BY fates design

Three thousand attack power

It was moments like this that Percy admired her most, not just for the way gym light glimmered in the abyss of her hair like the warping spectrum of the cosmos, but for how collected she looked, smiling at students like she knew them, moving just quick enough to hurry without looking rushed.

About fifteen meters from them, lying on the floor, was the cap that had been on Bianca's head just a couple minutes ago, and beside it, trading cards were scattered like spilled blood. Dr Thorn hadn't gotten as far as he needed, not before they caught sight of him steering the siblings out the far exit by the scruffs of their necks like kittens.

Pushing him forward, Cassiopeia urged Percy to follow the monster as she made quick work of collecting the spilled Di Angelo possession, tucking them away somewhere Percy couldn't see before following after.

The door led into a dark hallway, there was a scuffling sound ahead followed by a painful grunt. Uncapping Riptide, it shimmered in his hand, familiar weight that settled into his palm where Cassiopeia's hand had just been, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.

Jogging, he ran the length of the corridor but coming to the end, he found no one. Opening the door, he found himself back at the main entry hall. He'd done a full circle. Dr Thorn wasn't there, but huddled frozen on the opposite side of the room were the Di Angelo kids.

Some curious, perhaps more daring, eyes turn to Nico - maybe they expected a reaction, a flinch or furrowed brow - but his face remained passive, hollow eyes that bore into the screen with a dull facade of lacking interest.

Advancing slowly, he lowered the tip of his sword. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." They didn't answer, fearful eyes trained on him before flickering when footsteps came soft but hastily towards them.

Percy spun round, sword raised again before breathing out. "Sorry," he lowered Riptide as his eyes locked on familiar forget me not blue ones. "Found them." He gestured to the two children.

"Hi," Cassiopeia smiled at the children, her voice steady, "I'm Cassiopeia, this is Percy. We're going to get you out of here, get you somewhere safe. Okay?" She spoke so certainly that it was difficult not to believe her, and it looked like they did.

Except, Bianca's eyes widen and her fists clench and Percy doesn't realise until it's too late. She wasn't scared of them, she was scared for them. Whirling around, something whooshed past Percy, pain exploding in his shoulder as a force ripped him backwards into the wall.

Slashing out, his sword sliced through air. There was nothing there. A frosty laugh echoed off the stone walls. "Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr Thon grated, his accent mangling the name. "I know who you are."

"Perseus Jackson." Achlys makes a mockery of the French accent, choking on giggles. "Dear Hecate, I think I would have changed my name if the only people who used it in full wanted to cut my head off,"

Trying to free his shoulder, Percy found his jacket and shirt pinned to the wall by a spike - a black dagger like projectile about half a meter long. It had grazed his shoulder, the cut burning and red seeping into white fabric. The feeling was unsettlingly similar to something he'd felt before. Poison.

A dark silhouette moved forward. Dr Thorn still appeared human as he stepped into dim light, but his face was ghoulish, a pale impression of a person. "Thank you for coming out of the gym," he hissed, "I hate middle school dances." A dry chortle chocked in his throat as a sickening smile slid onto his face. Percy swung with his sword again, but her was just out of reach.

A second whoosh. Another projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr Thorn. He didn't appear to move, it was as if something invisible were behind him, throwing knives.