Turning Point

LUCY'S POV

I leaned against my pillows with my journal resting on my knees. I started writing in journals when I first started Camp, just my way of documenting all the crazy things that happened to me. A part me saw no need to keep up with it after the Second Titan War ended, seeing as how I thought my life would be somewhat boring. Wrong. So, now I cracked open the new journal and dated it, writing down everything that happened since I moved to Mystic Falls.

I documented the first day of school, including writing down a few Greek curses towards my dad singling me out during his introduction in History class. How English was going to totally throw my whole day off since it's my first class of the day, and the Dyslexia made it a pain to deal with. Algebra, that was okay, numbers are a bit easier to understand, but I just don't like math in general. How having an older sister who was a cheerleader would totally drive me to take a flask to school. The fact that two potential Vampires also attended Mystic Falls High put me on edge. Actually, the only good thing I could find was the fact I met someone I could actually call a friend, at least for now. I felt myself smile as I wrote Jeremy's name on the page, before ending my train of thought.

Spencer knocked on the door, "Come on Luce, let's go." she smiled.

I nodded and shut my journal, slipping it into my nightstand drawer. I jumped off my bed, wearing knee high boots, a black mini-skirt, and a red/black striped shirt with a skull in cross bones in the center. My hair was pulled off to the side, the ponytail draped over my shoulder.

"Don't you look cute." Spencer noted as I grabbed my messenger bag and leather jacket.

I shot her a small glare, "You do cute. I do rebellious." I reminded, slipping past her.

"Whateves lil sis." Spencer chuckled.

The quad area of Mystic Falls High was littered with students. A banner advertising Career Night was hanging over the front entryway.

"Career Night huh?" I questioned, stepping out of my sister's truck.

"Yeah, apparently." Spencer sighed. "Who knows, you might find something that interests you."

I rolled my eyes, "Demigod remember." I reminded, pointing to myself. "Not a very high survival rate."

"It won't kill you to be just a little optimistic." Spencer told me, patting my shoulder. She pecked my cheek before heading inside.

I sighed. "You never know." I muttered, following her inside.

Classes rolled by like usual, boring, same old stuff.

NO POV

Ava walked out into the quad area and saw Stefan and Elena talking. "Hey you two." she greeted, strolling up to them.

"Hey Ava." Elena greeted, standing up. "I'll let you two talk."

Ava reached out and took her friend's arm, "And hey, if you see Bonnie, tell her that I want to explain myself, and if she hates me I'll understand."

"She doesn't hate you, Ava." Elena replied. "In fact, Bonnie's grateful that you saved her life. But, I'll tell her that you wanna talk."

"Thanks." the youngest Salvatore smiled as her friend walked off. Ava turned to her fraternal twin, "So, what did Sheriff Forbs want this morning after I left?"

Stefan sighed, "There's another vampire in town." he answered. "He, or she, killed someone last night, must be somebody new."

"You sure it wasn't Damon reverting back to his old ways?" Ava questioned, sitting next to her brother.

"Are we ever really sure about Damon." Stefan joked.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Ava asked, not hiding her smile.

"Damon's tracking it now." Stefan answered. "But, he, and I, want you to be careful. Try to stick with Elena and Bonnie, protect them."

Ava nodded. "Easier said than done." she sighed. "Bonnie hasn't even looked at me since the other night." she lowered her head. "And I don't blame her. I mean, I am a Vampire after all."

"You saved her, Ava, remember that." Stefan nudged her arm.

"After Damon attacked her." Ava reminded.

Stefan wrapped his arm around her, rubbing her shoulder. "Damon was just acting out, same as he always does." he kissed her temple. "The point is, you chose to save your friend instead of protecting our secret. You've always cared about everyone around you."

"My fatal flaw I guess." Ava sighed.

"A fatal flaw we share." Stefan chuckled.

She laid her head on his shoulder, sighing heavily. "Okay, I'll do my best to protect Elena and Bonnie. You just focus on finding this new Vampire." she looked up and met her brother's eyes. "I don't wanna leave Stefan, I love being home again. But, I don't wanna be alone here either."

"We'll figure things out, don't worry." Stefan reassured, kissing the top of her head.

Ava smiled. "I gotta go, Caroline roped me in into helping set up the booths and stuff." she chuckled, jumping down from the table. She kissed Stefan's cheek. "Later."

Stefan gave his younger sister a smile and watched as she walked back into the school. He was happy she was making the most of her eternal existence, trying to be as human as possible. But, a part of him still felt guilty that he forced her into the vampire life, because he couldn't bear to live forever without his big brother and fraternal twin sister.

LUCY'S POV

The school hallway was full of students and various adults from many different career fields. I stayed back away from the crowds, just glancing around.

"Too many options?" someone questioned, walking up to me.

I could only smile because I knew who it was. "This just really isn't my scene." I answered.

Jeremy stood beside me. "I get it, we're only Freshmen." he chuckled. "We still have three years before we decide on what we wanna do."

I rolled my eyes. "Guess I never really thought about it much." I told him, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. Honestly, it was because demigods rarely live to see adulthood, and as a child of Ares, the War god, my lifespan was particularly sketchy since I do have a knack to jump into dangerous situations.

I could feel Jeremy's eyes on me and the feeling stirring inside was foreign to me. "You do seem like a 'live in the moment' type of girl." his arm brushed mine, and I felt goosebumps forming.

I nodded, "Yeah, you could say that." I confirmed, getting off the wall and walking into the crowd, trying to find something to make me look busy.

I caught Spencer at a booth run by a local author, and saw that they were deep in conversation. That didn't surprise me since Spencer was always big on wanting to be a writer, taking after her mother in that way.

As for me, before I learned I was a demigod, I always thought being an artist would be the most amazing thing in the world. Even when I was at camp, I would sit on the porch of the Ares Cabin and sketch the scenery around it. I still draw every now and then, but knowing that Demi-gods barely reach adulthood, made things kind of moot, for lack of a better word.

I found myself wandering near a booth ran by a small-time gallery owner, with paintings of various works of art. There was even a few copies of Greek-inspired artwork, which really caught my eye.

"Greek Mythology huh?" Jeremy questioned, standing right behind me.

I bit my lip. "Call it a guilty pleasure, it's always fascinated me." I answered, not turning to face him. "Hence why I went to Greek Mythology themed summer camp for four years." I walked away from the table, and could hear Jeremy following me.

"Luce, what's the matter?" he asked, moving to stand in front of me. "You seem a little, I don't know, depressed or something."

"Or something." I confirmed, sliding past him.

NO POV

Jeremy stood there for a few seconds after Lucy slid past him. He turned and followed her, wanting to know what her deal was tonight.

"Hey Lucy!" he called, halting her. He put his hand on her shoulder, making her turn around. When his eyes met hers, he could see hints of pain and sadness. "Are you okay?"

Lucy sighed. "I'm fine Jeremy, it's none of your concern."

"Like hell it is." Jeremy rebuked, grabbing her arm so she'd stay put.

Lucy had to hold back her instinct to break his hand after he grabbed her. She turned back to face him.

"Look, we're friends right?" he questioned, loosening his grip on her arm.

"I guess so." Lucy answered, somewhat unsure herself.

"Then, why don't you tell me what's bothering you." his eyes were pleading her to open up, and she felt her heart pick up speed. His hand moved down her arm and their fingers brushed against one another's.

Lucy sighed and pulled her hand away. "Look, even if I could tell you, you wouldn't understand." she admitted, her eyes locking with his. "You seem like a nice guy Jeremy, which means you shouldn't get involved with a girl like me." she turned on her heels and walked away, ducking into the girl's bathroom, leaning against the door, her hands clenching into fists.

LUCY'S POV

I soaked a paper towel in cold water, placing it on the back of my neck. I know it was a stone-cold-bitch move to snap at Jeremy like that, but all the pushy questions were just making me feel worse. I did see him as a friend, and that was the trouble of it all. Being friends with me will only get you killed. Such is the curse of a demigod.

I reached for the bathroom door handle and could hear sounds of a fight going on in the hall. I pulled the door back just in time to see Mayor Lockwood and my dad pull Tyler and Jeremy off each other, apparently those two were the fighting parties.

"You two, follow me." Mayor Lockwood ordered, practically dragging the two boys down the hall.
"Excuse me, mayor, where are you takin' 'em?" my dad asked.

"I'm gonna talk to 'em." Mayor Lockwood answered, rudely. "All fights should end in handshakes, don't you think?"

I watched as the three of them walked down the hallway, and I walked up to my dad.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know." he answered. He pulled me along to follow the Mayor.

Spencer found us and I filled her in, and we followed dad outside, where we found Mayor Lockwood practically glaring at Tyler and Jeremy.

"What's goin' on out here?" dad asked, casually intervening.

Spencer and I stayed back. I hopped up and sat on the railing, crossing my legs.

"Just lettin' these two kids work it out." Lockwood defended. "We're good here, go back inside."

Dad shook his head. "I don't wanna go back inside." he strode up to the Mayor. "What I want is an answer to my question. What's goin' on out here?" now he was glaring down at said mayor.

I felt myself smile, and I was hoping there would be a couple punches thrown. A demigod of my heritage, loves watching a good fight.

"Who do you think you're talkin' to?" Mayor Lockwood accused. "Do I look like a student?"

"No," dad answered, casually. "you look like a full-grown Alpha-male douche bag."

I giggled and grinned, fist-bumping my sister, who just stood tall with her arms folded across her chest.

"You don't talk to me like that." Lockwood threatened. "I can have your job like this." he snapped his fingers for emphasis.

"Ah, you do that." dad goaded. "Then it'll be you and me in this parking lot working things out. You cool with that?"

The mayor looked back at us, smirking. "Nice example you're setting for you daughters." he scoffed.

"At least I know they'll be able to defend themselves." dad replied, coolly.

Without another word, Mayor Lockwood walked away with Tyler behind him.

"What a fucking douche bag." Spencer spat, shaking her head.

"Sad thing is, if Ares was allowed to raise me and my siblings, he'd probably be just like that." I muttered, referring to Mayor Lockwood.

"Then, maybe it's a good thing Zeus didn't let the gods have contact with their mortal offspring." Spencer nudged my arm.

I nodded, "Right now, I agree with you." I looked towards dad, who stood there, smiling at us. "Nice one dad, very cool."

"Amen to that." Spencer giggled.

"Come on you two, let's go." he motioned for us to follow.

I met Jeremy's eyes as I walked by.

"That was cool, what Mr. Saltzman did." he said, closing the small distance between us.

I nodded, "Yeah, I guess my old man is pretty cool." I chuckled, tapping the toe of my boot on the ground. "Look, about what I said in the hallway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

Jeremy shook his head. "It's okay. I didn't mean to pry or anything." he apologized. "I just think you're really cool, and I wanna get to know you better."

If only he knew the truth about me. "That might be a very bad idea." I advised. "I'm not exactly who you might think."

Jeremy chuckled. "Well, I was reading my ancestor's old journal and he seemed pretty crazy, so, I think I can handle a little rebelliousness that's you, Lucy Saltzman."

I bit my lip, "This won't be easy." I warned.

Jeremy looked down at me and smiled. "I'll see you around."

I nodded, backing away. "See ya around, Jeremy." I spun on my heels and climbed into the back of my dad's car.

Dad dropped Spencer and I off at home and claimed he had a hunch he needed to follow up on, telling us not to worry.

"Vampire?" I questioned.

"Probably." Spencer answered.

We left it at that as we each retired to our room for the night. As I laid in bed, I wondered just how long I could keep my demigod secret from Jeremy. I mean, I would like to eventually tell him, but when he said he wanted to get to know me better, a part of me wondered if he liked me, as more than just a friend. That same part also thought it would be nice, but at the same time, I didn't want to put Jeremy in danger. Gods, why was being a teenager so fucking hard!

The next day…

I went about the day about the same. I wore a pleated red and black plaid mini skirt, with black lacey leggings, black ankle boots, a tight fitted black and blue t-shirt with lace sleeves, and my hair in low pigtails, each draped over my shoulder. I even splurged on the makeup and did black swan eyes and ruby red lips. To add to my look, I wore a cropped leather jacket with studs on the collar that hugged my upper body. My leather choker completed my outfit.

I left Spencer to chat with her new friends while I went to my locker to put away the previous night's homework, and grab my English binder for my first class. I felt a sudden chill that made me straighten and I looked around, trying to find the threat. My eyes settled on an elderly woman, wearing a blazer jacket over a blue blouse with a long, white skirt. She saw me and smiled a sickly smile that made my instincts flare. I saw her walking towards me, then she turned into a classroom, which happened to be where my first period class is.

"Well fuck." I cursed, trying to keep my temper in check. "Those things are defiantly gluttons for punishment."

I slammed my locker door and leaned against it, trying to come up with a reason that thing tracked me all the way here. The last time I saw her was last summer in Boston when I went to visit my grandparents. That thing had attacked my grandmother while we were all out shopping, and I chased after it while Spencer called 911. We fought in the woods and I killed it, easily. It was after that incident that Spencer decided to put her Wiccan practice to the test, making a charm for me to wear that masks my scent from monsters who prefer demigods as their meal. I twirled said charm through my fingers, caressing the onyx gemstone in the center.

"Yo Luce!" I heard Jeremy call, which snapped me out of my hate-induced inner rant.

I tried to relax and smoothed out my pigtails, turning to face Jeremy with a smile. "Morning Jeremy." I greeted, trying to sound chipper. I held my English books close to my chest.

"You're in a good mood today." Jeremy noted, smiling that cute smile of his.

I shrugged. "I had an extra cup of coffee this morning." I joked. "I'm just trying to make the most of this place, I think I might like it here."

Jeremy actually laughed, adjusting his backpack strap on his shoulder. We slowly walked towards our first classroom, which now had a Kindly One as an instructor.

"So, I'm heading to the library after school, and was wondering if you would wanna come with me." Jeremy asked, hesitating just a little. "I need to find a reference book for my History paper and an extra pair of eyes couldn't hurt."

I nodded, "Sounds fun." I chuckled. "I um, was actually going to ask you for help with English. I think I bombed that quiz yesterday,"

"I'd be happy to help." he cut in. "We could make a study date out of it."

I froze on the word 'date' stopping in the middle of the hallway. I quickly shook off the nervous feeling and caught up with Jeremy, putting on a smile. "Sounds nice." I agreed.

As soon as we walked into English class, the Kindly One instantly locked onto us. She blinked and put on a sweet smile that didn't fool me. "Good morning." she greeted.

Jeremy gave her a nod and I just glared as we took our seats. Other students started filing in and the Kindly One wrote her name on the chalk board, Martha Dodds. Geeze, these things can't be original at all, it's always the same name.

The bell rang to signal the beginning of class and 'Mrs. Dodds' faced us. "Good morning, I'm you're substitute teacher, Mrs. Dodds." she greeted, smiling.

I sat stiff in my chair, tapping my black nails on the wood, glaring at the Fury just a few feet away from me. She held a stack of papers, which I knew were the quizzes we took the other day over our assigned reading, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. As she came closer to me, I stiffened, my body telling me to jump and start a fight, but my mind telling me that this wasn't the time or place. Dodds placed the test paper facedown on my desk and glared down at me, "If you would like any help, feel free to stay after class." she advised.

I matched her glare with my own, "Sorry, I already made plans to study with a friend." I replied, faking a smile and taking my quiz.

On the page was a small sticky note, with the words 'you're mine honey' scribbled in the middle. I removed the sticky note and crumpled it in my fist. I was gonna send this fucking Fury straight back to Tarturus in pieces. I shoved the note into my binder and huffed in annoyance.

"How bad did you bomb the quiz?" Jeremy whispered, looking over at me.

I took a deep breath and exhaled before turning to meet his eyes, "58." I answered. "It's just kinda hard, with my dyslexia and all."

Jeremy nodded. "Well, I'll help ya after school and you'll do great on the next one."

"Thanks." I whispered, smiling.

Mrs. Dodds cleared her throat, "Now, turn to chapter three and let's begin reading as a class." she instructed.

That bitch was so dead when I get her alone.

School dragged by as per usual, and every time I passed the English classroom, the disguised Fury would just grin at me, only for me to return it with a piercing glare. After the final bell rang, I walked with Jeremy to the public library. We struck up a little deal, he would help me study for English, and I'd help him with his History paper.

We found a secluded table on the upper level of the library and claimed it as ours. I slid into the chair, setting my messenger bag by my feet. I pulled out my English binder, the Romeo and Juliet copy, and my pencil case, which was decorated with little cartoon skulls.

"So, where shall we start?" Jeremy asked, sitting next to me.

"The start of chapter three." I answered, pulling out the three page worksheet. "I apologize in advance for all the mistakes."

Jeremy chuckled and flipped open his copy of Romeo and Juliet. We spent a good hour and a half working on the homework, and I managed to get at least a couple questions right, without Jeremy's help.

Next thing on the agenda was to help Jeremy find a reference book for his History paper. Although, I could barely make out any titles so I mostly just followed Jeremy as we weaved our way through the shelves. A slight rustle caught my attention, making me freeze for a second. Then, a book suddenly fell from one of the higher shelves, landing right at our feet.

"What the hell?" Jeremy questioned, picking up the book.

I sighed in relief that it wasn't that Fury from earlier. Then again, she's smart enough not to attack me in such a crowded area.

"Death by literature, that'll be a new one." I chuckled, dryly.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry." a girl apologized, walking up to us. She looked relatively our age, and she was short, well shorter than me. But, there was something just off about her. "There was this one book wedged between the other, and I pulled and then kaplunk, kaboom." she sighed, looking up at us. "Are you both ok?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." he answered. He looked back to me, "You okay Luce?"

I nodded. "Yeah, fine." I put on a smile.

The girl smiled back. "I'm Anna." she introduced, holding out her hand.

Jeremy shook it. "I'm Jeremy." he replied. He then motioned to me, "This is my friend-

"Lucy." I cut in, shaking Anna's hand next. When I did, I got the sense she wasn't completely human. "We were just looking for a book that could be used as reference material for a history paper."

Anna smiled, "Well, lucky for you guys, I happen to know my way around here." she bragged. "What do you need?"

I raised an eyebrow, still keeping my eyes locked on her.

"Local, 1860's." Jeremy answered.

"You want reference, this way." She motioned for us to follow her, and we did. Although, I still kept a close eye on her.

"You work here or something?" I asked, still watching her.

"Nope. Home-schooled." Anna corrected. "I study here for a mock school environment. Ah, here we go." she smiled, touching the spine of a reference book. "Original settlers, town archives, founders stuff. It's all here." she faced us. "So, what's your topic?"

I looked up at Jeremy, since it was still technically his paper.

"The town's fear and hysteria surrounding the war and how it influenced certain writers of the time." he answered, smiling. "The origin of local folklore and myths."

"You mean the vampires." Anna stated. I wasn't a question.

That set off a red flag for me, but I didn't let it show. Jeremy, on the other hand, just laughed. "You're kidding me, right?" he chuckled. "There's no such thing as vampires."

Anna shrugged. "Well, there's not a lot of documentation, but the stories have been told since the civil war." she put on a slightly flirty smile. "My granddad used to tell me all these creepy stories when I was little. And he said that his granddad told them to him."

Jeremy shook his head. "Yeah, the term for that is folklore Vampires are a metaphor for the demons of the day." he slid back into his seat at the table. I took my old seat next to him.

"Which are?" Anna prided.

"The union soldiers." Jeremy answered.

I glanced in between them, my lips curving into a smile.

"I've read the stories myself." he went on. "They talk about the enemy, the demons that attack night."

"That sounds like vampires to me." Anna confirmed.

I shrugged. "She does pose a point." I chuckled. Making them both look in my direction. "I mean, not that I believe in Vampires or anything, just saying it does sound similar to Vampire myths."

"Yeah, Allegorical vampires." Jeremy corrected, nudging my shoulder, almost flirtatiously, I think. "Which is what it is. Creative expression during a very volatile time."

"Volatile time?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow, resting my temple on my knuckles.

Jeremy chuckled. "I mean, a county at war doesn't want realism. They want fantasy." he reiterated.

I nodded, "Thus, vampire fiction. Okay, I get it." I chuckled.

Anna chuckled nervously, "Man, you're smart. Both of you." she put on a smile. "When I first saw you two, I missed it."

Jeremy nodded, looking down at the table. "I've had a rough go of it lately, but I'm just now getting back to my old self."

I bit my lip, tapping my nails on the table top.

"So are you two like, together or something?" Anna questioned.

I snapped in her direction, "What-no, no." I answered.

"Yeah, we're just friends." Jeremy added. "She's helping me with my paper and I'm helping her with English."

Anna nodded, gathering her things, "Well, good luck with that then, I gotta get home." she started walking away, but turned back. "You know, my great grandfather actually showed me a journal once, of an ancestor and he had written all of this creepy stuff about vampires. It was actually really believable."

"Wait." Jeremy called, halting her. "A journal?"

"Yeah." she replied. "Why?"

"Are you sure you have to go?" Jeremy asked.

I sighed heavily, really not wanting to even act playing nice with a vampire. But, I had to keep up the act because we packed up our things and decided to continue this conversation at the Mystic Grill.

"Well, if we're gonna continue this topic, let's do something fun." I suggested, eyeing the pool table.

"I'm game." Jeremy agreed.

"Sure, why not." Anna followed.

Jeremy and I grabbed a cue stick while Anna sat back, watching. I racked the balls and let Jeremy break.

"So, you have no idea where the journal is?" Jeremy asked Anna as he hit the cue ball, breaking the racked balls.

She shook her head. "Nope." she answered "Gramps died and all the kids split his stuff. I can ask though."

I rolled my eyes and lined up my shot with the a striped ball. "I just find it weird that both your ancestors kept the same kind of journals." I pointed out, sinking the ball I aimed for.

"It's crazy." Jeremy agreed, patting my shoulder, "Nice shot."

Anna sipped on her soda. "Maybe it's based in some partial reality?" she questioned.

"No, it's gotta be a metaphorical." Jeremy rebuked, lining up his shot. "My ancestor wrote short stories."

"So, that's why you're hung up on the fiction of it all." Anna noted.
Jeremy shook his head and took his shot, the cue ball barely hitting the sold ball he aimed for. "No, I'm hung up on fiction of it all because I've seen 'The Lost Boys and 'Near Dark,' like, 50 times."

I giggled and nudged his arm in a friendly manner. "Man, you're a total geek." I japed, lining up my shot. "I, for one, have never seen either of them." I sunk another striped ball into a corner pocket.

Anna applauded, "You're really good." she complimented.

"Thanks." I replied, taking a sip of my own soda.

Anna gasped, "Hey. Maybe we can have a fright night and rent a whole bunch of vampire movies." she suggested, looking at the two of us."

I raised an eyebrow, "Um, I guess." I replied, not entirely sure about the idea. My cell rang from my purse and the caller ID read 'dad'. "I gotta take this." I answered the call.

NO POV

Anna and Jeremy watched as Lucy walked a few feet away, her phone pressed to her ear.

"What do you think?" Anna asked, turning to Jeremy.

"Uh, yeah, sure." Jeremy answered, not meeting Anna's look.

"Why does that sound like a 'no way in hell'?" the brunette questioned. "Sorry, I'm blunt."

"No, it's just-" Jeremy started. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I just recently got out of something, and-it's a little too soon, you know?" his shoulders sank. Jeremy looked back towards Lucy, who was shifting on her feet, twirling her onyx pendant around her finger.

Anna followed his eyes and sighed, knowing that he also had feelings for the dark haired demigod. "No worries." she said, putting on a smile. "I meant as friends. You, me, and Lucy. She seems cool."

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah." he agreed.

LUCY POV

I hung up the phone and rejoined Anna and Jeremy. "Sorry, that was my dad, checking in." I chuckled, reclaiming my pool stick.
Anna nodded, grabbing her stuff. "Look, I really gotta go." she gave us a glance, with a smile. "Nice meeting you, Jeremy. You too, Lucy." and on that note, she walked out of the Mystic Grill.

I felt myself relax, knowing we were slightly out of danger with that vampire gone.

"So what did Mr. Saltzman want?" Jeremy asked, lining up his shot.

I turned my attention back to him. "Oh, just wanting to know where I was and stuff." I answered. "He's gonna pick me up soon." I leaned against the pool table.

Within the hour Jeremy and I finished our game, with me winning, obviously.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, helping me with my jacket.

I nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." I confirmed, smiling. "Thanks for the English help too."

"No problem, if you want any more help, you can call and we'll meet up here." Jeremy chuckled.

I handed him my cell so he could input his contact information, and I did the same with his.

"Night Lucy." he smiled and gave me a hug.

Yeah, me and my siblings aren't the hugging type, but I felt myself relax into his arms, and moving mine to return the hug. I almost felt a sense of safety in his embrace, and pulled away quickly.

"Night Jeremy." I replied, following my dad out of the grill.

On our way out, I bumped into Mrs. Dodds and our eyes locked in a threatening glare. She nodded politely at dad and I before entering the grill.

"What's that about?" dad asked.

"Remember last summer when grandma was mugged." I questioned, looking up at him.

He nodded, "Yeah, you told me it was a Fury who attacked her." he answered.

I motioned to Dodds with my thumb, "That's said Fury." I informed. "Back for more punishment."

I opened the passenger door and slid inside, leaning back in the seat. I caressed the arrowhead charm, feeling the power hum within. I knew I had to kill that Fury, and soon. I just didn't know how I could get her alone long enough to do it, and how I could not draw attention as well.

Being a teenager is fucking hard as it is. Add being a child of the god of War, that just makes it a thousand times harder. Life is a cruel mistress indeed.