The Guardian From Hell

Welcome To Hell

Chapter Seven

A Week Later

     Word had spread throughout school that Percy and Thalia were dating. Who found out and spread the rumor, they didn't know, but they caught on when everyone stared at them and whispered as soon as they walked into the cafeteria that morning.

     They walked over to their table and sat down. Grover was already there, eating the shitty toast the school made for breakfast.

     "So, when'd this happen?" Grover asked.

     "Geez, Grover. Not even a hello? Just straight into it, huh?" Percy said, teasing him.

Grover rolled his eyes. "Hello, Percy. Hello, Thalia. So, when did this happen?" He said slowly, enunciating every syllable, as to make sure they heard him.

     "Yesterday." Thalia said, pulling her leather jacket closer together. The cafeteria was cold.

     "Oh, so not in all of that school you missed the last two week? Ms. Dodds isn't happy."

      "She's never happy, what's your point?" Percy said.

     "She said, and I quote, "I'm going to give them so much homework, they will drown in it!", then she cackled like a stereotypical witch."

    "Oh. Shit."

     "Yeah. And speaking of things that you two missed, Matt and Nancy broke up, for real this time."

     "You're not shitting us, right? Because last time you said that, I ended up with a black eye."

     "Nope. It a hundred percent happened. She confirmed it."

      "Holy shit! Why?!"

     Grover's face broke into a grin. "You ain't gonna believe this. It's because he couldn't get hard."

     Thalia's face broke into a small grin that she hid behind her sleeve. Percy broke out into a full out laughter. Like, 'doubling over and almost hitting his head on the table' kind of laughter. "Has he... Did he... did he try Viagra?" He asked between laughs.

     "Okay, so. Get this. Someone stuck a box of it in his locker, and he fucking raged out when he found it. He threw it on the ground and yelled, "Stupid shit doesn't work!". And then he realized he was in the middle of the hallway, where everyone could hear him."

     Percy broke out laughing again. "Oh God!"

     Thalia unnoticeably flinched. She noticed that the pain didn't hurt as much as it used to. It felt more like a prick than a stab.

      "Holy shit! Finally, he gets what has been coming for years!" Percy said. Hs laughing was dying out as he ran out of breath. He started to cough. Thalia reached over and patted his back.

     "Oh man." Percy said, taking in a deep breath. "Oh man, that's good."

     Suddenly, Thalia went still. She leaned into Percy and whispered into his ear. "One's here. I can sense it."

      Over the course of the last week, they had fought some more of Thalia's extended family. Each one came out of a portal. There were enough portals for Thalia to kind of sense one. She tried to explain it to him. "It's like a change in the atmosphere. It's subtle, but you can sense it. And sometimes, if you listen really close, you can hear it." She had said.

     Yeah, she wasn't hearing it now. But she was sensing it.

    "Where?" He asked, standing up.