demigods · riordanverse · boarding school · ensemble cast · mythology · friendship · modern fantasy · teenage angst · loyalty · magic
Sunlight cuts through the high windows, painting the linoleum in long, dusty stripes. We move down the hall—a fractured parade of demigods trying to pass for normal. Percy’s laugh bounces off the lockers, Leo spinning a story with wild gestures. Jason’s arm rests on Piper’s shoulders, her smile a quiet counterpoint. Frank and Hazel walk close, speaking in hushed tones only they understand. Ahead, Reyna, Will, and Annabeth are locked in a debate over flanking maneuvers, Rachel interjecting with a prophet’s clarity. Dakota leans against a wall, sipping from a pouch, his expression distant. Nico shadows the group, a slice of darkness in the bright corridor; Octavian lingers a few steps behind, less sharp-edged than he once was. Then the lunch bell shatters the calm, a metallic shri…