percy jackson · apocalypse au · hazel and frank · demigods · shapeshifting · charmspeak · ensemble cast · romance · greek mythology · action
The world smells of rust and rot. Moonlight slants through shattered windows, painting silver stripes across the debris-choked floor of a six-story store. Somewhere below, water drips with a steady, hollow rhythm. The air is thick with dust and the faint, metallic tang of old blood. A flashlight beam sweeps the aisle, catching the glint of scattered cans and the pale gleam of a forgotten toothbrush. The Seven move as a single shadow—Percy at the front, sword ready, Annabeth beside him, her grey eyes scanning the dark. Hazel's hand brushes Frank's for reassurance, while Leo fidgets with a tiny flame between his fingers, barely a flicker. Jason and Piper flank the group, their breaths held tight. Annabeth's voice cuts the silence like a blade: "I heard something." Piper's attempt to laugh…