Happy late thanksgiving! Sorry I was to busy celebrating with French toast and pumpkin pie to update! Enjoy your feats of feasts and enjoy this overdue update!! :)

10 seconds.

That's how long it took everything to go wrong. Which was saying something because Thalia didn't think things could've gotten worse.

Here she was, Thalia Grace, a senior, nine months from being completely free of everything. Perfect boyfriend, ace of the archery team, swinging mildly-not-failing grades, and her mother was being less drunk than normal so drama was down to a minimum.

Then all in one week, everything decided to crash and burn. Zoë goes behind her back and has a secret relationship with Luke, Luke himself turns out to be a murderous psychopath! She punches Zoë (finally), and then crazy people start taking over the school at gunpoint! People died and Thalia....

Thalia felt something she hadn't felt in a while.

Fear.

Thalia was afraid. She was terrified. She was panic- stricken, aghast, fearful, shaking in her sneakers, alarmed. Her hands were clammy as actual clams, every fiber of her being was frozen to its core. It was all she could do to stop herself from falling to the ground and curling into a ball and crying until her inevitable end.

"Shelia!"

Thalia didn't even notice where she was going. Thank gods for Nico, grabbing her and tugging her back behind the wall as two monsters strolled past the hall, his creepy life sucking aura engulfing them in a cloud. His cold hand sent a shock over Thalia, which would've undoubtedly brought an end to their lives had he not cupped her mouth before the gasp came out.

"You need to get your head out of the freaking clouds!" He hissed when the danger had passed.

Thalia shoved him off a little more forcefully that she really meant. "Did you just call me Shelia?" She spit out, disgusted.

"And I saved your life," he tugged his jacket tighter, "Be grateful."

"My name is not Shelia."

"Does it look like I care?"

"You-"

"Oh, cram it!" Nico hissed, "You need to get over yourself now! I don't care if you don't wanna survive the next few minutes, I don't care if your heartbroken still! I am not dying in this Hell because you've still got Mr. Murderous Heartthrob on your mind!"

Thalia felt the air chill, her face heating for no reason. "He wasn't on my mind, Di Angelo, so I'd watch yourself."

"And if I don't, Grace?" Nico threw his arms out daring her to come at him. Thalia clenched her fists. She wanted to. She so wanted to. He was small and skinny, hiding in that stupid overgrown aviator jacket. His skin a sickly pale, it was a wonder he was still standing upright, "Stop acting like your all high and mighty! You aren't!"

Thalia grabbed his shirt collar, wrapping it around her fist and shoving him against the wall. One of the skillfully decorated papers fell off the wall but neither of them noticed. Nico didn't struggle, probably because he was so little it wouldn't have made a difference. Thalia could take on anyone and take them down.

Except Luke, That tiny voice in the back of her head reminded her. Except Luke Castellan because you still--

"You listen to me right here, Di Angelo!" Thalia hissed in his face, "If you weren't Bianca's little brother I'd shove you in one of these lockers and forget you ever existed, got that? Piss me off anymore and I'll do it anyway!"

Nico scowled, darkness emanating off him like death itself.

"Hey...guys... Let's not...fight..." Thalia almost didn't hear Franks voice. She glanced at him. Frank himself frowned, his posture better suited for someone about to be hit by an atomic bomb.

"Stay out of this!" Thalia and Nico said at the same time, their duel voices echoing in the empty hall. They both glared at each other.

"Thalia, please let go of my brother. He didn't mean it."

Thalia rolled her eyes at the soft voice. Nico gritted his teeth. Hazel stared at the floor tiles, silently. Her voice was like a whisper, a breeze in the empty school corridor. Somewhere far away loud laughter was heard, some Monsters celebrating.

Shivers went up her spine and Thalia opened her fist. Frank let out a sigh of relief that wouldn't have been heard had it not been so quiet.

Ghost town.

"Come on, the photography room is right here." Frank said, level headed. Thalia doubted he was really so calm on the inside now.

Nico rolled his shoulders, shoving his fists into his oversized pockets. "Just so you know," he hissed to Thalia, "I meant every word."

Thalia gave him the finger.

"Will you knock that off?!" There was a clattering from the other end of the hall.

Everyone froze.

Thalia heart beat like a jackrabbit. Her limbs suddenly stopped working. Stay still, and no one would notice the girl with coal black hair and mismatched outfit in the middle of the empty hall, right?

"Move!" Nico hissed. He scrambled to the Photography room door, pushing Thalia out of the way. She was too preoccupied to say something back. Nico gave the knob a couple quick jerky movements, the sound of clicking metal growing loud.

Down the hall she could see the shadows off two people walking side by side getting ready to turn the corner. If they did, there would be no hiding. They were as pain as daylight out here in the middle of the hallway.

"Nico!" Hazel squeaked.

"Almost got it!" He replied. He flung the door inwards, revealing the darkness of a classroom. Hazel was the first one in Frank followed.

"-Almost out of Time, Nightshade."

Thalia froze. That voice...

"You think he hasn't realized that?"

Just around the other corner. It was her. A cold feeling set in Thalia's stomach refusing to move like a giant rock.

Nico beckoned her to keep coming, frantically moving his arm.

Thalia stared at him blankly. It was her! That voice. That backstabbing, cheating, two faced, daughter of a Bitch, was right beyond that corner.

"Thalia! Now!" Nico hissed, finely, "or I'll close the door!"

Thalia blinked, freeing herself from the trance and dove into classroom. Zoë Nightshade turned the corner, about the same time.

Nico swallowed hard. He pushed the door so it looked like it was closed but Thalia knew that if they pushed it in all the way, undoubtedly the lock would give them away. How long would they be safe before the Monsters found the keys to the doors?

10 seconds.

The light from the corridor shone into the dark classroom creating on long beam of light. Nico and Thalia crouched right by it like looking through a peep hole.

There she was. Dressed in her Gym uniform like one big, sick, terrible joke. Her guns blatantly displayed in the holster around her waist. Thalia felt a surge of pride seeing her jaw had a huge purple colored bruise on it.

I hope it hurt a lot, bitch. She thought.

Beside her was a lanky kid, with dark hair almost like Nico in a way, but with sharper features. And an eye patch. He had two guns disappeared but he examining a pocket knife in his hand.

"I'm just saying, Zoë-" Ethan Nakamura was cut off by the other two Monsters walking from the other direction.

"Don't try to show off for me, Dylan!" Silena Beauregard bristled, her long black hair behind her shoulders no trace of her usual smile.

The last person in the party, was the odd ball. He wore a Texas Cowboys Jersey, and a player smile. His white teeth grinning like he was planning on ripping out someone's throat with them. No weapon, just a smile.

Thalia's knuckles were white against the floor.

"Beauregard, report." Zoë commanded.

"Absolutely nothing." Silena said, "Except we lost Dylan in the fight, no one noticed until now."

"Hey there isn't any reason for that, baby," Dylan said swinging an arm over her shoulder, "I can give you more wonders than Beckendorf ever could."

Silena moved so fast Thalia didn't know what had happened, until Dylan was on the floor withering in pain. His arm was bent at an awkward angle, Silena stood over him gun pointed in his face.

Thalia's heart thumped. Silena face was blank. She was going to murder him right in front of them. No one was going to stop her? Ethan crossed his arms satisfied. Zoë was unreadable as always.

"Say his name again." Silena said coldly, "Give me a reason to blow a hole in every one of your limbs and then your face. And laugh...as...You...die."

Her voice cracked, a line of silver tears ran down her cheek. "Give me a reason to send you to him so he can beat you up himself."

Dylan smiled again, his eyes filled with pain, "I always did like the feisty ones."

"Enough." Zoë's voice echoed with authority, "Silena put away your gun, Dylan go get your arm looked at. The last thing I need is Silena in a puddle over Charles again."

Silena looked like she considered shooting Zoë as well. Thalia urged her on silently.

Then it was over. Silena lowered her barrel point, Dylan got himself up somehow. His arm was clearly broken. And yet his smile didn't waver.

"He's a monster." Nico said so almost impossibly quiet that Thalia want sures he said it aloud. It was quite possible, however unlikely, that they were agreeing on something.

Dylan hooked down the hall, laughing his creepy hallow laugh. Thalia remembered some idiot spreading rumors that Jason was a robot. Why didn't they do that for this guy? Thalia should've betted her bow that she could rip off his face and his red laser eyes would turn her to ash.

"Damn." Silena said after he was gone, "You should've let me kill him."

"You aren't a killer, Silena." Zoë said, "Stop acting like it."

The dark haired junior, crossed her arms. "Like you?" She said, "like him?" She motioned to Ethan, who looked up from his blade, "Who are we kidding anymore, Zoë?"

Neither of them said anything. Thalia found herself leaning forward, straining to hear more. She could hear Nico had shallowed his breathing, almost as if he was mediating.

"We're all Monsters now." Silena turned on heel and headed back down the corridor. Her shoes the only sound for hallways.

"She's lost focus again."

"She'll be fine." Zoë twisted a strand of her hair.

Ethan sighed and folded his knife blade back up with a snap, "Will she?" He looked at something across the hall, expecting Zoë to not answer, "What did we come here for again?"

Nico tensed. Thalia glanced behind them. She wasn't familiar with the Photography room, but she knew it doubled as the Art 2 classroom for some weird reason. Frank and Hazel were crouched behind the one table in the middle of the room. The dark room was closed. The ceiling was covered with clothed line string and pictures hung up. Ironically it looked like a complicated time line string that they use in movies trying to determine when everything went wrong.

"He wanted a camcorder or something." Zoë shrugged

Hazel's hand hit one of the stacks of finished and mounted pictures and the paper slipped off the table. The pages barely made a sound, but in the silence it was deafening. Hazel was pale, her eyes wide like she was already apologizing for getting them killed.

Neither of them looked over though. Thalia tried to keep herself from shaking. Was it her or did Zoë's eyes flicker over? Thalia held her breath.

Yes. She was sure. Zoë had looked over.

"Camcorder?" Ethan repeated, "Why would Luke need a camcorder? Does he even know how to use one?"

"Come on! You gotta smile, Thals!"

Thalia's hands went numb, her mind taking a flashback. Luke's Camcorder. Her breathing was short. And Nico looked at her confused.

"I don't know. He said it was important!" Zoë shrugged.

"See was that so hard, Ms. Grumpy-pants?"

Oh gods, how many memories with that stupid thing? How many times had he caught himself lying straight to her face with that thing? Thalia remembered the slick metallic frame, the endless hours of explanations she never listened to, the mini skits they taped. The memory chip that was their little family.

"We're a family now. The three of us. Nothing can stop that."

Did he still have the chip? Thalia bit into her lip to keep from screaming. Her body shook. Did he know that he ruined the only good thing that had ever happened to her?

"Anyway, all the cameras should be in the Photography room. I don't think it'll matter which one we take." Zoë continued.

Nico pulled back, bumping Thalia. Thalia couldn't read his hand motions but the idea of it was pretty obvious. Hide.

Only one problem.

There was nothing to hide behind.

Zoë and Ethan reached the door and with one solid push the corridor light flooded the dark room.