Sparks in the Flame

Percy and Annabeth walked towards the Big House, hand-in-hand, to hear the assignment that Chiron had to give them. The porch steps sagged beneath their feet and the door creaked open. The light was dim, and their shirts stuck to their backs with sweat from the sweltering summer heat. In the living room, Frank and Hazel stood together at the corner of the pool table, Jason and Piper at the other, Clarisse stood with her spear at the head of the table, Nico was looking out of one of the windows, and Leo was lounging on an armchair, legs dangling over one of the arms. Chiron was in wheelchair form at the opposite end of the pool table from Clarisse.
“Uh-oh, this many of us? We might be in trouble, guys.” Percy joked. Chiron looked at Percy and shook his head.
“I gathered you here today to send you on two demigod rescue missions. They are both over thirteen and haven’t been claimed or brought to the camp yet,” Chiron said, contradicting Percy. Looks like the Gods have forgotten their promise again, the son of Poseidon thought bitterly to himself. Chiron looked at Percy, seeming to know exactly what he was thinking.
“Percy and Annabeth, go to Central Park, and find a boy called Nathan and bring him here. Nico, Jason, and Piper have Reed in Times Square, and Clarisse, Frank, Leo and Hazel, you need to work on repairs here. Thank you Frank and Hazel for helping us while you’re visiting. The rescue teams will leave immediately. But be warned, there may be monsters around. Be careful. Go.”
The nine demigods scrambled out of the door in their assigned groups. Percy and Annabeth went back towards their cabins to grab some stuff, then together left the boundaries of the camp.

*

When Percy and Annabeth got to Central Park, they couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Are you sure Chiron said to come here? I don’t see anything,” Annabeth said. Percy shrugged, confused.
A boy came running through the park, exercising. He smiled at them, and kept running down the path. Percy smiled back, and looked around for the boy that they were supposed to bring back to camp.
A sudden wail filled the air, and a dracanae burst through the trees. Before Percy could even uncap Riptide, the dracanae started running after the boy who had run by earlier, spear in hand.
“That must have been Nathan! He’s not jogging, he’s running for his life!” He and Annabeth whipped around and ran after the boy and the dracanae, who was quickly closing in to the boy. Percy brandished his sword and ran as fast as he could, his feet pounding against the cement sidewalk. Finally, he caught up to the monster, and thrust his sword as hard as he could into its back, watching it come out the other side.
The dracanae wailed again. “This may be the end of me, but my master will still get you, Nathan Lehman!” She fell to the ground and disintegrated into dust.
Up ahead Nathan slowed to a stop, and walked back to where Percy and Annabeth stood. “You saw that?” He asked, astonished.
“Um, yeah,” said Annabeth. “Didn’t you?”
Nathan hesitated. “I thought I was the only one who could see them. I thought I had a hallucination problem. But at least it motivates me to run faster.” He grinned. “But I don’t think I was hallucinating, if you saw that too. Or maybe I’m just hallucinating this whole thing.” “You’re not hallucinating,” said Percy, laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “That was a dracanae. And it could have killed you. So that’s why we’re taking you somewhere safe; Camp Half-Blood.”
Nathan was quiet. “Okay…” he started edging away from Percy and Annabeth slowly.
“Look, we’re not crazy. See?” Annabeth grabbed Percy’s pen from his pocket and uncapped it. It elongated into his sword, Anaklusmos, Riptide. “You saw that, right?” she asked Nathan, who looked absolutely bewildered. He nodded hesitantly. “Then let’s go.”
“Wait, so I just go with you guys?”
“Yep,” said Percy.
Nathan exhaled. “Um, okay. I’m Nathan, by the way.”
Annabeth pointed to herself, then Percy. “Annabeth and Percy.”
Suddenly two more dracanae burst through the tree line. “Here come more,” said Percy, hefting Riptide.
“No, wait,” said Nathan. “Look in front, that’s definitely not a draca-what’s-its-face.” “Dracanae.” Annabeth corrected.
Percy squinted at the advancing dracanae. “Nathan’s right, there is something there. I think it’s a girl!” Percy nodded at Annabeth and they both took off toward the two dracanae and the girl running from them, her red hair flying behind her like a flame. She was running for her life and the dracanae were closing in on her.
“Percy, you get her and I’ll take care of the dracanae!” Annabeth yelled. He nodded and she ran off, dagger in hand. He sprinted towards the girl and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to a stop.
“Who are you? Let go of me! Don’t you see those?” She struggled against his grip and pointed behind her with her free hand where Annabeth had finished off one dracanae and was slashing the other to pieces.
“Yes I do see it, and that’s why you have to come with me. Just stay calm and we’ll protect you.” Percy hissed. She looked wary but nodded anyways. He pulled her over to the bushes, where Nathan was crouching, eyes wide and frightened. “Nathan, watch over her. She’s a feisty one. Don’t let her out of your sight until we come back.” Percy said.
Nathan nodded and Percy uncapped Riptide. The girl’s eyes went wide but Nathan put a hand over her mouth before she could say anything.
She ripped it off and scowled at him. “Who are you and what were those monsters?” She demanded. Percy was about to answer when Annabeth ran back in, her orange camp shirt in tatters and covered in a fine layer of gold monster dust. She smiled.
“Well, that’s covered. We had better go before Chiron gets worried.” Percy nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m Percy, this is Annabeth and Nathan. We’re demigods, which means half human and half Greek god or goddess. That was a dracanae, a half-woman-half-snake-dragon-thingy, I guess.” He shrugged. The girls face scrunched up in confusion and he added, “Chiron, our camp leader, will explain it all later.”
She nodded slowly and he continued.“Before we get back to camp, I have one question. Who are you?”

Notes

Hey this is the first chapter of my first (official) fanfic! I hope you guys like it, feel free to comment!!