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Winter, circa 2007, Westover Hall.
━━𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐎𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑, and somehow, in the span of a few minutes, they'd managed to lose all of them.
"They're gone," Annabeth said to Percy.
They were both staring at the spot where the three demigods had previously been, and Percy could almost picture a big, glaring 'EMPTY' sign left in their place, mocking them for their carelessness.
Annabeth looked around the gym frantically. "Oh, Where'd Thalia and Grover dance off to, now?! We have to find to find them!"
With those words, she took off through the crowd in search of them. Percy tried to follow her, but his path was blocked by a large group of excited girls. They had ribbons in their hair and hands, and it seemed like they were seeking out their next victims for their ribbons assault. He tried moving around them while avoiding their surprisingly nimble hands, and he did succeed, but by that time, Annabeth was completely put of his sight.
He stopped right there in the middle of the crowded makeshift dance floor, feeling a bit lost. He turned in circles, trying to figure what to do when he caught sight of something.
Dr. Thorn was hurriedly exiting the gym through the door on the other side of the room. Percy managed to catch a glimpse of his face, and the furious look on it was truly terrifying. He looked like a predator chasing prey.
Percy had a feeling that he knew where the man was going.
He glanced at the door, then at the direction Annabeth disappeared off to. Percy, no, a voice that sounded suspiciously similar to hers warned him. Percy! Don't do it!
But it was too late. He was already reaching out for Riptide in his pocket. What was Annabeth going to do? She wasn't even there at that moment. She was out there somewhere looking for Grover and Thalia and he was just standing there, doing nothing. If the half-bloods were in danger, he had to help if he could, right?
And, anyway, he was in a military school surrounded by mean looking boys and girls who wanted to stick ribbons in his hair and teachers who acted like they had sticks up their asses-and they were the worst kind of teachers. It couldn't possibly get any worse that.
◈ ━━━━━━━ ◈
━━━𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆. Things could get a whole lot worse than that.
