percy jackson · leo valdez · annabeth chase · piper mclean · jason grace · hazel levesque · frank zhang · demigods · heroes of olympus · riordanverse
The fluorescent lights of Lakeside High's cafeteria buzzed a dull, relentless tune, painting the empty tables and the scent of industrial cleaner in a sickly glow. At the center of the room, seven figures huddled close, their lunch trays mostly ignored—except for Leo Valdez, who was constructing a precarious fortress from bright orange cheese puff packets. The others exchanged familiar, exasperated glances, but their focus was pulled, again and again, toward the distant, rhythmic thunder of a drumbeat echoing down the hall from the music room. Annabeth tilted her head, her storm-gray eyes sharpening. "That's them," she stated, her voice low and sure. As one, the group stood, Leo scrambling to shovel his snacks into his pockets. They moved through the silent corridors, the driving percus…