Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians or Vampire Diaries.

English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any errors I might have.

Summary: Slightly AU, Fem!Percy. The war against Gaea is over. Everything is slowly going back to normal—everything but Persephone Jackson. Going through a war is hard, but going through two wars is harder. She leaves Camp to spend her senior year in a little town in Virginia in hopes for a normal year for once. Little does she know—Mystic Falls is a monster infected town. Will the saviour of Olympus be saved before its too late, or will the darkness within her consume all that was left of her? Will she fall in love again?

...

Chapter 3

Percy Jackson was beautiful.

Her eyes were a stunning shade of sea-green, and her hair was curly and black as the night sea. Her body was alright too, with soft muscles and a tanned complexion for all the time she used to spend down by the beach in Camp Half-Blood, and the many times she spend inside of the Sun Chariot with Apollo.

Her smile was breathtaking. She smiled a lot, just like her father, and it was often a sarcastic playful smile, but when she smiled her real smile, it was as if the room lightened up, as Apollo used to tell her.

Her personality was part of her beauty too.

She had flaws like everybody else: she was sarcastic and liked to make dumb comments to see how everyone reacted, and often judged people by their actions, and she couldn't stand to see a broken promise.

But her more prominent personality was the one that made her beautiful. She was loyal and nice. She was nice with people who deserved it, and she would never ever break a promise. She was too loyal for her own good; it was her fatal flaw, as the goddess Athena had told her.

There was no denying it in any way; she was beautiful.

Apollo used to joke that she was too beautiful for her own good. She wasn't the most beautiful girl in the world, there was more beautiful people, but she certainly was beautiful.

She was almost a Mary-Sue, he had said, listing all the people who had been in love with her or that had crushed on her, which were a lot: He, Luke Castellan, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Calypso, Nico Di Angelo, Reyna Ávila Ramírez Arellano, and a handful of campers from both demigods camps.

She hated it, because she couldn't correspond any of their feelings. She only ever loved Apollo, and Apollo only, and it hurt her to break their hearts.

But as Apollo always said, she was beautiful.

She had to be; she dated a Greek god, and was confused for a Roman goddess the first time she entered Camp Jupiter, but she never thought much of herself. She didn't had a low self-esteem, but she didn't also cared much about her physical appearance.

She thought that the only thing that should matter was the personality. Looks changed, personality didn't.

That's why, when she entered Mystic Falls, she knew there would be boys interested in her. It always happened, always. People always interested in the new girl in town, and the new girl in school. And she was tired of it, of being new in schools and new in towns.

She was tired of being the centre of attention everywhere. In both camps, her looks and her role as the heroine of Olympus caught everybody's attention, and here in Mystic Falls, her looks and the perspective of a new girl in town, would caught everybody's attention.

And she hated it.

She missed New York, where no one looked her way more than once, a place big enough to get lost in a crowd of people, a place where she was herself.

And of course, she missed Camp Half-Blood, where she knew everybody and everybody knew her.

...

The second she entered The Grill with her parents, everyone's eyes were on them. In a small town new people were always sparked curiosity. And while Percy was used to people looking at her—she was a heroine, she had to be used to be looked at—she hated it.

It made her extremely uncomfortable. People looked at them with curiosity, and she could literally imagine what they were saying. New poor family in town, new teenager girl, new teacher for the school, new writer...

"Why couldn't we stay at home?" Percy said, looking uncomfortable as some teenager boys stared at her as if they'd never seen a girl before. "I don't like this place."

Sally and Paul looked uncomfortable too, but they were already sitting a table, so they couldn't exactly leave. It would be extremely rude, besides, they liked to think they should get over anything that made them uncomfortable or disgusted. It was a way of growing up.

"It's not that bad," Sally said, trying to smile. "They'll get over us soon, let us just enjoy this family dinner night, yes? It's been a while since we've been together as a family having dinner."

"Well," Paul said as Percy closed her mouth, deciding not to object anymore. "The food certainly looks good. Let's just hope it tastes as good as it looks like."

As Sally promised, people stopped looking their way after a while, getting bored of their normality, and they started to relax. Percy smiled and joked with Paul while Sally overlooked the menu, making comments every now and then.

"So is everything here grilled as I thought?" Percy smiled at her mother.

Sally grinned at her. "No, but I think you will like the food. There are lots of hamburgers, and hot dogs, and French fries."

"Ah, yes, junk food," Percy grinned widely. "After a year without junk food, I'm more than ready for calories and greasy food damaging my body."

Paul looked amused at the teenager, who always seemed to be hungry.

"But not much of it," Sally stopped smiling, trying to look serious. "You can't get too unhealthy. It might be dangerous."

"I know, mom," Percy said solemnly.

At Camp Half-Blood, demigods were under a strict diet of healthy food, because if one got unhealthy with junk food, the muscles could lose their strength, and people get lazier, and when in a battle, the demigod could die or get hurt, so everyone was under a strict diet.

"Don't worry," Percy added. "I'm good as new."

She didn't mentioned that in Tartarus she had very little things to eat, so she was mostly starved when she got out, and ate all the food she could find, junk or not.

And her statement was a lie. She wasn't good as new, she was still sore and tired from all the nights she spent awake because of her nightmares, but her mother didn't had to know that.

Sally smiled, her worry dying instantly. If her daughter said she was okay, it was the truth. Percy had never lied to her. Ever. "I'm glad to hear that, my dear."

The waiter approached them after some minutes. He was a young man, probably Percy's age, with sandy blond hair and baby blue eyes.

He smiled at them politely. "Welcome to The Grill. My name is Matt, and I'll be your waiter tonight. May I take your orders?"

He looked very nice and kind, but Percy froze when he stood at their side. He looked like a mortal, but he had the same horrible smell and feeling that Alaric had. For a second, Percy thought again that it was her paranoia, but it was the second time it happened in an hour.

And with two different people. No one else in the restaurant gave off that feeling, only Matt. Percy knew instantly that her theory was right. She wasn't being paranoid. There was a monster in Mystic Falls, and both Alaric and Matt had been spending time with it.

There was no mistaking it. The feeling both Alaric and Matt had was too strong to be Percy's paranoia. There was absolutely no mistaking it.

There was a monster in Mystic Falls.

But that made no sense. Monsters didn't mess with mortals, they usually ignored them. They only messed with demigods and gods. Why would this monster be spending time with mortals?

"Percy," Sally stressed, looking at her daughter.

Percy looked at Sally, to then look at Matt, who was watching her. When their eyes met, he blushed in a cute way, but looked uncomfortable. Only then she realized he'd been trying to take her order for some time now.

"I'm sorry, I spaced out," Percy faked an apologetic smile. Her shoulders were tense, and she gritted her teeth together. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was running so fast with all her questions and doubts that she didn't quite felt like herself.

"Dear, this young man is waiting for you," Paul said gently. "He is the waiter, he will take your order."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Percy shook her head, looking down at the menu again. She couldn't even remember what she wanted to eat. She wasn't hungry anymore. "Uh, pizza would be okay. Thanks."

Matt nodded, wrote something on his notebook, and left. Percy followed him with her eyes until he was out of her sight line. When she looked back, both Paul and Sally were looking at her with concern.

Sally leaned forwards and took her hand. "What's wrong, Percy?"

Percy kept her mouth shut. She knew she could trust her parents, but she didn't wanted them to worry more than they already did. A monster in Mystic Falls could mean her departure back to Camp, and even though she missed New York, she liked the idea of being with her family for a whole year.

The monster deal had to stay a secret if she wanted to stay with her family.

"Nothing's wrong. I just..." Percy trailed off. "I got lost in thoughts. It happens sometimes, I'm sorry I worried you both. I'm perfectly okay, I just...got lost in my own head, I guess."

Paul and Sally didn't looked completely convinced, but decided not to say anything else. Percy had changed, and they couldn't do anything about it. She went through two wars, getting kidnapped and losing her memory, and then Tartarus...it was perfectly normal for her to space out sometimes.

"Okay." Paul nodded. "But you know you can trust us, right?"

Percy liked that kind of reassurance they gave her. Of course she knew, but to be reminded they cared was gratifying.

"I know. Thank you."

...

During the time they stayed in The Grill eating, Percy kept an eye out for any monsters, and for everyone that approached Matt. Since he smelled like a monster, the monster was probably spending time with him.

So far, nothing remotely monster-like had approached Matt, and Percy was starting to feel dumb.

What if there was no monster? What if her paranoia was getting worst? First, she thought the whole town felt monster infected, and now two of the people she met in Mystic Falls smelled and felt like monster even thought they were mortals.

It was either her imagination, or there was a monster that liked to hang around mortals in Mystic Falls.

When they were leaving The Grill, Matt approached them again with the bill, and this time, Percy managed to actually study the boy better. He noticed her look, and smiled kindly.

"Hello. You're the new girl in town, aren't you?" he even spoke kindly. "Alaric told me we have a new student at school."

"Gossips travel fast around here," Percy said, raising her eyebrows.

Matt chuckled. "You have no idea."

"I'm Percy Jackson," the demigoddess extended her hand, the last retort to knowing if he was a monster. When he took it, and nothing changed in his facial expression, Percy sighed tiredly. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Matt smiled. Percy liked that he didn't said anything about her name being a boy's name. Usually everybody always commented on that. "Are you enjoying Mystic Falls?"

He was being nice by trying to start a conversation, and while Percy couldn't shake the feeling of monster powder that he emanated, she couldn't be rude to someone that was being polite to her.

"It's my first day here," Percy shrugged. "But it seems like a nice town."

"It is," Matt promised. "You'll fit right in. You're going to be attending school, right?"

Percy nodded. "It's my last year. I start on Monday."

Sally and Paul rose after leaving the money in the bill card, and Percy rose with them, smiling at Matt in a polite forced way.

"I guess I'll see you around in school," Matt nodded politely. "And if you ever need something, don't hesitate to tell me, I know how frustrating it must be to be new in a town where you know no one. So I'm here if you ever need anything."

The offer made Percy smile. Matt was so nice that Percy immediately thought of Frank Zhang, who was the nicest boy Percy ever met. He was, as Leo Valdez used to say to mess with him, a cinnamon roll: too good for this world, too pure...

"Thanks, Matt. See you around."

When she turned, the smile dropped out of her face, and she pushed down her urges to attack after being so close to someone that gave away the feeling of monsters. She left The Grill with her parents, the three of them living a lie.

Sally, who thought she could fix Percy.

Paul, who thought everything could be alright if they were united as a family.

And Percy, who thought she was too broken to be fixed.

...

They started painting Percy's room that same night, and since it wouldn't be healthy to sleep in a room that smelled only of paint, Percy slept in the couch at the living room.

Sally wanted her to sleep upstairs with them, but that would've been way too awkward, and Percy feared she would wake them off if she had a nightmare and woke up screaming.

So despite the couch being hard to sleep at, Percy spent her night there. She had tried to stay awake, for she wanted to investigate and see if she could find out what type of monster was living in Mystic Falls, but she was too tired, and soon, she fell asleep.

Percy glared at the poison flood encroaching from all sides. She concentrated so hard that something inside of her cracked—as if a crystal ball had shattered in her stomach. Warmth flowed through her.

The poison tide stopped. The fumes blew away from her, going back to the goddess. The lake of poison rolled towards her in tiny waves and rivulets.

Akhlys shrieked. "What is this?"

"Poison," Percy said. "That's your specialty, right?"

She stood, her anger growing hotter in her gut, as the flood of venom rolled towards the goddess, the fumes began to make her cough. Her dark eyes watered even more.

Oh, good, Percy thought. More water.

Percy imagined her nose and throat filling with her own tears.

Akhlys gagged. "I—" The tide of venom reached her feet, sizzling like droplets on a hot iron. She wailed and stumbled back.

Percy watched with extreme satisfaction. The way she looked, the way Misery was so miserable made Percy feel warmth and happy in an exuberant way that couldn't be clearly described.

"Percy!" Annabeth called. She'd retreated to the edge of the cliff, even though the poison wasn't after her. She sounded terrified. It took Percy a moment to realize Annabeth was terrified of her. "Stop," she pleaded, her voice hoarse.

Percy didn't wanted to stop. She wanted to choke this goddess. She wanted to watch her drown in her own poison. She wanted to see how much misery Misery could take.

"Percy, please..." Annabeth's face was still pale and corpse-like, but her eyes were the same as always. The anguish in them made Percy's anger fade slowly, leaving only an empty feeling on her stomach, and fear of what she made Annabeth see.

Percy forced herself to turn towards the goddess again. Looking at her, she felt her anger start to build again, and all she wanted to do was choke that goddess to dead. She wanted to see if it was possible to kill the immortal.

But then she thought of Annabeth, and her terrified eyes. Terrified of her.

Percy willed the poison to recede, creating a small path of retreat along the edge of the cliff.

"Leave!" she bellowed at the goddess.

For an emancipated ghoul, Akhlys could run pretty fast. After she was gone, Annabeth stumbled towards Percy. She looked like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough when she gripped her arms.

"Percy, please, don't ever..." her voice broke in a sob. "Some thing aren't meant to be controlled. Please."

Her body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding. The broken glass inside her was beginning to smooth at the edges. But the emptiness continued. For Annabeth's sake, and her own, Percy nodded, forcing her mind to work again.

"Yeah. Okay, yeah."

Percy woke up with a gasp, her green eyes widening almost painfully.

Her throat burned painfully, her whole self ached for the feeling her mind so desperately wanted to forget.

Annabeth was right, as usual. Some things weren't meant to be controlled, but those things were addicting. Percy knew she should never want to do that again, but something had broken inside of her.

And as much as she feared it, she craved it.

It was as if someone had cursed her. She couldn't stop thinking about that night she tortured Misery in Tartarus. She had felt so good, so powerful...

She had liked letting her anger out on someone. All her life, she had been bottling up her emotions, and the seconds the bottle broke, she felt so powerful and so good. It was an indescribable feeling. After all those years being a pawn of the gods, finally letting her anger out on someone had felt like heaven.

And as much as she feared becoming dark again, she wished she could just let it all go, and felt that that she felt while torturing Misery. She had felt so free, so powerful, so...good.

No one ever said that bad things would feel so good. No one ever said that power would be so addictive.

By now, tears leaked out of Percy's eyes, and she forced herself not to make a sound in case her sobs could wake her parents up in such a silent night.

"What is happening to me?" she cried out, as silent as she could, but unable not to say that out loud after wondering that for so many weeks.

She was angry with the gods. She really was, but she would never become like Luke. She wasn't like that, she never wanted to be like that. And this that she was feeling...it was tearing her from the inside, making her feel so empty and so much like someone different from who she was.

She was scared, she was frightened.

This feeling was too strong for her, and she was terrified of it, of what she could do.

"This is not me," Percy gasped out, more tears falling from her eyes. She grabbed her face in her hands, her silent sobs making her body shake. "Why do I feel like this? Oh gods, please, stop this."

It was a desperate notion, praying to the gods for help when no one really cared. They were gods, they probably knew what was happening to her, and no one cared. No one helped her, no one seemed worried, not even Apollo. And that's what most hurt Percy, that she was completely alone in this.

She gasped again, her fingers burning with the desire of conjuring water and see what else could she make that could compare itself to what she did in Tartarus.

"Please," she sobbed. "Make this stop."

"C'mon, Persephone. Don't be a whiny child," Kronos' voice called.

Percy gasped, turning around, only to see the handsome face of Luke Castellan, standing just in front of her.

"It's just a little bit of pain. A little bit of agony, a little bit of emptiness...I thought you were stronger."

Immediately, Percy thought she was dreaming again. But she had just woken up, and she was one hundred percent sure she was awake. The burning ache in her stomach was enough proof of that.

But it couldn't be.

Luke Castellan couldn't be standing in front of her, not when he died, and not when he was speaking with Kronos' voice instead of his own.

Kronos couldn't be in front of her.

But there was no mistaking it. He was really in front of her, looking at her, smirking his very twisted smirk with Luke's soft pink lips.

"Hallucinations," Nico had said. "The first weeks after I left Tartarus I started to hallucinate. So far you've never had a hallucination, so maybe you never will."

"You knew this would happen. It happens to everyone. Every little puny hero that thinks they're too good for their own good, every pure creature..." Kronos scoffed. "Please as if there was something completely pure. You, my dear Persephone, are worst than any other monster you hunt. You say you only kill to protect your family and friends, but you destroyed me, when all I wanted was to have a family again."

Percy found her voice. She knew she shouldn't talk back to a hallucination, but she couldn't help but feel as if he was really standing in front of her.

"You didn't wanted your family back, you wanted to destroy them. To destroy us."

"My family? Those good for nothing gods are not my family! They stopped being my family the moment they sliced me and sent me to Tartarus! Have you not thought of all they've done? They are the monsters, not me."

"Yes, because eating your own children for fear of loosing your throne makes you innocent," Percy snarled. "And killing mortals just for fun, and being a dick to your wife."

Instead of getting angry, Kronos simply smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Percy snapped, loosing her patience, and trying to hide her fear. She was getting worst and worst, now hallucinating about Kronos. One thing was to dream about him, but to hallucinate...it was horrible. "Laugh all you want, but you're the one rooting in Tartarus."

Kronos' smile widened. "Who says I am?"

With that, the Titan approached, Percy, a predator smile on his lips, and grabbed her roughly by her shoulders.

Percy gasped, and tried to squirm away. Hallucinations weren't supposed to touch you. What the Hades was happening?

The Titan smiled again, and said the words that doomed Percy. "I am alive, my dear Persephone. I am alive in you. And I am waiting."

She blinked, and he was gone. Her shoulders were in pain, as was her whole body. She looked around wildly, trying to spot him, but he was gone. Nothing seemed different, it was all the same. It was as if he hadn't been there at all.

And in fact, he hadn't.

Percy stood there, shaking with fear and embarrassment.

She managed to walk, and she ran to the bathroom, where she opened her backpack with trembling fingers, and found a drachma and a bottle of fake rainbow.

She turned on the water in the tub in the hottest capacity, creating a fog all around the room. She sprayed the fog with the fake rainbow, and threw the drachma to the middle of it.

"Oh, Iris, Goddess of Rainbows. Please accept my offering, and show me Annabeth Chase, whenever she is now."

Percy's voice shook, as did all her body. She prayed with all her might that Iris would accept her offer and let her talk to Annabeth.

Five seconds later, the iris message cleared, and Percy saw Annabeth. Instead of sleeping like Percy thought she would be, Annabeth was by the fireplace in a room, an old sketchbook by her lap, and an untouched glass of water by her feet.

A warm feeling spread through Percy's body when she saw her best friend. Instantly, she started to feel better. But the second she looked away, the dread came back, along with he fright of what had just happened.

Percy found her voice, but it cracked miserably. "Wise girl."

The blonde girl looked around, confused. Then, she saw the iris message, and started to grin. Her grin died when she saw her best friend's face, and concern immediately appeared on her face.

"Seaweed brain, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Wise girl," Percy cried, wanting to be able to cross over and hug her best friend, but that was impossible. "Annabeth, I need help."

...

In the morning, Sally found her daughter sleeping in the tub, a bottle of fake rainbow and a handful of drachmas on her hands, a frown on her sleeping face, and her cheeks red and puffy, as if she had been crying.

"Percy? Dear? What happened? Are you all right?"

Percy woke up startled, feeling lost and confused until she remembered what had happened. Percy sighed deeply. She had stayed all night talking to Annabeth, and apparently she fell asleep talking to her. Thankfully, after her nightmare and the hallucination, her dreams were weirdly empty.

"Mom," Percy croaked. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to orientate herself. Sally quickly extended a hand towards her, and helped her out of the tub.

Sally quickly grabbed her hands. "What happened?"

"I..." Percy stopped herself. How could she admit that she was losing her mind? She couldn't. Sally had way too many worries on her shoulders to find out Percy was suffering. It wouldn't be fair to her, not after all the months she suffered because of Percy's disappearance.

"I was talking to Annabeth, and I lost track of the time," Percy said. "I fell asleep on the tub, uh, we were talking via Iris Message, so I needed the water from the tub and the rainbow and drachmas..."

Sally stared. A sigh left her mouth then, and Sally seemed to relax. She had thought something terrible had happened, and was worried Percy would have to leave for Camp or something. Usually, when people Iris Messaged Percy, something bad was happening.

But then again, maybe Annabeth was tired of writing letters, and decided to use a more easy technique to talk to Percy.

"I'm sorry I worried you," Percy said, guiltily. "It won't happen again. I just lost track of the time."

Sally smiled and kissed her forehead, not noticing how Percy's body shook. "Don't worry, dear. Now come on, I'm making breakfast for us. Paul will be leaving soon, and we'll have the whole day for us."

Percy forced herself to nod. "I just...I'll get ready and I'll be down in a few."

Sally nodded, kissed her forehead one last time, and left her alone on the bathroom. Percy sighed tiredly, and closed her eyes, her hands grabbing her hair in a desperate motion. Her head ached, and she was frightened for her hallucinations.

Annabeth had been surprised by her words last night, she had been surprised to hear about her hallucinations, but promised to investigate more and more until she could find a remedy or something to help Percy. After all, it had been only just one hallucination, it was probable it was caused by stress and that she wouldn't have more.

But neither Annabeth nor Percy believed that completely.

Both of them were worried, but as Annabeth told Percy, she had to take it easy and continue as if nothing had happened. Percy didn't wanted to worry her mother, so going to a doctor to help her was not an option.

She only had to continue as if nothing had happened. Percy had to continue feigning to be okay, and maybe, she would actually be okay in the end.

The demigoddess took a bath, relaxing her tense shoulders and feeling the comfort that water always managed to give her. She dressed simply and quickly made her way downstairs, where she found Paul and Sally, already eating breakfast.

"Good morning," Paul smiled at her.

"Morning."

Percy sighed, looking at the food on the counter waiting for her. She wasn't hungry, but she knew that if she didn't ate, her parents would get suspicious, for she always had a great appetite for a seventeen years old girl.

"What are we going to do today?" Percy asked, sitting alongside her parents on the table, and forcing herself to start eating.

"I'm going to start remodelling my classroom, and when I come back I shall help you both to finish your room and the rest of the house, how does that sound?" Paul smiled kindly.

"Sounds good," Percy managed to smile.

Finishing unpacking and fixing the house would take time, but not completely, and she needed to do something that would distract her completely. So she thought of starting to investigate Mystic Falls to see if the monster that resided there had attacked anyone, or if there was indeed a monster or something.

Yes. That would help her get distracted and hopefully, not have any more hallucinations.

The only thing Percy didn't thought of, was that if she found out there was indeed a monster in Mystic Falls, and decided to fight it, she would have to use her powers, and if she used her powers...she could maybe fall back into the darkness that she so desperately craved, yet wanted to forget.