lay off my friend."

"Annabeth . . ." Percy stammered. "How did you . . . how long have you . . ."

"Pretty much all morning," I told him, sheathing my knife. There were people trying to burst into the gym, but the doors were holding out so far. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you, but you were never alone."

"The shadow I saw this morning - that was -" his face started to burn. "Oh my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?"

"There's no time to explain!" I snapped, desperately trying to hide my reddening face. "I just didn't want to -"

"There!" a woman yelled as the doors burst open and adults spilled in. Why did they always have to ruin the fun?

"Meet me outside," I told Percy. "And him. You'd better bring him," I added, pointing distastefully at the giant boy who was still sitting dazedly against the cracked wall.

"What?"

The adults were getting closer. Unfortunately, it seemed like Percy was going to have to find another school.

"No time!" I yelled. "Hurry!"

I whipped on my hat and ran for the exit. I felt bad about leaving Percy behind but I got in enough trouble with my own schools. I didn't want to join the Percy reputation of 6 schools in 6 years.