Note, I'm skipping a lot of flavor text and background info, I figure if you're reading a fan fiction about a book, then chances are you've read the book and know, at least in part, that information.

I own none of the characters, not even the OC I made as she is part of the PJaO books and anyone is free to duplicate her for their own stories. Writing a story using characters from published books, I certainly can't complain if someone likes my idea enough to run it in a different direction, but please, no slash.

Rick Riordan and Patricia Briggs own all characters.

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The gun on the cover image is what I based Terry's on. It's a real weapon that fires real shells, shotgun in the case of the gun in the picture. Terry's has more decoration, including an engraving of the Drakkon she killed on the handle (made of Drakkon Ivory) and Greek lettering spelling out "End of Infinity" along the barrel. It's also a lot more powerful, but then, most of the weapons used by demi-gods are.

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Sorry about the delays and crappy last chapter. I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days.

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OK, I admit it, I have a problem. I like actual conversations in stories. I actually want to know what is said, rather than just a summery. I'm aware that if I summarized more, I could have got to this point by chapter five. Of course, If I hadn't summarized as much as I did, I'd still be at the point of everyone looking at each other over a ruined table. I had a lot of conversation planned out in my head, but just not enough time to write it.

I also realized I needed to move the plot along, that's why the last chapter came out so weak. All the conversation I had planned I had to skip. It's also why I added the enemy in earlier than planned, I needed to show that there was something more going on than just the volcano.

So anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Pillow Talk

ADAM

It's been a LONG day. As I lie down next to my mate and contemplate it, I realize that nothing in my long life has prepared me for something like this. I can feel Λύκος on my wrist, that is something that I can't quite manage to describe. I've read enough stories about intelligent weapons to be cautious, but I also have the impression that Λύκος was somehow made by me, or for me, or most likely, by the power released by Terry mixing with the power in my lair, and of all the pack that was there at the time. She was made to defend the pack and my home, and werewolves in general.

I lay quietly for some time. Mercy is already asleep. She was asleep before she even got completely into bed. I'm worried. Whatever happened to her when she faded out while rescuing the kids seems to have had an effect on her. Something that has thrown her off all day, slowing her reactions and wearing her out. It's also made her slower thinking than normal, resulting in her missing details altogether, or just not making connections. She was starving every time we ate, so it's probably just that she used up a lot of energy. She doesn't have the endurance of a werewolf, but she's got a lot more than a human, and it's not like she's led a sedate life these last couple of years.

Something tells me, the next week or so will be anything but sedate.

The presence of the kids is stirring my wolf, making us restless and wary. I can hear the murmuring of conversation from their rooms, but when Christy had this house designed, she'd wanted privacy in her bedroom from other werewolves, and invested in strong sound absorption walls. Mercy can hear through them just fine, when she wants to, as could Warren and Ben if they concentrated, but I couldn't, at least not very well. I smiled in my thoughts, sometimes I think Mercy has no idea how good her senses actually are compared to ours. Her hearing and smell are as good in human form as a werewolves is in wolf form. I've always wondered if that was because of the magic of being a Walker, or Spirit Walker now, or if it was that a coyotes senses are better than a wolfs, or if it's just that Mercy has better senses than other walkers, like Warren does compared to the rest of the pack. Not that it matters I suppose, she's here, and she has them, so it really doesn't matter.

I get out of bed; I'm feeling restless, and a little hungry. As I walk out of our room, I notice Nico, sitting with his stuff, in the hallway listening to the conversation going on in the room he's supposed to be in. He gives a start when he notices me, but before either of us can say anything, I hear a giggle come out of the room he and Percy were given, it was Annabeth. Great, in addition to everything else going on, I'm going to get in trouble for having underage minors cavorting in my house. Their desire doesn't bug me all that much; I come from a period where sixteen was an acceptable age of marriage, even if it was becoming rare. Several of the pack come from times where sixteen was the norm, for girls at least, guys tended to have to proof themselves or have money first. Sam came from a time where if a girl didn't already have kids by the time she was sixteen, there was something wrong with her. No, the only real issue here was worry about human authorities, some of whom desperately wanted to round up all werewolves and lock us away.

I'm contemplating if I should interrupt or not when they start to speak again. I can smell the desire radiating off Nico, and it doesn't take much of a nose to tell it's for Percy, not Annabeth who's speaking.

"So tell me oh great and powerful seaweed brain, what are you thinking about that has your brain off somewhere else instead of being entranced by my stunning looks and my magnificent owl pajamas?"

"I was thinking about the first time I met you, how you had some chocolate you missed at the corner of your mouth and how I really wanted some chocolate at the time."

I hear her thump his arm with a laugh; "Seriously, we're in an even more messed up situation than normal for us, I want to know what you consider the most pressing issue." Not exactly the type of pillow talk I would have thought would come from two teenagers.

"The most pressing issue I think; is making friends while establishing us as separate and not actually under the authority of anyone. Being minors, that's going to be more of an issue than it would if we were adults, and I'm pretty sure we're going to have to compromise on that a bit. But it's essential we retain as much independence as we can, or that we move on to where we can get it. We can't be allowed to become dominated by anyone else, no matter what."

"Hmmm, and here I was thinking about how we would defeat a walking volcano." She said, "After all, that does seem to be the monster we're supposed to defeat."

"That doesn't really worry me; we've defeated Titans before right? And yes featherbrain, I know that's getting a little over confident, but honestly, that just seems like the opening movement in a much more complicated score. It's almost like getting the Thunderbolt back, yes it was dangerous and scary for a couple of eleven and twelve year olds, but it was only the beginning to something much more dangerous. This volcano has that same feel, it's just a taste of what's to come, the test the enemy gives you to see what he needs to do to defeat you. That's why we need to maintain as much independence as possible."

"Damn, I was hoping that I was just being paranoid when I thought that. Still, I'M worried about the volcano, after all, we have no idea what it actually is. Besides that, I'm worried about us, never seeing or hearing from any of our parents again. How are we going to relate to each other and get along over the long term, what direction our powers are going to go, what affects beyond CREATING a living creature and killing a river god we had on the surrounding area, and other little things like that."

"You're not ever going to let me live that down are you? Yes, I killed a minor river god, I lost my temper, sorry! The curse has become more powerful, in both the good and bad ways, though I don't think what happens if my weak spot is hit changed, my desire to lash out and prove my superiority over everyone has been amplified. That's how come I jumped at Mr. Hauptman's offer of a truce, I needed time to get control back before I slipped into evil megalomaniac mode. As for my power going out of control, I'm waiting to see what happened with yours and Nico's powers, Terry managed to gift our host with a nice sword, what'd you create an owl statue?"

I hear another arm thump, and Percy's laugh. "As for never seeing our parents again, I figure that'll affect Rachel and me more than the rest of you, or have you finally come to terms with your father and his family?"

"Not really, sort of, it's hard to explain ok. It's just that now, I don't have the opportunity, and I never will. Suddenly, I regret being such a little bitch to them, even though I know my dad loved me. Neither of us where ever able to truly come to terms with my birth, something that isn't all that uncommon in my cabin."

"Ah yes, 'Child of man, born of no woman', your mothers gift to your dad?"

"I don't like to talk about it, the way we in my cabin are born. It's worse for those born to a woman, they have two mothers and no father, Dad could at least say an old flame left me on his door step, Bethany was born to a supermodel a month after she did a swimsuit and body paint photo shoot, try explaining that one to the media. You know, when we start having kids, I think you're going to bear some of them."

"I don't think so, though honestly, I nearly had some today besides Riverwind, when my powers where going out of control, it's, I can't even exp….."

"Shhhh. Percy, it's alright, I understand, my powers went out too. I thought each one was going to separate and become individuals separate from me. It scared me, and I just now had a thought. One of the powers I was thinking about was the whole 'Birth by Thought' ability my mom has, what if there was someone with sufficient IQ nearby? Is there someone out there with a baby growing in their head? Am I now someone's mother?!"

At that, I take out my cell phone and start sending a text to Sam, maybe he'll get wind of something like that before Cantrip does. I also notice Nico looking a little worried, maybe he's thinking what his powers did.

"Hey, hey, Featherbrain, don't worry about it until it happens OK. If it did happen, there's nothing to do for it, if it didn't, then it doesn't matter. Next time we talk to Hestia, we'll ask her if there's a way to track half-bloods by their parents or grandparents. Which that actually reminds me of a question I should have asked her, why didn't the mist protect Riverwind from being noticed? The mist still prevents our weapons from being noticed, why not Riverwind?"

"If I had to guess, and I do, I'd say it requires a conscious effort here. Everyone here believes in the supernatural, so it's not automatically hidden like in our world. Though, that IS just a guess."

"I'll take your guesses over most peoples facts any day oh beautiful daughter of wisdom. Has for how we're going to deal with each other over the long term, assuming we survive long enough for it to matter. If Hestia is right, and we're now immortal, than I suppose we'll end up acting like our parents. How's that for a pleasant thought?"

There's another arm thump. "Not funny Percy."

Percy gives a short laugh, "Yes it was, a little anyway. Besides, on some level, you know it's true. As much as I love you, you know as well as me, we're going to have fights. And, if we're immortal, those fights could very well reach epic proportions. But let's not worry about that yet ok. Now, what was your other worry, oh yeah, how our powers where going to develop over time right? Well, mine seems to have increased to being able to command river spirits and minor gods, something even my dad could never do except by basically bullying them. I've also apparently got the ability to create life, at least horse related anyway, but I imagine that I could do fish as well. Not sure about how my control of water was affected, but I can still feel all the water in the house and for several miles beyond in the back of my mind. With some concentration, I can feel all the water all the way out past Seattle and into the Pacific, and what's more, I can sense what's in the water. From the chemical composition, to the swimmers and ships. What about you?" I gape at that one, I've never heard of anyone having that much power, keeping that from Cantrip is of vital importance. If they learned there was someone that powerful, there'd be open war against the supernatural.

"You forget oh mighty master of silt, I am the daughter of wisdom, we don't get cool powers like the rest of you."

"Oh huh, sure, and I've got this really neat bridge for sale in San Francisco, you might have heard of it, it's for sale right now if you want it. Seriously Annabeth, the dumbest kid in your cabin has an IQ of over one hundred eighty, and you're not the dumb one. I've heard your cabin mates say you're smarter than all of them. That all by itself is one heck of a cool power. I've never considered myself dumb, heck, Mr. Blofiss had them give me a IQ test designed for the dyslexic at school, it said I was around one fifty, not dumb, but no were near your level, so don't sell yourself short. Besides, I can tell when you're just trying to change the subject and I know you've got the gift for weaving, you do it without thinking whenever you get really bored, you were doing it all day today, and I don't think you even once noticed."

I hadn't noticed, and I thought I was paying attention to them. "You're right Percy, I don't really want to talk about it, I was just worried about what's happening to me. I know you three are going through something similar, and something tells me, so is Rachel. Nico though, is who I'm worried the most about."

"Why, from what Rachel said, his power is going to go in a more earth oriented direction than death related. Heck, he already is the master of life and death, he's got the 'Sword of Hades' after all." I notice Nico give a start of surprise, "What, you didn't notice?" I guess Annabeth gave a start to. "You remember that episode where Thalia, Nico and me ended up in the underworld. Turns out his dad really hadn't ordered the sword made, and was really angry with his wife over it. So after New York, dad told me that his father told the rest of the council that as punishment to her, he was giving the Sword to Nico, who she really dislikes, as a reward for his service. That gold key on the pommel of his sword is one of the 'Keys of Hades.' When he talks about having searched for Bianca to try and bring her back, that's how he was planning on doing it."

"Why does Nico having that type of power scare the crap out of me?!"

"Well for starters, it might have something to do with his hat. You did notice that right? You who has a hat just like her mother's 'Helm of Invisibility' did manage to notice the hat Nico was wearing yes?"

"You mean the 'Helm of Terror?' Nico has a copy of that?" I can hear Percy giving a muffled laugh as I look down at Nico. He gives me an apologetic shrug and pulls his baseball cap out of his pocket. Immediately, I feel an almost overriding fear of Nico, and I realize that I was feeling that all day. Nico mouths 'sorry' as he puts it away, and I feel better almost immediately. Nice hat!

"I can't believe you didn't notice that."

"I was busy worrying about other things." Annabeth say's with something of a huff. "Like how is Nico going to deal with us now that he has nowhere to run off too when his feelings for you get to be too much?"

"Don't remind me, or him about that. I'm trying to maintain some sort of real friendship with him, not just a 'hey there fellow half-blood' type of thing. I would appreciate it if no one reminded him that he wants to kill me because of Bianca." I look at Nico, he just rolls his eyes, yep, Percy is missing it.

"Percy, that's not the feelings for you I was talking about. On my mother's shield, Nico is gay, and he has a crush on you. He is deathly afraid of being even further ostracized than he already is, and worse, losing the respect of his father."

"Deathly afraid, you made a pun." Loud arm thump. "Now who's being silly. You do know who his dad and uncles are right? Trust me, Nico being gay would not bother his dad on any level. Persephone's tit, I think all three of them would love it if all of their children where gay, less chance of us founding a dynasty and overthrowing them. No, him being gay isn't it, I think he's still trying to work out that I wasn't responsible for Bianca's death, other than I couldn't stop it."

"Percy, I think you're making a mistake in ignoring this. Please trust me on this, he's having a problem, and I think you need to talk to him about it."

"How, just walk up to him and say 'hey Nico, did you know your dad has entire harems of boy-toys for when he's in the mood for something other than women.' Is that what you want me to say?"

"His dad does not have entire harems filled with boy-toys."

"Um, actually, he does. A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting dad. While he was holding court, my half-brother Triton decided to actually act kind to me, or so I thought, and give me a grand tour of dad's palace. Sure enough, we got to where my dad keeps his harems about the time court adjourns, when dad comes looking for me, he finds us right there with Triton letting me in on all of dads sexual exploits. One very LONG and highly awkward conversation later, I have learned that dad, and both of my uncles, as well as several others on the council, are as BI as the number two."

"As bi as the number two, really. If that's true, then why hasn't Nico's dad said something to him?"

"Ok, I can see this now. Nico's worried that his dad won't approve, and let's face it, he's not the easiest of fathers to talk to. And considering how embarrassed my dad was, something tells me, he'll never mention it to Nico. So, what's Nico been doing for the most of the past three years, hanging around the underworld, learning about life from a ghost who happens to; a, hate me, b, hate him, c, hate his father, and d, hate both half-bloods in general and the others on the council. Yeah, I can see Nico having got some misinformation about that."

"You don't seem all that bothered by it."

"Who knows, maybe in a couple of centuries, if we are immortal, I'll get curious and take him up on it, that is if you'll ever let me out of your sight. I hope he is bi though, Terry has a huge crush on him. She made him the cane by the way, no idea what it does."

"That's too bad, I really hope you're right, and he does swing both ways. I think they'd make a fine couple. As for letting you out of my sight, who says that I'm not a lesbian?"

"The fact that you not only married me, but that you've never shown the slightest hesitation to enjoy yourself when we actually manage to get enough privacy to get it on."

"Good points, both of them, but that doesn't mean I'm not bi."

"Hmmm, now you're just turning me on. Maybe you can demonstrate sometime? Or have you tried it out yet? Is that why you were thinking of joining the hunters?!"

"Err, kind of. I've never been good with feelings, and I was already getting hooked on you, so I ran. I really am sorry about that, but in my defense, I was the same age as Nico is now, so I wasn't thinking straight."

"Oh man, maybe that's the reason Thalia did become a hunter. Of the three of them, her dad is the one that I can actually see giving her the tour himself, and offering up his seconds for when she starts getting active. Yeah, I can see that, and see it driving her to the hunters."

"Oh gods, so can I. As for having tried it, as a matter of fact, I have, and yes, I enjoyed it. I guess we're all ancient Greeks at heart."

"With who?! Surely not the Shrew!"

"Oh gods no! That lady is insane. If I even considered it with anyone from her cabin, everyone in camp would know within the hour. No, it was someone in California I met. It was just an experiment, I am loyal, so don't worry about ever losing me in the future."

"I wasn't worried, just fantasying."

There's another load arm slap; "Well, you know, we have privacy now."

"Yes, but we're also guests in a house of people who can smell that on us, so we really shouldn't."

"Well that's just too bad for you mister, because in a few moments, I'm going to take matters into my own hands. And since I'll be rubbing against you, you'll smell like it anyway, so you might as well enjoy the benefits if you're going to get the blame."

With that, I hear Percy growl, and Annabeth giggle. I decide to give them their privacy for now, it doesn't seem like they're going to be having any useful conversation anytime soon. I tap Nico on his shoulder and indicate we should go down stairs. I could use a sandwich, and we can talk in the dining room.