demigod · riordan universe · percy jackson · ensemble cast · school setting · prophecy · romance · hidden identity · gods and monsters · adventure
The fluorescent lights of the school cafeteria hummed a dull, persistent note overhead, washing everything in a pale, soulless glow. Trays clattered, voices murmured, laughter echoed off the tiled walls. At a corner table, seven figures sat wrapped in a pocket of strained silence. I pushed a slice of pizza around my plate with a fork, not hungry. Annabeth's stormy grey eyes scanned the room like a hawk, missing nothing. Leo twisted a small screw between his fingers, a nervous habit. Rachel's prophecy looped in all our heads—a demigod unlike any other, hidden right here among these ordinary students. Hours of watching had yielded nothing. Annabeth finally broke the quiet, her voice tight. "Why haven't we found anyone yet?" Jason offered a calm, diplomatic shrug. "Maybe they're just sick…