"Where are you?"

"You know that bookstore you like?"

"Yeah…"

"I'm in the DVD store next to it."

"Dammit, Callum!" Callum gave a sarcastic laugh and could practically hear the cogs whirring in his sister's mind as she planned to tear strips from him.

"Hey, you got Theo?"

"Yeah."

"You don't sound happy with me."

"I'm not. You could, I don't know, be nice to me once in a while and buy me that book."

"I don't do nice. You should know that by now." Callum replaced the DVD he had picked up, pulling a face at it.

"Stay in the DVD shop. Theo and I are on our way."

"You know saying 'Theo and I' sounds really posh."

"Oh, shut up!" Lilly snapped. Callum was the only one who really really annoyed her to the point of her incredibly rare temper storming forward. She was like Sage and their mother, just mellower.

"Hey, bro."

"Theo, my main man! Where've you been?"

"Well, I did try as far away as possible from you, but Dragon Lady caught me." Callum grinned, hearing Lilly scolding Theo in the background. "She doesn't like that nickname."

"Dragons are very, uh, majestic creatures with amazing powers and all that crap."

"They're also very scary, very powerful and very capable of killing insignificant weasels such as us."

"I'm not an insignificant weasel."

"You are now. Hey, turn around." Callum did, facing the large floor-to-ceiling window that displayed the rest of the shopping mall ten feet from him. His brother waved at him, grinning cheekily while Lilly glowered at him, her arms folded stubbornly. Callum saluted casually before turning back to his DVDs. Theo hung up and they were with him seconds later. "So, what films have you got this time?"

"None. I can't find anything remotely scary that we haven't seen before."

"Have you asked?"

"No. Troll's working the till today." Theo and Lilly looked round to see the grouchy, middle-aged woman serving customers with a sour look. The triplets were regulars at their local DVD rental shop, but Troll didn't like them- well, Callum. Theo only suffered her wrath because no-one except Sage and Lilly could tell the two apart. Lilly was tolerated.

"I've got you two jackets and hats." She produced two matching jackets and hats from a large paper tote bag hanging from her arm. The jackets were casual bomber jackets- navy blue with red sleeves and navy blue cuffs. The hats matched. On the back of the jackets were 'Theo' and 'Callum' while the hats either had a 'T' or a 'C' on.

The brothers glanced at each other, wondering if they had pushed their sister too far before obediently putting them on. They looked at each other and grinned.

"Hey good looking." They said simultaneously. Lilly rolled her eyes at them.

"If you switch the hats or the jackets or both, I will break your fingers."

"That's OK- we've got the other hand." Callum waved his left at her. Lilly glowered at him. "OK, OK. No trading. Jeez, I thought Sage was bad."

"Can we go now?"

"Book store?"

"Yes, they've got a buy one get one free sale on."

"How about you go to the book store and we stay here?" Callum suggested. "That way we're both happy." Lilly stared him out. Callum sighed, resigned. "Fine, fine. Killjoy." He grumbled. Theo grinned at him as they followed their sister out.

They were walking out the door when the alarms went off.

"Ugh, Callum!"

"I can't help it." Callum admitted sheepishly, pulling a zombie game- Dead Island 2- from the inside of his new jacket. He handed it over to Lilly, who promptly returned it to Troll and explained the situation. "Stupid alarms…" Callum muttered, scuffing the toe of his trainer across the floor. Theo was watching him carefully. "I don't have anything else." Callum growled. Theo held his hands up in innocence and went to wait outside.

Lilly returned, scowling at Callum.

She knew it wasn't his fault. If he saw something he liked, he would pick it up, regardless if he had enough to pay for it or not. And he couldn't help it- not with kleptomania.

"Ooh, snazzy jackets." Sage smiled, straightening Theo's cap. "Don't let Tobias get that." She warned.

"Tobias is over?" Callum asked. Sage nodded and her younger brother grinned broadly, running off to find their eldest brother.

"Lilly, did you get them?"

"Out of my book money." Sage pursed his lips, wincing. "Sacrifices for the wrong people, I know." Lilly waved it off, brushing past her elder sister. Theo followed her. Theo and Callum, although highly annoying, were her bodyguards, in a way. No-one offended or hurt their sister without severe consequences. Heck, if someone looked at her funny and the boys didn't agree, there would be trouble.

"My hat!" Tobias declared, running at them and stealing Theo's hat immediately.

"I bought that!" Lilly protested.

"For me, yeah." Tobias smirked, placing the hat firmly on his head. He hugged the pair of them before returning to the others.

"Get that hat back." Lilly muttered to Theo. He nodded and went after Tobias. Lilly stomped off upstairs. Sage followed without her noticing.

"Lilly, are you OK?"

"Callum tried stealing from the DVD store again."

"Oh…" Sage sighed. "Are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?"

"I don't know. Do I? He's in enough trouble as it is, what with his grades and all that. If they know he's still stealing, they're gonna go nuts."

"Not necessarily." Sage argued lightly. "This is Mom and Dad we're talking about. They won't go crazy; they'll just talk to him."

"You tell them then."

"Did you steal something from the store?" Annabeth demanded, getting straight to the point. Callum glanced at his father, who was sat on the counter and watching him with those intense sea-green eyes.

There was no point in lying.

"Yeah."

"Did you give it back?"

"Lilly did."

"Callum, you promised you wouldn't steal again."

"I couldn't help it…" He mumbled dejectedly, looking down ashamedly. Annabeth sighed and Percy's feet hit the floor. Callum only looked up when his father's warm hand was on his shoulder. Callum feared that Percy would give some sort of lecture or- even worse- shout at him. He had heard of Percy only raising his voice less than five times since fatherhood, but the bouts of temper kept even Tobias in line. Callum was interested, but he had never known his father to be angry at any of his children, so it sounded like a scary prospect.

"We're going to go shopping." Percy told him. Callum marvelled at him. Percy and shopping didn't mix at all. "We'll go to all the cool stores, but you're not allowed to touch anything, OK?" Callum hesitated. They had tried something like this before, but it was the temptation of taking something and the urge to do so that always won. "OK?" Percy insisted.

"OK." Callum agreed in a small voice. Percy smiled at him and directed him out.

With his entire family and work, Percy rarely got one-to-one time with his children and Callum was actually excited at the idea of spending an hour or two with his father, even if it was shopping and a challenge for him not to take anything.

Callum told himself repeatedly on the drive to the mall that he would only look and not pick anything up whatsoever, but when they stared walking about the cool stores- the toy shop, the skateboard shop, the sports shop, etc. etc.- his resolve crumbled. If it wasn't for his father, Callum would have strayed seconds after entering the first shop.

"Put that down." Percy warned, trying not to smile. Callum hastily put the remote control toy car down and buried his hands in the pockets of his new jacket. Percy studied him for a few seconds before turning and walking down the aisle. Callum hurried after him, falling in step alongside Percy.

"Dad?"

"Mm?"

"I don't mean to take the stuff." Percy looked at him. Callum hunched his shoulders, looking anywhere but at his father. "It… it just happens."

"What if you had the money to buy it? Would you still get it?"

"I don't know. That depends what it is."

"Why do you do it?"

"I… I kinda feel like I have to, but… but it's more like… like I want to…" Callum looked up, sheepishly catching his father's eye. Percy picked up a Monopoly game set and studied the pictures. Callum knew as well as anyone how much Percy's dyslexia bothered him.

Percy held the game up to Callum, looking for his verdict. Callum just shrugged. Monopoly got on his nerves- he couldn't steal money from that without getting caught and he was terrible at saving his money.

Setting the game back on the shelf, Percy opened his mouth to talk, looking at his son when something caught his eye.

The change was instant. He went from caring and warm father, to protective and soldier father. Callum tried to look round, but Percy was already steering him out of the shop. "Dad?"

"I don't know who or what they are, but they're bad."

"How can you tell? Where are they?"

"Just a bad feeling. Don't look." Percy pulled his pen from his pocket and Callum retrieved his cards.

To the untrained eye, the cards looked like regular playing cards. The kings were Zeus, the queens Hera, the jacks Hermes and the joker Dionysus. Leo had made these cards, Louisa responsible for the designs. With Leo as the creator, these cards were incredibly fine sheets of folded metal with razor sharp, air-streamed edges. Callum had to flick them a certain way for them to go from playing cards to weapons and there was something in them that had them return to a neat deck in his palm after he used them.

They made it out of the mall and were five minutes from the car at a brisk jog when a growl sounded close behind them. Percy ordered him on, uncapping Riptide. He spun a second too late though and was flattened by a snarling, furry white mass.

"Dad!" Callum flicked a king at the beast- a wolf, of sorts, slightly larger than others with scarlet eyes, scarily sharp teeth and claws that could tear him to ribbons in seconds.

The card lodged in the wolf's shoulder, but it didn't seem to register it. Callum drew a knife and hurled the deck of cards across the wolf's back. This obviously clicked and the wolf sprung off of Percy and barrelled towards Callum.

Percy was up in a nano-second and lopped off the wolf's tail. The creature gave a howl of agony and rounded on Percy, blood pouring from the stump. It limped about, studying Percy with eyes that were too intelligent for an animal, before pouncing. Percy bought his sword up at the last second, ramming it through the wolf's ribcage, tearing a lung and puncturing the heart.

"Car! Now!" Percy demanded. Callum held his hand out and the cards shot back, calmly landing in his palm. He turned and ran for the car, his father close behind him. Baying howls in the distant reached them, but it was hard to determine where they came from.

"How many were there?" Callum asked, yanking the car door open and hurrying in.

"I don't know." Percy admitted, slamming his door shut. Riptide was a bloody mess leaning against Percy's leg as he turned the key in the ignition. Callum hastily put his seat belt on and Percy swung out of the parking space.

Running towards them, in groups of six or seven and from all sides, were wolves, all like the first one with varying colours of fur- white or differing tones of grey, brown, black and a rust colour.

Percy floored the accelerator and hurtled towards the group running at them from the front. Most of the wolves scattered, darting around the car as it neared, but a dark brown one scrambled up the bonnet, gouging thick scrapes into the windscreen. Percy slammed on the brakes suddenly and the wolf went flying.

"Dad?" Callum held his cards so tightly; the sharpened edges had blood beading on his palm.

"It's OK." Percy breathed, shifting into reverse and swinging the car around again. "We'll get home and sort this out." He put the car into motion and launched forward, glaring around the deep groves in his windscreen.

The wolves managed to keep up with them as they drove off, even at speeds of fifty, nearly sixty miles an hour. Callum had sunk in his seat and was praying to all the gods that the wolves just went 'poof' and vanished in colourful clouds of smoke.

Unfortunately, traffic got to them and they ended up abandoning the car and running for it. The wolves could have caught up easily, but they slowed down, as if they had a plan or were enjoying the thrill of the chase.

Percy kept Callum slightly ahead of him, making sure Callum was mostly shielded from the wolves' view. Should the wolves suddenly attacked, Percy would take the full force. Callum knew he would- it was in his nature. Family comes first.

They turned into an alley and realised seconds too late that it was a dead end.

"Dad…" Percy drew Riptide again and Callum armed himself with his knife. His father moved in front of Callum as the wolves filed into organised lines at the mouth of the alley.

It was pandemonium, what followed. Line after line of wolves surged forward. Percy slashed, jabbed and fatally injured many of them, keeping Callum behind him and away from danger.

There was no way Percy could fight all of them. If one went down, three more replaced it. It was a never ending tide of fur, claws and vicious snarls, but Percy didn't give in. He fought like a man possessed, but if Callum stepped forward to help; Percy would dart in front of him and push him back.

Callum ended up being Percy's eyes and he spotted a larger wolf- larger than its brethren- sat comfortably on top of a dumpster, studying the battle with stony blood red eyes with a gleam of intelligence that only increased Callum's wariness of it. It had to be the leader. It occasionally gave demanding growls, causing another wave of wolves to attack. It didn't join the fight, content with watching and studying.

It was only when Percy decapitated a wolf- Callum's insides started churning then and he had to close his eyes in an attempt to rid himself of that image- that the larger, mud brown wolf snarled. The other wolves pulled back, limping to their orderly lines. Percy was clearly exhausted and he was covered in multiple claw wounds, but he still held Riptide at the ready as the wolf neatly leapt down from its perch and padded forward, claws extended and a snarl curling its lips and sending tremors of fear-inducing authority across its terrifyingly muscular body.

The leader wolf's claws clicked against the concrete and Callum tensed. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Their new opponent looked ready to launch itself at Percy, but it didn't, throwing itself sideways and leaping off the wall, expertly diverting around Percy and straight at Callum. He raised his knife and Percy swung at it, but this wolf moved with impossible speed and ferocity. Callum dropped to the ground and the wolf sailed cleanly over his head, skidding across the floor and turning to face him at the same time, those claws leaving gouges in the solid ground.

Percy stepped forward when the other wolves let out a hunting howl and swarmed towards him.

Callum could fight one wolf, right? Percy had been fighting endlessly against them for what felt like hours (but probably half an hour or less).

He raised his knife, realising how pathetic it seemed compared to Riptide and his foe's built in weapons as the wolf pounced again. He was lucky to dodge it a few times, but as Percy was tiring and receiving more injuries, the leader of the pack summoned a few buddies with a series of snarls.

One coal black wolf slammed into Callum, a hundred and fifty pounds of furry, muscular mass throwing him to the floor. Percy protested and Callum heard a scuff of trainer, envisioning his father attempting to run to his aid.

Percy was waylaid by more wolves and couldn't reach his son. The wolf that had knocked Callum flat had twisted away, leaving Callum dazed and half-conscious with a head wound trickling blood on the floor. He tried for a hurricane or a storm- anything- but he was so exhausted and there were so many adversaries, he could barely focus.

There was a sharp yap behind him, claws clinking against the ground and then Callum's pained yell. The other wolves scampered back and Percy whirled round, horrified to see the bigger wolf standing over his son with its teeth buried deep in Callum's shoulder.

Percy's anger rolled in like thunder and he ran his sword straight through the wolf's side, puncturing lungs and heart in one swift movement. His sword shuddered as he pulled it from the wolf, rattling against broken ribs, but he cared not, kicking the corpse aside and dropping his sword.

Callum was already pale and seemed to be having some sort of fit. He gave odd, short, sharp breaths and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Cursing himself, Percy hurriedly scooped his son up, whistling sharply.

Blackjack dropped from the sky less than a minute later.

Sup, boss? Got me any sugar- whoa, what happened here?

"I'll explain later. I need to get Callum home."

Righto, boss.

"What the hell happened?!" Annabeth shouted the second she saw her husband. He was covered in multiple wounds, some still bleeding and he was dead on his feet. Her main concern was their son in his arms, unconscious with worrying breathing and in some fitting state. "Sofa. Now." She ordered, flourishing her hand demandingly. Percy hurried to obey- she was so going to kill him.

Percy was fed ambrosia and Sage got a bowl of water and a clean cloth, carefully rinsing water onto his wounds. He healed instantly, but he wished he could say the same was happening with Callum.

Theo and Lilly were holding their brother still while Annabeth examined the injury, frowning and muttering to herself.

"Percy, what happened?"

"They just came out of nowhere..."

"What did?"

"These… these wolves, but… there were so many and they didn't… they weren't like normal wolves, they were… stronger. Faster and smarter and-" Callum suddenly twisted, giving a heart-wrenching cry of pain. Sage, at her father's nod, jumped up and helped her younger siblings restrain Callum. Annabeth snatched up the damp cloth and pressed it to the bite wound.

This had no effect.

"Percy, you do it!" She ordered, anger coursing through her and emitting from her in dangerous waves. Percy scrambled to his feet, taking the damp cloth and willing the water to heal.

It took a while longer than Percy wanted, but Callum slowly stopped fighting and less in pain. When he pulled the cloth away to check on the wound, it had mostly healed- a faint scar.

Annabeth's eyes were burning furiously. "Percy, these wolves…"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you first see them?"

"Uh… the, um, the toy shop. But they weren't… they weren't wolves to start off with. It was… there was this group of people… and… they just seemed bad. Really bad." Annabeth cursed very profusely in Ancient Greek. Percy studied her, trying to glean something from her, but his two daughters beat him to it, their own curses filling their air. He glanced at Theo, who wasn't paying attention, chewing his lip and watching his brother's pale face worriedly.

"Oh gods…" Percy looked at his wife and she sighed, concern mingling with her anger. That look was still in her eyes- she was trying to plan something, a solution maybe. But for what?

She answered his unspoken question a second later- "Werewolves."

So, what do we think about werewolves?

Poll closes on Sunday, so if you haven't voted, VOTE!