Thunder and Blood

8

Percy

The three of us run outside, heading towards the group of students crowded around something on the trail. When I get close enough to see, I find myself staring at Coach, an arrow sticking out of his stomach.

A boy is kneeling at his side, his hands stained red as he tries to stop the blood.

Stiles.

Coach is gasping, freaking out. Stiles looks up at Scott, just briefly glancing at me. "I did this. I did this." He mutters. "Scott. Please help him."

Instantly something that I had overheard this morning comes back to me. The nogitsune, the Japanese spirit, feeds off pain. I also know that werewolves can take pain, and I am willing to bet everything that Scott is about to take Coach's pain.

He begins to kneel beside coach.

"Wait." I say, looking at all the students around us. Scott looks up at me. "Get them out of here. I can help."

He tilts his head, but seeing the determination on my face, he nods at Isaac. His friend takes the order, moving everyone away from where coach is. I crouch down beside them, looking at the wound.

"Does anyone have water?" I ask. The girl I remember as Kira steps forward, handing a water bottle to me. I thank her, uncaping it and pouring some aimlessly into the grass beside me. Scott seems like he's about to make a comment, I shoot him a look, making him shut up.

I place my hand over the wet ground, feeling the water begin to rise through my fingertips. I move it towards coach's stomach, we all watch as it crawls like a living organism over his shirt, not wetting it. I wrap my other hand around the arrow, pulling it out quickly.

Coach cries out, but his shouts die down when I move the water into the wound, the blood staining his shirt begins to vanish, retreating back into the arrow hole.

He takes a sharp inhale, sitting up straight. He pats his stomach, searching for the wound. But it isn't there.

Scott, Isaac, Stiles and Kira are staring at me, mouths open in shock. "Percy-" Scott starts, but I already know what he's going to ask.

"Would you believe me if I said it was magic?" I ask.

"Was it?" Kira pipes up.

I slowly nod. "Yes. Definitely."

"You're a terrible liar." Scott says. "You're heartbeat sounds like it's about to take off."

"I'm alive." Coach stand up, brushing himself off. "I'm not dead."

"No, coach, you're not."

"Johnson?" He looks me up and down. "Where's the rest of your uniform?"

"In the change room, coach. I was going to skip."

He pauses, then after a moment, he smiles. "I like you Johnson."

"I like myself too coach."

He places his hand on my shoulder, quietly chuckling to himself. "Alright guys. We're going back inside. Not more math for us today."

I feel Stiles' eyes on me as we follow Coach back inside. I turn to glance at him, he gives me a half smile, I return the favour.

This is the boy I'm supposed to bring back? A human who might be possessed by a Japanese spirit? How does Chiron expect me to do this? Just kidnap him? Drag him halfway across the country back to Camp? Whatever I do, his friends will come looking for him.

What if I kill them and then take him... no. They aren't normal monsters. Scott didn't try to kill me, unlike every other monster I've met. He's different. They all are.

They actually have a soul.

I can't just kill them. But I'm also not going to bring them to Camp. That wouldn't go over well with my friends.

And this Japanese spirit? The one the feeds off chaos, pain and strife. He doesn't sound to cool either. In fact, I think Chiron is out of his mind if he thinks I'm going to let this thing near my friends.

Not a fat chance.