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Elaine Young was less than pleased that her mother wouldn't let her skip her middle school dance.
The school in question, Westover Hall, wasn't known for its rainbows and butterflies. Quite the opposite, the black castle was a poor excuse for a military academy and more of a child prison. Needless to say, Elaine didn't have high expectations for its dance.
Nevertheless, the snow storm wasn't working in her favor to return home to Vermont for the winter break. She didn't want to push her mother or stepfather's kindness by making them drive nearly seven hours to come get her after work. It was bad enough she was on her second school in one semester.
It wasn't her fault. With her ADHD and dyslexia, Elaine found little joy or purpose in attending class. More often than not, Elaine would leave her house only to return after her mother and stepfather left for work, wrack up absences, and find herself expelled.
At Westover Hall in Bar Harbor, Maine, Elaine had no choice but to leave her dorm room and attend class, no matter how hopelessly confused she was.
The dance was being held in the gymnasium.
Students who couldn't get rides home on their last day of term found themselves shuffling around one another, not knowing how to interact or initiate any actual dancing.
She went against wearing a dress, deciding that if she had to go, she wouldn't give the administration the satisfaction of her participation. Instead, she wore a large knit sweater that she stole from her mother's closet and sat by herself on the bleachers as she nibbled on a hotdog.
After an hour passed, any feelings of shyness were conquered by most of the students, who were in a full-on frenzy. A dozen boys ran wildly, playing a game of tag. Others danced, forming a circle in which one brave person would violently thrash their body in what could be considered a dancing motion for a few seconds before rejoining their friends at the rim of the circle.
Elaine knew to stay seated, even when some of her classmates would wave her over to join them. Any civilian-dress event hosted at a military school was bound to end in chaos, and she'd rather not find herself in the middle of it.
At some point during the evening, a few students caught Elaine's eye. Three kids, perhaps a little older than Elaine, moved around the gym, all the while glancing in her direction.
She'd only been at Westover for a couple of months, but Elaine was pretty acquainted with the faces of the students she lived with. After more observation, she was positive that the party crashers weren't students.
Maybe they're locals looking for fun, she figured. Although, why anyone would willingly step foot inside her school looking for it was beyond her.
Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the vice principal, Dr. Thorn, looming over her until she looked up from her half-eaten hotdog.
"Miss Young, please come with me." He commanded. His brown and blue eyes made it difficult to hold his gaze, so Elaine settled for his flared nostrils.
"What for?" She asked.
His hawk-like face faltered, forming a sneer, as he said, "Your dorm room is despicable. It was made very clear, in order to attend the dance, your room must pass inspection."
Elaine didn't want to argue that she knew for a fact that her room was clean, something she'd later come to regret. The man's tall frame and intimidating stare made her stand without another word.
She followed him along the bleachers until they reached two more students. They were younger than her, and siblings, that much she could tell. The two visibly relaxed when they saw Elaine in tow, probably nervous to be alone with Dr. Thorn.
"Our rooms are clean, sir." The girl protested.
Before she could blink, Dr. Thorn snatched the siblings up by their arms, causing the the girl to drop her green, floppy hat, and the boy to spill his playing cards on the floor.
Elaine's mind caught up to her feet, and she attempted to run from the scene, but before she could take two steps, the collar of her sweater is yanked back.
Her hands immediately flew to her throat as she had no choice but to walk backward in the direction she was being pulled in.
Once the four of them had made it out the double doors near the bleachers, the man turned her around and shoved her in front of him, knocking her into the girl.
She took in a gulp of air, which instantly irritated her lungs, causing her to violently cough.
The hallway was dark, something Elaine had always had a fear of. As her eyes widened, desperately trying to take in light, Dr. Thorn shoved a hand between her shoulder blades, urging her to continue forward.
"Walk." He instructed, his vague French accent sounding more like a snarl.
Too afraid to protest, Elaine stalked forward, leading the siblings further into the hallway.
Fast footsteps began to approach the group, bringing Elaine hope that perhaps a teacher witnessed her kidnapping and was coming to rescue them.
When she turned around, all she saw was a boy, one of the crashers, holding—of all things—a sword that illuminated with a golden hue.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." The boy reassured. His sea-green eyes did little to calm Elaine. They reminded her of storm, the same kind turning over in her mind as she stared helplessly, completely frozen at the image the blade was providing.
"My name's Percy. I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe." He promised.
Too late, Elaine noticed Dr. Thorn, suddenly looking more ghoulish and his eyes were ... glowing?
Percy clenched in anticipation when he met her eyes, becoming aware of the danger behind him.
He whirled around as a WHIPSIH sliced through the air. Black dagger-like thorns yanked the boy back and pinned him to the wall.
Dr. Thorn's cold laugh echoed through the hall.
"Yes, Perseus Jackson. I know who you are."
The boy futilely attempted to free himself and Elaine made a move to help him, but stopped herself as the man stepped into the dim light.
"Thank you for coming out of the gym. I hate middle school dances." He said, slowly approaching the boy.
He tried to swing his sword at Thorn, but he was just out of reach.
Another WHIPISH cut through the air, this time much closer, causing Elaine to flinch. Next to her, the girl was rigid with fright, her face half an inch from another thorn.
"All four of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you how accurately I can throw."
