One of my friends has passed away due to an overdose.
Thanks for understanding my lack of updating, you guys are amazing.
XOXO Ally Layne.
Bad Moon Rising
Chapter 8: myths and legends
I was shocked that Emily didn't ask why I needed the icepack.
Someone must've warned her that I was trouble.
However, after seeing just how rough Paul's face was looking, she scowled and cleaned the cuts while berating him for getting into a fight.
"Paul Lahote, I know you were the one who started it," she scolded, making him look away in shame.
I pursed my lips to hide the snickers that tried to escape, but the others seemed to have no such restraint, and they burst into laughter.
She looked over at the boys and rolled her eyes. "You all should be glad that Sam isn't-"
"I'm not what?"
Sam walked in the door, eying the members of his little cult in curiosity. However, that curiosity gave away when he saw Emily, and he strode over to her, wrapped the woman in his large embrace, and traced kisses along her scars.
Paul had the audacity to cough, and I had to admit my face was starting to turn red from such a display of affection. I mean, I was used to Annabeth and Percy, but this was so much more… I don't know, intimate.
"What happened to you?" Sam asked the other young man, who raised his chin slightly at Sam's stern gaze.
"Black was being a baby-"
"He provoked Jake," Jared cut in, raising a brow in Paul's direction, daring him to contradict the facts. "Apparently, Paul thought it would be a good idea to get into a fight with Andie."
Sam's eyes snapped over to where I was sitting, happily looking down at the Spanish directions written on the icepack.
"Andromeda?"
Why did it feel like I was being reprimanded by my mother?
I slowly looked up at Sam, whose gaze hadn't wavered in the meantime. "Did you get into a fight with Paul? Deliberately?"
I grimaced. "Uh… maybe?"
Emily giggled underneath a hand that flew to cover her lips.
Sam looked down at her with a look that just said, really?
Her other hand met her lips, as her giggles only seemed to get louder.
I couldn't help but laugh at the display. They reminded me so much of Annabeth and Percy it was starting to hurt. Especially when I remembered why I was even there in the first place.
"How long have you been together?" I asked, looking between the two adults who were staring at each other with hearts in their eyes.
Sam's eyes flickered back over to me, narrowing slightly. "Oh no, you won't be getting out of this that easily," he cautioned.
My curiosity turned into annoyance very quickly. "And why do I have to answer to you, exactly?"
His stance straightened, and he took a few steps in my direction. With how tall he was, this could've been taken as an intimidation tactic, but I wasn't so easily swayed. At least, not by someone who had just been making eyes at his fiancee.
Even though he was basically a cyclops with how tall he was.
But he had two eyes, so that didn't really fit.
"Andromeda?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
Sam let out a sigh. "Did you not hear a word I just said?"
"Uh… no?"
Emily burst out into another set of giggles, followed by laughter from some of the guys. Paul, who was still nursing his beat-up face, did not seem to partake in the fun.
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose in what might've been exasperation. "What made you think that getting into a fight with Paul, a man who is twice your size-"
I held up a hand, "Uh, actually, he's more like my size and a half."
This time even Paul laughed.
Sam, for his part, held onto his serious facade for longer than I thought he would. But given the ways the sides of his eyes crinkled, I could tell he was holding back his amusement. I definitely took that as a victory.
"Well, at least she kicked his ass," Quil supplied, leaning against a wall with crossed arms. A wide grin was still plastered on his face. "He didn't even get a hit in."
I grinned proudly. "And I definitely wasn't the one who is looking like he went a round with Mike Tyson-"
"Hey, I definitely don't look that bad!" Paul complained.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Yes, Paul, you do."
Sam's eyes narrowed at Paul this time. "Was it Jake?"
The Rocky-film-reject nodded sheepishly. "He was pissed, that's for sure."
"I think you could say he was a bit more than pissed," Embry claimed.
"I thought he was going to kill you," Quil deadpanned.
Sam sighed. "I'll speak with him," he decided. His eyes, however, narrowed in Paul's direction. "But we all know that it wasn't something that he could have really controlled. You shouldn't bait him like that."
Paul let out a low growl that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. "Then he should be treating her better."
Sam nodded stiffly. "Agreed."
Confusion must've been flowing off of me in waves. "Treat who better?"
The guys all shared a look, but my question went unanswered until Emily walked over and placed a delicate hand on my shoulder. "I think you need to take a second and talk to Jake whenever you see him. Maybe he can clear some things up for you."
I bit my tongue before I said something I'd regret. I liked Emily, she's only treated me like another part of this well-knit group.
Besides, it's not her that I'm mad with.
It's that large brat whose name rhymes with the word fake.
So, I decided to placate the woman who had only been kind to me. "Yeah, I can do that."
That is if I don't kill him first.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Later that evening I found myself sitting around a bonfire just like the good ol' days at Camp Half-Blood. Only, this time it was with a bunch of people who had been strangers just days ago. And, needless to say, they had no idea who I was.
Or what I was.
There were a lot of people I didn't know, mostly older folk who I supposed were either the tribal elders or council members that Sam had spoken of before. I recognized Billy Black in the middle of everyone, grinning as he spoke with another young man who had wide, eager eyes.
I felt a smile cross my face at the sight.
Sam had taken a spot by one of the council members and gripped a beer in one of his oversized hands. Emily was standing next to a few other local women who were passing out plates of food to everyone who was in attendance.
I had offered my assistance, but a woman named Sue merely laughed as though I had told her a joke, and told me to go sit and enjoy myself.
Emily winked to me from her side, so I supposed that was as far as I was going to get with helping this evening.
Embry and Paul were seated at my sides, the former having grabbed a plate of dinner for me to eat. "Need to make sure you get something before the pack eats it all."
I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to treat me like a child."
At the way Embry seemed to deflate at my words, I nearly took it back.
"He's just trying to make sure you're comfortable," Quil explained, leaning around Embry to meet my gaze. His eyes were flickering with amusement, so I had a feeling I was probably pouting without even realizing it.
Embry nodded. "It's the least we could do after Paul hurt you-"
"I don't think I was the one who got hurt," I cut him off, before nodding at Paul who was stuffing his face with some grilled hot dogs. "Paul is the one who should be getting babied, boys."
The man in question snorted, nearly spewing out some food as he did so. I watched in sheer awe as he swallowed the large lump of food all in one go. "It sounds like you want to be the one doing the babying, sweetheart."
I leaned back as he started to lean forward with his smoldering gaze that I was sure worked on all the girls. It just wasn't gonna work on me. I know too many sons of Aphrodite to fall for that load of crap.
"Yeah, no. Not gonna happen, Rocky."
He shrugged, before turning back to his plate where more grilled deliciousness awaited him. "Suit yourself."
I looked at Paul's face, which looked like it had been nearly healed completely in the short amount of time after his little scrap with Jake. I felt my eyebrows furrow and quickly turned away from him before he caught me staring at him.
I didn't need there to be any sort of sexual confusion coming my way- as I said before, I know too many sons of Aphrodite to fall for that load of crap.
Yet, there wasn't anything that explained exactly why Paul's face looked like it had healed. He looked like a Rocky reject just a few hours ago, even some demigods can't heal that fast-
What are these people?
"Jake! You made it!"
My eyes snapped over to where Jacob Black walked over with none other than Bella Swan on his arm. I pursed my lips and let out a harsh breath through my nose, completely caught off-guard by the pain that seared through my chest at the sight.
I felt my hand go to my chest, where it felt like a knife had gone straight through.
"Are you okay?" Paul murmured in question at my side, his voice ridden with worry.
I tore my eyes away from the young couple and met Paul's dark eyes that had shrouded in a mixture of confusion, fear, and anger. I gulped.
"Andie?"
At Embry's question, I let my hand drop back to my side.
I took a deep breath, calming myself enough to pretend the pain didn't exist, that it was all just in my head… but for some reason, it refused to recede.
But I forced a small smile on my face and I let myself shrug in indifference. "Just remembered something, don't worry about it."
I looked over to Embry who seemed to smile in relief, but at the hard stare Paul was still giving me, I had a feeling that he didn't believe a word that came from me.
"It was something to do with my brother," I continued, trying to explain a quickly developing lie. "I still can't believe he's missing."
"Who's missing?"
I froze at the sound of Bella's question. I looked over to where she was now sitting with Jake at her side, cuddled next to him for warmth. Her eyes were looking at me in distrust, and I had to hold back the scowl that threatened to break through.
"My brother," I said, louder this time, rubbing the back of my neck as all the eyes at the bonfire looked at me. "My twin brother is missing."
Bella's eyebrows furrowed. "Then why are you here? Aren't you from New York?"
I frowned. "Manhattan." I rubbed my hands together in my lap, shifting under the harsh stares from the tribal members I didn't know. "I'm from Manhattan."
"And she's here to investigate the missing people in Seattle," Emily cut in, looking over at Bella with a slight frown. "She is staying here in the meantime."
"But Seattle is so far away?" A tribal elder, an old man, spoke in a raspy voice.
"I didn't graduate high school but got a job writing for an investigative journal anyway. They don't pay too well, though, so I had to go somewhere I could afford, which is here."
Bella eyed me warily. "Have you found anything?"
This time, Jake looked at me too, after avoiding looking in my direction the entire time he has been here. And his eyes spoke of so much more than I could say- I could hardly decipher just what they were telling me when he looked back at Bella.
I frowned. "No, nothing."
"That's not very good, is it?"
I smiled over at the other outsider. "No, I suppose it's not." Jake's eyes snapped over to me, but I ignored his gaze. "But I think that it's hardly something you should concern yourself with."
Bella's shoulders sunk, and I watched as Jake leaned in and spoke in her ear lowly as he slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Well, I suppose I should start," Billy spoke from where he was seated at the head of the fire.
Everyone moved to their seats and quieted as he began to speak of the tribal legends, and I quickly found myself lost in the stories that he spun from memory. It was fun to listen to other stories that I haven't heard over and over again, as I have at camp.
This time, everything was new and exciting, just like the first time I had experienced this at Camp Half-Blood. It was oddly comforting to have something remind me so much of a place I call home, even though it was so different from this place.
"It was the Cold Ones who came, and it was they who forced our hand to defend the lands that we have lived and died upon," Billy spoke, his eyes wavering over to where Bella and Jake sat.
Bella's dark eyes had clouded over, and I soon found myself wondering just what she was thinking.
There was something off about her, too.
"The Cold Ones, who have murdered our people, force our magic that has been long hidden in our bloodlines to awaken. The Quiluetes have been a small tribe since the beginning, but there has been one thing that held us apart from all the others."
Billy paused, a grin slowly creeping across his features as his eyes scanned the crowd. "We were great spirit warriors. Shapeshifters that transform into the powerful wolf."
I blinked.
The wolf- holy gods.
They're wolves.
My breath caught in my throat as I quickly looked around me, noticing just how different some of these men looked compared to everyone else. They were the wolves- the spirit shifter-warriors.
Embry shifted slightly at my side, and I could see the nervousness in his gaze. I knew what he was thinking, what he was wondering- did I know?
My lips pursed, and I quickly pulled myself together. They weren't the only ones with secrets.
"Our elder chief, Taha Aki, was the only spirit warrior left to save our tribe after his son was killed. Taha Aki's Third Wife could see that he would lose."
Billy's eyes flickered over to where I was sitting. "The Third Wife was no special being. She had no magical powers or abilities except one, courage."
I felt a sense of pride flicker over me, however fleeting, as it had come one moment and had disappeared the next.
"The Third Wife's sacrifice had distracted the Cold Woman long enough for Taha Aki to destroy her." Billy looked once more around the fire circle. "She saved the tribe."
A moment of silence had passed, the only sound being the faint sounds of an owl hooting in the distance and the cracking of the fire.
"When the Cold Ones come, our magic will awaken," Billy foretold. "We will once again feel the magic within our blood, and protect our tribe."
I watched as the backs of the "pack" straightened at his words.
"We will be ready when they come."
But they already came.
When Billy finished telling the legends, the group quickly disbursed, starting with Bella and Jake who went off to take a moonlight walk or something.
How romantic.
I let Embry take me home, and thanked everyone for allowing me to be involved in the gathering. Billy, for his part, was happy that I had been able to come, and asked if I understood what he was speaking of.
I shared a secret smile with the man as Embry and I left.
He told me the truth, and I would not let him down.
Once I was sure that Embry had left, I hurried over to the bathroom and turned on the shower, sitting on the toilet as I tossed a drachma into the mist that arose from the stream of water.
"Oh, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Annabeth Chase in Camp Half-Blood."
A blonde young woman was sitting at a desk, typing furiously on a laptop that had been gifted to her from Daedleus, the maker of the Labyrinth. I smiled as she didn't even notice that I was currently looking at her through what must have been a massive mist-like figure.
So, like any good friend, I decided to scare her
"Annabeth!"
She jumped, her hand going for the dagger that was still tied around her waist. Life of a demigod, apparently we never know when we need to have a deadly weapon at our reach. Even if we're in one of the safest places in the world.
"Andie!"
I grinned. "Annabeth!"
She rolled her gray eyes. "What's going on?"
I shrugged. "Just sitting on a toilet. You?"
Her chuckles sent waves of happiness that riverbated through me. "Just typing in some new clues that Rachel gave us earlier."
I paused. "Wait, what?"
Annabeth nodded, tucking a stray piece of her blonde hair back behind her ear. "She said something about us finding a boy with one shoe. He will be what we're looking for," she explained.
I took a second to try and process this information. "A boy with one shoe…?"
She nodded again. "I think that it might be Percy, Andie." Her eyes lowered to where her hands rested in her lap. "It has to be him."
"It's going to be him," I said, feeling a false sense of excitement roll over my features. "I know it's going to be."
Seeing the stress start to leave my friend's shoulders was enough for me to convince myself that I wasn't lying.
Truth to be told… I had no idea what in Hades Rachel meant when talking about someone with one shoe, but one had to have hope.
Even though it seemed like everything in this world was against Percy and I, but whatever.
"So," she sighed. "What has you calling?"
I smirked. "I learned something quite interesting earlier this evening, and I think you're going to agree with me."
Her eyes flickered with intrigue. "What is it?"
"I know what they are, Annabeth. These boys, the "pack" that has been helping me the past few days- they're shape shifters. They are wolves."
"Wolves?"
I nodded. "It seems like mythical creatures are attracted to each other. Or, at least, I seem to be a monster-magnet."
"Do you think they have anything to do with the missing persons?"
I sighed. The kind people I have met make me want to say that they're not, but I know better than to accept people for who they seem to be.
"I don't know," I admitted. "But I intend to find out."
