Chapter 18: Rebel Yell

It was quiet, so very quiet. The silence soaked the interior of the truck just as much as the rain soaked the exterior. It was permeating. Nauseating. It was ever present and all encompassing and it drowned out any possibility of distraction that mightve alleviated Percy's mind.

Because why wouldn't it? What more was there to the world right know than Percy's mind and the thoughts that flooded it?

He didn't want to believe it. He didn't. Not that he couldn't believe it, no that was easy. It made sense, it had always made sense. Even before he'd realized it, before the truth reached out and slapped him in the face, it made sense.

They protected their own, every step of the way. That's why he'd been so hesitant to kill Nakamura back in the den, why he'd held back against Luke all these years, why he'd done... well, a lot of the things he'd done.

They protected their own. that was the rule. That was what Zoe had drilled into him and everyone else pretty immediately after turning.

They protected their own, and now he knew why.

He couldn't help the way his fists clenched the steering wheel, or how his knuckles cracked on his fists. He couldn't help the way his jaw clenched, or his teeth groaned from the strain. He couldn't help his breathing, he couldn't help his mind, he couldn't help his thoughts.

His thoughts... who the hell was he kidding. He didn't have thoughts, he had one thought. One singular subject that captured every bit of attention his mind could spare.

Zoe. His Zoe. His Persian princess. The girl he'd known for half a century.

The girl who'd made him this. The girl who'd taught him this life. The girl who'd waited until now to show him someone he could actually care about.

The girl who wanted nothing more than his love, who wanted nothing more than to give all of herself to him. To surrender unto him what she thought he and only he deserved.

Zoe.

He thought about her.

He thought about her a lot, he always did. But right now... all he could think about was her.

He thought about how her thick black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, and how much she smiled on the rare occasion he ran his hands through it.

He thought about her beautiful, smooth skin was always soft to the touch, how he'd probably been the only man in years to feel it, and how she shivered when he laid even a finger on her.

He thought about the way her onyx black eyes always locked with his, every chance they got, and whether it was in an argument or as their bodies were pressed tight, that there was only ever one emotion he could make out in those black storm clouds of hers.

Love, and what a love it was.

Pure, unfiltered, undying love. The kind of love that could bring back the dead. The kind of love that could drive someone mad. The kind that didn't waver, nor falter. The kind that didn't bow at pressure or break under stress. The kind that hurt when it wasn't returned, but pressed on anyways.

The kind of love that had made her do what she'd done.

He... he felt sick. He felt sick and he didn't know why.

No, he knew exactly why.

He knew exactly what train of thought, what series of events, what path laid out before him was making him feel how he did. He knew it and he understood it and he couldn't deny it either.

But that didn't make it any easier, now did it?

It didn't.

"You know what you need to do, Percy."

Percy didn't bother holding back, not even for a second. He reached up, grabbed the rearview mirror, tore it off the roof, and crushed it in his hand.

He tossed the mirror on the ground and drove in silence for a few blissfully miserable seconds, torturing himself a little bit more with his mind as the rain continued to pour down.

"I know you heard me."

Percy felt his teeth grit. Hard. Groaning in his jaw as he let his eyes drift over to the side mirror.

"Shut up."

He snapped his eyes back forward, focusing on the road as he pressed the accelerator a little harder. Pushing the truck a little faster,

"Quit ignoring me. It's getting old, we both know that."

Percy felt a growl hiss through his teeth as he let his eyes drift over again, back to the mirror, and the man in it.

Himself. The version that he wasn't, but was so close to being again.

That thought alone made him angrier.

"It should make you angry."

Percy let a sigh hiss out of his nose, "Stop."

"No Percy. I'm not going to stop. I'm not going to stop because I was right. Wasn't I?"

Percy let his breathing get heavy, gripping the wheel a little tighter as he pressed the accelerator down a little more. His fury was peaking, and his frustration was too, and the last thing he needed was the fucking mirror to start gloating.

"I'm not gloating, Percy."

Percy grit his teeth a bit tighter, in one last act of frustrated rebellion, before he felt his body go loose in an instant. He slumped against the wheel before he pulled over and shut off the car, pulling out the key. He leaned back and stared at the mirror, locking eyes with the memory that laid before him.

There was a moment of silence. A moment of blissful emptiness where all that existed was the rain that poured down from the sky. It soaked the windows, bluring the outside world and trapping Percy within himself. Trapping him with the only thing he could focus on and the only thing that really mattered right now.

Zoe. His Zoe. The girl who, even though he'd always denied it, was undoubtedly his.

He knew what he had to do.

And that was the problem, wasn't it?

His eyes drifted to his window and he rolled it down, staring right at the reflection as it stared right back at him. The two figures kept their eyes locked, a silent conversation of thoughts they already shared and already understood happening between the two. Percy felt his breathing hitch as he shut his eyes tight, trying as hard a she could to hold back his emotion.

"I dont want this."

The reflection shook its head, "Yes you do, Percy. You've always wanted this."

Percy shook his head, "You don't understand."

"No, I understand." The reflection replied. His tone was softer, much more so than it had been before, "I'm you. Of course I understand."

They fell silent again, as Percy felt his lip twitch and his eyes close. His breath was shaky, and ragged, and the fact that he was breathing at all said a lot about what he was feeling in this moment.

Percy's eyes snapped open. He abandoned all pretense of strength, or confidence, or self assurance. He abandoned all that and looked the reflection dead in the eye as tears began to well.

"What do I do?"

The reflection sighed, reaching up to take off

it's glasses before it met Percy's eyes with a knowing look and pointed to the passenger seat.

"For starters? Deal with her."

Percy blinked and the reflection was gone, reverted back into himself. With that reversion, he finally got a good look at himself.

He didn't look good. Blood, cuts, and bruises. He had all three plastered on his face and... he didn't look good. He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed it, something he'd failed to realize until his reflection had left his brain.

The heartbeat. The rapid, hammering heartbeat that had gone unnoticed before but now may as well have been the only sound in existence. He drew a deep breath and turned slowly to the blonde girl that sat in his passenger seat.

She didn't look happy. Not at all. Not that she looked angry, or sad, or malicious, or really anything at all. Her face was a vacant mask of nothing, a collection of facial features that had somehow achieved complete neutrality. Her eyes didn't blink, her face didn't twitch, if Percy didn't know better from his hyper sensitive ears, he'd guess she wasn't even breathing.

They sat there for a moment, eyes locked as a lot of things happened without anything happening at all. Percy could see the look in her eyes, the way they shifted around slightly. He could tell she was thinking.

He let out a soft breath, turned forward, and gripped the steering wheel again.

"I'm never good with conflict, so it's better if you start."

She didn't speak, not at first. No, instead she slowly reached over with an outstretched palm and gently placed it over his chest.

She pressed down, hard, and when that didn't satisfy her she rose her hand up and pressed down on his jugular instead. Percy watched as she moved, not denying for a single second that her skin on his may as well have shot lightning through his body.

She pulled her hand away, letting it tremble slightly before she tightened it into a fist, took a deep breath, and locked eyes with him.

"Thalia was right, wasn't she?"

Percy felt a bit of annoyance worm its way into him. Thalia was right, because of course she was right. Because of course she'd already figured out his lie and spilled it to the group.

He let out a breath and turned back forward, gripping the wheel tight.

"Do you need me to show you?"

Annabeth hesitated, her mouth opening and closing, before she drew a shaky breath and nodded.

He closed his eyes and took his own breath. He turned to her, a slow, mechanical, overly deliberate motion that didn't look human and frankly shouldn't have. He opened his eyes, and they were glowing.

That should've been enough, that definitely was enough, but he didn't want to hide what he was anymore. Not from her.

He opened his jaw, feeling it crack softly as it unhinged wider than it should've, unhinging as if he were a boa constrictor. He felt another series of cracks in his jaw as he let his fangs grow, sinking out in front of his incisors. He kept his eyes on Annabeth, watching her reaction as he laid it out.

She took it... well. Well enough visually, at least. Her heart though? May as well have been a jack hammer.

He let his teeth sink back into his jaw, shut his mouth, and blinked the glow out of his eyes.

And then there it was.

The truth.

Laid before both of them without a word being spoken.

Annabeth drew a shaky breath and crossed her arms over her chest, turning back forward. Percy mirrored her movements, turning forward to stare at the blur of the windshield. Neither spoke, and frankly the silence was both terrifying Percy and putting him on edge.

Annabeth let out a small sigh, and Percy tensed up, getting ready for the worst.

"I can't believe I kissed a vampire."

Well... he hadn't expected that. A small smile spread over his lips.

"I can't believe you let me."

Annabeth let out a joyless laugh, "I did, right? Or did you use your Nosferatu seduction powers on me?"

Percy shook his head with a small smile, "I don't have any seduction powers. That's just my Texan charm."

She stiffened, letting her eyes drift over to him.

"You lived in Thalia's house, didn't you?"

The smile he had on his face fell in an instant. He turned to look at her, his eyes filled with gentle sadness.

"I did."

"In 1971, right?" She pressed, "That's when you lived there."

He let out a soft breath, "It was."

"And you were born in 1949, weren't you?" Her eyelids shut and she shook her head, "Jesus christ, I kissed a seventy year old..."

"Seventy two, actually." He replied in a dry tone.

She groaned out a sigh and put her head in her hands, sitting like that for a moment before she lifted up her face, keeping her eyes forward.

"In Thalia's kitchen, when you asked me if what I'd do if I could live forever..." She turned to him, "...was that..."

"Yeah." He replied, dipping his head in shame, "It was."

They both fell silent for a moment, the weight of that revelation sitting heavy on their shoulders.

Annabeth let out a soft sigh and turned to him, letting a small smile spread over her lips.

"Guess you must really like me, then. If you're willing to keep me around forever."

He let a smile break through, mirroring hers, "You've got your perks."

She scoffed out a laugh, "Oh yeah? Is a heartbeat one of those?"

His smile grew a bit, "It helps."

She shook her head as air blew out of her nose, "What else may have drawn your eye Lestat?"

He pulled a frown in mock hurt, "Lestat? I'm Louis for sure."

She laughed at that one, "So you did read it."

"Of course I did." He replied with a smile, "You gave it to me, why wouldn't I read it?"

She'd be lying if she said she didn't blush at that. Her smile spread a bit, before it wavered and her eyebrows furrowed with hurt.

"This is permanent for you, isn't it?"

He felt his eyes close and his lips draw into a thin line.

"It was." He replied in a quiet voice.

She opened her mouth to answer, but stopped when he shifted suddenly. His head cocked in a direction, pointing his ear behind them, before his eyes locked with hers.

"Seatbelt. Now."

She obliged as he turned on the truck. The windshield wipers spring back to life, clearing the windshield in an instant. Her eyes locked forward and she felt her blood run cold.

There was something out there. Something standing in the darkness of the storm.

Something with glowing eyes.

Percy let out a low growl as he shifted the truck into gear and floored it, speeding past the figure and down the road. Annabeth watched as they passed, taking note that it looked to be another of the creatures that had attacked her.

"Jesus christ, Percy..." Annabeth let out in a nervous tone, "Where are we going?"

She saw his reaction etch onto his face. Hurt, then anger, then frustration, then sadness. All of it melted away, into a look that she could recognize pretty well.

Acceptance.

"Home." He replied, "We're going home."

Home couldn't arrive soon enough.

It didn't really make a difference how fast he drove, every time he glanced out the window or shot a look in the mirror he just knew.

They were out there.

He'd already been disturbed enough that Zoe had let the hunters out of the den, but allowing them this far from it? This meant things were worse than he'd thought.

He pulled off the highway and swung down his old street, taking note of the fact that the streetlights were out along the whole road.

He grit his teeth in frustration, cranking the accelerator as he swerved into his old driveway, taking note that his motorcycle was parked there, too.

Nice work kid ,he thought to himself with a small smile.

He got up to the door in the truck, about as close as he could without smashing into the house, and shut off the engine, giving Annabeth a glance.

She looked terrified, and to be fair that was a just emotion to be feeling. He could hear her heartbeat, see her sweat, practically smell her fear. She glanced at the front door and Percy tore his eyes from her, looking out into the yard.

He knew they were out there.

He reached into his waistband and drew something he'd plucked up off the floor back at her place.

Her pistol. The nickel plated 1911. Her eyes locked on it and followed its path as he pressed it into her hands. Her gaze lifted off the pistol and met his.

"Get in the house, I'll join you shortly." He said. She furrowed her brow and grabbed his hand.

"What're you gonna do Percy?"

He drew a deep breath, "Grab something important. Something we'll need."

She gave his hand a squeeze and shot him a nod. He took a breath, unlocked the doors, and said one word.

"Go."

She did, opening the door and bolting to the house immediately. He mirrored her actions, sprinting to his bike. He didn't bother opening the saddlebags, he just grabbed the leather pouches and tore them off the frame. He tossed them under his arm and turned to the house.

Only to be met with a pouncing hunter.

His body moved before his brain could think, swinging a left hook that caught the monster as it came in. It sent it flying towards Annabeth's truck slamming into the door as Percy sprinted towards the home. He turned back and slammed the door shut, immediately slapping as many locks as he could closed which, to be fair, there were a lot.

He leaned against the door and drew a few deep breaths before he turned around.

Only to be staring straight down the barrel of Thalia's revolver.

He stepped back, muttering a soft "Oh shit" under his breath. Thalia looked... well, a lot of things. Pissed. Frustrated. Vicious. intimidating. What was really scary was the fact that it was her face itself rather than the revolver that was making him uncomfortable. Nico and Annabeth were both standing behind her, Nico had a rather panicked yet curious look in his eye, while Annabeth had placed a gentle hand on her friends shoulder.

She looked like she was about ready to explode, and with questions no less. She did not disappoint.

"I'm gonna ask this one time. One singular fucking time, and you are gonna answer honest or I swear to christ..." She pushed a little closer and pressed the barrel of the gun right against his chest, "I will put a whole through you the size of this state, and I don't care if you're Annie's boyfriend or not."

Percy met Thalia's gaze with his own steely glare, which didn't even dent Thalia's look. He held it as she opened her mouth and uttered three precise, simple words.

"What are you?"

He held for a second, letting his eyes flick over to Annabeth. She met his gaze, and gave him a gentle nod. He sighed and looked back at Thalia.

He felt his jaw crack, and his eyes glow, and his teeth start poking through his gums. She didn't panic, or freak out, or blast a hole through him (as she probably should've). No, instead she just removed the gun from his chest, took a step forward, and jammed a steely finger into his pectoral.

"You're a fucking vampire." She hissed out through a shit eating grin. She turned back to her friends with the smile still on her face.

"I fucking told you two."

Her gloating probably would've continued, but a slamming against the door brought them all back to their senses. Percy didn't waste any time. He dropped the saddle bags on the floor and dug through them, first pulling out his holster and revolver, and then reaching in and pulling something else out. Something he'd been saving for just this occasion.

Silver bullets. A whole belt of them.

He half cocked his revolver and ejected the regular bullets before he started loading the silver ones. He got his gun loaded and handed it to Nico.

"Give me the other one, Nico." He said. Nico obliged, tucking his hand into his jacket and handing him the revolver. Percy ejected the rounds as Nico examined the gun he held.

"Anything special about these bullets, Percy?" Nico asked.

"Yeah. They're silver." Percy replied as he rapidly loaded the second gun. He caught the look in Thalia's eyes as he mentioned the bullets.

It was... an intense look.

"Those work on vampires?" She asked in a quiet voice.

He rose to his feet and narrowed his eyes at her, "Yeah. They do. Most just think it's a werewolf thing, but they do."

She met his eyes and narrowed her own.

"Good to know."

Another slam on the door ended their little war of attrition. Percy surged to Annabeth and pressed the revolver into her hands as he slipped the 1911 from hers and tucked it into his waistband.

"This'll do a bit more good." He told her, as he wrapped the belt around her waist. He tooka look at Nico.

"Stay close to her. You run out of shots? Grab em off her belt, alright?"

He turned to Thalia and pointed a finger at her.

"And you." He pointed that same finger at her Smith and Wesson, "Aim for the head. Decapitation works too."

Thalia grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes as she hefted the hand cannon. Annabeth looked at Percy and gently grabbed his wrist.

"What about you? I'll take it that that thing..." She pointed at the 1911, "... won't do much good."

He grimaced and grabbed a nearby chair, shambles it to pieces, and hefted the two legs in his hands.

"I'll manage." He replied in a cold tone. He turned away from the group and spread his arms, publishing them back from the door.

"Back to back, quickly." He said. They did as he told, pressing their shoulders together as they formed a circle in the foyer.

"Aim for the heart." He whispered, "Don't miss. They won't give you a second shot."

Thalia hefted her shotgun and let out a breath, "I'll make sure my first shot is plenty."

Percy couldn't help but smile at that, but it was wiped clean by another slam on the door. He grit his teeth and hunched his shoulders, tensing his body up like a coiling spring. He heard the door get slammed again, then again, then again.

Then there was silence, for a moment.

Then the door was blasted open and three hunters came pouring in, jaws open and hisses already screeching from their maws.

He felt the group freeze behind them, and frankly that was understandable. They weren't easy to look at, or smell, or listen to. Percy had spent the better part of half a century dealing with them and even he hated their sight. But he didn't have time to freeze up, and had even less time to think.

So he moved.

He surged forward from the group, immediately driving a stake into the nearest hunters heart. The beast screeched in pain, bursting into flames in Percy's arms.

He stepped back and lunged at the next one, but it swiped it's hand and sent him crashing into the nearby wall. He hit it with a grunt, dropping his stakes as his hands grabbed at the creatures throat, holding it at a distance as it snapped at his neck.

The other beast took it turn to lunge at his friends, but thankfully Nico found his senses and raised his gun, cracking off a shot that blew through the things skull.

It screeched and fell back, crawling up the wall next to Percy as he struggled with the hunter at his throat.

"The heart, Nico!" He shouted, "Aim for the heart!"

Nico took a breath and cocked back his hammer as the hunter he'd shot scurried along the wall into the adjacent room. Percy finally got agood grip on his hunter and kicked it away from him. The beast steadied itself, locked eyes with him, and screeched.

All before a gunshot blew its head clean off.

Percy was immediately soaked in blood, along with the others. He wiped his face and turned to Thalia, who had a wild look in her eye.

"Guess that .500 magnum ain't too bad, eh?" She asked as she cocked the hammer back on her cannon.

He shot her a quick nod before his head snapped back to the door. It was open, the lock blown clean off the frame. He let out a low growl, plucking one of his stakes off the floor as he crossed the room and slammed it shut, all before carving another cross into the wood.

"Is anyone else in the house?" Percy hissed at Thalia, as her and the group got close to him.

"Just us." She hissed back as they got in formation again, "Well... us and it."

He shot her a sharp nod, turning to the room that the last hunter had crawled into. They moved as one, slowly slipping into the living room as Percy clutched his stake tight.

The thing was hunched over on the floor, taking rapid breaths as it dug at the wound in its head. Percy raised his hand, stopping the group as he moved forward alone, taking soft steps as he snuck up behind it.

The steps weren't soft enough, evidently, because it whipped its head around, screeched, and leapt through the front window. Percy followed it with his eyes, tracking its movement as it sprinted to the front yard.

Right up to Zoe.

There she was. Standing there, in his old front yard. Soaked with rain and writhe with fury. She looked... a lot of things. She looked angry. She looked betrayed. She looked hurt. She looked like tears would be visible if it weren't for the pouring rain. She looked...

Right at Annabeth.

And he saw it. A flicker, of something inside her. Something deep in her soul that he knew only he could notice. Because why wouldn't he be able to? He was hers after all. It only made sense that he'd be the one to spot it.

Fury. Pure, bloodthirsty fury. Undeterred and uncaring. Ready to pounce, ready to strike, ready to pull the girls head from her shoulders and drain the corpse dry. He broke his gaze from Zoe and looked over at Annabeth, who had a look of pure terror on her face thay was matched by her pounding heartbeat.

He looked back at Zoe and caught her watching his eyes. She'd seen him look over, at the blonde girl. At the person she probably hated more than anyone else on the planet right now. He could see that hate, practically feel it as he watched a sneer warp across her face and saw her fangs start to poke through her gums.

He saw her reaction, and knew exactly what it meant. He knew exactly what she was saying without a word being spoken, and his mind came to a conclusion for him.

You know what you have to do.

The words called from him, from somewhere deep within his soul. They called to him and they beckoned him and they made every bit of effort they could to bring themselves forward into the light. He felt his hands clench and his own scowl form as he watched her burn lines of hate into Annabeth's face with her eyes.

He knew what he had to do.

"Oh, I am gonna blow this bitch away..." Thalia growled under her breath as she hefted her cannon. She tried to line up her sights, but stopped when Percy caught the gun and lowered it for her.

"Is there a car in the garage?" He asked in a low tone without turning from the window. Thalia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yeah. We gonna make a run for it?"

He let out a soft sigh as he gave her a look over his shoulder.

"You guys are."

He turned back and stepped toward the broken window, before he felt a hand snap itself around his wrist. He turned back and found Annabeth tightly clenching his forearm.

"Percy..." She said in a soft, worried tone, "What're you gonna do?"

He met her eyes, drew a breath, and forced a smile.

"Buy you some time."

With that, he slipped out of her grip and vaulted out of the window.

The second the rain hit his skin, the house behind him may as well have not even existed. Neither did the smattering of hunters in the yard, or the blood on his body, or the stake that he'd tucked into his back pocket. No, all there was was him and her.

Him and her, just like it had always been.

He took a step forward and raised his hands, gently pointing his fingers to the sky as the monsoon continued to swirl around him. It whirled and spun and thrashed and swept, raging against itself as it released all it had all at once, no regard for who it hurt or what it destroyed. No sympathy for the lives it ruined and no guilt for the pain it caused.

He envied it.

He took another step as he met her eyes again. Those beautiful, onyx eyes. The eyes that lost all hate when he hopped through the window and all anger when he raised his hands. The eyes that softened into a tender look of longing, regret, and desperation all swirling together, moving as one.

Just as she and him had.

He took another step, getting himself close enough to speak, but not close enough to act. He stood there and was still

She wasn't.

The second he'd stopped moving she moved for him, crossing the yard as she forced a firm look onto her face. A look that had a lot behind it, a lot he didn't want to see.

She stopped in front of him, close enough to get a good look at him but far enough that he couldn't reach her.

They stood for a moment, watching each other as rain dripped off their cold, lifeless bodies.

"What're you doing here, Percy?"

The question laid itself into his mind, forcing him to think about it. What was he doing here? What was this all leading to? How was this going to end?

He knew how it was going to end.

He let a scowl pull over his face, one he couldn't even try to hold back.

"Protecting them..." He let his eyes meet hers, and, for a moment, the look on his face softened, before firming all over again.

"...protecting them from you."

Zoe glared at him, forcing herself to pour hate into his eyes.

"And what if I don't stop?" She asked.

He took a step back and his hand went to his pocket. He drew the stake and his grip tightened around it. She watched, let her eyes move up to his, and it was clear. She knew.

"Zoe..." He said, his voice shaky and this throat tight, "I know how to end this. I killed Nakamura. I know."

Her body stiffened. She took her own step back, her eyes narrowing as they darted from his stake to his eyes.

She looked scared, and he hated making her look that way.

"So that's it then?" She asked, as she motioned the hunters to move towards them, "This is how it ends?"

He took another step back, tightening his shoulders as he clutched his stake.

"I never wanted this. Any of it." He replied, "I want out, and if this is the only way..." He let his gaze darken as it fell from her face. He couldn't bear to look at her. Not now.

"...I'll do what I have to."

She was quiet, her eyes writhe with thought. He expected her to attack, or sick the hunters on him, or whisper across to him and force him to drop the stake. But she didn't.

She simply crossed over to him, hands down, completely unarmed. She crossed over and got up close to him, right up to his face as she looked straight up into his eyes.

"Then do it."

He froze. He froze, she knew it, and it was all she needed to know. She gently took the stake from his hand and cast it aside before sliding that same hand up to his chest. If he weren't dead, rhatbheart of his would be hammering right now.

And they both knew it.

"You look me in the eye Percy Jackson." Her voice was gentle. Inviting. It softly beckoned him towards a ledge he'd been standing at for half a century. He watched as those beautiful eyes of hers flicked up to his.

"You look me in the eye and you tell me what you want."

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. No words, no protests, no affirmations. Nothing. She took a step closer and he didn't stop her. She probably would sunk into his arms if the sound of the garage door opening didn't distract them both.

Opening was a bit of a stretch. It was the sound of the silver BMW plowing though it's doors, followed shortly by the sound of multiple guns going off.

Zoe stumbled backwards from Percy, clutching her chest as a half dozen bullet holes sizzled next to her heart. She sneered at the car, giving it a glare before another gunshot rang out, from the driver's seat, and sent her flying backwards proper this time.

Percy watched in a stunned silence as the backseat opened and showed Annabeth, gun still smoking, holding her hand out for him.

"Percy!" She shouted as she stared at him. He met her eyes, and his feet moved before he could think, flinging him into the backseat as the car took off into the night.

Thalia was a terrible driver.

That was just about the only conclusion Percy could come to in regards to their situation.

She swerved all over the road, could barely manage the very necessary at the moment windshield wipers, and he was pretty sure she'd left the blinker on. If Percy weren't distracted by his own situation he'd probably be busy pulling her out of the driver's seat and putting someone more level headed there instead.

Like Annabeth.

She was... intense, or her eyes were at least. Boring holes into Percy as she tightly clutched his hand. She'd probably be talking too, filling the void with questions, but she couldn't really get a word in with how much Thalia was spewing.

"Oh shit. Oh shit..." She kept repeating to herself as she drove the car down the road, "Did I kill her? I killed her, right?"

"No." Percy replied in a flat tone, "You didn't."

"Oh really? How the hell do you know that?" She shot back.

He narrowed his eyes and held up his hands, clapping them Ina steady rhythm.

"What the hell is that supposed to be?" Thalia asked through a laugh.

"Your heartbeat." He replied, in a tone as flat possible, "Your heartbeat that I can still hear. Meaning I'm still me, meaning she's still alive."

Thalia eas quiet for a moment, her eyes narrowing with thought.

"Are you saying if you kill her, you turn back to normal?"

Percy grimaced, "Yeah."

Thalia let out a soft whistle, "Guess I should've aimed for the head."

"Wouldn't have done much good." He replied, "She's strong. Stronger than the hunters. Pretty sure all that would've done is piss her off."

"Not sure if you've noticed or not, but she's already pissed off." Thalia shot back.

Percy grimaced a little harder as he looked out the rear window.

"Yeah. I know."

Thalia let out a gentle breath, straightening the wheel as she drove down the road.

"So where am I headed?" She asked him, "What's the safest place for us?"

"The church." He replied immediately, "Start heading for the church."

Nico perked up at that, "Are you sure, Percy? If should be somewhere that's safe for all of us, you included."

Percy let out a tense breath, "All I care about is keeping you guys safe, alright?"

Nico turned back, "But Percy-"

He stopped when Percy raised his hand.

"I'll manage, Nico." He replied with a small, forced smile, "I always do."

Nico closed his mouth and faced forward, taking the opportunity to load his revolver. Annabeth tossed him some bullets before she pulled her own gun out, ejecting her spent shells.

"I cannot believe this is our first date..." She grumbled under her breath. Percy softly smiled at her statement.

"Date? I thought these were just activities, Chase."

She loaded her shells and sighed, "Oh would you just can it, Dracula." She closed her she'll door and holstered the iron, "We'll swap jokes when we're not dead, alright?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he and the rest of the car heard it.

A thump. The sound of someone landing on the roof.

Percy moved, and fast too, drawing Annabeth's revolver from her holster and cocking it as quickly as he could. He barely got the thing ready when a pair of hands drove through the roof of the car and pried it open like a tuna can. Percy got a good look at their attacker and his eyes went red.

It was Luke, standing over them with a look that blended rage and disappointment all into one.

Percy lifted his hand, aiming his gun, but Luke grabbed his arm the second it came into view and yanked him out of his seat, tossing him from the car out into the desert. He leaped after him, all as Percy watched the BMW spin out and drive into a ditch.

Percy was on his feet immediately, and not a second too soon as he barely had time to dodge a punch from Luke. Percy rolled from the attack and snapped his legs stiff, sending him flying into Luke as he bashed his fist onto his face.

"You fucking animal..." He growled at the man, "...you killed her, didn't you?"

Luke didn't reply, he just narrowed his eyes and drove his own fist into Percy's chest. Percy was being stupid, and reckless, and maybe if he weren't he would've seen it coming. But he didn't. The punch sent him flying, up into the air before Luke leapt up and slammed his fists down on Percy's chest, sending him crashing into the desert.

He landed in a graceless heap and Luke was on him immediately. He drove his fist into Percy's face, again and again and again.

"Look at you." Luke growled as he cocked his hand back, "All I give you, and this is how you repay me."

He drove it forth again, cracking Percy right in the nose. This was bad. Really bad. He didn't have his gun and Luke was too close to him to shoot without risking hitting Percy.

Luke landed another blow and it cocked Percy's head back. He saw his friends from the corner of his eye, pulling each other from the car. His eyes lingered on Thalia, who wasn't moving.

She was just... standing there. Facing forward, eyes locked on them, watching Luke over him. Her breath was rigid and her body was tense and if he didn't know better?

Her eyes were glowing.

He felt his brow furrow in confusion before Luke brought him back to the present with another fist.

"I gave you a chance. A chance to let go, a chance to be free, and what do you do? You throw it back in my face."

He brought his fist back again, and drove it home again.

"You think it was easy? You think I enjoyed it?"

Percy felt anger fire through him. He reached up to grab Luke's collar and cracked his skull into the man's nose. Luke roared in pain, standing up as Percy met him again. Their hands connected and they began to push, their limbs locked together like swords.

"I think you've always enjoyed it." Percy growled under his breath, "You've enjoyed every second of it."

He met Luke's eyes and... he saw something in there. Something he'd never seen before, something he didn't think he'd ever see, something that he'd thought were a lie if he hadn't seen it himself.

Regret.

"I never enjoyed any of it, Percy. None of it. Not a single second of the last century and a half have I ever enjoyed, and I think you know that."

Percy felt himself slip. His grip loosening as his rage faltered. That was all Luke needed. He brought his hand back again and sent it home, cracking Percy across the jaw.

Percy flew back, landing in a heap on the ground as Luke advanced. He plucked up the revolver, which had landed at his feet, and crossed over to Percy, cocking back the hammer as he moved over the younger man.

He aimed the gun, right at Percy's heart, as thay same disappointed look spread over his face again.

"What a waste..." He grumbled, and Percy tensed up as he waited for the shot to ring out.

It never came.

No, instead a giant black mass launched itself from behind Percy and tackled Luke to the ground.

Percy barely caught the darkness in motion, following it with his eyes as he watched the black mass tear at Luke. Luke screamed in agony as the mass tore at his shoulder, dragging him across the desert as it ripped his flesh open.

Ripped it with teeth. Rows of teeth, Jutting out from it's maw.

Percy frowned and turned back to the group. The group that now consisted of Annabeth and Nico, both watching the display with shocked looks on their faces.

Percy turned back to the mass, let his eyes adjust, and made out what it was, and all of a sudden it all made sense.

Why she'd been so strong at the punching machine.

Why she'd gotten so upset at the idea of her shooting a dog at Apollo's ranch.

Why she'd gotten so spooked by the silver bullets.

It wasn't a black mass on Luke. It was a wolf. The wolf. The one he'd seen over and over again since he'd shown up in town. The wolf he hadn't been able to make out until now.

The black furred, blue eyed wolf.

Oh you sneaky bitch.

Percy was on his feet in an instant, sprinting towards the two as Thalia continued ripping at Luke's shoulder. The blonde man got his hand back on the revolver, cocked back the hammer and fired an errant shot at Thalia.

She yelped as it grazed her shoulder and let him go. Luke was on his feet in an instant and had the gun recocked just as fast as he aimed at Thalia. He didn't get the shot off, not before Percy came at him with a right hook that just about shattered his jaw. He yanked the gun out of Luke's hand and took a step back, firing it into the man's stomach.

Luke sputtered, immediately falling to his knees as he clutched the smoking wound.

Thalia moved in, snarling as her eyes were illuminated by a bolt of lightning. She hunched down low, ready to pounce, hit Percy stopped her, putting his arm in front of her. She let out a low growl, but shut it when Percy cocked the hammer back on his revolver.

He got up to Luke, who was sputtering out laughs through a bloody mouth as he kept clutching the wound.

"Well..." He wheezed, "I guess this is it, isn't it?"

Percy didn't reply, so Luke kept on.

"Got nothing to say, huh?" His eyes met Percy's and his smile fell a bit, "Fair enough. I wouldn't either."

Percy bit back his retort, bit back his anger, bit back anything he was going to say. He bit it all back and found new words, words that had weighed on his mind since he'd heard them.

"Was it true?" He asked, drawing Luke's eye, "What you said about your family. Was it true?"

Luke's eyes fell, first to the ground, then told his knees.

"Every word." He muttered, as blood dripped from his jaw.

Percy's grip on the revolver faltered for a moment. He steadied it, forcing a firm look onto his face.

"I won't grant you mercy." He said to the man. Luke's gaze rose up to meet Percy's.

"Yes you will. What do you think you're doing right now?" He sputtered out a cough and wiped the blood from his mouth, "A bit poetic, isn't it? I was born from fire, and I failed to do the same to you. Now here you are, holding my gun, ready to put me in the ground and send me where I belong."

Percy felt his grip tighten on the revolver as he raised it up and pointed it at Luke's heart as a feeling, a dreadful feeling wormed it's way into him.

Sympathy.

"Maybe you'll see them again." He offered, drawing Luke's eye, "Maybe they're waiting for you."

Luke was quiet for a moment, his eyes meeting with Percy's as fifty years of hate suddenly seemed a lot less present on Percy's mind. Luke smiled. A humorless, joyless smile.

"No I won't. They won't be where I'm going." He replied, "But the place I'm going, Percy..."

He leaned in a bit, about as well as he could as he met Percy's eyes for the last time.

"...I'll be sure to save a spot for you there."

And with that, he closed his eyes, eased himself into his position, and let the smallest of smiles spread over his face. Allowing himself to think, to let go of what he'd felt, and at last, just for a moment, remember what he'd forced himself to forget for so long. He remembered their names.

He kept that smile, even when Percy aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

Luke fell, and Percy was already moving, with Thalia close in tow. He risked a glance at the girl, watching as her glowing blue eyes met his sea green orbs.

"When we're you planning on explaining this?" He asked out loud. Thalia snarled in response and picked up the pace, hopping I the backseat of the car.

Percy scoffed as he muttered under his breath, "Yeah, screw you too dog brain."

He hoped in the driver's seat as nico and Annabeth piled into the back and passengers seats respectively. Nico drew deep breaths with wide eyes as he gently laid a hand on Thalia's fur.

"...Thals? That's you, right?"

The wolf glanced at him before it reared its head back and howled. The sound echoed slightly and was followed by the sounds of bone cracking as the wolf's features rescinded back and her fur recessed and she transformed back into a human.

Thalia took few deep breaths as she tugged her jacket across her shoulders, which thank whatever God there was her clothes came back like that.

"Fuck me, that always stings..." Thalia grumbled as she rubbed her shoulders. Nico and Annabeth both shot her matching looks.

"Always?" Annabeth asked, "How long has this been a thing for anyways?"

Thalia let out a soft sigh as her eyes fell,

"Always."

That silenced both of them, and Percy took the opportunity to shift the BMW back into drive and pull off towards the church. He gunned it, driving as fast as the car would go as he barreled straight for the building.

They got there as the storm started to pick up, whipping rain around the group as they stepped out of the car. They approached the building and Percy suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"Percy!" Annabrth cried out, reaching out to him as he fell to all fours, groaning in pain.

Her hand touched his body and he flinched immediately, reeling back from her as his form shot to its knees.

"I hear her." He got out through gritted teeth as Annabeth and Nico picked him up, slinging his arms over either of their shoulders. He groaned in pain as they approached the building, with his groans only getting louder with each step they took.

"Wait." Thakia said, standing in front of them, "Can we even bring him in there?"

"We can't just leave him out here." Annabeth said, before she turned to Percy, "Are you... gonna make it in there?"

He looked her dead in the eye and tried to force back the uncertainty from his gaze.

"In there is the only place we'll have a chance against her. An even playing ground. " He turned back to the church doors, "I'll manage."

The group all looked at each other before Thalia reached out and rested her hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Are you sure?"

He met her eyes, and gave her a nod.

"If it kills me?" He held the gun up for Annabeth, who gently took it from his hand and holstered it. "...Make sure you end this. For me."

Thalia kept her eyes locked on his, before she hissed out a sigh and stepped to the side, letting Nico and Annabeth past as they held Percy up.

Percy took one last breath, one last unnecessary, nervous breath before Annabeth and Nico stepped into the church with him in tow.