Reviews: ginger, BootsAndBowGirl, PJO Forever, MidnightBlueConverse99, BellaxJake, Gifted and Talented Blonde, Wasipi, Stephanie, Violet daughter of Percabeth, favfan, TeamKatniss7, Forsaken Rose, Bowties are Cool, Trivia101, E J ect, MeepMeep123, Fallen Maiar, Echo1994, booklover526, ThaliaDaphneJackson12, KirstyH96, Juli Beawr, Hermes' Little Girl, Guest1 and all the guests; Thank you all sooo much for reviewing! Yes, I'm back, and I'm sorry for the long absence (I know you don't want to hear my excuses!) Yes, I'm much better now!
Jackie: That sounds awesome! I love that you think Thalia is relatable! As for Paul's POV... Read on!
Annonimous4867:I like the way you think, and I do agree with you. However, things change in certain circumstances...
I also have a Infernal Device/Avengers crossover up if anyone's interested. Though it's quite angsty, with little humour. And for the Incredibles/Avengers crossover, I had almost ten pages written out, but then my computer went and deleted them all... Along with this chapter! This chapter was so hard to rewrite, if I ever attempt to rewrite the other fanfic, it won't be for a while.
Chapter 9: Demons and Believers
Thalia POV
But the bewildered look was fast disappearing from every wolves' face.
Not advice I usually listen to, but when in doubt, retreat. So I did. Pretty damn quick, too, if I do say so myself.
But not quick enough. As I leapt over a fallen trunk, something shoved me, off course, into the ground. My head connected with something hard, and then the blackness sucked me in the same way Tartarus welcomed his guests..
Paul POV (Just after the vampires attacked the Hunters)
I thought you said you were gonna fight the imprint? Jake asked as we raced away from where the mysterious girls had blown up the leeches.
I am, dumbass. Haven't you seen the mess it made, with Sam, and Leah, and Emily, and Quil wasting his life on some kid more than a decade younger than him? And Jared and Kim. We both shuddered mid leap, remembering their rather obsessive attempts to make sure the entire world new their love of each other.
Okay, okay, you don't have to prove your point to me. Jake tried to will the images of the two of them away. But you were mooning over that girl earlier.
I wasn't moo-
Sure you were. I don't think you're really succeeding in ignoring her. But on the upside, I'm pretty sure she hates you.
I fought down the panic and pain that this statement brought. Why?
Cause she ignored you when you were doing that oh-so-sweet nose touch thing. And she knows we took her friend, so that isn't exactly winning you any bonus points. Not that you care... Right? If he had been in human form, he would have raised a suspicious eyebrow at me.
'Course. Just, you know, wondering. Did you see the way they took care of those leeches? What the heck are they?
No idea. Not human, that's for sure. If they could get rid of vamps like that, I hate to think how powerful they are. Hey, what about demons? That Nixie girl had fire coming out of her hands. Demons can do that, right?
Guess it's possible. I tried to ignore the voice in the back of my mind telling me to disembowel Jake for suggesting my imprint could be evil.
We'd better tell Sam they're even more powerful than we thought. Even more powerful than the leeches. If they turn out to be dangerous, it could be difficult to get rid of them.
My heart heard what he said first, and before my mind could catch up, I had jumped in front of him, snarling, rocks and earth flying everywhere from my sudden movement.
Jake skidded to a halt, eyeing me warily as I stalked towards him, growling low in my throat. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I snarled.
He held his ground, at stared right down into my eyes. You know exactly what I mean, Paul. Those girls are dangerous, and they haven't exactly been nice to us. Look at what Thalia did to Quil, unprovoked, while in his human form. They're dangerous.
I whimpered slightly. You don't know that. We haven't been that welcoming to them either. But even in my head, it sounded weak.
What if they are evil Paul? And we had the chance to get rid of them before they hurt someone? You saw what they did to those leeches. They're powerful, and we can't trust strange creatures. Our job is to protect the people of La Push, and anyone else we can, from things the police can't. What if Emily, or Claire, or your dad, had to pay for a mistake we made?
I lowered my head to the ground, unable to meet him in the eye.
Don't let the imprint control you Paul. The pack needs you. I hope we can count on you?
I stood to my full hight and looked Jacob straight in the eye, letting my love for pack and family flow through our connection.
Of course. You know I would do anything for the pack and La Push, I swore.
Anything? Jake asked thoughtfully, carefully blocking me from seeing what was in his mind.
Anything.
Thalia POV, Normal Time
I was lying down, somewhere so soft, and I felt at peace. It was such a relief, having not a worry in the world. To just relax. I breathed in deeply, and smelt the woody, warm scent of an animal that lived in the forest. I dug my fingers deeper into soft, warm fur, and breathed in with the beat of a gently beating heart.
Slowly, I opened my eyes, watching the sun gently dance off the soft silver fur that cushioned my neck. Then my vision clouded and I was lost to the world.
Then second time I woke up, I was propped up against something hard and unyielding, my arms tied behind my back. Elephants felt like they were stampeding through my head. I tried to open my eyes, but they couldn't focus, and all I could see was one big green grey and brown blur.
Fear clouded my heart, and all I could think was that I was all alone.
"Help? Anyone? Please... please." I whimpered.
"Thalia? I am right in front of you." A voice hissed out of the blur, making me jump.
"Who's there?" I asked back, not bothering to try hiding the whimper of ear in my voice.
"Thalia, it is me, Phoebe. I'm slightly to your left. We are both being held captive."
I let her familiar voice wash over me. Then a wave of shame fell over me. I was taking comfort from a friend I hadn't been strong enough to save, when Lucy and Nixie had been captured, or worse. I had failed them, as a leader, and as a friend.
"Phoebe, I'm so sorry. I let you down, I let you get captured, and now they might torture you, and it'll be all my... my fault." I sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Thalia, you must snap out of it! I have never heard you talk so defeated. That bump on your head must have knocked you silly."
"I'm sorry." I hung my head in shame.
"Thalia! Look at me!" Phoebe snarled. I just shook my head, the tears coming faster, the pain in my head increasing.
"Look at me!" She thundered.
I forced my head up, and slowly my focus returned enough so I could see a silvery blur.
"Thalia, you must stop it, and concentrate. We don't have any time to make more mistakes, because they could be back here any minute."
"I c-can't... It's all my fault." My head fell back down, as I tried to block her harsh voice from hurting me.
"Thalia, for Olympus' sake- HEY! Get away from her!" Phoebe interrupted herself to yell.
I heard the soft thud of footsteps on the hard ground, and something incredibly soft tickled my side. I felt a weight in my lap, and two beautiful rich earthy eyes looked up at me.
The more my eyes focused, the more they drew me in, those sad windows clouded with emotion, until I could feel his sadness, anger, shame, and loneliness. I so badly wanted to hug him, and wipe the fear and worry from his eyes.
But the ropes that bound me dug into my skin maliciously, and I cried out in pain.
"Lady Moon, curse this vicious beast! Step away, wolf, and do not hurt her!" Phoebe roared, and I could hear her struggles as she strived to escape the ropes.
"Phoebe, don't curse him. He didn't hurt me. He wouldn't... Would you?" I asked him. He stared up at me with his big eyes and keened, a soft but heart breaking sound that joined with the wind.
"Thalia, he's one of the wolves that kidnapped me! Are you siding with the enemy?"
I looked up, and found that my eyesight was completely back to normal.
"No, he's not..." Slowly I processed what she had said fully. The wolves had kidnapped her? "But, didn't those men kidnap you?"
She rolled her eyes. "No, you idiot! The wolves did! They captured you too- remember?"
"But, the nymph said.." I trailed off. What exactly had she said? It all seemed rather blurry.
"What nymph? Thalia, I was caught by wolves, not people. You honestly have so little faith in me that you believe I could be overpowered by some males?"
My wolf gave a slight grumble at that, and it was impossible to tell if it was an affronted growl or a smug snigger.
But I felt so ashamed for doubting Phoebe, the thing that she hates the most.
It's all my fault that she was captured anyway. If I'd looked out more, been more careful, she wouldn't have gone out after the wolves.
My wolf gave a whimper as I started to sniff again.
"For the Gods' sake Thalia, you're not going to cry now?" Phoebe sounded exasperated and fed up.
"But it's my fault that all of this is happening! If I had just been a better leader, then none of this would have happened! And we have no idea where the others are, they could be hurt or dying! And now we're both tied up, and my head hurts so much..."
"Thalia, calm down. That knock to your head must have addled your brain, making you feel so upset. We have to get some ambrosia into you, soon." She didn't sound worried, more focused on getting out of this place.
At the sound of her voice, my wolf jumped up and started gnawing at the rope, tearing into the thick hemp.
"What is that filthy thing doing?" Phoebe snarled. My wolf ignored her, concentrating on the task at hand.
"Phoebe, he's helping." I pleaded.
She watched, silently fuming, as I was released from my bounds. Slowly, I stood up, leaning on the tree for support, as the silver wolf watched on with worried eyes. Then, he walked towards Phoebe, who snarled.
"Don't you dare touch me, hideous beast!" But the silver wolf only snarled back down at her, and it was only too clear that, had he been human, he would have been calling her a stupid idiot, and various other words of the same effect.
But the noise hurt my ears, and I had to beg them to stop.
I stumbled to Phoebe's tree, slowly fumbling with the ropes as Phoebe sat impatiently, and the wolf's worried eyes followed my every move.
Eventually, Phoebe stood up, rubbing the feeling back into her hands.
"Finally!" She grumbled, before marching towards her left.
"Come on Thalia, we have to get you home." She snapped out. I started to follow her, before my wolf gave a sharp bark.
"By Hades and the Furies three, what is it?" Phoebe howled as she turned back to face my wolf.
He tossed his head over his shoulder, before trotting off in the opposite direction. I turned, and started to follow him.
"Thalia! What are you doing?" Phoebe sounded scandalised.
"Going back to camp?" I wondered, as the wolf paced anxiously back and forth, looking far too big to be allowed.
"You have no idea where he is leading us! It could be to another trap." I turned to her confused.
"But he helped us escape, right? And we have no idea where we are, so..."
Phoebe glared at my wolf, trying to stare him down, and failing horribly.
"Fine. But don't think this means I except you, beast. You take us home, and then you go to those filthy mongrels you call pack."
This seemed a bit mean, but I was just too tired. My wolf whined, impatient, sniffing the air, and eyes darting, nervous. I followed him into the thick forrest, Phoebe stomping behind me.
I kept both my eyes on my feet, as my focus faded in and out, and I tried to ignore the exhaustion, along with Phoebe's one-sided bickering.
When we got to camp, I collapsed onto the ground.
"No, Thalia, stay awake!" Phoebe said, yanking me to my feet. I heard muffled voices, before fading out entirely.
Fortunately for me, I didn't wake up to Nixie, or a grouchy Phoebe, but Lucy. She smiled softly from her place on the tent floor, and watched carefully as I sat up.
I didn't know where to start. Though I still felt slightly green, we had to get to the bottom of this.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
Nixie bounced into the tent, flinging her arms out as if too say; 'I'm here! Look at mwa!' as Phoebe slunk in behind her.
"Now we're all here, let's talk. Lucy?" I said.
"Right, so after you got caught by those people-"
"How many times do I have to tell you? We were not caught by any humans, but by wolves!" Phoebe interrupted.
"Pheebs, the nymph swore that it was the humans that took you!" Nixie shot back.
"Nymphs are notoriously flighty! They only tell the truth if the wind is blowing the right way, or if the day is sunny enough." Phoebe said.
Lucy opened her mouth slightly, just enough for a few words to come out.
"She only said going to the wolves would not help our cause."
I slid back down so I was lying on my back again.
"See? Ask Thalia." Phoebe turned to me. "Were you caught by wolves or humans?"
I stared around at their questioning faces, thinking.
"I was found by people, but chased down and caught by wolves"
Phoebe smirked triumphantly.
"But then I was tied up. Wolves couldn't do that. Phoebe, were you ever unconscious, because you were tied up too."
"Possibly, but only for a minute. I never saw any humans, the wolves only came and glared at me in shifts, almost. It was hard to tell, but I think the wolves changed the guard regularly. Their mannerisms seemed almost... Human."
"I still think that they are werewolves." Lucy said, almost stomping her foot in anger.
"How many times do we have to tell you, Lucy? They can't be werewolves." Nixie threw up her arms again.
"But that's just Greek werewolves right?" Lucy looked determined. "What if they're, I don't know..." She floundered around for a second. "Maori?"
"New Zealand doesn't have any wolves, Lucy." I informed her.
"You know what I mean, Thalia!" She looked at me desperately.
I shook my head slowly. "I'm sorry, Lucy, I just don't think so..."
"You kept telling me to believe in myself! But how can I do that if you don't believe in me?" She said, tears swelling up in her brown eyes.
"Think of this as your first test. Believe in yourself when nobody else does." Nixie snapped.
Lucy burst into tears, before escaping the tent.
"Nixie! How could you?" I said.
Nixie waved it off. "We have more important things to deal with, and having werewolf fantasies is just going to have to wait."
Phoebe nodded, refusing to agree with Nixie aloud. "They could be working with the humans, or controlled by them."
I nodded slowly. "It's possible, I guess. But I don't think all of the wolves are bad. I mean, that one helped us escape."
Phoebe snorted. "No one came after us. We could have escaped easily enough by ourselves. I'm still not convinced the wolf didn't have an ulterior motive."
"Phoebe, incredibly enough, sometimes a helping hand is simply a helping hand." I snapped back.
"Except when it's a paw." Nixie muttered under her breath.
I sat up slowly, and started putting my boots back on. "We have to find Lucy. I don't want anyone else wandering off again."
As I marched out of the tent, Phoebe called me back. "I think you are forgetting our mission objective, Lieutenant. To find out what they are, and how they can be seen through the mist. So far though, they have been the ones hunting us. It is time for that to change."
I turned my back on her and marched out of the tent. "Lucy first. Then we will talk."
But I couldn't help but wonder. That boy, Quil, had seen four girls in the forrest. Was this one of the instances where the mist didn't work the way you wanted it to, or was it really starting to fade? I hoped not.
As I walked over to Lucy's tent, I saw a flash of silver in the corner of my eye. After all the yelling and anger of today, it was nice to know that someone cared. Even if said someone was a wolf.
Paul POV
"You're letting the imprint take hold, Paul. I thought we agreed that you can't do that. Not with that girl. Why did you let her escape?" Sam frowned at me, as I tried not to shrivel up under his eyes.
"You told me I had to gain her trust! What better way to do that then help her escape? Besides, it's not like we could interrogate either of them while in our wolf forms." I tried, Jake nodding me on from behind Sam, where he stood with the rest of the pack.
"And that girl, Thalia, she likes me. If I can grow close to her, maybe she'll let something slip, and we'll know why they are here, and-" My throat caught for a second. "And how to get rid of them."
Sam stared at me emotionlessly. "This had better work, Paul. Don't get attached. I can still count on you, can't I?"
"Of course, Sam. I know what I'll have to do if the girls are a threat."
