Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

April Fool's!

Here's the start to the next book because I was too excited to wait! The one I've been looking forward to the second most, since Hammer of Thor is ages away!

Here's a link to this with full book context;

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_zxE0EFbDHP57st8boaqmxSAelqY6kkLcOaV0fudg3Q/edit?usp=sharing

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Jason got particularly excited the next morning when he saw the book was purple like the faded shirt he still wore, but Nico and Thalia's uneasy looks weren't a promising indication he was finally going to get some answers of his own. It was a bruised, dark color, the black 3 on the spine was more forbidding than anything.

"There's nothing stopping us from skipping around," Will offered to Jason, still wanting to spare Nico having to share his story if he didn't want to yet. "I'll bet we meet you eventually and Oceanus is just as terrible knowing what year it is, maybe you're in one of those," he gestured to the next stack with roman numbers on them, the golden book with an earthy brown Numeral I on the spine was as promising a start as he could offer.

"No," Jason shook his head no matter how much he looked at it with yearning now. "We've come this far, and I really want to hear about Thalia and Percy becoming friends." It wasn't an entire lie either, she fascinated him the most of these greek kids, even more than Nico. His mind kept lingering on the way she interacted with Percy. He wanted that connection with her, maybe she reminded him of his lost best friend that only existed in his mind? He just knew he wanted to hear of her time properly out of the tree now. It was probably selfish, but better than that now daunting book.

It wasn't glowing, but the idea of being someone's golden boy left him feeling like he should be stretching for all the weight off his back. He was happy while reading, enjoying the company and the unassociated story to him, no need to dredge up his problems yet when they hadn't even finished Percy's.

Nobody else raised argument, even if Nico stiffened in his seat and regretted finally letting Will needle him into eating a singular pancake for breakfast, like the book was going to start with Bianca's eulogy.

Instead, Alex read the new chapter title with as high a spirits as ever, laughing his butt off and telling Percy, "are we surprised?" He had somehow found a way to change clothes, again. Today wearing dark pink slacks and a vibrant green suit jacket over a light pink cashmere sweater, with the same altering two colors mixed into the high-tops of the past two days.

"No," Percy frowned, he looked as unhappy at the book as Nico felt.

'Who gets kidnapped now?' Hearth demanded in exasperation, already bracing himself for the next wave of trauma they'd all nearly die in.

'Like they'll tell us,' Magnus reminded at the growing list of Percy's friends. Had Kronos already found a way to pull Thalia aside? Had Tyson never made it to Poseidon's kingdom? Was Grover already needing help from another Pan quest? Oh, gods, it wasn't Annabeth having to get away from her dad was it-

"Magnus!"

He startled and looked at Alex and Thalia, having the feeling it wasn't the first time someone had tried to call his name. Even Percy was watching him with an oddly familiar look of concern.

He didn't seem to know how much he looked like his cousin when he was thinking deeply about something, but Alex wasn't going to let him dwell on it. With no further context to joke off, Alex began reading with flaming curiosity what he was missing that had so many of their companions on edge.

...my mom packed a bag of weapons and snacks and took me to a boarding school.

"What kind of snacks?" Magnus asked at the same time Alex did, "what kind of deadly weapons?"

"Celery sticks with peanut butter, ambrosia, and nunchucks," Percy ticked off on his fingers. "You know, the essentials."

"I love your mom," they both laughed. Magnus's smile was a bit forlorn though, as he knew his mom would have packed him an extra inhaler, 'just in case.'

We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.

Magnus sighed deeply in relief and Alex gave him an encouraging smile. Magnus made the sign for dad, his expression conveying all the worry it wasn't his own he was concerned about causing trouble now. Alex nodded in understanding and wished he knew the sign for safe.

"Good to know which side of that list I started on," Thalia snorted, "I wasn't so sure after the leprechaun incident, considering the concussion."*

"The what?" Percy demanded, though they weren't sure if it was the abundance of head trauma he got, or luck of the Irish creature he was confused about.

"You were bashed in the head by a red dwarf, I saved your ass, you cried, yet another Aphrodite girl got a crush on you, happened a few weeks before this," she casually brushed off with a pang. Tension between her and Percy had already not been going well, Annabeth had been trying so hard to make it work with both of them and neither of them had been doing their best to help that along.

"Are we going to get a side quest book over these left-out adventures?" Jason almost looked like he was pouting at not getting more details. Did he really want to hear about Percy crying that much?

"Gods, isn't this enough?" Percy protested at the whole book they hadn't even made off the first page plus the numerous others to go.

... she'd told every embarrassing baby story there was.

"I want a refund for not getting details of those," Alex huffed as he scrutinized that summary paragraph glossing over very important details!

"Dude, if you figure out how to demand a refund from a god I'll back you on it," Percy chuckled.

Thalia peered outside. "This'll be fun."

"Why do I not like your definition of fun anymore than Percy's?" Will frowned at her.

"Good instincts," Percy huffed, he kept glancing around the room and getting the creeps for some reason when his eyes rested on any of them to long. Thalia, Nico, Magnus, at least Alex was really good at holding attention.

...looked like an evil castle on a cliff... the gray churning ocean on the other.

Alex and Magnus busted out laughing for no apparent reason to the others, helped nothing when Magnus asked, "are you rescuing a wizard from an evil principal?"

"You guys read the strangest things," Percy deduced while Nico was already trying to lean far back in his seat and look as invisible as possible.

Will was already having to resist the urge to wrap a blanket around him and maybe hold his hands between his, he looked cold just remembering those windy corridors- stop that! He had no clue how he was going to make it through this book without creeping him out hovering even more than just a friend should.

... bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.

"You didn't even wreck the last bus Chiron gave you, it is a bit rude he couldn't lend you one for a sanctioned rescue," Jason agreed.

"Argus would never travel this far from camp unless it was an emergency," Thalia shook her head, "just to the nearest bus station for official quest business." This strange message from Grover certainly hadn't qualified.

... Annabeth keeps me from dying. She's right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

"You're right, because you love it," Thalia cackled.

"Too accurate," Percy mock rubbed his heart as she hit right on target as usual.

...  She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car.

"And here I thought we'd finally found the perfect parent," Will chuckled at Percy's lingering blush. "Guess even she doesn't know how to be everything."

... I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.

"Could you do that?" Jason demanded, clearly fascinated. "If you don't die from the pressure or freezing depths of the ocean, how immune are you?"

"It's not like I'm the man of steel," Percy reminded, "my skin isn't invulnerable just because of my leverage in water."

They both missed Thalia's well hid grimace not to oust Percy on something he didn't even know.

"But snow is a form of water, wouldn't that carry over?" Jason insisted.

"If I'm ever trapped in a snowstorm with you, you'll be the first to know," Percy shrugged.

Nico watched the exchange trying to not feel angry Percy treated Jason's questions with some level of indulgent exasperation, where as when he'd tried interrogating Percy about his awesome powers he'd gotten barely suppressed annoyance.

..."She's okay," I admitted.

"How many World's Best Mom mugs have you given her again?" Thalia teased.

"I might have to make her a shelf?" He didn't remember the answer, but he felt that was the correct one anyways and Thalia's laugh proved him right.

"...You ever get in touch with your mom?"

Thalia's smile soured right up. She'd vividly remembered Percy asking that, so the joke had been to show she wasn't dwelling on it. Much. Still sort of wished she could push him off that cliff right now, but at least sane sword in his gut. Her eyes flickered to Jason and away with bitter resentment nobody understood, or dared ask about as frosty as her exterior just became no icy dagger could ever compete with.

...the look she gave me now was a perfect evil "ten."

"Girl really never misses by a point," Alex nodded along encouragingly.

... Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."

"Is he not out looking for Pan some more?" Jason asked in surprise. Grover's enthusiasm hadn't seemed dampened by his near-death experience.

"Not during school times, he had to wait until summer for his license to be re-approved," Thalia reminded while rubbing her ear. He'd nearly chewed it off along with half the camp for the Council still enforcing this along with Chiron encouraging it for their dwindling numbers.

... I wonder what he found that made him send the distress call."

"Must be something really bad?" Jason murmured mostly to himself. "Last time he seemed to have done that was when he found Percy."

He was imagining Grover had found a terrible monster in the bowls of the castle more than anything, but Nico heard all the same being one seat over and sunk even lower in his seat, his stomach already a twisted mess and his pathetic, childish echo from his past wasn't even mocking him yet.

Will gave Jason such a sharp look, though it only confirmed Jason's fears coupling it in with the chapter title something was afoot, and both kids of the prophecy were in attendance.

...All I could say was, "Whoa."

"Is there a poltergeist?" Alex pleaded. "Ghosts? At least tell me there's a tabby cat running around!"

"Dude, one book at a time," Percy once again had to keep reminding these nut jobs in exasperation.

... the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.

'And this is different from your camp, how?' Hearth boggled.

Magnus happily translated that. And Percy thought they were nut jobs.

"Camp shirts?" Percy shrugged.

...we were thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.

"The first time it wasn't even at each other," Thalia tried for her usual cocky tone, but it was dulled considerably considering what that monster had done to her sister.

... "Guess we'll stay awhile."

"If pushing them doesn't work, at least try pulling before giving up," Magnus said in exasperation.

"Or lifting from the bottom," Alex added helpfully.

"Friend first, escapes second," Percy dismissed.

"He's going to pitch himself out a window," Alex turned and told Magnus conversationally.

"I mean, I hate difficult doors too, but, this is ridiculous," Magnus nodded.

... I realized I hadn't planned for this.

"Annabeth didn't plan for that!" Jason looked like somebody had tried to shove the book up his nose.

"Even she can be distracted by cute baby stories," Thalia waved off what really happened, she'd saved their bacon with the Mist.

... his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.

"Something you want to tell me Percy?" Alex demanded.

A hesitant pause, a hopeful smile to play it off. "I like alley cats."

"And you don't have a long nose or French accent," Thalia added helpfully.

"Thank the gods for that," Nico muttered, that country and Canada were places he avoided just for Thorn's accent coming all to easily to mind still after all these years. Thankfully his and Bianca's names weren't super common enough he never quite felt that memory of being in school hearing him call them out hit him to hard walking down streets when he accidentally did during his shadow traveling practice.

... Thalia stepped forward and did something very weird.

"Offered him a baguette ?" Alex smirked.

"Offered Percy as a tribute?" Jason laughed.

"I'd toss you all in the snow if I could!" He rolled his eyes.

...You remember: I'm Thalia, this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."

"You couldn't come up with fake names?" Alex looked disappointed in this lack of deception. "Malia, Annabell, Prissy? They roll off the tongue."

"That was your pressing concern after that?" Percy demanded. "Wait, really? Prissy? Et tu Clarisse?"

Alex laughed without remorse while Nico fought the urge to shove kelp in Percy's mouth for the botched French words. Percy, as usual, hadn't noticed a thing about him and instead had turned right to Thalia and demanded what she'd done. She, as usual, laughed him off too and waved Alex on to keep going, but Nico was counting his blessings while they lasted about being over looked. It wasn't going to last much longer.

..."Ms. Gottschalk,

At least that caused a unifying snort of laughter around the room.

"Can we say on the nose?" Magnus chuckled.

"Poor lady had no choice in her profession any more than Sprout," Alex nodded.

... A teacher named Got Chalk? He had to be kidding.

"You know at least one student a day spends time in the dungeon for asking her that too," Will smiled.

"I would be that student if this place had ever been on my list," Percy raised his hand without remorse.

... yes. I believe I do, sir."

Percy was still kind of looking grumpily from Thalia to the book and back. She was in this one and confusing him on both sides now, how was this fair!

... The punch is great. And they made it!"

"Secret ingredient is the kick," Thalia smirked.

"Grover on his toes like any goat," Jason nodded along.

...He looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower,

Alex paused to lean over and whisper something to Magnus, making him laugh harder than ever, but at least they didn't linger on it this time.

... "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, it seemed like the thing to do.

"Good thing they didn't have you doing the whole star-spangled banner routine at this rate," Jason laughed, but he sort of rolled his eyes too. There was nothing wrong with a little discipline, he rather liked the idea of this school. It held no connection to him, he'd known that from its name alone, but the idea lingered.

... he'd never shown me that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me?

"Not everyone can learn it," she said much more kindly than she ever would have had he demanded of her at the time. All she'd seen on his face then was a peeved expression like he wanted to snap her fingers. Now she saw the confusion didn't look so idiotic, but kind of sad. "You haven't had as much one-on-one time to practice either, I did while everyone was back at school for the fall."

"Right," he muttered without really meeting her eyes.

... GRUNT. I wasn't sure whether that was Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.

"I accept both," Jason snorted.

"Yes," Nico agreed, which was no answer at all, making all of them chuckle. Nico grinned in surprise and tried to savor that while it lasted these last few short moments.

"So what's the emergency?" I asked.

Nico kept trying to force himself to relax, but he knew the blow was coming any second now and he couldn't get the idea out of his head they were all going to tie him up and toss him in a bathroom, so he kept bracing himself and it was making his breath stutter.

Will gave it no second thought as his hand moved, just gracing the back of Nico's and gently brushing his fingers there to feel that powerful black anger he eased into receding. "Your sister?" He whispered.

That was part of it, he certainly wasn't looking forward to hearing about her again either, so he shrugged. Will didn't harp on him at least to keep sharing. The spot where Will's fingers had been still felt warm like his healing touch lingered as he leaned back and he flexed his skin in fascination. He hadn't known Will could soothe emotions.

... I don't know their parentage, but they're strong.

Nico huffed and felt like smacking himself now. He knew Percy hadn't known the truth from merely looking at him so he was freaking out over nothing! Clearly, he hadn't shaken all childish ideas Percy had known everything right from the start. The calming touch from Will felt like it was slowly spreading through him and he found he really could marginally relax now, it's not like it was a secret he did know Percy so obviously he'd have to be in these books at some point.

... Thalia had more experience fending off monsters in the real world.

"Which we haven't gotten to hear any of!" Alex reminded in a very accusing tone for Thalia holding out on him.

"All in due time," Thalia's smile was to sad to be promising though. If they weren't near suicidal leaps into battle in grief for her brother having been taken to meeting up with Luke, the rest involved looking after Annabeth and running for their lives.

..."Who's the monster?"...  Dr. Thorn."

"Please don't kill me!" Percy yelped as Alex sighed. "You two have nothing in common except the different eyes! They're not even the same different."

"Heterochromia," Alex supplied, "and I'm more over here trying to figure out where a monster goes to get a Ph.D."

"If they can have donut shops they can have anything," Jason shrugged. "Though I imagine if you fail a test they just kill you and don't excuse the absence while you're regenerating."

'I can't decide which'll be more weird now,' Hearth smirked, 'if he doesn't have thorns, or is secretly covered in them.'

'Porcupine monster, sure, we're do for one of those,' Magnus sighed.

Weird thing about military schools: the kids go nuts when they're out of uniform.

"The more you try to structure kids, the more they learn to lie and seek freedom," Will nodded saintly.

"Then explain Meriwether," Percy shot back.

Will pulled awkwardly at his ear and decided not to answer.

...the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face.

"Is that not how girls are generally?" Jason asked bemusedly.

"The Aphrodite kids maybe," Thalia huffed, "otherwise someone needs to take whatever sitcom you're not remembering away."

The guys looked like they'd have to fight for their life any second. In my case, it was true.

"One blonde kid was even wearing an orange shirt and playing with a pen," Percy nodded.

"You're saying that like you wouldn't have gotten kicked out of this place before you made it to this dance," Thalia snickered, which Percy couldn't disagree with.

... "Bianca and Nico di Angelo."

Alex did a double take and shook out his green hair like it was obscuring his eyes for once. Couldn't be a coincidence, that was a rather unique name, but one look over at the sallow guy and he joked off, "wow, it's going to be weird having to keep track of two people with the same name."

"You do it to Percy just fine," Will neatly fielded. "We all know he's a lunatic in his head, but on the outside he's trying to stay on the edges of military parties."

"Hardy har," but Percy hadn't taken his eyes off Nico to look at either of them. The ten year old in those bleachers and the teenager before him couldn't have looked any more different, and yet were inexplicably the same person. The ruffled black hair, the way he held himself lithe like a panther, it was so hauntingly familiar, and infuriating he couldn't place why. Nico no more resembled that smiling kid than Percy did his old baby photos. He had no other choice but to assume it must just be memory colliding with reality in present day. If he'd thought having Thalia around in the book and beside him was tripping him up, this might cause his head to explode.

The girl wore a floppy green cap, like she was trying to hide her face.

Nico felt a burn cross him, as powerful and sharp as if his sister's ghost had slapped him. He'd forgotten about that hat. The memory of how or why she even had it was blurry around the edges like everything since they'd come out of that casino, dressed in the clothes they'd come in there with. His last memory of her had been in the Hunter's camo, and now he was fighting back the temptation of summoning her ghost to him. Just for a minute, he was already promising himself, just to ask what had happened to it so he could have one thing of hers. That Hades statue didn't count, it was too much to look at.

He already knew he shouldn't though. To do so once would just leave him wanting one more day, and then one more...

... The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards.

This was already going worse than he could have thought as he wanted to start a fire in here, his hands wanting to crumple up those things. Gods but did he hate how childish he was back then-

"Mythomagic?" Will asked kindly. Nobody usually gave Nico a second look, but he was now the center of attention and didn't even seem to notice as hooded as his eyes were. Like they were all waiting for that spontaneous kid to reappear and do the same.

"Um, yeah," he muttered, clearly not distracted enough.

"You still got to promise to show me later," Will gave him a tiny little poke in his arm to make sure he had his attention. "We haven't yet checked if those fridges will give us non-food things. Who knows, maybe somebody out there like Grover does eat those."

"It does," Alex confirmed, "but only things that will fit in the fridge. No life-size statues, monsters, or medusa heads."

"Thank you Alex," Will grinned without looking away.

Nico studied him for a moment like he was still trying to figure out what Will wanted from him, again. Like he was still waiting for the real reason Will was trying to get to know him.

"Um, yeah, sure," he said again, but this time with a faint smile at the end before turning back to Alex and waving him on.

... I'd never really understood what half-bloods "smell" like to monsters and satyrs,

"And cyclops," Jason added. "The only confirmation I've yet heard is we smell funny, but I'm not sure if that yet means gym shorts funny or laughing gas funny."

"You keep me updated on that man," Percy grinned.

...Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural.

"I should have known better, you aren't natural and you can't act," Thalia said with a woe is me sigh.

"So you're saying I can blame this rescue mission on you," Percy proudly proclaimed.

"Not a chance Jackson! I'm finally getting details how this is all your-" she stopped with a lump in her throat and quickly shut her mouth. No way in Tartarus would she want Percy blaming himself like he was inevitably going to do when he found out just how badly this day went.

Percy gave her a look of concern why she'd stopped with the verbal abuse for once. Just how wrong did this go?

Do some dancing."   "Dancing?" Annabeth asked.

"She's only seen centaurs and cartoon characters do it, I'd be nervous too," Thalia quickly jumped in with smiles all around again, but switching her teasing to a girl who wasn't here didn't lessen the way the others were looking from her to Percy to see what they'd missed.

..."Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney?"  Grover looked hurt. "I did."

"I have serious questions about where this boy got his taste in music," Thalia stated.

"Can't blame that one on me," Percy rubbed his ears and was grateful Yancy hadn't allowed students to have radios, or anything fun. He took back a couple of swears about that now. "He was like that when I met him."

"He's not that bad," Will said fairly, "I like his vocals."

"Who?" Nico finally asked.

"I'm almost grateful to not know," Magnus frowned at the traitorous look Thalia was giving Will and was more than happy not to get between their taste in music.

 ...I can't dance!"  "You can if I'm leading," Thalia said.

"Why do you know how to dance?" Jason asked. "Don't tell me the pine tree taught you?"

"I'm a natural leader," she said, throwing her shoulders back. They weren't sure how serious she was being. "I, I have a natural, um, grace- um, rhythm," she finished with an odd frown nobody in here understood, but Jason felt an odd tingling go up his spine.

...It's cool to have Thalia back."

Thalia did smile for real at that. At least her little sister had understood she'd been trying to help encourage Annabeth to spend some alone time with Percy right then in her own subtle way.

... Act natural, Thalia had told us.

"And you're always going to do what Thalia tells you to do," Alex's voice was already chock full of mocking. Ms. Gottschalk would probably send her to detention on principle. 

Percy didn't bother to deny it even as he listened attentively to what he tried to cobble together asking after her.

When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural?

"Hunger, adrenaline, stabbings," Magnus ticked off on his fingers. "The sitting around having conversations part seems to only happen when you're exhausted and need to sleep."

"Look at us breaking traditions this time!" Percy said with a grand sweep of his hands.

... I was kind of disappointed to hear she liked her new school so much.

Magnus's heart thunked unpleasantly in his chest as he realized once again she nor Percy were mentioning why exactly things hadn't worked out with her dad, again. Until he knew the reasoning why there was still such strain between her blood family, he wasn't sure how she'd perceive him going to look her up.

..."Hey!" Thalia called to us.

"I dislike you right now," Magnus told her as he peered over Alex's shoulder like he was hoping he was messing with them.

"I accept that," Thalia said with an impish smile. Magnus might be miffed now for not getting to hear more about his cousin's home life, but she hoped Percy held this memory in his head of his first awkward dance with Annabeth when things progressed.

...Unlike me, he had an excuse for being clumsy.

"Just pretend she's a monster," Jason offered.

"If you accidentally stab her she might even be impressed," Alex added.

"Gods I'm screwed," Percy frowned because that advice didn't sound as insane as it should have considering he still had no idea how he'd gotten Annabeth to kiss him in the lone memory he still clung to having woken up with her as opposed to all of this horrible awkwardness.

...She punched me in the gut. "Me, Seaweed Brain."

"But then who's going to keep an eye on Nico and his sister if you're staring into each other's eyes?" Magnus laughed.

Will bit back an annoyed little snip they hadn't, in fact. It wasn't their fault of course, but still, maybe Thalia shouldn't have interrupted their conversation since they'd be able to better keep an eye out standing in one spot than moving through the crowd.

...she clasped my other hand like she was about to judo throw me.

"Foreshadowing if she will by the end of this or just nerves, I'll be the judge," Alex cackled.

Percy was flexing his fingers in concern and didn't seem to know what the answer was going to be either.

... I was usually one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.

"Is attendance mandatory?" Magnus asked. "Why even go?"

"My mom always seems to know about them and thinks I should get whatever school experiences I should," Percy grumbled, his heart hammering oddly in his chest as he now sharply remembered more than his three-pointers some of the other awkward things he'd seen his fellow students doing at these dances.

... I kept stepping on her toes.

Thalia was smiling enough for Percy's blushing face not looking at anyone. It wasn't very clear though if she was laughing at his expense, found the memory funny, or was deviously plotting more ways to embarrass him.

..."I thought it was getting better with you two.

"What makes you think that!" Magnus yelped, "last thing mentioned about her dad was she ran away again to come find you!" It had been on the back of his mind since the start of the last one.

"He's been visiting her on weekends at school, she's been writing me letters about it," he explained, "things seemed better."

Magnus was a little stuck for a moment on the idea of details in writing a letter like he was taught in school and grumbling along with other kids why they'd ever need to know this when half of them had cell phones to answer.

...She said it the same way she might Hades's gym shorts.

"Picturing the gods in gym class just made my brain melt a little," Will muttered. "You think they'd explode the cosmos if they played dodgeball?"

Nico just twitched uncomfortably at Percy using that particular god right now when he and his sister had been summoned by Dr. Thorn and foolishly fallen for it.

...half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."   "Why not?"

Jason was the one to quote along with the book this time. His blue eyes troubled as he tried not to look at Nico like he was calling him out.

"Oh trust me, you find out," Thalia said sourly. Gods did she hate everything about California.

...I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't want to sound stupid.

"That's never stopped you before," Magnus huffed. Why was it so impossible for a question to ever be asked and answered in these books, especially by his own cousin!

...Suddenly she froze. "They're gone."

Alex was on Magnus's side and about ready to drag Thalia out and demand to know what was going on just so Magnus would quit looking so anxious, but then they both glanced at Nico. He was somehow being even more withdrawn than when they'd first landed here, and the two exchanged an uneasy look hoping nothing had happened to his sister that made this mission go so bad, so for now Alex pressed on.

...Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight.

Will was as tense as Nico had ever seen him, clearly sharp words being chewed up in his mouth which almost, almost made Nico want to laugh. He wasn't surprised after all, Percy had never thought twice about him even that first day.

"Remind me never to get rescued by these guys," Jason grumbled audibly, causing the present two to flush and tell Nico sorry in sync.

Nico just waved it off, but he gave Jason an indulgent smile and mock whispered, "they get better with practice." Which was almost true, they'd rescued the next two people they intended to save, even having lost two more along the way...

...steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.

"Angry kittens, mewling to be let go," Alex tried to light heartedly tease, but Nico just gave him an unimpressed look and didn't even hiss to up the joke. He clearly was not in the mood.

...I almost ran after my friends, and then I thought, Wait.

'Uh oh, here it comes,' Hearth leaned back in his seat as if preparing for launch.

... I knew monsters. I could handle this myself.

Thalia's hands were twitching unpleasantly by the end like she still had half a mind to beat the crud out of him for not getting back up dealing with this, but the part she truly hated the most was that she'd probably have done the exact same thing if roles had been reversed.

...I heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt.

Nico winced at the memory and Will moved his arm towards him on instinct, but Nico quickly scoffed and said, "Bianca pushed me against the wall." Her name burned more than he'd expected, when was the last time he'd talked about her? The memory of her standing in front of him, as terrified as he'd been but shielding him from Thorn came back so clearly, it was like he felt her arm against his chest now.

The room was deadly silent around them, the tension a monster fight always brought hovering among them stalling off the jokes and laughter of the absurd situations. Percy already had his pen uncapped and Thalia seemed to be struggling more than usual to remind him there was nothing in here to stab as they all wondered if Nico's first mythic encounter had somehow gone even worse than his.

...They stood frozen in horror, staring right at me.

He'd come in like a champion, literally glowing with power and wild black hair perfectly wind swept as he took the two of them in. That sword had been yanked right off his deck of cards. Nico shook his head ruefully he'd been a lost cause from that moment on, but the memory wasn't as bright in his mind as usual. Maybe it was the Guinea pig still diluting the badass scene a bit, maybe it was to much bitterness looking back at that moment, but for once he wasn't looking at Percy even as he finally had a chance to reminisce and laugh like Percy so often did with Thalia even being directly involved. The Son of the Sea was just a half-blood, coming to their rescue like he would anyone else on the planet before all of their worlds got turned around.

.... She wasn't afraid of me. She was trying to warn me.

'Gods she was brave,' Thalia just bit back herself from saying, but her sorrow lingered all the same for a Hunter sister she'd never gotten to properly know.

Jason gave an impressed whistle for her though and Nico even looked hesitantly proud his sister had no clue what was going on and still tried to manage that.

...I slashed with my sword but there was nothing to hit.

Nico scoffed at himself again though. No wonder he'd thought Percy was invincible for so long, to him it had looked like he'd completely brushed off nearly dying without a second thought. Now he knew those battle reflexes didn't save him from being scared while doing it.

... Poison. I forced myself to concentrate. I would not pass out.

"Shit," Alex drew the word out in an uncomfortable hiss. "Is anybody going to tell us what this monster is?"

No answer, as usual, so Alex was already reading on to figure it out with his usual mixture of fascination and blood lust to find its weakness.

... He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish.

"Hopefully that castle doesn't have gargoyles or he might blend in," Magnus muttered uneasily.

... "I hate middle school dances."

"I hate having something in common with monsters," Percy frowned.

... It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives.

"How badly is the mist obstructing you?" Jason demanded in frustration what he might not be able to see either. How could Percy fight something that wouldn't fully reveal itself? "Unless there are two targets," he admitted, even more troubled.

"I'm just as in the dark as you," Percy reminded impatiently.

Nico found it weirdly fascinating how Will gave him a secretive smile and mouthed 'cards,' like he was looking forward to figuring it out while Percy had never once tried to actively study any kind of mythology until it was trying to kill him.

...The second thorn impaled half an inch from Bianca's face.

'I think I just found out why he's called thorn,' Hearth shivered while Nico grimaced and looked ready to be sick. His sister had almost died right then before abandoning him and he'd barely been able to take his eyes off Percy.

It gave the wrong impression and they were all the more worried if his sister really had gotten hurt, why Percy was already churning the water around them in growing agitation for the fight to come with this beast.

...I will show you just how accurately I can throw."

Alex finished with a clearly disappointed air of having to give the book up just as the attack was about to start. "You'd better keep your head while you're reading this Percy," he insisted as he handed over the book, and then casually added, "oh, and it's she/ her pronouns now."

"Okay," Percy looked from the book to her with the exact same flummoxed look for what was coming next.

PJOPJOPJO

Sorry I'm not sorry for the sporadic Harry Potter references, RR started this by mentioning the book itself in Lightning Thief and I'm just joyriding on it.

*Actual fanfic I'm referencing because it was the first Thalia & Percy friendship fic I ever found and always stuck with me; When the Smoke Cleared: By, Nilly's Issue