If you cant tell, this is actually an expansion upon my Lycannabeth Oneshot I made for my practice collection. Expanded for the CHB Subreddit fanfiction contest, but dont worry my loyal readers, I will have penty of stuff up for you tonight/tomorrow so look forward to that. Like always I welcome all feedback.I don't know when I noticed something was wrong during dinner. Maybe it was the instant this new transfer walked into the room, her nose twitching constantly, maybe it was the fact that she was "transfering in" the day we went on winter break, or maybe it was when I heard her let out small little growls and grunts as she tore into the steak we were eating for the dinner. If it was one thing that I appreciated about going to this fancy-pants school, other than the Architecture program, was that the food was usually pretty good. Not as good as Sally's cooking or the barbeque at Camp, but it was close enough that I wasn't going to complain. Still, throughout the meal there was a very intense feeling, my hand occasionally brushing against my thigh, where my dagger lay. Ready to be brought out at any time to slay the monster when they eventually broke the facade.
She lasted about twenty minutes, thankfully enough time for me to get my main course down before the girl leaped at me from across the table, her form shifting rapidly, fur sprouting all along her body, muscles seeming to tighten and ripple underneath her skin while I braced for impact, the tackle sending the both of us flying out the window, my silverware thrown back as well, the steak knife itself stabbing into a snowbank as the two of us tumbled mid air. The girl's body shifting more and more, becoming more canine, while flying through the air I grunted, twisting our bodies mid air so she would land back up first while I drew my dagger from its sheath and stabbed downwards as we thudded against the snow covered ground below, hoping to use the force of impact to get through any defences she had...Too bad things didn't work like that, my dagger didn't even pierce her skin, it went right through her body, as if this monster was a regular mortal!
Letting out a small curse I rolled off the woman's body and into the snow, my hand going to my waist, getting my invisibility cap out and placing it onto my head, hoping to gain a moment to breath at least. The trick usually confused monsters for at least a little bit before the smell kicked in, though it seemed this monster was a bit more stunned by the fall than anything, looking at the girl, now in full monstrous form I could tell they were canine of some sort, though not fully. Her body was covered in sleek chestnut fur, the stuff glistening in the dim glow of the house behind her, upon each of its hands, the monster had a set of cruel looking claws, stained a dark brown at the tips, I shuddered to think what those ripping into me would feel like.
Ok think Annabeth, run through the monsters in your mind, try to find something that matches what you know. My mind started to race as the various greek monsters that had canine features ran through my head in a mental checklist as the monster recovered before charging at me again. Its nose twitching slightly, constantly taking in scents while the ears seemed more perked up than before, listening into something I presumed.
"Foolish demigod, I may not be able to see you but I can sure smell you! And you have the stench of the sea emanating from your being! I thought Possidon's child was a boy, but oh well. You will have to do." The monster then let out a war cry before pouncing at me, her direction so accurate that I doubted the cap did anything. Though her words were curious, why would I smell like Percy? We hadn't seen each other since last summer, after the Battle of the Labyrinth, the thought of that made my heart ache a bit, why did we have to end summer during a fight like that?
Then I looked at the jacket I was wearing and let out an annoyed grunt, this was Percy's jacket, one he had lent me before I was kidnapped last year and never asked for back. Of course that seaweed brain was attracting monsters to me, even when he wasn't here to do it! The monster once again started a series of swipes towards me, each one swift, a potentially fatal blow waiting to end my short life of 15 years. Its claws managed to slice through the jacket itself as I slid back, making me groan. I liked wearing this jacket! It was the most comfortable one I had! Still I looked at the monster again, trying to assess what she was. Not a hellhound, not cerberus or one of his siblings then what? What kind of greek canine had immunity to weapons?
Looking around again as I ran towards the trees, my eyes drifted upwards to see the full moon, shining in all of its glory down upon the scene of an invisible girl running for her life from a monster. That couldn't be a coincidence...Crap! This was a lycanthrope, and I had almost no information about those! They almost never came up in the myths! There went all my plans to do a sneak attack, had to make a new one, had to assess the situation. The only thing I could remember was silver, silver was their weakness hopefully.
Take a page from Percy's book and improvise a solution out of nowhere. After making my eyes drift downwards again I noticed the steak knife's grip sticking out of a snowbank right behind her and I smirked a bit, it wasn't much but it might do in this situation. Charging forward, I rushed the Werewolf, her nose and ears working quickly, trying to get a read on my position before I dived forward, the beast's arm knocking off my cap, my form rippling into existence as I landed in the snow, my hand shooting out to grip at the knife and trying to roll away but a strong arm pinned me down just as I came face up, staring the Werewolf down,wild, amber eyes boring into mine.
"My my, you are a feisty one aren't you? Good! Just make sure you always remember who the top bitch is!" I struggled against the monster, but even with my enhanced demigod strength nothing happened, the woman's arm was just too strong. I steeled myself then, just had to wait for the woman to get close.
Soon enough, the monster had enough snickering at my futile attempts to escape her grasp and bit down onto me, the dagger-like teeth stabbing right into my shoulder, no doubt this was going to take a huge chunk of it out when she pulled back. Working through the pain I brought the steak knife to the lycanthrope's neck, praying to Athena that the silverware lived up to its name, and when my knife plunged into the monster's neck before I pulled down, ripping through muscle and sinew like it was nothing I smiled, it stopped the woman from tearing my shoulder apart as she released her jaw and cried out in pain and stumbled back a dark substance flowing from her neck wound.
Then the strangest thing happened, the werewolf looked at me, her eyes brimming with an apology before turning into dust. Now, I had seen hundreds of monsters become dust in my time, it was just how monsters died after all, but this was different. Usually, the things just poofed into powder but this monster didn't, no this time her body stuck around for a few moments as the light died in the monster's eyes before it rapidly aged. Like a thousand years of decomposition was happening in a few seconds, the monster's muscles shrinking, skin dissolving into nothing but a skeleton and then nothing, just dust, blowing in the wind.
"Ok...Not the way I wanted to start my christmas vacation. Still exciting though." I chuckled to myself soon pushing up and starting to walk forward into the darkness, no point in going back to dinner now I supposed, we were already off for the break and the Mist would hide anything that really went on so right now I just had to make it to Camp for christmas. As I walked, I looked over to my shoulder, it didn't look like complete crap, there wasn't even that much blood blowing from it even, just looked like a dozen small stab wounds there, red and angry, small splashes of blood along it.
"Guess the teeth didn't go in that deep... And my ambrosia stores are in my backpack at camp so no fixing those for now." Then my eyes drifted to the jacket I was wearing, the biggest casualty of the fight just then and I let out a loud curse in greek. It was ruined! Claw marks were torn all along the chest, ruining the zipper and fabric! Now the latter part I could probably fix with some thread and sewing machine, but the zipper was a bigger issue, I could never get those right.
"And this was my favorite too..." The jacket was nice and warm, even now as I wore it, half the thing torn through I didn't feel that cold with it on. The chilly new york air was still a little freezing for sure, but I was pretty comfortable in it, it was a stable, reliable thing I counted on this whole winter. It always smelled nice to wear too, a nice mixture of a sea breeze and cookies just like...Like Percy, my mood soured a bit, thinking about Percy, this was his jacket. It was his fault that I had attracted that girl, it had his scent all over the thing! The boy had put her life at risk again and right now he was probably over in his apartment, sucking face with that red headed piece of crap! Taking more care of her than his best friend! I growled a bit, tempted to take off the jacket and leave it back at the snowbank but, but it was cold and I didn't want to freeze to death. So what if wearing the jacket felt like a warm hug from Percy! It wasn't like I was going to give him the satisfaction of pissing me off so much I didn't want to wear a damn jacket!
As I insulted the boy in my mind, growling a bit, I felt a sudden pain in my shoulder, a searing, mind piercing pain. Causing me to cry out again, it was so sudden, I couldn't have guarded against it. Deciding to ignore that, I kept trudging on towards the school gates, passing through them. Though with each step, things became slightly more laboured, with each foot forwards I felt a little strength draining from me, as if I had been poisoned.
Shit, did that woman poison me? Were her teeth laced with venom of some sort? Certainly felt like it. Once again I cursed the monster in my mind as I began to get sluggish, I had no nectar or ambrosia now to deal with the poison! I might die here! At that thought I froze, I might actually die here. Yeah, I had always known and recognized that Demigod lives were painfully short, hell living to 15 when you spent most of your time fraternizing with a big three kid was probably a miracle in of itself but it never hit me until this moment.
"I'm going to die...I'm going to die, and Percy will think I died hating him" No! No! That wasn't...That wasn't going to happen! It couldn't happen! Mustering all my strength I burst out into a full sprint, charging my way down the sidewalk towards Percy's apartment as fast as I could. It was a route I knew well, one I ran often but this time was different, this time I needed to get to Percy as fast as possible! Suddenly, the thoughts of him with that redhead were pushed out of my mind, the fight seemed insignificant as I pushed my legs farther and farther, my mind urging them to take me farther. I couldn't just go to Hades thinking my best friend hated me after some dumb fight! That wasn't going to happen! Letting out a roar of defiance towards my situation I continued charging forward, though with each step my legs felt heavier, with each stride forward I could feel my energy levels depleting, darkness was creeping at the edge of my vision but I ignored it, fighting on. The scent of the jacket being a strange comfort as I did so, like Percy was there right behind me, pushing me forward, supporting me no matter what I did. Even after all the fights, after the petty arguments that usually pushed people away, he stayed and supported me through it all. He trusted me, through it all!
The darkness was closing in now as dashed past my tenth city block, once again I was thanking Athena for my demigod physiology, how it let me push past the limits of any normal mortal. Go faster, push myself harder, to ignore the feeling of my lungs burning, crying out for some sort of rest any time soon but I couldn't let myself do that. I knew that if I stopped now that everything would be over, I wouldn't be able to get up, I wouldn't be able to make up with Percy. I wouldn't ever get to see his lopsided smile with that single dimple again, I wouldn't be able to see his soft green eyes gaze at me with happiness again. I wouldn't be able to hear any of his stupid jokes, or worry about his reckless behavior, or hear his wonderful laugh again. I wouldn't be able to tell him my real feelings, to explain what happened before Helens, to talk about why I kissed him! I had to do that at least, I had to tell Percy, I had to tell him everything before I died. I just had to!
Then, the worst thing possible happened, my foot caught on a piece of ice, frozen over and my body went flying through the air, crashing down on my ankle and breaking it with a harsh snap, bringing hot tears of pain to my eyes. No, no I tripped! I fell, I stopped and I couldn't run on this any more...No, reaching out, I started desperately crawling forward, my mind solely focused on getting to Percy's apartment, he would know something was wrong. He always knew when something was wrong with me, even when I wished he didn't. Tears started to tell up again in my eyes, going down in streaks with each time I clawed my way forward sobs breaking out as the darkness around my vision was creeping in, as my worst fears were creeping in. I was going to die here, I was going to die alone...No Thalia to comfort me, no Chiron to cure the poison, no Luke to assure me everything was going to be alright, no Percy to give me a single smile and make everything seem right with the world. I was going to die here, on a random street in New York, probably a block or two from my crush's apartment, alone and friendless because I was spiteful and jealous. That was the part that hurt the most I think, that I had brought it on myself. That my pride and jealousy pushed away my best friend in the world! I was too stubborn to talk about it, to explain myself...
As the darkness started to edge out my vision, I looked up, and it might have been a hallucination, but I thought I saw a small rainbow formed from a white streetlamp and leftover moisture from the snowfall tonight. It was a desperate idea, but whatever...The darkness was creeping in more, and I felt everything start to slow down even more as I dug through my pocket, eventually finding a Dachrama and bringing out before chucking it at the rainbow with all my might.
"Oh Iris Goddess of the Rainbow hear my prayer! I know you do not usually do this but please send a message to Percy Jackson! Please tell him, please...Tell him that Annabeth is...That I am sorry!" As the coin hit the rainbow, vanishing, my consciousness started its final fade and I smiled a bit, glad I was able to at least do that before everything went dark.
Cold. Everything was cold wait no, my chest that was warm...Yes chest, arms warmer, foot? It hurts, hurts a lot, but starting to feel better. Good enough, good enough to move. Dark? No, my eyes are closed. Open, light. Still Dark, but there is light above. Light is good, lets me see, I like the light, push off the ground. Take a long smell of the surroundings, something smells good. Really good. Oh, it's me. I smell good, no. What is on me smells good, I lean in, taking a deep smell. Yes, smells really, really good. Smells like the ocean, smells like sugar, smells like...Smells like him. That's good, I like him. Who is him? Him, he is. Yes, he is him, he is safe. I want safety, I want him. Is he mate? No, do I want him as mate? Yes, very yes. He is safe, he is strong. Shake, I must shake cold off, there, not as cold. Take another nice breath, take in the smell of him. Yes, must find him. His smell, he's not far, I need to follow the smell, find him. Even when it's dark, find him.
Run, I must run. Quickly, I need to find him. He is strong, but he is in danger. All the time, in danger, must find him. Must protect him, he is safe, he is stable. Need him, need his warmth. It's dark, I need to follow the scent, good scent. Getting close, really close, oh? Him, it seems like he is coming as well. Need him, find him, mark as my mate. No one else can have him, too important. Maybe the pack can have him, but only I can mate him. He is mine. Pack? Do I have a pack? No, I need a pack. Need someone around, I need the first member. First member is him. Name? Does he have a name? Yes, though I can't remember, I can't remember his name. First need to find him, then remember his name.
There, I see him. I see him, he is safe, he is happy, he is. No, he doesn't smell happy. I frown, why is he not happy? He should be happy, smells...Like fear, no not fear. Fear mixed with...Love? Yes, he smells like fear mixed with love. He is running over here, I need to see him. I start running, getting in closer, I can smell more of him, smell makes me happy but. His fear, that makes me not happy. Why is he afraid, I need to protect him from fear. He is supposed to be brave, strong. He is supposed to be...To be mine, to be stable, to be trusted. Do I trust him? Yes, yes I do. Because he is him, and I trust him. As I get close, I see him with something in hand. What is it? Looks small, oh no it's not small, it is big and glowy. Lights up his green eyes, nice eyes. Eyes I can trust, because they are his eyes. And I trust him. The thing in his hand, that's a sword. Sword is good, sword means he is safe. He needs to be safe, I need him. I stop in front of him, a few feet away. He seems scared, why is he scared? Is he scared of me? No, why would he be scared of me? I am me, he is him and we are safe together.
"Is that my jacket? Where did a monster get..." His eyes, they look scared. They look full of love, they look like waves. Pretty Waves, good waves that mean ships. Ships? Water? Yes, water, water is good. He likes water, water likes him. I look at him, grinning at finding him, my tail wagging. Then he does something scary, he leaps forward, swinging sword, why is he swinging sword? Practice? Yes, we practice a lot, practice means getting strong, being strong means he is safe. I move out of the way of the sword swipe and yet again, each time he swings it faster. With more force, more power. Power is good. Though now, he doesn't smell scared, he smells angry. Angry at what? Not hitting? Maybe, but he needs to get better, better and stronger. So he is safe.
"What did you do with her!? You Hades damned monster what did you do with Annabeth!?" Annabeth? Is that his name? No, his name isn't that. He has a different name, then who is Annabeth? Is that my name? Yes, I am Annabeth. I am her. She is me, does he think I am in danger? But I am with him, and he is safe. I'm in less danger when I am with him, what is his name? The next sword slash comes in fast, too fast. I can't avoid it, good for him! The sword comes, I raise my arm to block it but no hit. The sword, it doesn't hit my arm, doesn't cut. That isn't good, a sword that doesn't cut means it doesn't work. If it doesn't work, then he isn't safe. Well it does cut, cuts the thing on me, cuts the warm. Thats not good, I don't want to be cold. It also smells like him.
"Crap! What are you?" He backs up, sword still ready to swing, more cautious now. Good, cautious means safe. Though, he asked a question. One I can answer, what am I? I am...her, I am Annabeth. No, that's who I am what I am...Wolf? Yes, and no.
"Wolf! But...More? Jacket, broken." I talk, my voice sounds strange. Why does it have a growl? Growl means angry, but I'm not angry. I am happy, I am...I am safe, I found him. He looks at me strangly, fear back in his eyes but something else. Hope? Hope is good, hope means he is happy. What is his name? Starts with a P, Paul? No, Paul is another person. Peter? No, there is no Peter. Then what is his name? It's important to know your mate's name. He isn't a mate yet, but he will be. He will be mine, oh he is thinking. Good, he is smart, thinks he is dumb but no. He is smart, I need to tell him. Or he will think he is dumb again.
"Greek Werewolves? You look the part but why would you...You haven't attacked yet, you can't be..." Oh that sounds nice, yes. I am Werewolf, though. He looks worried again, hope in his eyes larger though. What's his name? P. Perseus? Almost, sounds right but no. Not Perseus, that's not his name.
"If the movies have taught me anything. A bite can make you into a werewolf...Oh gods, oh gods Annabeth? Were you? Oh gods I attacked you!" Now he looks sad now, why is he sad? Cause he attacked? But that was practice, we always practice. Never really attack, only hurt, we don't kill. Though the jacket is dead. He falls to his knees, he looks sad. I don't want him sad, my mate shouldn't be sad. He is him, he should be smiling. How do I make him smile? What is his name? Percy? Percy, yes his name. That's his name, Percy, Percy is him. He is Percy, so how do I make Percy not sad? Hugs work, don't they?
"Percy? Home?" I walk up and hug him, squeeze him tight, don't want to let go, we are so close I take his scent. Smells nice, smells good. Smells safe, cause he is Percy. And Percy is Safe, we need home though. It's cold here, and dark. I don't like cold and dark, I like light and...Warm? Yes, I like light and warm. He hugs back, Percy hugs back and it feels nice. Yes, do I want more hugs? Yes, I do. My chest feels wet, oh Percy is crying. Why is he crying? Crying means sad, sad isn't good.
"Home? Going home, with you. Need home, home is safe." My voice has a growl, I don't want the growl. I want to sound nice. I want to sound calming, he is calming. So I should be too. He is still crying, sad. Maybe I can take him home, probably tired from practice. I am tied too, really tired. Running is a lot of work. I pick him up, he is heavy. A little heavy, but not too much. Must follow home scent to get back home. Be with him, claim him. He is my mate, he will be my mate.
House is nearby, good. Don't want any more cold, I go up the stairs. Percy doesn't like elevators. Get to home, put down Percy. He opens the door, it's warm inside, but dark. That is fine, I need to sleep. Percy takes me into his room, smells like him. Smells good, smells safe. I crawl onto the bed, the bed is warm and he then starts to leave. No, he will be my mate, we will sleep in the same bed. I grab his arm and pull him down. Percy is in the bed with me, he smells like...Adoration, and love, but also a small bit of fear. Why always fear? Is he not safe? I need him safe, though now I need rest. I close my eyes again. More darkness, but it's fine. I need sleep, sleep for tomorrow.
"Let's hope that the movies were right about the next thing...Gods I hope they are." Ok, Percy sounds hopeful, sounds a little bit happy. Less afraid, good. He has a lot of fear. Too much fear. It's tiring, time to sleep.
With a groan, I started to slowly open my eyes. Feeling the soft bed beneath me, nice and warm, I smiled a bit before snuggling into it and breathing deeply, catching the smell of Percy all in this bed, along with a hint of lemons, that must be her. Wait, that meant I was in his bed, why was I in Percy's bed? Sitting up a bit, I looked around the room, it was the same as always. A small bedroom, Percy's twin bed pushed up against the wall so they could use as much space as possible filling it with dirty laundry and posters. Taking a few breaths, I couldn't help but smile as Percy's sea breeze smell swirled around with the citrusy scent that I assumed was mine. Even after a year of not being here, it seemed there were still remnants of myself. Though, where was Percy? And what happened last night?
Pinching the bridge of my nose I tried to focus, tried to recall what happened and why I was at Percy's. I recalled a fight, against some sort of canine. There was a lot of pain in my arm and I had no nectar or ambrosia to help heal me so I must have come over to Percy's place as soon as I could. Sally no doubt had hidden stores of the stuff all over her apartment for emergencies, gods I wish I had a mom like that but no. I would have to make do with Helen and Athena, neither of which had been particularly motherly to me. Anyways, I was injured after a fight, came here and probably passed out after eating, that made sense. Even if we were fighting like now I could always trust Percy to be there for me.
"Ok...Now that begs the question as to where is Percy." I got up and out of the bed, suddenly feeling a chill on my upper half and looking down. It looked like my shirt and bra were shredded in the fight and I was pretty exposed. Looking further down I realized my pants had gone through some rough times as well, stretched to their limits but I still had them on, which was good. Marching over to the dresser with a yawn I opened it up to grab one of the bras I had left over at his house last year during the few times we could visit. Slipping the cloth on my breath hitched a bit, my chest feeling slightly pressed into and I cursed slightly, it seems like I had grown a bit during the past year and now my backup clothes at Percy's were useless.
"Of course it grew, suppose I should be happy about that though. As long as they don't get too big." Next I got on one of Percy's shirts, a nice black one with some video game character on the front, Pac Man I think? Anyways, the shirt fit me well enough and smelled like him, which was always a plus. As I walked out of the room, I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something very important, like I was missing a crucial part of a jigsaw puzzle I wanted to solve. Coming out into the livingroom, I frowned seeing Percy at the table. His face hovering miserably over a bowl of cereal for some reason. His whole body tensed, as if he was expecting an attack at any time. I could practically smell the worry and anxiousness coming off of him in waves.
"Morning Seaweed Brain, I hope I didn't intrude too much on you last night." I yawned a bit, maybe he was just worried about me, maybe I came to his home in a worse condition than I thought I did, that would make sense. It was always horrible to watch your friends suffer healing through injuries, Percy especially would hate that with a passion. So when he looked up, his mood shifting instantly from dread to relief and happiness, I couldn't help but grin at him before he rushed over to me, crushing me into a tight hug, his arms tightly wrapped around my back, trembling slightly.
"Annabeth! Oh thank the gods you are alright! After last night, after my dreams last night and that message I thought I...I thought I had lost you there! I thought I had lost you when you were that...Thing last night!" As he hugged me tight to his chest, I felt hot tears drift along his cheeks as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. A message? I hadn't IMed him all semester, too caught up in that dumb fight of ours over the redhead. Then a voice, sounding slightly deeper than my own invaded my thoughts. Mate! Mark him! He is ours! What the hell was that? Grunting, I pinched the bridge of my nose to try and calm myself down as Percy stepped away, worried again.
"Percy no it's not you. I just have a headache now and it seems like it was acting up a bit." Percy just chuckled and nodded, giving her one of those amazing smiles of his. Humor again starting to appear in his green eyes. You need to mark him! Before anyone else tries to steal him!
"Well I guess growing and shedding a whole barbershop's worth of hair overnight must be quite exhausting for you huh?" There was a slight tension to his voice, despite the humorous tone.
"Hair? What, what are you talking about? There isn't any hair on the bed, I didn't grow anything. I was just attacked and I came right to you right? I know you have stores of emergency supplies here."
"Annabeth you really don't remember? Last night you were all hairy and confused and couldn't talk in full sentences." What? No I didn't the last thing she could remember was the fight...Then everything started to rush back to me, the sluggishness, the desperation, admitting those feelings I had for him to myself. Everything up until I was laying in the snow, dying after sending one last message to her best friend in a desperate hope for forgiveness. I started trembling uncontrollably as I lifted my hands, was this real? Was I really here in Percy's living room or was this like, Elysium? A personal heaven with my best friend always there?
"How...How am I alive?! Percy, I was like, poisoned or something by the monster last night! They didn't bite me deeply, there was almost no blood but afterwards I felt a lot of pain and like my body was shutting down! I...Gods did you at least get my last message to you?" This was weird, this was freaky, how was she alive? Did Athena guide him to her for emergency treatment? That was the only explanation she could think of, even if mom hated Percy, she didn't want her to die for that right?
"Yes! Yes I got it and that is what scared me the most last night. I had a dream, a dream of you lying in the snow desperately trying to reach someone, your face all red and eyes puffed from tears. And when I woke up, hoping it was just another nightmare I got an IM that only says Annabeth is sorry! I rushed out as fast as I could to find you, hoping you were still alive and...You were." Percy's breath caught at that, pausing for a moment as I tried to process things, this probably wasn't Elysium, the chill in the air was against that, I hated the cold and that wouldn't be in my personal heaven. That, and I was pretty sure I would be able to smell the eternal barbeque that was going on from here. So I wasn't dead, that was good. I was at Percy's after promising to myself that the next time I saw him, I was going to confess my feelings for him...Not so good. No! Good, claim him. Make Percy our mate! He is safe, he feels good. Makes us feel happy! And what in Hades was that voice in her head now?
"And after you found me? Was there anything strange? I assume the nectar and ambrosia worked just fine right?" At that, Percy just started to chuckle a bit, a slight hint of amusement drifting from him, as well as an underlying fear. I just now noticed, why was I smelling his feelings? How was I doing that?
"Ok so I may not know as much mythology as you do."
"Yes you have made that obvious throughout our friendship. Where I always have to tell you about what we are up against before you make some inane strategy to win the day."
"Hey, it hasn't failed me yet has it? I mean, just you shouting that Antaeus was a son of Gaia was enough for me to figure out how to beat him."
"Which is even more reason why you should study it! You are great at exploiting weaknesses like that, if you knew more about them then you wouldn't need me to tell you all the time." I rolled my eyes at that, though smiled inwardly, getting Percy to study mythology was hard, getting him to study at all was hard.
"Maybe, anyways while you know more about mythology I have the expertise of watching cheesy monster movies and dumb fantasy shows all my life. And Annabeth, I think you were attacked by a werewolf last night...Though not to kill you." The humor in Percy's voice dropped as he started to talk about it, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him, she never had gotten into monsters outside of those in Greek Mythology, why would she bother when it couldn't be useful later on? Lycanthropes weren't even that prominent in the myths, barely any info was out on them that I could find.
"Then what would she want with me? Also that bite she gave was pretty vicious, not exactly a peace offering or anything like that." Then Percy sighed, it was the same sigh I always used when I was about to tell him how screwed we were in that moment, and I tensed a little.
"The most common way of making another werewolf, in stories as they will...Bite a regular person and that will make said person transform into a werewolf themselves. I think that...That she was trying to make you part of her pack or something like that. Could smell how strong you are" He gulped after that, and I took a few moments, just blinking. Taking it in before I lifted my hand to my shoulder, feeling the bite marks there...Was that why I wasn't bleeding much from there? That monster was trying to make me into a...Werewolf? That would explain the enhanced sense of smell I guessed but...I killed her! So it was a lingering thing? Though why would she want me? What had she said when they were fighting?
"Oh."
"What's wrong Annabeth? Did you figure something bad out?"
"No no it's just. The Werewolf attacked me because she thought I was you, I was wearing your jacket and I guess your scent overpowered mine, even months apart didn't change that. So she wanted to have you in her pack." As soon as I said it, I regretted it, and I could see the look in Percy's eyes, it was one he had every time something went wrong at camp.
"No! Percy, don't you dare take the blame for this. I am the one who wore your jacket out, I am the one who didn't know about the whole lycanthropy being transferred by bite. It is my fault ok?"
"But...It was my jacket you wore, my scent is what attracted the monster to you. She attacked you because of me! It should have been me that-" Frustrated, I just put my hand onto Percy's lips with a small growl and shake of my head. I then lowered my hand with a sigh. Just kiss him! Claim him and kiss him! I shook my head, almost letting loose a growl at myself, this wasn't the time for romance!
"So this means I am...I am a monster now right? It means I will get a craving for demigod flesh or something like that?" I stared into Percy's eyes, looking for some sort of reassurance that I wasn't going to be a monster. That I wasn't going to be one of the beasts that I had spent most of my life defending myself from. I wasn't going to be...
Thankfully he shook his head before stepping forward and bringing me into an awkward hug, letting his scent waft into my nose, relaxing my body some with the comfortable aroma. Percy is safe, we need Percy. Percy is strong. We need Percy in our pack! I had to fight the urge to bite him with those words in my mind, guess that was the wolf instincts or something, and I couldn't really disagree with them, I did want to keep the seaweed brain around as long as possible.
"Well maybe not. In some movies the werewolf is its own species yeah but in a lot of em...It's just some sort of curse. A curse on your body that makes it transform, I don't know enough about greek werewolves but...This could be like that. You aren't a monster Annabeth, you aren't a cruel beast anymore than Tyson is ok?" Percy gently pet her back, the mention of Tyson relaxing her even more. Yeah, even if I was a monster I didn't have to be a bad one, gods why was he so good at making me feel better?
"Ok. So Percy I have...I have something to tell you as well." Pushing the more depressing thoughts out of my mind, I thought of the reason I was racing towards Percy's house last night. When I thought I was going to die alone, I wasn't going to let that happen! Not again, I wasn't going to wait until I was almost dead again to get over myself!
"You got my message so you know but...I want to say it here, I am sorry...Sorry for avoiding you after the battle, Sorry for not being there for you. Sorry for getting angry at Rachel and blowing up at her and Sorry for just well...Everything in these past few months... The kiss, the one underneath Mount though, I am not sorry for that, it wasn't a...Wasn't a mistake." My mouth felt completely dry as I spoke, I'm not really used to admitting fault I guessed.
"It wasn't an accident or impulse decision, it was one I had actually thought about for...A while." I could feel the blush creeping up on my face at this point as I confessed, words babbling out of my mouth as I thought of them. Once it was over, I expected him to...I don't know, push me away? Tell me I was an idiot? Say he was already dating Rachel now? I don't know...But what I didn't expect was for him to hug me deeper, tighter to him.
"Well, at least we got that in common now. I feel the same way you do...I think? I haven't ever felt for someone like I do you, Rachel..." Annabeth stiffened a little at her name, not wanting to be reminded of the person that had unintentionally driven them apart until now.
"Rachel seems like she is only using me as an escape... I know she likes me as a friend, but I don't think she fully accepts all parts of me like you do. Annabeth, you have seen me at my absolute worst, at my weakest but you still stuck around and I know I am never going to be abandoning you, and I am never going to be going that long without contacting you again. It was just too much, mom said I looked like a zombie the entire time." I gulped some, my heart thumping hard, beating fast as I heard his words. So he felt the same? Mark him now! He is our mate! He feels the same way! No! Not yet, don't want to pressure him into it, besides that sounded like way too much commitment right now.
"I guess we go on dates and stuff? I mean, we never did manage to catch that movie last summer, we can go see something else." With his awkward nod I let out a laugh before leaning in, burying my face into his neck and taking a deep whiff. His comforting scent washing over my body. Yes, he is safe. Percy is happy, we are happy. At the little voice in my head, I couldn't help but let out a small giggle before nodding. I really didn't know what was going to be ahead of me now but I knew that as long as Percy was around, things were going to be alright.
Annabeth smiled a little bit, her hand over Percy's as they sat at the table at some fancy restaurant. It had been about a week since the werewolf incident and...She hadn't shifted that whole time, she hadn't felt the pain like that night despite the nagging voice in the back of her head, always telling her to just mark her boyfriend as her mate. To make the pack, to expand the pack.
It was a strange feeling, going through that and the constant unease she felt now when not around Percy or Sally, who her wolf thankfully recognized as Percy's mother. Either way, she felt almost naked without one of them around, wolves were not meant to be running on their own. They weren't meant to fight without a pack behind them, that was what got them killed most times, those instincts were continually clashing with her sense of individuality. The greek way of focusing on one's prowess in battle as a single unit instead of in a group.
None of that mattered right now, though, as Annabeth and her new boyfriend, oh, it felt great to finally call him that. Were on their first date, one arranged by Sally, of course, as soon as she heard of them getting together, set the two up after hearing the news of what happened to her. Sally, being the wonderful mother that she was, comforted Annabeth. Telling her that, no matter what, she was still the brilliant daughter of Athena that her son had fallen in love with when he was 13. The memory was a good one to be sure, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked forward into Percy's sea-green eyes, then darting to the rest of his face. This was the face that she had been so afraid of losing before, his playful look, those crooked teeth in his smile as she stared at her like she was the only girl in the world.
"So, I guess we don't need to make much of the awkward first date conversation, huh? I already know your future plans, dreams, favorite colors, movies, and books are. Oh, I also know your favorite weapon, a favorite method of sharpening said weapon and favorite school of architecture." Annabeth smiled at Percy with a nod, he better know that he had been on the receiving end of her knife plenty of times while sparring after all.
"I guess not, I know almost everything about you as well. Apparently, you were the most adorable three-year-old in the world, according to your mother, and I agree with her. Those photos were just cavity-inducing, you know?" She heard him groan more, and her grin only became wider.
"Do you still have ? Because that Dolphin looked incredibly fluffy and comfortable to sleep with."
"And why do you want to know? You aren't going to steal him like you did my jacket, right? Oh, and do you need another jacket, by the way? We do have the spare income to at least get you one."
"Because I need to thank him for teaching you how to be such an excellent cuddler." Percy's face went red, it was cute. "Also, no, I don't need another Jacket, I can just wear one of your hoodies around. It's big and warm enough, anyways." They also smell of him. Yes, they do, and it is a wonderful scent always made Annabeth feel safe, funny how the smell of the sea made her feel safe. She supposed it was meant to be the opposite, but she hadn't given a damn about the rivalry between their parents since the Transport Truck back when they were 12.
"But won't wearing it put you in more danger? With my scent and everything, it brought the werewolf right to you. I don't want you in even more danger than normal when I am not around to back you up." That made Annabeth roll her eyes.
"You know I can take care of myself, right? I managed to get through an entire semester on my own, mostly wearing your jacket through it all by myself, I think I would be fine."
"Yes, I know you can take care of any monster that dares look at you the wrong way. However, you would still be safer with me covering your blind spots; we both know you aren't the best at taking hits. In our dynamic duo, that's my job, to draw in the monster's attention while you sneak around and stab it from behind." I grunted, he was right of course. We always fought better as a team moving together as one cohesive unit with two bodies sometimes. Still, she didn't want to feel useless and guarded by him! Mark him, make him part of the pack already! You act like it, so why not do it?
"Well, I don't like seeing you hurt or near-death either. So could you do me a favor and stop being so reckless? Treating your wounds after a battle isn't something I revel in doing, you know."
"I can't help it, I would rather focus all the focus on me than you all. I can heal easier than anyone as long as water is around, and we don't have to waste nectar and ambrosia on me...Anyways, what other first date topics do we have? I..I have never done this before obviously." He gulped a little. Still obviously nervous, playing with his cute button-up collar, looking around, his eyes flashing along all of the patrons of the restaurant, trying to detect any monsters.
"Um well, how about we talk about... Well, I don't know, I have never done this either! Uh..." Gods, why was it so hard to think of a topic right now? Usually, their conversations flowed smoothly from talks of potentially hiding bodies. To the morality of the cabins being wood when their shared best friend was literally dating a tree, to the war effort, and then to new things going on in the mortal world. So why was their conversation as an actual couple feeling so stilted and unnatural?
"Go on any weird quests while you were in school? I think Thalia told me something about a Sword in our last IM; I don't exactly remember it."
"Oh yeah, Persephone called all us big three kids to the Underworld to reclaim Hades's sword."
"Hades doesn't have a sword though, his main weapon is his staff."
"This is a new thing, Persephone had it forged very recently like, this year recently. Apparently, she thought that Hades needed more power or something like that, so go figure. He swore on the Styx to not use it against Olympus, though" Percy shrugged then as their meal came, leaving Annabeth a little shellshocked before coming to her senses.
"Wait, you went to the underworld without me?! You went again and got out? Percy, why didn't you tell me this before, I only knew you went on a quest because of Thalia." Gods, Percy was going to give her a heart attack before she was twenty at this rate! What was he thinking?
"This probably isn't a good time to tell you I was thrown into the River Lethe as well, is it? Well, um, good news, my water powers still work on the rivers of the underworld, I think. I could control the river and stayed dry even as I fought against Ipatus in the River Lethe." With every word, Percy seemed to shrink a bit. Mark him now, keep him close. He will die without us. Finally, a thought with her new instincts that she completely agreed with!
"You...You fought a titan, and bathed in the River Lethe, remaining dry while you did so. You...You know you could have forgotten literally everything, and you could have easily died when fighting against the titan. Again why didn't you tell me this before?" Reaching up, the girl massaged her temples, storing away the info that he could somehow control the underworld's rivers. If they ever did go to Hades again, that would be useful to know.
"In my defense, I thought you were really mad at me and didn't want to see me for a while. I also didn't want to worry you, like you are now while you were still in school." So he had tried to spare her the information so she wouldn't worry? Reaching over, she squeezed his hand a little bit.
"Listen up, Seaweed Brain, now that we are dating I want you to tell me about literally all the quests you go on. No matter if we are fighting at the moment, if I am in the middle of finals week or if we are just hanging out by the creek. I want to hear it all because otherwise, I will be even more pissed at you when you tell me afterward, all the worrying will no doubt hit me all at once if it's delayed." He nodded bashfully, embarrassed at how she was acting towards him apparently. She just shook her head and reached over to kiss his cheek, glad that she could finally do that in public without people getting the wrong idea...Well, they would have the right idea, but the wrong timing.
"Good, now what happened to the titan that bathed in the Lethe? I assume he was defeated, given you are still alive."
"Oh, he forgot literally everything about himself and then we took him to the palace where Persephone promised she would take care of him. I think we're friends? At least he didn't want to kill us anymore."
"Another ally? And immortal might be usef-" Annabeth was interrupted as a loud crash echoed throughout the restaurant. A pair of putrid odors invaded her nostrils as two giant beasts charged in. One was familiar, a hellhound, with rotten teeth, stained with blood. The other was something she had hoped to never see in battle, a large, gorilla-like humanoid with skin dark as the night sky and spouting two wicked bat wings. An Oneiroi, this was bad. Diving behind a nearby table as quickly as she could, she looked to Percy, who already had Riptide out and ready to go.
"I recognize the dog, but the other thing is new to me. I don't imagine that it's powers are shooting out harmless rainbows and causing rave music to pound?"
"Sadly, no, that thing as a dream spirit. So it can probably put you to sleep against your will if it hits you. So please, stay away from it while we take care of the hellhound first." Annabeth then let loose a low growl, something unintentional. As she felt her body start to tense up, the lycanthrope instincts reacting to the danger. Protect. Protect Percy, keep him safe. Annabeth just nodded before drawing her own dagger. Looking out, the hellhound seemed to be sniffing around, ignoring the mortals for now as it tried to track them, no doubt. Looking back to her boyfriend, Annabeth nodded at the canine monster, and they jumped out in sync. Percy charging in with Riptide gleaming in the light, letting out a little yell to draw all attention to him while Annabeth slipped her way through the destroyed restaurant. Hiding and making herself disappear as much as she could as Percy engaged the monster, the boy using more evasive tactics than he ever had before...
"Well, it sounds like he took my request seriously. Good to know." Smirking, I watched the monster clash with Percy again and again, claws meeting his blade a few times. Annabeth's eyes darted around the restaurant, trying to find the dream spirit but found nothing until she looked right behind Percy, hand raised and chanting something. Cursing, Annabeth charged out from her hiding spot, leaping over tables to land on the hellhound's back and stab her dagger into the monster's back before sliding her way down its shoulder. Her knife cutting through the beast like it was made of paper before landing on the ground. The canine dissolved into the yellow dust like they always did just as Percy fell to the ground, his sword clattering against the floor. Now, Annabeth would be worried about this, if Percy didn't release a loud snore a moment later, indicating he was just put to sleep.
Staring up at the Oneiroi. The Dream spirit seemed focused on her now, lifting its hand and pointing at her and starting to chant. Annabeth could feel it, the magic beginning to wrap around her, invading her mind, her eyelids beginning to feel heavy. Growling, the girl shook her head to get the sleep out of her mind before throwing her dagger into the thing's chest with expert precision. Sticking deep into the monster's heart before it popped and became nothing but golden sand. Annabeth let out a sigh of relief, her boyfriend was sleeping on the ground the monster encounter seemed to be over, and she was still feeling drowsy from the spell that the dream spirit's spell. Instinctively, Annabeth took in a deep whiff through her nose to catch Percy's pleasant scent before going to sleep, and on the air, she caught the putrid smell. It was like the stables on the Greyon ranch times a thousand.
The horrible scent clogged up her nose almost entirely, causing Annabeth to gag a bit before composing herself, realizing what all those smells meant. The first two monsters were just there to make them weaker, and seeing as she was halfway to passing out, and Percy was knocked out for a while, it seemed like they had succeeded.
"Crap, crap! This is not how I wanted my first date to go!" Quickly going to retrieve her dagger, when outside, Annabeth caught more of the horrid monster scents that were on the air. They were mixing together for a storm of stench that could probably make the paint peel off the walls. Getting back into the restaurant, where Percy was still sleeping, Annabeth tried to shake him awake, to come up with a plan but no. There was nothing she could think of to get out of here unless... Yes, do it. Mark him, make him ours. No! That wasn't what she wanted, thinking back to the werewolf. That beast was stronger, faster, and a bit more nimble than her, equipped with wicked natural weapons that could no doubt rend their fair share of monster flesh...And if she was a werewolf, that meant she could shift on command like her, right? Even with the full moon out, she only became a werewolf when she wanted to, at her preferred moment.
It was a better idea than any other others, getting a power boost to protect Percy seemed a little needed now. The problem was how to trigger a shift...Maybe going into an instinctive behavior? Yes! So make him ours! Mate him and shift! No gods damnit! She wasn't going to do that while he was asleep! But still, his vulnerable form did privy her what she could do.
"Percy, danger, protect." At that, Annabeth looked to the sleeping boy, trying to draw out the need in her to protect her pack, Percy was close enough to be in it after all. REaching inside of herself, the girl suddenly felt a throb through her body, though it died a moment afterward. Not strong enough.
Closing her eyes, she imagined Percy lying alone, utterly helpless as monsters descended upon him. All of them wearing wicked smiles, ready to eat the boy, devour him limb by limb, and the throbbing came back. Jerking forward, Annabeth could feel it, her muscles starting to shift, hands shifting into claws. It was working, she could feel it working within her blood. There were pulses of energy being sent through her system, starting to transform her, but it was too slow for Annabeth. The monsters would be here at any moment!
Keeping her eyes closed, Annabeth let out a calming breath for herself before imagining Percy there. Heavily injured, bleeding out before her. Clearly, he wasn't going to be able to fight anymore, so Annabeth had to protect him. Protect Percy, protect the man she wanted to be hers! She needed to be healthy! Annabeth's muscles started to firm up more, getting quicker as blonde fur started to sprout all over her skin.
Yes yes! She needed to transform, she needed to guard him, she needed to protect him! The protective instincts, the need to mate him, the need to build a pack, a family for all of them to protect each other, the need to guard that pack as the founder all started to flood through her. Annabeth letting the more straightforward nature of the beast inside of her be in command for now. All that mattered was protecting him, getting out of this alive!
The scent of the monsters kept getting more durable and stronger as time went on. Annabeth was forced to her knees as her body shifted forms. The added muscle mass tearing through her tight shirt in moments, leaving two useless pieces of fabric to float to the ground. The girl herself trying desperately to speed along the process until everything went dark. Her usual mind blacking out as her body completed the transformation. Leaving behind the typical complicated thoughts, focusing solely on instinct, the instinct, and need to protect the boy currently lying down in front of her. The monsters then started to flood through all the available entrances. Annabeth let loose a wild howl when they rushed in, the girl fully embracing her wild side. Getting ready for a fight that would go on for a while, all to protect the man who was going to be her mate.
