A/N: Happy 2015, everyone!

dogbiscuit1967: Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I can't promise that it's going to happen soon, though.

CupCakeQueen57: First, thank you for giving this story a shot and providing me with a review. I hate to say this, but you're right. I won't answer your questions. Not directly, at least. I'll tell you one thing, though: Whoever you think killed Reyna, is wrong. It's not someone you expect. *wink*

ADayWithNoLaughterIsADayWasted: Yeah. Those songs I like because I relate to them. :D

DareRelaqz: Mostly from songs, TV shows and movies I watch, but this one is kind from real life. Not from me. When Never Let Me Go was about to come to an end and I was thinking of a new story, I pass by some people from our neighborhood and they were talking about this woman who was a known prostitute and they were saying how bad of a person she is and that she doesn't deserve a place in society. I hate people who judge others and I was thinking that everyone has their story to tell and one shouldn't hate or comment about someone else's unless they understand what it's like to live that person's life completely.

I'm so sorry for that long reply. Thank you, though, for reading and leaving a review. :D

kwancy: I'm very much thankful that you chose to leave a review for Demons. Thank you so much for the encouragement. :D

Warning: Abuse.

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DEMONS

Chapter 10: AT THE END OF THE STREET

PERCY

I couldn't believe I did what I did.

Leaving Annabeth in front of her house - that's something I knew I would do, but what I did in my car with her? That I couldn't believe. Sure, I did it all the time with my customers but she was different. She was not some horny teen who has sex with anyone. I respected her, held her in high regards and yet, I seduced her.

The thing that made it worse was she gave into it.

I couldn't forget the feeling of lips against mine. Her scent had overpowered my senses. I could still feel her warmth against my body.

I imagined it were her lips trailing kisses from my chest down to my abdomen. I imagined it was her hand grabbing me beneath my underwear, that it was her tongue licking a hot stripe from my belly button down to my navel, that it was her nails that raked my back when she finished.

Annabeth. It was her face that was in my mind the entire night I was servicing my customer, not solely because I needed her, but because she was the one thing that stayed in my mind.

"They weren't kidding," the woman lying beside me panted. I couldn't even remember her name. She said I was a gift from her friends for her bachelorette party. "You really are a performer. I'm glad they picked you." She settled her head against my shoulder as her hand wandered to my navel.

I removed her hand and stood up. Her eyes raked my body and stayed on my midsection. I didn't cover myself up; if that's what would satisfy her, so be it. "You know the rules, Ma'am," I told her. "Only one round. If you want another one, you'll have to double up the payment."

Her expression soured. "I guess I'll just see you some other time then."

I nodded but felt sick to my stomach. She was gonna get married two days from that night and she was thinking of having sex with another man? The world really is a fucked up place.

Or maybe I'm the one who's fucked up, for agreeing and letting them do this to me. I never let myself feel before. Emotions are liabilities in what I did. I'd had sex with married women countless of times. I'd even had a threesome with a mother and daughter before and I'd never felt like this. Maybe I did; I just kept them at bay.

The one that made the difference: Annabeth. When I recognized I had some feelings for her, I had to pause and think if I should let everything back in: pain, loneliness, hatred, self-loathing, shame. All these negative emotions just so I could feel a good one, one that I felt for Annabeth. Would it be worth it?

I put my clothes back on as she watched me. I was putting on my jeans when she stood up and stopped me. She handed me another envelope. "It's already taken cared of," I said.

"For one more thing I'd like to do," she said, sinking to her knees in front of me.

When I walked out of her house, I was very angry. At myself. At Gaea and everyone for making me do this. I caught my reflection on a car window and I wanted to beat myself up. I was disgusted with myself.

In my anger, when I saw a homeless man sitting at the side of the street, I handed him the money that the woman had given me, not stopping with his stunned face.

"Percy?" A voice called, stopping me from going back to the spot where I had parked my car. I turned back to see Nico, holding a grocery bag on his hand. "What were you doing in Amy's house?" he asked me.

I cursed under my breath. "I-I was just - "

"Does it have something to do with this?" he asked, holding his phone up.

I stopped. What Nico had up on his phone was a website, but not just an ordinary one. He had the website - the one where the organization's clients can view the profile of the ones they can choose from to satisfy their sexual needs.

It couldn't be accessed by anyone. One had to have connections to someone on the inside to even get an invitation, which would then give them instructions on how they can access it by themselves. Nico having it on his phone could only meant two things: either he knew someone from the inside and was actually trying to rent one of us, or someone wanted him to see the site.

Somehow I knew that it was the second one. If he knew someone who could've told him, he would've known about me and would've outed me out.

With this realization, I didn't have to wonder who gave him the information. It was clear that either Gaea or Kronos saw it fit that someone had to know my secret. At that point, I wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

There was no point in hiding it. Nico had my profile up, containing information and photos. Even videos of me servicing my previous customers to encourage others interested on what I could do in bed.

I faced Nico, who strangely, I considered a friend. "Now you know my big secret, Nico," I told him. His reaction showed how shocked he was with what he found out. "It's who I am. Someone who sells his body to whoever can pay. I have sex for money."

"That -that's why you don't have problem with money," he concluded. I nodded. "Why you have a big house, an expensive car . . . all because of this."

"For the record, I didn't buy that Maserati; it really was a gift," I told him.

"From a customer?" he asked.

I confirmed his suspicion. I was considering whether I should keep on talking to him. If he found out the whole truth, he would suffer the same fate as Reyna did. I could tell him everything and hoped that it would be enough to scare him into staying away from me. Knowing Gaea and Kronos, though, Nico wouldn't be safe once he knew everything.

Or I could just turn around and disappear from their lives. That seemed like the more preferable option, but then I thought about Annabeth. I knew that if I just disappeared, she and this kid in front of me would look into this matter themselves and they would be in a bigger mess than they already are.

Then there was my last option. I could tell Nico half the truth and hoped it would be enough to stop him from further looking into it.

I made my decision. "Yes," I told him. "As a token of thanks."

Nico shook his head. "Wow," he muttered. "I knew you'd been keeping something from us but I never thought this is what you do." He paused. "Why are you doing it? You could've worked a different job without having to sell yourself."

I looked around, hoping nobody was listening. I gestured for him to follow me as I started to walk. "Keep your voice down," I warned him. "It wasn't my choice, Nico. I had to do it or I would've lost my brother."

"Why, what happened? And how long have you been doing this?" He caught himself, his face reddening. "You don't have to answer that."

I shook my head. "Somehow I know that if I don't, you will resort to other methods to find out yourself and if I know you, you will enlist Annabeth's help."

"That I will," he agreed. He then looked at me. "She doesn't know, does she?"

"Do you think she would want to be around me if she does?" I asked him. "No, she doesn't."

"You talk like you have a contagious disease," he said quietly.

I chuckled darkly. "You don't get it, Nico; I am the disease. And now that you know, if you're smart, you will be disgusted and will stay away from me."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to question my intellect because it's non-existent; which is why I'm still your friend."

"No," I answered. "Even the most stupid person wouldn't want to be associated with someone like me. If I was in your position, I would've steered clear of me."

"But you're not," he said. "I'm me and I don't really care about what you do for a living." He stopped himself, considering what he just said "I guess I do care a bit, but it's not for me. It's for Annabeth."

I nodded. "I know, Nico. Why do you think I'd been so adamant in staying away from her?"

"I guess I see your point," he agreed. "But I think we can both say that it's too late to leave now. If you disappear, she will never stop until she finds you."

"I know," I told him. "I shouldn't have talked to her. I should've just gone and never let myself be a part of her life. I should never have come back."

"Why did you, anyway?" he asked. "From what I knew you'd been gone since you were four. Why come back last year?"

I shrugged. "I don't know," I told him. "I guess I wanted to look back and imagine what my life could've been if my parents didn't die." Because I was deeming our conversation too serious and personal, I felt the need to at least say something. "And business is bigger here," I told Nico meaningfully.

Nico nodded. "I guess I can see that," he said. "Was Mrs. Woods also a customer?"

I wanted to tell him off and stop asking me questions but then I realized that it was my decision to tell Nico. I had to be as honest as possible and only lie if it would lead us back to the organization.

"She was," I answered. "And if your follow-up question is why she was caught, I don't know." Obviously a lie, but I couldn't tell him the events that lead to my recording one of my sessions with Mindy. "Someone managed to tape us fucking and gave it to the principal."

Nico kept on looking at me. "I-they said . . . I heard you were begging for her to stop."

I didn't know why but his comment made me smile. Maybe it's the uncertainty to voice out the question, or maybe it's because there were hidden messages in his tone. Like why would a teenage guy with very active hormones be against sex. "You'd be surprised what people are capable of," I told him. "And just because I'm a guy and not exactly losing anything when it comes to sex doesn't mean that I have to like it. Most of the time I have to do things that physically and mentally hurt me."

Nico looked down. "I-I'm sorry for prying," he said, ashamed. "I don't mean to ask you questions that make you uncomfortable."

I sighed. "It's fine, Nico. To be honest, it feels kinda good to have someone listen to me whine."

"You have every right to whine," he pointed out.

"Yeah well, if you still have questions I suggest we get some coffee," I said, licking my lips. "I can still taste Amy's discharge in my mouth."

I didn't really know what I was saying until Nico's face reddened and he looked like he was choking. Despite the circumstance and my worry of what might happen now that someone knew who I was, I had to laugh. His reaction was just too hilarious.

"Sorry about that," I told him. "I should've anticipated that such comment would've made you uncomfortable."

"Just don't say anything like that again," he muttered as we entered the nearest Starbucks.

"No promises there; it's what I do."

After ordering our coffee, Nico and I found ourselves seats and waited for our beverages. "What were you doing out?" I asked him, trying to avoid giving too much information.

"I was tasked to get some chips," he shared. Then I remembered that he and the rest of his group were having a sleep over at my house. "I was able to get some but Hazel demanded for a specific brand, which is why I'm still looking."

"I forgot you live around here," I muttered.

"Two java mocha chip for Percy," a voice announced. I stood up and took our orders. The cashier looked at me funnily and giggled as I took the cups. I decided to ignore it and went back to our table. I handed Nico his and took a sip from mine, grateful for the rich taste of whipped cream.

Nico leaned forward. "You have lipstick on your jaw and hickey on you neck," he said. "Must be why they were looking at you."

I grabbed a tissue and wiped my face with it. Surely there was red smear on it. I hiked up the collar of my shirt to cover any remaining evidence of my encounter with Amy.

"Percy, can I ask you a question?" Nico wondered.

"I suppose if I say no you will find a way to find the answer, won't you?" I asked back.

"I promise it's not really about . . . you know, that, but is somehow related to it," he said nervously.

I leaned back. "Fire away."

"Um, what's sex with a woman like?" he asked, face red. I burst out laughing. "What?" he asked innocently. "I'm curious."

"If you're that curious, I know people. I can hook you up with someone who will show you a good time," I offered. I wasn't serious. I'm against with this type of thing and would never put someone through what I was forced to do.

"What?!" he exclaimed, bringing everyone's attention to us. "No! Um . . . you're crazy! I happen to like who I am and I'm not changing that."

"Relax, I was just kidding," I offered. "If you want to know, I'm not the correct person to ask. Yes, I've had sex with a lot of women but I don't love any of them. Those experiences I had were just fucking and not making love. I suppose it feels good if I use the head in my pants for thinking," I said, smirking at Nico's wide eyes. "But with what I do, it feels awful. Three to four times a week, I have sex with different women and each time I want to beat myself up. Numerous women and I've never made love to anyone." I paused. "You know, I consider myself an old soul, saving myself until the night of my wedding so I can look my future wife in the eyes and proudly tell her that I will be giving her something I never gave anyone." I sighed. "None of that is happening, though."

Nico looked at my sympathetically. I hated that look. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said with a wave if dismissal. "I'm used to letting them use me for their pleasure."

Nico sipped his drink before speaking again. "Since we're already here talking, I believe we should also discuss Annabeth."

"I agree."

"Are you planning to tell her?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I admitted. "I could and hope that she will take it the same way you do."

"That I cannot guarantee," he said. I straightened. "I mean I know Annabeth will accept you no matter what but how hurt she will be? That I cannot guarantee. She cares for you. I know her well enough to know she cares deeply for you and this knowledge might break her."

"What are you suggesting?" I asked him.

"Ease her into it," he said. "I think she deserves to know the truth about you but you can't tell her everything at once. And then you can quit."

I shook my head, chuckling. "I wish it's that simple," I told him. "I cannot just quit whenever I want to. There will be consequences."

Nico frowned. "Are you in some sort of trouble?"

"No " I lied. During our conversation, I have made my decision. I wasn't gonna tell Annabeth anything. I wouldn't disappear from her, either, but I had to do something to keep her from danger. "There's something I need you to do for me, Nico." He raised his eyebrows at me. "I need you to talk to Annabeth. I need you to tell her to stay away from me. Now that you know the truth, you understand it's the best thing to do."

"What?" he asked, confused. "I thought we established that you're not leaving?"

"I'm not," I said. "I'm staying to keep an eye out for her and watch her from a distance but whatever it is that we have has to stop now."

Nico stared at me. "You feel something for her," he concluded.

I didn't see any point in denying it. "I do, which is why I'm doing this. Annabeth deserves forever and not someone like me. She deserves to be happy. She deserves a life and I cannot take that away from her."

"I do see your point, Percy," said Nico. "I really do. But if you care for Annabeth, you will quit for her and start a new life."

I gave him a small smile. "This is the only life I will ever have." I stood up. "I need to go. You can get your chips and I need to walk back to my car."

I parked my Maserati a few blocks away from Amy's house. Specific instructions. I couldn't let anyone see me. I had to use her backdoor.

Nico sighed. "Fine," he conceded.

We were about to part ways when a woman's scream pierced the air. I frowned and looked around, searching for the source.

"Help! Somebody!" the woman screamed again.

My blood ran cold. I recognized her voice.

"That sounds like . . . " Nico started.

"Annabeth," I finished.

ANNABETH

"I'm not sure, Piper," I said, kicking off my shoes and sitting down on my bed. "It felt great kissing him and feeling him up against me but I'm not really sure why I pushed myself on him like that."

Piper chuckled from the other line. "You're attracted to him, Annabeth. That's to be expected." I sighed as images from what happened in Percy's car played in my head. "You've got to give me more details, though."

I smiled. "No way, Piper; I'm keeping the details to myself."

"Oh, come on!" she protested. "That's not fair. When Jason and I did something along that line, I told you everything."

"Even details about your boyfriend's body!" I exclaimed. "I mean, I love you Piper and I'm happy for you and Jason but I don't need the picture in my head."

"Annabeth Chase," she said. "I know you're a straight-A, independent, sometimes cold, young woman - or at least that's what people think you are - but that doesn't mean you don't get curious about these things. It's completely natural. It's part of our discovery process." There was a pause from the other side as I digested her words.

Piper had a point. People look at me like all I cared about were books and school - and I did. I took those very seriously - but there was a part of me that wanted to have fun, to discover things on my own and learn from mistakes and bad decisions I made. I didn't want to be stuck into a thinking that I should always play by the rules. After all, best things happen when you think outside the box.

"And for the record, I love Jason," Piper continued. "I'm just curious about this guy that captured my friend's attention."

"Fine, fine," I conceded, lying on my side. "He's a very good kisser, Piper. I mean, I wouldn't really know because I had nothing to compare it to but when he kissed me, it's like I was transported to another world. He knew where to kiss, where to touch and how to make me explode with pleasure." I sighed as I ran a finger through my hair.

"Did you touch him?" Piper asked.

"No," I answered. "Percy stopped me before I could."

"He did?" Piper asked. "Wow. Can't say there's too many guys out there who would do so."

"I guess," I agreed. "I wanted to, though. Not just out of curiosity but because I wanted him to feel good. Because I wanted to be with him."

"Sounds like he was protecting you from it, though," Piper offered.

"I get that," I told her. "And part of me is grateful that he respected me enough to but I'm also frustrated. I mean, it's not everyday that I get the courage to do what I did."

"I see your point," said Piper. "But you've got to admit, Percy's a one of a kind guy. I mean he's got nothing on Jason - and yes I'm being completely biased here - but I think Percy is one of those guys who can love deeply."

"And do you think he feels something for me?" I asked hopefully.

"It's very clear he does," said Piper. "The way you described everything to me makes it perfectly obvious he feels something for you. You have to make sure to reach into that part of him to communicate what you feel."

I exhaled. "I wish he will make it easier and just be outright with what he feels."

"He will," Piper said. "You just have to play your cards right."

"Who has to play his cards right?" asked a voice from the other line. I recognized it as Jason's. "Who are you talking to, babe?"

"Annabeth," Piper said. "Percy problems."

Jason laughed. "Are you even making any progress?" he asked, chuckling.

"Oh, shush," she scolded her boyfriend. "She and Percy made out already," she announced proudly.

"Piper!" I exclaimed.

"You have?" Jason asked unbelievingly.

"Yeah," I answered. "And your girlfriend was just asking me to describe Percy's body," I added, wanting to get back at her.

"Annabeth!"

"Babe!"

I laughed. "Oh, guys, what would I do without you?" I asked them.

"Hey, what don't you get here and have some fun?" Jason offered while Piper made kissing noises from behind him.

"Yeah. I guess I would."

"What about your Dad?" asked Piper.

"He's not here,. They all went out to catch a movie and have dinner," I told them. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be there."

"And see if you run into Nico," Jason said. "We sent him to get some chips but he hasn't come back."

"Okay."

I put my shoes back on and changed into a different shirt. I was on my way to the door when I remembered that I should send a text to my father. I didn't want to, but I didn't want to worry him, either so I sent Matt a text to tell him and my step-mother where I would be. He would get it after they were done with the movie.

I went out and made sure that the door was locked. I hugged my jacket as I started to walk. Nico's house was a few blocks away from my house but because I wanted to think, I chose to walk.

My mind automatically went back to the source of my troubles these days: Percy. If I was correct with what I'd seen and what I'd observe, I believe he was indeed starting to feel something from me. It might sound conceited coming from me but I needed something to keep me going at this time. This time when my family made me feel in every way possible that I was unwelcome in my own home. Percy was the refuge that I needed and was looking for.

He might act the way he was but I'd seen enough cracks on his facade to make me believe that he was, deep inside, a good person. He'd been through so much hardships in life, which was why he seemed to be closed off to others. In a way, we were alike. Maybe it was part of the reason why it was so easy for me to fall for him.

I never understood it before, but the longing I felt while I was growing up away from Percy - it pointed to one thing. Others who hear this might disregard what I felt as something else - infatuation, crush - but I knew what I felt. I now understood it.

I thought back to what happened earlier in Percy's car. I felt my face getting hot - that wasn't who I am. I never pushed myself to someone, even said someone was my crush. With him, though, everything else faded. I threw all my inhibitions away, all my fears and just let myself do what my heart instructed me to do.

It was just extremely frustrating he pulled away before something even happened. When I dug deeper, though, I found out I was relieved. I knew I was nowhere near ready for something as intimate as sex.

I kicked a loose stone in frustration.

Suddenly car alarms blared. I looked up to see that the stone I kicked hit a parked car, denting the side door. Four guys who were smoking stood up from a drinking session at the side of the street, checking who had caused the car's alarm to go off. In my preoccupation, I didn't notice that I steered away from the common street and ended up on a more secluded part of the city.

"What the fuck?!" One of the guys, who was wearing a leather jacket, yelled.

"I-I'm so sorry," I stammered. "I didn't m-mean to."

The second guy started to look me up and down, as though seizing me up. I started to back away, my heart hammering in my chest. I hit someone and I whipped around, surprised to see a fifth guy standing there, smirking at me.

"I-I'm going to pay for the repairs," I told them, trying to find an escape route.

"Oh, you will," said the third guy. "But not with money."

The fourth one grabbed my arms and started to kiss my neck. My stomach clenched in disgust. I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of screaming for help. I brought my knees up and hit him in the groin. He doubled over, gasping for breath. His friends were stunned. I took the opportunity and elbowed his nose, breaking it.

Then I started running.

Or tried to. Someone grabbed me from behind, ripping my jacket off of me. I kept running, stumbling on my own feet. I wasn't very familiar with the neighborhood I was in; I just kept on running.

I spotted an alley. I stopped to momentarily catch my breath and to make sure that I wasn't going to end up on a dark and dead end of an alley. I saw that this was going to lead me to a more populated part of the city.

I looked back to check my pursuants, only to be greeted by a bundled cloth that hit my shoulder. Pain shot from my shoulder blade. There must've been a stone or something inside or it wouldn't have hurt that much. I ran, but stumbled on a loose gravel and fell face down. I could hear their footsteps and knew that they were close.

I tried to stand up but I didn't know I'd twisted my ankle and it wouldn't support my weight. I crawled, hiding behind a dumpster. I clamped my hand in front of my mouth to hide the sound of my breathing.

My heart was beating so hard against my chest and I knew if it was making a sound, I would've been discovered.

I remembered all the movies I'd seen where a character was placed in a similar situation. I'd always thought it was scary but not a single movie had projected how terrifying it really was. The uncertainty whether you are going to get out of it alive, or if you will end up dead on the cold street.

Footsteps receded. I counted to a hundred in my head and when there was no more sound, I slowly stood up and took a peek and saw no one. I exhaled in relief and slowly went out of my hiding place.

Wrong move. I was thrown against the wall, my head hitting the stone. I fell back on the ground, black spots dancing across my line of sight. I was thrown again to my back. Someone straddled me end started to kiss my face and neck. I struggled but found that I was immobile. Two pair of hands was holding my ankles and wrists while the man on top of me ripped my shirt open and started to feel me up, his mouth covering mine. His tongue entered my mouth and I bit hard, putting everything I had on it.

He sat back, blood pouring out of his mouth. In anger, he clenched his fist and punched me hard on the face. I must've lost consciousness for a few seconds. The next thing I knew, one of them was lowering my underwear.

"Help!" I screamed. I was too weak to fight but I wasn't gong to let them defile me. "Somebody!"

The men laughed out loud while the one on top of me was now starting to remove my underwear. He didn't get to finish, though; he was thrown off of me and was slammed against the wall.

I closed my eyes, sure that more of his friends had joined him. There were a lot of screaming and cursing. It slowly dawned on me that whoever arrived was fighting. I curled into a ball and started to back away from the sound of the fighting.

I wanted for this night to end. Or better yet, for me to just wake up on my bed, everything a bad dream. Or maybe I was still with Percy, listening to music in his car.

There was a metallic clang and a second later, a hand touched my shoulder. I acted on instinct. I swung my fist blindly and felt the pain in my knuckles as it found its target.

"Ow, fuck!" a familiar voice yelled. "Annabeth, open your eyes; it's me!"

He tried to hold me again hut I fought against his strong hands. "Let go!"

"It's Percy!" the person screamed. "And Nico!"

I slowly opened my eyes and saw him kneeling in front of me. His nose was broken and his lip was split open. Relief surged through me and I threw myself at him. "T-t-t-they tried t-t-t-to -" I wanted to tell him what nearly happened but my mouth wasn't cooperating.

"Ssh," Percy whispered, rubbing my bare back. "It's fine; I'm here now. Nothing's gonna happen to you."

"Shit, Percy," another voice cursed. A voice I immediately placed as Nico's. "She's hurt. We should bring her to a hospital."

Percy pulled away from me. Or at least he tried to. I clung tightly on shirt, shielding my body with his. "No," he said. "We'll bring her to your house." He grabbed something from his pocket and tossed it to Nico. "Walk a few blocks back and bring my car here." Nico didn't move. He just kept looking at me, bruise starting to show on the left side of his face. "Now, Nico!"

He turned and ran.

Percy grabbed my face between his hands. "Did they hurt you?" he asked, his face red and his voice shaking in anger. "Annabeth, talk to me. Does anything hurt? Did they touch you?" I couldn't answer. I was having difficulty breathing. "Goddamnit, Annabeth, talk to me!"

I flinched at the sound of his voice. His expression softened as he pulled me back into his arms, rocking me back and forth. I settled against his chest, breathing in his ocean-scented perfume.

"Please, please, don't let her be hurt," Percy was chanting above me. "Please. Not her. Not her."

I looked up at him and saw that there were tears in his eyes. "P-P-Percy . . . "

"Shh," he soothed, brushing the hair away from my eyes. "It's fine. You're okay. They're not gonna hurt you while I'm here." He again tried to pull away, but my iron grip was holding him in place. "Annabeth, it's okay. I'm just gonna take off my jacket. You're shivering."

I loosened my grasp and let him. Percy shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around me, guiding my arms through the sleeves, which were too long for me. He then zipped it up. "Can you stand up?" he asked me. I gave a slight nod and slowly made my way up. Percy was there, letting me lean against him. My pants were around my knees. He tugged it back up and zipped it, too. When done, he drew me again into a hug, for which I was thankful for.

The screech of car brakes broke us apart. Percy's silver Maserati stopped at the mouth of the alley. Percy scooped me up on his arms and carried me back to his car. I caught sight of one of the men who assaulted me and my stomach clenched in anger. They were all passed out, faces dripping blood.

A car door opened and I was sat inside. I didn't let go of Percy's arm and made him climb in beside me. When he did, I curled against him, trying to absorb his body heat.

"I really think we should take her to a hospital," Nico insisted.

"Your house, Nico, trust me."

"What about them?" he asked, nodding to the men.

"I'll send someone to deal with them," said Percy. Nico looked like he wanted to say something but Percy cut him off. "Drive now!"

Nico didn't have a choice but to obey.

I must've drifted in and out of consciousness because the next thing I knew, bright lights were blinding me and I could hear my friends' voices.

"Oh, my God! What happened?!" That was Piper.

"What have you done with her?!" Thalia.

"It wasn't him," Nico explained. "Men tried to rape - "

"Not now, Nico," Percy said, setting me down on a couch. He knelt in front of me and took my hands. "Annabeth?" he called softly. "Can you hear me?"

I nodded "Y-yes," I was able to answer, thankful that my voice was starting to work again.

"Good," Percy said. "Can you tell me what hurts?"

At this point I was starting to become aware of my surroundings. Thalia, Jason and Piper, Hazel and Frank and Leo and Calypso were all there, which meant that we were at Nico's.

"M-my ankle," I answered in an unsteady voice. "And my face. The guy hit me."

Percy's expression morphed into a murderous one. If I thought I'd seen him angry before, that was nothing compared to how he looked when he heard my answer.

He cracked his knuckles and stood up. "That's it. I'm going back there and I'm gonna kill them!"

He started to head to the door but Nico blocked him. "Percy, no," he said, placing a hand on his chest.

"Get out of my way, Nico!"

"No!" Nico screamed back at him. "Look at her, Percy. Annabeth needs you here right now. You can deal with them later."

Conflicting emotions crossed his face. There seemed to be an internal struggle whether he should go back out or stay but after a minute, he turned back to me and assumed his earlier position. "Thalia?" he called, looking up. "Do you have extra clothes?"

"Yes," Thalia answered.

"I need the girls to take her to a spare room and clean her up," Percy instructed. "Get her out of those clothes. Now."

Piper, Thalia, Hazel and Calypso all nodded. They each assisted me in standing up. They were about to turn me to the stairs but I didn't let them. "No," I whispered. "P-please don't go."

Percy gave me a comforting smile. He went to me and placed a small kiss at the side of my head. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. I just need to make a phone call and I'll be with you, okay? I promise."

I acknowledged it by letting my friends lead me upstairs. Hazel was sniffling as she and the rest took me to what I knew was a guest room. They made me sit on the bed. Calypso worked on easing Percy's jacket off of me while Thalia removed my pants. Piper was sent to get a basin and a washcloth.

"Oh, Annie," Thalia whispered, brushing my hair. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

I didn't answer. All I wanted was for Percy to get back. I needed the comfort only he can bring. I wasn't paying any attention to what my friends were saying, the events of tonight playing in my head. The next thing I was aware of was Thalia asking me to stand up so she could put the shorts on me. I complied, wincing as my ankle protested.

When done, I sat back on the bed and brought my knees to my chest. "Is there anything we can get you?" asked Hazel.

I shook my head. "Just Percy. Please get Percy."

They all nodded and exited the room. A minute later, Percy came in. I made space on the bed for him. He didn't just sit down, though. He lied down on the bed and made me lie next to him. I placed my head on his chest and hugged him.

"I thought I understand what I'm feeling but I'm wrong," Percy said, weaving his fingers through my hair. "When I saw you lying on the ground, hurt, I almost died. I was so scared I've lost you, that I was too late to save you."

"You weren't," I told him.

"I almost was," he said. "Right then I got it. I don't really care now because I need to be with you, Annabeth. I was so afraid that I would just end up hurting you that it blinded me of the truth: I already have."

"No," I argued. "You haven't."

"Yes, I have," he said. "When I tried to keep you away from me, I hurt you in the worst way possible." He paused and I again felt his lips touching the top of my head. "I fought what I felt and it's exhausting. So to avoid that and to make sure I'm not gonna hurt you again, I will stop doing it."

I looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

He closed his eyes and kissed my forehead. "It means that I'm tired of denying myself of the one person that I need to complete my life so I'm just gonna love her and keep her close to me."

"So that means . . . "

"That means no one's gonna hurt you as long as I'm around," he said softly. "I will protect you. I'll be the shadow that protect you. I'll be everything you need."

I sighed contentedly. Even when this night was almost hell, one good thing came out of it. "Now close your eyes," he instructed me. I did and even with the darkness that took over, I could still see him. I felt another kiss on my forehead. "Sleep, my Annabeth. I'm here. I'll keep the dreams away," he whispered.

[Next - Chapter 11: HEART OF DARKNESS]