"THE RESCUE OPERATION GOES REALLY WRONG IN A NOT FUN WAY"

The weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform.
It's probably because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.

There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each other's faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls like absolute dumbasses.

Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices.

Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face.

Some of the older guys looked more like Percy—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute they might have to fight for their lives. Of course, in Percy's case, it was true...

"There they are." Grover nodded toward a couple of younger kids arguing in the bleachers. "Bianca and Nico di Angelo".

The girl wore a floppy green cap like she was trying to hide her face. The boy was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked.
The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

Annabeth said, "Do they... I mean, have you told them?"

Grover shook his head. "You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger."

He looked at Percy, and he nodded. He'd never really understood what half-bloods "smell" like to monsters and satyrs, but he knew that your scent could get you killed.

And the more powerful a demigod you became, the more you smelled like a monster's lunch.

"So let's grab them and get out of here," Percy said.

He started forward, but Thalia put her hand on his shoulder. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn, had slipped out of a doorway near the bleachers and was standing near the di Angelo siblings. He nodded coldly in their direction. His blue eye seemed to glow.

Judging from his expression, he guessed Thorn hadn't been fooled by Thalia's trick with the Mist after all. He suspected who they were. He was just waiting to see why they were here.

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia ordered. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"How?"

"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids."

"Dancing?" Annabeth asked.

Thalia nodded. She cocked her ear to the music and made a face. "Ugh. Who chose Jesse McCartney?"

Grover looked hurt. "I did."

"Oh, my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?"

"Green who?"

"Never mind. Let's dance."
"But I can't dance!"
"You can if I'm leading," Thalia said. "Come on, goat boy."

Grover yelped as Thalia grabbed his hand and led him onto the dance floor.
Annabeth smiled.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Nothing. It's just cool to have Thalia back."

Annabeth had grown taller than him since last summer, which he found kind of disturbing, but Thalia thought it hilarious.
She used to wear no jewelry except for her Camp Half-Blood bead necklace, but now she wore little silver earrings shaped like owls—the symbol of her mother, Athena. She pulled off her ski cap, and her long braided hair tumbled down her shoulders. It made her look older, for some reason.

"So..." Percy tried to think of something to say.
Act natural, Thalia had told them. When you're a half-blood on a dangerous mission, what the heck is natural?

"Um, design any good buildings lately?"
Annabeth's eyes lit up, the way they always did when she talked about architecture. "Oh, my gods, Percy. At my new school, I get to take 3-D design as an elective, and there's this cool computer program..."

She went on to explain how she'd designed this huge monument that she wanted to build at Ground Zero in Manhattan. She talked about structural supports and facades and stuff, and he tried to listen. He knew she wanted to be a super architect or something when she grew up—she loved math and historical buildings and all that—but he hardly understood a word she was saying. And it was so boring.

Yeah, uh, cool," he said. "So you're staying there the rest of the year, huh?"

Her face got dark.

"Are you having trouble at school or something?"

She pursed her lips. "It's not that. It's my dad."

"Uh-oh." Percy knew Annabeth had a rocky relationship with her father.
"I thought it was getting better with you two. Is it your stepmom again?"

Annabeth sighed. "He decided to move. Just when I was getting settled in New York, he took this stupid new job researching for a World War I book. In San Francisco!"

She said this the same way she might say Fields of Punishment or Hades's gym shorts.
"So he wants you to move out there with him?" He asked.

"To the other side of the country," she said miserably. "And half-bloods can't live in San Francisco. He should know that."

"What? Why not?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Maybe she thought he was kidding. "You know. It's right there!'

"Oh," he said.
He had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't want to sound stupid.

"So... you'll go back to living at camp or what?"

"It's more serious than that, Percy. I... I probably should tell you something- "

"Hey!" Thalia called to them.
She was slow dancing with Grover, who was tripping all over himself, kicking Thalia in the shins, and looking like he wanted to die. At least his feet were fake.
Unlike Percy, he had an excuse for being clumsy.

"Dance, you guys!" Thalia ordered. "You look stupid just standing there."
Percy looked nervously at Annabeth, then at the groups of girls who were roaming the gym.

"Well?" Annabeth said.

"Um, who should I ask?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, find a girl. We can both look for one."

It took him a second to register what she said.

"Wait, what?" He fumbled out.

Annabeth looked at him with an annoyed expression.
"I like girls. Just like you seaweed brain."

Oh.
Oh! That's what she meant!

"Look, we can talk about it later, but right now let's find you someone to dance with. I plan on having some fun with this."

With that thought, he was reminded of the girl from earlier as she dragged him away from where they were standing.

As he took in the room, searching for a glimpse of her, he realized the girl was staring at him again.
She waved, a ring glinting on her finger. He walked towards her, leaving Annabeth to talk to a girl with some killer eyeliner.

She straightened up a bit when he approached her, her eyes were focused on his, a smile hinting at her lips.

"Hey, so, are you liking the dance?"

She gave him a questioning glance, and then she must have realized what he was talking about. Then she spoke in the strangest accent he'd ever heard. It was a mix of somewhere in Europe, British, and somehow a little New Yorker.

"Not really my scene. But I'd enjoy it more if I actually had someone to dance with."

Percy took the hint, he couldn't refuse a pretty girl a dance.

"Well then, would you be so kind as to let me have this dance?" He said it with much flourish that he knew she'd laugh at him for.

And she did. And it was the best thing he'd ever heard in his life. She curtsied a bit and took his outstretched hand.

So he guided them onto the dance floor, and he looked over to see how Thalia and Grover were doing things. And saw Annabeth give him a thumb's up.

He put one hand on the girl's hip, and she clasped his other hand like she was about to judo-throw him.

"I'm not going to bite," she told him. "Honestly, I'll lead the way if you're doubting yourself."

He didn't answer. He just stared into her eyes and tried not to think about how much he liked being near her.

"My name's Percy, I don't believe we have introduced ourselves."

"Call me Vera."

Percy couldn't help but smile.

"It's a pretty name. Suits you."

She blushed and they danced around for a few minutes.

Was it just him or did it get really hot all of a sudden?

Percy tried to concentrate on little things, like the crepe-paper streamers and the punch bowl—anything but the fact that he was slow dancing with a gorgeous girl named Vera, and his hands were sweaty and probably gross, and he kept stepping on her toes.
And she kept forgiving him, not seeming bothered by it.

Their moment was ruined when she suddenly froze.

Suddenly she froze. "Oh shit."

"What?"

He followed her gaze. The bleachers. The two half-blood kids, Bianca and Nico, were no longer there. The door next to the bleachers was wide open. Dr. Thorn was nowhere in sight. Percy didn't think of why Vera was aware of the kids but just looked at Annabeth who was staring back at him with a panicked expression.

"We have to get Thalia and Grover!" Annabeth looked around frantically. "Oh, where'd they dance off to? Come on!"

She ran through the crowd, leaving the girl she was dancing with.

Percy was about to follow when a mob of girls got in his way. He maneuvered around them to avoid getting the ribbon-and-lipstick treatment, and by the time he was free, Annabeth had disappeared. And so had Vera.

He turned a full circle, looking for her or Thalia and Grover. Instead, he saw something that chilled his blood.

About fifty feet away, lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap just like the one Bianca di Angelo had been wearing. Near it were a few scattered trading cards.
Then he caught a glimpse of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by the scruffs of their necks, like kittens.

He still couldn't see Annabeth, but he knew she'd be heading the other way, looking for Thalia and Grover.

He almost ran after her, and then he thought, wait.

He remembered what Thalia had said to him in the entry hall, looking at him all puzzled when he asked about the finger-snap trick: Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?
He thought about the way Grover had turned to her, expecting her to save the day.

Not that Percy resented Thalia. She was cool. It wasn't her fault her dad was Zeus and she got all the attention... Still, he didn't need to run after her to solve every problem. Besides, there wasn't time. The di Angelos were in danger.

They might be long gone by the time he found his friends. He knew monsters. He could handle this himself.

He took Riptide out of his pocket and ran after Dr. Thorn.

The door led into a dark hallway. He heard sounds of scuffling up ahead, then a painful grunt. He uncapped Riptide.

The pen grew in his hands until he held a bronze Greek sword about three feet long with a leather-bound grip. The blade glowed faintly, casting a golden light on the rows of lockers.

He jogged down the corridor, but when he got to the other end, no one was there.

He opened a door and found himself back in the main entry hall.

Percy was completely turned around. He didn't see Dr. Thorn anywhere, but there on the opposite side of the room were the di Angelo kids. They stood frozen in horror, staring right at him.

He advanced slowly, lowering the tip of his sword. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

They didn't answer. Their eyes were full of fear. What was wrong with them? Where was Dr. Thorn? Maybe he'd sensed the presence of Riptide and retreated.
Monsters hated celestial bronze weapons.

"My name's Percy," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."

Bianca's eyes widened. Her fists clenched. Only too late did he realize what her look meant. She wasn't afraid of him. She was trying to warn him.

Percy whirled around and something went past him. And then pain exploded in his shoulder. A force like a huge hand yanked him backward and slammed him to the wall.

He slashed with his sword but there was nothing to hit.

A cold laugh echoed through the hall.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson," Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the J in his last name. "I know who you are."

He tried to free his shoulder. His coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long.

It had grazed the skin of his shoulder as it passed through his clothes, and the cut burned.

He'd felt something like this before. Poison.

Percy forced himself to concentrate. He would not pass out.

A dark silhouette now moved toward them.

Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of his sword.

"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."

Percy tried to swing his sword again, but he was just out of reach.

A loud sound and a second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible was standing behind him, throwing knives.

Next to Percy, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself into the stone wall, half an inch from her face.

"All three of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said.

"Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."

author's note
So... their first meeting!! tell me your thoughts.
Also, Annabeth is a lesbian. you will be arguing with a wall. also, I'm totally going with the pjo series casting decision to make her a poc!! love having representation!!
End of chapter one in the book, and by the looks of it, this will be a very long fic.
hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think!! <3