PERCY HAD always assumed Magdalena Caelestis lived a pretty wealthy life. She sort of gave it away after she casually mentioned leaving her American Express credit card back at camp when they were in Miami last summer. He also was well aware that she lived in Upper East Side, Manhattan, which basically just took the cake on the fact that Magdalena was swimming in cash.

But, as he ventured up the large glass elevator of her apartment complex that looked over the city skyline, it was finally starting to hit him how different him and Magdalena's living situations were.

  And Percy assumed it was pretty obvious that he didn't belong there.

  The front desk reception had all given in a few scrutinizing glances when he'd first approached them, telling them that he was here to see the Caelestis residence. They all sort of looked at him with a stare that said, Are you lost?

But, Magdalena had already given him the correct information to tell the front desk when he arrived, so once he said that, they reluctantly showed him the way to the elevators. With how much background checks and information he had to give, he felt like he was going to visit the President or something, not going to pick up an old friend.

Speaking of, the reason Percy Jackson was even seeing Magdalena in the first place was because of a distress call he'd gotten from Grover just days ago from a boarding school he'd been staying at in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Percy's mom, Sally Jackson, had already picked up Annabeth, Magnus and Thalia from camp, Annabeth and Magnus commuting back to camp shortly after hearing the news. Magdalena had gotten the call from Annabeth yesterday and told them that'd there was no chance they were going without her. And so, that brings Percy Jackson back to where he was, now standing in front of two double-oak doors on its own private floor— the Penthouse.

"Good gods," Percy muttered, looking around the floor in amazement. There were glass windows surrounding him on every wall that overlooked the city in clear view. "This is her house?"

Percy shook his head, trying to get back into focus. They were already running a little behind schedule due to typical New York traffic, so he figured Magdalena would be already prepped and ready to leave as soon as he got there.

So, when he knocked his hand lightly against the wooden doors, he wasn't really expecting to see Magdalena answer the door in her hair curlers and cheetah-print robe.

"Percy!" Magdalena said, looking slightly stunned. Percy blinked a couple times at the scene in of him, trying to take everything in at once. The rollers in her hair were hot pink, and she had a nasty-looking paste on her face, like she'd smeared mud all over it. She was wrapped in a thick robe with cheetah-print designs on it, with slippers on her feet to match. Percy felt a little concerned that this was what she planned on wearing on their mission.

"Um . . . Hi?" Percy said, a little taken aback. Percy couldn't really see how much she'd changed from the last time he saw her due to all the gunk on her face, since it had been a few months at least, but the first thing he noticed was that she grew another inch, which bothered him.

"I thought you said you were coming at ten?" Magdalena accused, putting her hands on her hips.

"Uh . . . It's ten-thirty," Percy responded awkwardly, sparing a glance at his watch to make sure he was right.

Magdalena's eyes widened. "What?" She said. She grabbed Percy's wrist and yanked him towards her to check the time for herself. She gasped when she saw the time. "Gods almighty, it is ten-thirty!"

"Yeah . . . " Percy said, rocking back and forth on his feet, now standing only a foot away from the girl. "I'm assuming you lost track of time?"

Lena huffed, shaking her head. "Something like that," she grumbled. She looked at him and stared at him straight in the eyes. "Give me ten minutes."

Then he got a door slammed in his face.

When she finally returned, which was twelve minutes later in the dot, she was back to her normal self. She had on jeans and a knit navy sweater with a white star crocheted on the front of it. She had another corduroy fleece in her arm, and she was wearing winter boots. Her hair was styled to perfection in a simple blowout-look, with half of it clipped back, the rest sitting nicely against her shoulders. She also had a backpack slung over her shoulder, full of gods-knows what.

And that's when Percy remembered the predicament he'd found himself in at the end of last summer.

"Ready?" He asked, hoping he wasn't staring too hard. Magdalena definitely looked a little different since he last saw her. Her face had gotten more defined, her hair had been cut a few inches shorter, and she looked tanner (which was odd, considering it was December), and she also seemed to look more . . . Confident, in a way. The way she held herself had changed since last summer. She looked stronger.

"Yep!" She said with a smile. "Thanks for picking me up. I really didn't feel like taking a taxi all the way to camp."

"Your parents aren't home?" Percy asked as they walked into the elevator, pressing the L-button on the floor-level screen. They began to descend.

Magdalena shook her head. "My mom's in Aspen on business and my dad's up in Canada for some United Nations assembly. They've been gone since the beginning of December."

Percy nodded. "They'll be back for Christmas, though, right?"

Magdalena tried to hide it, but she visibly deflated at his question. Percy wanted to punch himself in the face. What kind of stupid question was that?

"I don't know," she admitted, walking into the lobby as the doors opened. "They didn't say when they'd be coming back."

Percy swallowed, and gave her a reassuring smile. "Christmas at my place is always fun," he said, extending a casual invitation. "We decorate cookies, watch Home Alone . . . or National Lampoon's Christian Vacation. And my mom bakes the best cherry pie."

Magdalena nodded, her jaw clenching. "That's nice, Percy," she said, her tone a little cold. Percy felt like even more of an idiot after that. She didn't even realize he was inviting her over for Christmas. And that's when he realized didn't even ask her! Gods, he seriously was the biggest loser on the planet.

"No, Lena, I wasn't trying to— " Percy shook his head in frustration. "What I was meaning to say was— "

"About time!"

Magnus Arcturus's head was extended out of the backseat window, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. "Percy, I told you we should've said we were getting her at nine-thirty," he argued. "Magdalena is never on time."

"Shut up, Magnus," Magdalena snapped. "The only reason you're always on time is because you don't even brush your teeth in the morning."

"I do to!" Magnus argued after Annabeth and Thalia both gave him looks of disgust.

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

Percy just sighed and dragged his hand over his face. This was going to be a long car ride.

It was around eight hours from the city of New York to Maine. It was snowing heavily the entire way there, with sleet coating the highway. The whole group of demigods hadn't seen each other since the end of summer, but they had too many nerves bouncing off of them to talk about much. It was mostly Percy's mom who kept the conversations alive. She talked more under stress. And when they finally reached Westover Hall, she'd basically spilled every single embarrassing Percy-moment to the entire car.

Thalia used her hand to wipe the fog off her window. "Oh, yeah. This is going to be a blast."

The boarding school reminded Magdalena of some dark-fantasy castle. It was made entirely of black stone, with big towers and dystopian-like windows. There was a big set of dark wooden doors at the entrance, and the entire establishment was perched on a snow cliff, which overlooked a huge snow-covered forest on one side and a gray ocean on the other.

"You guys sure I shouldn't wait for you?" Sally asked.

"We're good, Mom," Percy said. "We could be here for a while."

"But what about getting back? I'm worried, Percy."

"Don't worry, Ms. Jackson," Lena said with a reassuring smile. Her blue eyes were darkened with the night sky. "We'll make sure he stays out of trouble."

Sally seemed to calm down a little. She thought Annabeth and Magdalena were some of the most levelheaded demigods to ever reach eighth grade. She was positive that the two of them kept Percy from dying every summer. She was right, of course, but that didn't mean Percy had to like it.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "Do you have all of your things?"

"Yes. Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thank you for driving us."

"Spare jackets? You know my phone number, right?"

"Mom— "

"Ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a drachma for contacting camp if you need help?"

"Yes, mom! We're fine, seriously. Let's go, guys."

She looked a bit offended, and Percy felt bad, but he was antsy to get out of that car. If his mom told his friends one more story about how adorable he looked in the bathtub when he was a toddler, he was going to dig a hole in the snow and freeze to death.

"Bye, Ms. Jackson!" Magnus called, waving at her as she pulled away.

The four demigods followed Percy towards the school.

"Your mom rocks, Percy," Thalia said as they walked through the blizzard.

"She's pretty okay," Percy said, to which Lena rolled her eyes. "How about your mom? You ever reach out to her?"

Magdalena elbowed Percy so hard through his jacket he was sure he'd fractured a rib. He regretted saying that as soon as it left his mouth. Thalia was the master of evil looks, especially with all the attire she wore— ripped-up army jacket, black pants and chain jewelry, the harsh eyeliner and her terrifying blue eyes. But the glare she sent to Percy in that moment was a perfect evil 'ten'.

"If that information was any of your business, Percy— "

"Let's just get inside," Annabeth interrupted before things escalated. "Grover's waiting for us."

Thalia shivered as she stared up at the castle. "Yeah. I'm curious on what Grover found here that would make him send the distress signal."

"Nothing good, I assume," Percy muttered.

The doors to the school creaked open, the five half-bloods walking into the main hall.

Magnus whistled. "Damn."

It was humongous inside. There were battle banners and weapons displayed strung up on the walls— all with antique rifles, canons, axes, and a whole lot of other dangerous things. Lena knew this place was a military school, but this seemed a bit overkill. Literally.

Magdalena twisted the ring on her finger nervously— the one that concealed her Astrean silver sword. Something was wrong with this place. Something dangerous. She noticed Percy's hand in his pocket, and Thalia rubbing her silver bracelet, and she knew they were all thinking the same thing. A fight was brewing.

Annabeth began to say, "I wonder where— "

The doors bolted shut from behind them.

Magnus scoffed. "Guess we're not leaving any time soon."

There was music coming from down the entryway.

They hid their overnight bags behind a pillar and proceeded toward the noise. They didn't get very far before there were more footsteps joining them, and a man and a woman intercepted them, coming straight out of the shadows.

They both had cropped silver hair and wore military-style uniforms. The woman had a weird mustache, and the guy was freshly-shaven, which threw Percy off a bit. They both walked stiffly, like they had a rod up their spines.

"Well?" The woman snapped. "What is your business here?"

"Uh . . . " Percy hadn't really thought this through. He'd been so set on finding Grover and seeing what was wrong that he hadn't thought of the fact that someone might catch them, wondering why five random kids were sneaking into their school. They hadn't planned anything at all. "Ma'am, we were just— "

"Ha!" The man barked, which made Magnus jump backward into Percy's chest. "There are no visitors allowed to attend the dance! You shall be eee-jected!"

He had some sort of accent, French, maybe? He was lanky, and had a hawkish face. His nostrils flared with each word he spoke, and his eyes were two different colors— one brown, the other blue.

Percy was fully ready to be thrown out into the blizzard by this weird man, but then Thalia stepped forward and snapped her fingers.

It was almost as if a gust of wind had come out from her hand, and washed across the hall. It made the flags on the wall ripple.

"You've been mistaken, sir," Thalia said. "We're not visitors. We're students here. You remember us: I'm Thalia. This is Annabeth, Percy, Magnus, and Magdalena. We're eighth graders."

The mans' eyes turned into slivers. He seemed to hesitate.

He looked to the woman. "Ms. Gottschalk, are you aware of these students?"

Despite the horrible situation, Percy had bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing. A teacher named Got Chalk? This had to be a joke.

He heard a quiet yelp from beside him, and saw Magnus was also fighting back a laugh. Percy nudged him in the side and shook his head, but they both were close to hysterics.

The lady looked confused, but had a weird hazy look in her eyes. ". . . Yes. I am aware of them, sir." She stared at them, frowning. "What are you five doing away from the dance?"

  Before they could figure out an answer, Grover was running up to them, out of breath. "You guys made it! You— "

  He froze when he saw the two teachers. "Oh, Ms. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! Uh, I— "

  "What is it now, Mr. Underwood?" The man snapped. His tone gave away that he didn't fancy Grover much. "Why are you saying, they made it? These students go here."

  Grover gulped. "Oh, yes, of course, sir. I only meant, I'm so happy they made . . . The punch for the dance! It's delicious. And they made it!"

  Magnus shrugged. "Lemon juice is the key."

  Dr. Thorn looked at them like he wanted to toss them off the school's tallest tower, but then Ms. Gottschalk said wistfully, "Lemon juice, you say? Yes . . . The punch is quite good. Now scurry off, you five. Do not leave the gymnasium again!"

  She didn't have to tell them twice. They ran off with a chorus of "Yes, ma'am's" and "Yes, sir's" along with Percy and Magnus giving them both a salute, since it seemed like the wise thing to do.

Grover ushered them down towards the music. Lena could feel the jarring stare of the teachers on her back, but she didn't dare turn around.

"What was that finger-snap thing you did back there?" Percy whispered to Thalia as they walked.

"The Mist you mean? Chiron hasn't taught you how to do that?"

Percy looked a little miffed after she said that. Why did Chiron teach Thalia how to do that and not him?

As soon as Grover pushed them into the large room that said GYM in big letters at the entrance, he sighed.

"Well, that was a close one!" Grover said. "I'm so glad you guys are here!"

The girls all gave Grover a hug. Magnus and Percy gave him a fist-bump.

It was refreshing to finally see him again. He'd grown a couple inches and sprouted a few whiskers, but he still looked how he did when he was disguised as a human— his red Rasta cap concealing his horns, baggy jeans and sneakers for his fake feet. He had a black T-shirt on that read: WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. Magdalena didn't exactly know the meaning behind that.

"What did you send the distress signal for?" Percy asked.

Grover inhaled sharply. "I found two."

"Two half-bloods?" Thalia asked in shock. "Both here?"

Grover nodded.

Just finding one half-blood was rare as is. Chiron had started to put the satyrs out on emergency overtime scouring schools all over the country for new recruits. They were falling into desperate times, and campers were dropping like flies. The issue was, there just simply weren't that many demigods out there to find.

"Brother and sister," he said. "Ten and twelve. I don't know who their godly parent is, but they're powerful. We don't have much time, though. I need help."

"Monsters?"

"Just one." Grover looked scared. "He's already suspicious. I'm not sure if he's sure yet, but this is the final day of the semester, and I know he won't let them leave campus before he finds out. This is possibly our last chance! Every time I try to talk to them, he's there, blocking my way. I'm at a loss."

"Right," Thalia said, after Grover looked to her desperately. "And these demigods are here? At the dance?"

Grover nodded.

"Okay then, let's dance," she said. "Who's the monster?"

"You just met him," Grover said miserably. "It's Dr. Thorn, the vice principal."

WEIRD THING about military schools: the students seemed to turn into animals when there's an out-of-uniform celebration.

There were black and red balloons scattered across the the gym floor, with guys either kicking them into each other's heads or attempting to strangle each other with the streamers. The girls stalked around in packs, all dressed in small tank tops and loud pants. A few older students hung around near the edge of the party, looking uncomfortable and bored.

"That's them." Grover pointed to a couple of younger students arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico Di Angelo."

The girl had a green cap on her head, and the boy was clearly her little brother. They both dark hair and olive skin. The little boy seemed to be mixing some kind of card deck while his sister was scolding him. She kept glancing around the gym like something was wrong.

"Do they know yet?" Annabeth asked.

Grover shook his head. "You know what that could do to them. It'd only put them more at risk. Their scent would become stronger."

He was right. Every demigod had a scent to them, that only monsters can detect. And the more powerful a demigod gets, the more delicious you smell. It was honestly pretty weird, but it was true.

"Okay, so let's just grab them and leave," Percy said.

Percy started forward, but Magdalena stopped him. Dr. Thorn had randomly appeared from near the bleachers and was now looming near the Di Angelo's. He nodded coldly right at the group, and his blue eye seemed to glow.

This gave a clear indication that Dr. Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's Mist trick. He was onto them, now, and he was just waiting to see why they had come.

"Don't draw attention to them," Thalia ordered. "We need to wait until we have a chance to grab them. We have to act like they're not important to us. Throw him off their scent."

"How?"

"I'd say we're five very powerful half-bloods. Us being here will confuse him. Act casual. Dance a little. But keep an eye on them."

"Dancing?" Magnus arched an eyebrow.

Thalia nodded. Her head cocked to the side, and made a face. "Ew. Who put on Jesse McCartney?"

Grover looked hurt. "Me."

"Grover, really? That is so lame. Why didn't you play Green Day or something?"

"Green who?"

"Whatever. Come on, let's dance."

"But I can't!"

"You'll learn if I'm leading," she said. "Move along, goat boy."

Grover yelped as Thalia took his hand and yanked him onto the dance floor.

Magnus laughed and then to the three other people left with him. "Alright, who wants to take a turn dancing with me?"

Percy, Magdalena, and Annabeth all stared at him. Lena looked like she was about to vomit.

Magnus smirked. "Don't all answer at once." They all stood there in silence for another moment or two, before Magnus turned to Annabeth and grabbed her by the hand, to which she looked absolutely mortified. "Alright, I'll choose. Let's go, Einstein!"

"Magnus, I think I'd rather jump off the nearest— "

"You know how to do the salsa?"

Percy and Magdalena watched in amusement as Magnus dragged Annabeth on to the dance floor, the daughter of Athena looking like she was about to judo flip the son of Astraeus as he began to swing her around.

Percy turned to Lena, noticing her smiling.

"What?" He asked.

"It's just nice that they're finally getting along."

"You call that getting along?" Percy said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Annabeth looks like she wants to strangle Magnus with the crepe-streamer."

Lena just smiled and shook her head. She was wearing more jewelry than she had last summer— she now had a few more bracelets on her wrists, a new ring on her right hand, and little golden star earrings. Her silky hair being down instead of in a braid or ponytail made her look older in a way.

"You should've seen them when we were younger," she said, referring to before Percy got to camp. "Annabeth would avoid Magnus like he was some sort of parasite. Magnus would tease her and pull her hair when she wasn't looking. Now . . . I don't know. They're different than how they used to be."

Percy watched as Magnus paraded Annabeth around in some sort of weird dance routine that definitely wasn't the salsa. But, when he finally caught a glimpse of Annabeth's face, he saw that she was laughing instead of scowling. It made Percy smile without realizing. Seeing the two of them laugh together made him feel happy, like he was watching two rainstorms start to fade away with the sun.

"So . . . " Percy tried to think of something to say. How the heck was he supposed to act natural? He was a demigod on a mission to save two unknown half-bloods from a monster. What is natural about that? "How's tennis going?"

Magdalena smiled, and her eyes lit up the way they always did when someone mentioned something she's interested in. "It's been great! I finally made it to states in the fall, and my coach was saying if I keep improving, I may have a chance to . . . "

  Lena proceeded to go on explaining how if she kept getting better and better, she may have a chance to qualify for the Junior Olympics by her sophomore year. She briefly mentioned not having as much time nowadays to practice, which Percy hoped she'd further elaborate on, but she didn't, and continued to talk about track season and her classes and what-not.

  If Percy was being honest, he was a little bummed that Magdalena was doing so well. After last summer, he'd hoped that they could see each other more often, but they'd hardly had any time to do anything throughout the first semester. Lena went to school somewhere in upper Manhattan, and Percy attended MS-54. He hardly ever saw her. She also left the city for periods of time every so often, which confused Percy. He tried calling her one time and didn't get a call back until over a week later, claiming that she'd been visiting Magnus for the week. He wanted to believe her, but something seemed off about it, like it was a rehearsed answer. This happened a couple more times, all with a different excuse.

  "That's nice," Percy said. "So, um, have you been doing a lot of traveling recently?"

Magdalena's face darkened a little. "Something like that," she said. "Magnus and I— "

"Hey!" Thalia yelled to them. She was slow dancing with Grover, who was an absolute mess, nailing Thalia in the shins with his fake feet, looking like he wanted to die. At least he had fake feet to blame. Percy didn't have an excuse for being clumsy.

"Dance!" Thalia ordered. "You look like idiots just standing there."

  Percy looked at Magdalena nervously, then at the pack of giggling girls who were prowling the dance.

  "Well?" Lena said, staring at him expectantly.

  "Uh, which one of them looks the nicest?"

  Magdalena punched him in the gut. "Dance with me, you dork!"

  "Oh, right."

  And so, they walked over to the dance floor. Percy hesitantly placed his hand's on Lena's hips, and she casually wrapped her arms around his neck. He tried to ignore how she was taller than him.

  "I don't bite, Shark Boy," she said. "Doesn't your school have dances too?" 

  Percy didn't respond. They did, except he'd never actually, you know, danced at one. He was just usually one of the guys playing basketball in the corner.

  They shuffled around for a little bit, Percy trying his best to not look Lena in the eyes. He focused on the streamers around him and the punch bowl— literally anything except the fact that Percy was shorter than Lena, and that his hands were clammy and gross, and that he kept stepping on her feet.

  "What were you going to say earlier?" He asked. "About you and Magnus?"

  Magdalena bit her lip. "It's . . . It's complicated."

  "Complicated how?" Percy asked.

  "I . . . " Lena sighed. "It's about that quest Magnus and took two summers ago."

  "Oh, yeah," Percy said. He'd forgotten about his curiosity for that. "What about it?"

  "I'm not supposed to tell anyone," she said quietly. Percy could tell this had been eating away at her, though. By the way her face had changed from calm to stressed in a matter of seconds, and her body had gone tense. "But it's— it's been weighing down on me these past few months."

  "Tell me," Percy urged. "I can help you if something's wrong."

  Magdalena shook her head. "I can't," she said miserably. "I— I swore I wouldn't."

  Percy started to feel a little worried now. Doing something in secret is one thing, but swearing silence on the matter is an entirely different ballpark. This was serious. "Lena, what's going on?" Percy asked, his voice low, but serious. "Let me help you."

  Magdalena said nothing, but her eyes held the truth. He could tell she was fighting a mental battle with her herself— deciding whether or not she should tell Percy the truth. She wanted to, that was clear, but it would go against everything she'd sworn. Telling him would ruin everything she'd been held accountable for within the prophecy.

  But then, just as Percy saw her lips start to move, she froze. "They're gone."

  "What?"

  Percy followed where her eyes were planted. The bleachers. Bianca and Nico were gone, and the doors right behind them were wide open. Dr. Thorn had disappeared too.

  "We need to get the others," Magdalena unraveled her arms from around Percy's neck, looking around frantically. "Oh, where'd the those idiots dance off to? Come on!"

  She grabbed Percy's hand and began to drag him through the crowd, the two of them weaving through mobs of girls and dodging flying balloons. They searched desperately, but their friends were no where in sight.

  Percy turned in a full 360, trying to scope out their quest-mates, but then his see saw something that made his blood run cold.

  On the floor, about fifty feet away from them, Bianca's green hat was discarded, a few scattered trading cards right beside it.

  Lena gasped, gripping Percy's hand. Percy saw what she was seeing. He spotted Dr. Thorn hurrying out of the back door to the gymnasium, the Di Angelo siblings getting dragged along by the backs of their shirts.

  Percy and Magdalena both turned to each other.

  "We need to find the others," Lena said. "They probably went the other way, back out to the main hall."

  Percy knew he was right, but he was hesitant. He thought back to what Thalia had said to him earlier about the trick of the Mist: Chiron hasn't taught you how to do that? He remembered how Grover had instantly turned to Thalia for guidance.

  It's not like he resented Thalia. She was cool. And it wasn't her fault that her dad was the king of Olympus. But, he didn't need to run to her for help for every inconvenience he found himself in. He also knew they didn't have time to find them. The Di Angelos needed help now. They could be long gone by the time they ended up finding the rest of their group.

  "We need to follow Dr. Thorn," Percy told Lena. "We don't have time to find the others."

  Lena shook her head. "Are you crazy? We can't take on a monster like him on our own. We don't even know what he is!"

  "We've dealt with monsters before," Percy argued. "Monsters stronger than that French-dude. We can take him on together."

  "It's suicide, Percy," Magdalena said hardly. "There's two lives on the line here. If we go into that fight totally blind and lose, those kids are as good as dead. We need help."

  Percy's jaw clenched. "I'm not letting Dr. Thorn get away with them," he said with finality. He had that kind of determination in his eyes that proved he wasn't giving up. "So you do what you want, but I'm going after them. With or without you."

  Lena glared at him. Percy almost regretted saying that after seeing the look she was giving him, but he wasn't backing down. He needed to save the Di Angelos. And he didn't need Thalia's help in doing that.

  "You're not going alone," Magdalena finally said, still glaring at him. She looked like she was ready to drop kick him right off the cliff outside the school. "But if we fail, I'm blaming you."

  Percy smirked, even though he knew he shouldn't. "By all means, Sunshine."

  Then he took out Riptide, and they followed after Dr. Thorn.

They found themselves in a dark hallway outside the doors. There was scuffling coming from in front of them, and then a small yelp of pain. Magdalena and Percy both unsheathed their weapons.

Their blades glowed dimly in the darkness, casting a gold and silver light against the wall of lockers.

They jogged down the hall, but there was no sign of anything when they reached the end. Percy opened another door, and they found themselves back at the entry hall where they'd first entered. They were completely turned around. Dr. Thorn was no where to be found, but the Di Angelos were right in front of them on the other side of the room. They were standing frozen in terror, staring at Lena and Percy.

Lena put her hand on the shaft of Percy's sword, lowering it as she did the same with her's. They slowly advanced toward them.

"Don't be afraid. We're not here to hurt you."

They were silent, eyes filled with fear. Dr. Thorn's absence was unnerving Magdalena. There was a chance he'd sensed the celestial bronze and Astrean silver of their weapons and hid, but she wasn't sure.

"I'm Magdalena, and this is Percy," Lena said, trying to talk as calmly as she could. "We're going to get you somewhere safe."

Bianca's eyes went even wider. Her fists were clenched. It was too late when Lena and Percy realized she was trying to warn them.

They whirled around and something flew out of the darkness with a WHIIISH! Pain rattled through Lena's shoulder. Her and Percy flew backwards against the wall.

An icy laugh echoed through the entry way.

"Yes, I know who you two are," Dr. Thorn said. "Perseus Jackson. Magdalena Caelestis."

Magdalena was pinned against the wall by some sort of projectile— a black dagger of sorts. It had hit the skin of her shoulder and went straight through her jacket. The cut stung, and she knew immediately what it was. Poison.

Dr. Thorn walked out of the shadows. He was still human, but his face was ghoulish. His multicolored eyes reflected off of the light of their swords.

"Thank you for exiting the gym," he said. "I've always hated middle school dances."

Percy attempted to swing at him with his sword, but he was too far away.

A second dagger flew out of the darkness behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't even move, and Lena guessed somebody else was with him, throwing the projectiles.

Bianca screamed. The thorn had landed barely an inch from her face, lodging itself in the stone wall.

"All of you will be coming with me," Dr. Thorn instructed. "Without a sound. If you make even the slightest noise, if try to run for help, I will show you just how precise my aim is."

  PERCY HAD no idea what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was, but he was fast.

Percy could feel Lena's glare burning into the side of his head, and he knew he'd be having to give her lots of 'You were right, I was wrong''s before she'd finally gain the decency to forgive him. That was, of course, if they didn't die in the meantime.

"Empathy link," Lena said, talking so quietly Percy barely heard her. But he did. And he knew exactly what she meant.

Percy shut his eyes and concentrated.

"What are you muttering about, Caelestis?" Dr. Thorn snapped. "I said you will be silent! And you, Jackson, what are you doing? Keep moving!"

Percy opened his eyes and continued forward. "My shoulder burns," he lied, doing his best to sound miserable. That part wasn't very hard.

"My venom will only cause pain. It doesn't make you incapable of walking. Now move!"

  Thorn shoved them into the frigid air as they went outside. Percy was trying to concentrate on breaking through to Grover. He'd never tried to contact the satyr before, only ever using the empathy link when he was getting dreams of Grover last summer. He wasn't even sure it would work while Grover was awake.

  Thorn guided them towards the woods, leading them down a path lit with dim, old-fashioned lampposts. Lena's shoulder was aching, and the wind ripped right through her sweater.

  "Once we reach the clearing, we will summon your ride," Thorn said.

  "What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are we going?"

  "Quiet, you insufferable child!"

  "Don't talk to my sister like that." Nico's voice trembled. He looked so scared, Magdalena was impressed that he had the courage to say anything at all.

  Dr. Thorn growled inhumanely. A shiver went down Lena's spine, and it wasn't from the cold this time. But, her and Percy managed to keep walking and obey like good little captives.

  "Stop!" Thorn ordered.

  The woods had cleared out to a cliff that led out towards the sea. Well, at least Percy could sense the sea was below, hundreds of feet down. He could hear the sound of the waves crashing and smell the saltiness. Around them, though, there was only darkness.

  Dr. Thorn shoved them to the edge. Percy stumbled, but Lena caught him.

  "Thanks," he murmured.

  "What is he?" Bianca whispered to Lena. "How can we fight him?"

  "Still trying to work that part out."

  "I'm scared," Nico whispered. He was fiddling with a toy soldier type of thing in his hand.

  "Shut up!" Thorn said. "Turn to me."

  They obeyed.

  His eyes shined with hunger. He pulled out something from his coat. Magdalena automatically assumed it was a weapon of sorts, but it was just a phone. He pressed it and said, "The package is prepped and ready for delivery."

  Through the phone, there was a muffled reply. This entire thing was way too modern and creepy. A monster using a cellphone? What?

  Percy glanced at the ocean below, trying to judge how far the jump would be.

  "Go ahead, son of Poseidon," Dr. Thorn laughed. "Jump! The sea is below. Save yourself."

  "What did he say to you?" Bianca questioned.

  "I'll explain later," Percy said.

  "You guys are going to save us, right?"

  Percy and Magdalena glanced at each other. Percy just screamed at Grover louder in his head.

  Grover! He thought desperately. Come on! Find me!

  There was a chance he could convince the Di Angelos to jump into the ocean with him. He knew Magdalena would with no question, but he hoped that the other two would trust him enough to jump three hundred feet into the sea. If the fall didn't kill them, he could use the water to protect them. He'd done similar things before to that. And maybe if his dad was listening and felt gracious, he could help. Maybe.

  "I'd kill you before you even reached the sea," Dr. Thorn said, like he'd been reading Percy's thoughts. "You have not realized my true form, have you?"

  There was a flicker of movement behind him, and another dagger shot past Percy, nicking his ear. Something had popped up from behind Thorn— something flexible . . . Almost like a tail.

  "Alas," Thorn sighed, "you four are wanted with beating hearts. If that wasn't the case, you'd already be dead."

  "Who wants us?" Bianca said. "Because if you're expecting some sort of ransom, you're wrong. Nico and I don't have any family. We . . . " her voice faltered. "We only have each other."

  "Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Don't you worry, little brats. You will be seeing my employer by day break. Then, you'll have a brand new family."

  "Luke," Percy said. "He's your employer, isn't he?"

  Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted into an ugly grimace at the mention of Percy's old enemy. "You have but the slightest idea of what's happening, Perseus Jackson. The General will enlighten you and Magdalena Caelestis. You both will do him a great service tonight. He has been eager to meet you."

  "What General?" Percy asked. Lena gave him a weird look, and he realized that he'd said it in a French accent. "I mean . . . Who is the General?"

  Thorn turned to the horizon. "Ah, your transportation has arrived."

  Magdalena noticed a searchlight off in the distance, scanning the waters. Then the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air began to sound.

  "Where are we going?" Nico said.

  "You should feel special, child. You have the opportunity of a lifetime! Joining a great army, just like that stupid card game you play with your dolls."

  "I don't play with dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your army and— "

  "Easy, now," Thorn warned. "You will soon change your decision on joining us. And, if you don't, well . . . There are other ways we can put half-bloods to use. There are many hungry monsters in our fleet. The Great Stirring has begun."

  "The what?" Magdalena asked. She was doing anything to keep him distracted while her and Percy tried to think of a plan.

  "The stirring of monsters," Dr. Thorn chuckled. "All of the worst ones, the most powerful, are starting to rise. Beasts that have not walked for thousands of years. They will bring mutilation and destruction in ways mortals have never seen before. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all— the one responsible for the fall of Olympus!"

  "He's completely nuts," Bianca said quietly.

  "We're going to jump," Percy whispered. "Off the cliff and into the sea."

  "Oh, great plan. You're completely nuts, too."

  Percy never had the ability to respond, but just then an invisible force plowed them into the ground.

IT WAS a genius move on Annabeth's part. With her invisibility cap on her head, she knocked Percy, Lena, and the Di Angelos into the snow. And in that split second of shock from Dr. Thorn, his volley of daggers flew over their heads by a mile. This gave Magnus, Thalia, and Grover the opportunity to advance from the back.

Nobody really knew what true terror was until they saw Thalia run into battle. She wielded her giant spear that was sprung from a small Mace canister she kept in her pocket. But the scariest part was her shield. It was designed like the one Zeus uses— a gift from Athena, also called Aegis. The shield had Medusa's Gorgon head etched in the metal. The sight was so horrible, almost anyone that saw it panicked and ran the other way.

Even Dr. Thorn hesitated when he saw it.

Thalia and Magnus advanced. "For Zeus!" Thalia yelled.

Percy was convinced Dr. Thorn was toast. Thalia ran her spear at his head while Magnus went for his flank with his Astrean Silver sword. The monster growled and swatted the weapons away with ease. His hand molded into an orange paw, large, sharp claws raking against Thalia's shield. Her and Magnus would've been sliced into pieces if it weren't for Aegis. They both managed to flip backwards and get back on their feet.

The chopper was getting closer, but they didn't dare to look back.

Dr. Thorn released for daggers, aiming straight at Magnus and Thalia. This time, Magdalena saw how he did it. He had tail like a scorpion's— with spikes bristled at the tip. The missiles bounced of Thalia's shield, but the impact put her off balance, sending her to the ground.

Magnus stepped in front of the girl with his hands raised— like he was about to perform some type of magic trick. Grover began to play a frantic tune from his reedpipes. Grass began to grow out of the snow, and within seconds, thick weeds were growing up Dr. Thorn's legs, wrapping him up.

Thorn bellowed and started to grow into his true form— a large lion's body emerging from the neck down. His face was still human, and now his tail was whipping deadly spikes in every direction.

"A manticore!" Annabeth gasped, now visible.

"Who are you people?" Bianca exclaimed. "And what the heck is that?"

"A manticore?" Nico said in shock. "He has three thousand attack power!"

Magdalena hadn't the slightest clue what he was talking about out, but she didn't have time to think about it. Thorn ripped off the weeds from his legs and turned toward the group she was with, snarling.

"Get down!" Annabeth shoved the Di Angelo's right into the snow. Just in the right moment, Percy remembered his own shield. He slapped his watch, and a metal shield sprung out. The thorns hit the shield just as it popped out, impacting it so hard that it dented the metal. It was smashed badly. Percy figured it wouldn't even take a second volley.

Percy hadn't even realized he'd wrapped Lena into his arms behind the shield until he saw her face a few inches from his own, eyes wide with shock. His arm was tight around her back, keeping her close to him.

She blinked. "Thanks."

Percy said something along the lines of. "Uh . . . Yea-duh." Something totally stupid, obviously. He had to keep it on brand somehow.

"Oh, gods!" Annabeth cried. Percy saw what she was seeing. Thorn was readying another volley of missiles, aimed straight at them. Percy knew his shield wouldn't be able to withstand it, but he held it up anyway.

The missiles launched, and he braced for impact. But, instead of feeling daggers impale every inch of his body, he felt nothing but the sharp wind pelting his skin.

Percy opened his eyes and gasped. All around their group, a shimmering vortex protected them. The daggers that Thorn had shot were hanging motionless in the air, caught in the translucent force-field. Percy was completely lost, until he looked to his left, and he saw Lena, still caught in his arm, holding her hands out in a defensive stance, her eyes glowing brighter than before, her pupils dialated. They were wide in shock, and she was breathing heavily as she stared at the vortex that she'd created around them.

The energy surrounding them was a bright, celestial sort of veil, filled with streaks of colors and little specs of bright white dots . . . Were they stars? Percy felt like he'd been sucked into space, floating through the dark matter in-between galaxies. It was almost as if it was a nebula that had just magically appeared in a protective shield in front of them.

From the looks of it, it seemed Magdalena hadn't even intended to do what she had, because she looked like she had been bracing for impact with the way her hands were outstretched and how she'd tucked herself further into Percy. But, Percy didn't even care if she'd done this intentionally or not. Whatever force-field she'd just created had saved their lives.

The vortex shimmered away moments later, and Dr. Thorns missiles fell into the snow a foot in front of them. Lena's eyes dimmed, returning back to their normal hue, and she slumped against Percy's side. For a moment, nobody moved. Everybody was staring in disbelief at Magdalena.

"What was that?" Percy breathed out, looking at the girl beside him, who all of a sudden looked completely drained. There was a thin trail of blood leaking out of her nose. "How did you— what even— "

Dr. Thorn shouted in rage, cutting off Percy's shocked yapper, and knocked Grover towards their group angrily with a loud thwack!

"Stupid Astraeus spawn!" He roared. "All of you, yield!"

"No!" Thalia shouted. She rushed the monster, and Percy was convinced she was about to run him through, but then there was a thunderous noise and blast of light from over the cliff. The chopper revealed itself from out of the mist. It was a military-style gunship, with rockets attached to the sides. The helicopter had to have been controlled by mortals, but how? How could a mortal be working alongside a monster? The searchlights blinded Thalia, which gave the manticore the opportunity to swat her away with his tail. Her shield and spear flew in opposite directions as she was hurled backward.

"No!" Percy raced forward to help her. He intercepted a dagger just before it would've pierced Thalia's chest. He raised his shield over them, but he knew it wouldn't help.

The manticore laughed. "Do you see how hopeless it is, now? Yield, little heroes."

They had no chance of winning. They were trapped in the middle of a powerful monster and fully armed chopper. They were overpowered.

Then, there was a sharp, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn sounding from the tree-line.

  That's when the archers emerged from the tree-line. There were about a dozen girls between the ages of ten and fourteen, all wearing silver parkas and manning bows. They advanced toward the monster dangerously.

  "The Hunters!" Magdalena gasped in awe.

  Beside Percy, Thalia grumbled, "Oh, great."

  An older archer stepped in front with an arrow aimed right at the beast. She was tall and elegant with copper skin. She had a silver circlet weaved with braids at the top of her dark hair, making her look like a Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

  The monster cried. "This is direct interference! You are defying the Ancient Laws!"

"Not so," another girl said. She looked to be around thirteen, with auburn hair pulled back in a pony tail. She had eyes like the moon— silver and yellow. Her face was so beautiful Percy lost his breath, but her expression was hard and dangerous. "The hunting of wild beasts remains within my range of power. And you, you are a wild beast." She turned to the first girl. "Permission granted, Zoë."

  Dr. Thorn snarled. "If I cannot take them alive, I shall bring their dead bodies instead!"

  He charged Percy and Thalia, knowing they were the easiest targets.

  "No!" Magnus cried. He tried to charged the monster, but Dr. Thorn backhanded him across the clearing before he could strike.

  "Magnus!" Percy yelled.

  Annabeth rushed at the same time and managed to get on to the beast's back, driving her dagger into his mane. Dr. Thorn bellowed, spinning in circles with his tail swinging. Annabeth gripped on to him like her life depended on it.

  "Fire!" Zoë ordered.

  "No!" Magdalena screamed. She began to run towards the manticore, her sword raised.

  She was too late. The Hunters' arrows sailed through the air, one landing in the manticore's back, another right in his chest. The monster stumbled backwards, screaming, "You will pay, Huntress! We will meet again!"

  And before anyone could stop him, the monster, along with Annabeth on his back, jumped off the cliff and disappeared into the darkness.

  "Annabeth!" Magnus and Percy yelled. Magdalena cried out in despair.

  The three of them started to run toward the cliff edge, but their other enemies weren't finished. Gunfire began to rain down into the clearing.

  Almost all of the Hunters darted as tiny holes began to pierce the snow around them, but the auburn-haired girl stood still, staring up at the chopper.

  She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter suddenly turned into a flock of ravens, flying off into the night.

  The Hunters approached them.

  Zoë's eyes landed on Magdalena, and she nodded curtly. "Magdalena."

  Lena would've been happy to see the hunter on most occasions, but she couldn't feel anything but grief for Annabeth. She just stood there in silence, staring at the girl.

  Then, Zoë stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on Thalia. "You," she said in disgust.

  "Zoë Nightshade," Thalia's voice shook with anger. "Always perfect timing."

  Zoë studied the rest of them. "Six half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."

  "Yes," the younger girl said. "A few of Chiron's campers, I observe."

  "Annabeth!" Magnus yelled. "She needs our help!"

"You have to let you save her!" Percy demanded.

  The young girl turned toward the two boys. "Magnus Arcturus, Percy Jackson. I am sorry, but she is beyond our help."

  Percy tried to get to his feet, but two hunters held him down.

  "You both are not in the condition to go running off cliff edge's," she said.

  "What do you know?" Magnus demanded, glaring at the girl.

  Magdalena shot him a hard look, warning him to shut his mouth. She wanted to jump off that cliff and go rescue Annabeth too, but she knew better than to defy her.

  "Yeah, let me go!" Percy ordered. "Who do you think you are?"

  Zoë stepped toward the both of them, looking like she was about to pierce an arrow through both of their skulls.

  "Stop," the girl ordered. "I see no disrespect. They are simply in despair. They do not understand."

  The auburn-aired girl turned toward the two boys, her eyes glowing like the moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."

ANNA'S NOTES!
Lalalalaala hi ttc hello Lena lore drop HELLO new power unlocked 🔓 we're getting straight to business today

And hi living for Magnabeth slow burn ☺️☺️🫶🫶🫶