Phases of the Sea

Chapter 17

Perci POV

The party was boring. Twenty minutes after arriving, and I had grown so bored, I had taken to messing with people's – mainly Mike Newton, the pest wouldn't stop asking me to dance – drinks. Aphrodite had left me a shorter dress much like the one I had worn to the graduation ceremony for the party, and it was getting me more attention than I would like while waiting for the members of the pack to arrive. I was wearing a few new accessories though, graduation gifts from the few that had left them. In my hair was a jeweled hair clip that turned into a trident from my father, on my wrists were celestial bronze bangles that turned into my new hunting knives from Tyson.

Triton had given me a necklace with a small conch shell, which was his symbol, that was basically a panic button to call for him. All I had to do was speak into it, telling him I needed help, and he would come. Hades had given me a pair of aquamarine earrings, Hestia, a lighter filled with hearth fire, and Zeus had given a written one time pass to fly.

Sighing, I waited until Newton brought his drink to his mouth again, before spraying him in the face with the contents, earning cursing from him, and a familiar low chuckle from behind me.

"Now, what has Newton done this time to annoy you into messing with him subtly?" Paul asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Wouldn't stop asking me to dance. It's the downfall of this dress, I swear." I complained, before looking at him in confusion as he chuckled again.

"No, Princess, it's the downfall of being as beautiful as you are. You didn't just look like a goddess today, Perci, you always look like one. Newton's just having even more trouble than usual because it's the first time anyone has seen you in a dress, much less a short one. Where's Annabeth and Grover, I thought they would've been here?" He told me fondly, before searching the dance floor.

"They got a call that they were needed back at camp, and had to leave. Dad and my brothers had to head back home as well, and mom and Paul 1.0 have a red-eye tomorrow back to New York." I informed him, noticing we were now swaying slightly where we stood, but not commenting on it.

"That sucks, the pack was hoping to talk to them some more before they left." He said, and I hummed in agreement.

"Do you want to dance?" I asked suddenly, surprising even myself. Paul smiled at me, before sighing and dropping his head in annoyance.

"Just when I'm about to say yes, Jacob needs us." He grumbled, making me groan as he pulled me away from the dance floor and up the stairs to someone's study.

"What's the problem, and it better be good. I was about to enjoy a dance with my beautiful imprint." Paul said as we walked in, shutting the door behind us as it appeared everyone else was present.

"There's been an emergency, the situation in Seattle has escalated." The coven leader, Carlisle, I guessed, informed us.

"Either way, the army is coming, and there aren't enough of us to protect the town." Jasper said, sounding quite commanding.

"Hold up, what damn army?" Jacob demanded, while the others and I traded mildly alarmed looks.

"Newborns, our kind." Carlisle said shortly.

"We'll help. I'm not gonna chance someone on the rez getting hurt because an army of newborn vampires was too much for you to handle." Paul said after casting a glance at Jacob, who nodded.

"No way, you'll get yourselves hurt." Bella protested, only to be ignored.

"Do we know what they're after?" Embry asked, trying to get more information.