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

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

Rick Riordan and Patricia Briggs own all characters.

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

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I'm going to be updating and cleaning up the previous chapters over the next week or so while still working on the story. So if an update comes along and there isn't a new chapter, that's what happened. If I accidently delete the story, you'll also know what happened.

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Day Two Begins

Mercy

It's ten in the morning, I'm late for work. Adam called Tad and told him he'd need to open the garage for me. He tried to convince me to stay home and sleep, but with all the activity there, and the construction people were just getting there to assess the damage when I left, I figured it be easier to sleep at the garage if I needed to. As I approach the door, I can hear Tad laying into someone. Tony is here as well, but so is someone else.

"I don't care who you are or who you work for, I'm not going to answer your damn questions. Now get off the property before I have you arrested."

"You've already said you're not the owner, so you can't have me arrested." The stranger says smoothly, but arrogantly, "There is nothing you can do but answer my damn quest…" He cuts off when he sees me. "Ah, Ms. Hauptman, it's…"

"Shut up you over blown wind bag. This is my garage its true, but you seem to have missed a few pointers in law school if you think that only a property owner can press charges on some one. No, don't bother trying to introduce yourself, I don't care. If you're trying to deliver a message, then YOU have failed. All responsibility is on your head and your lord and master will have to find another way. If you're not, and you serve no one else, then I really could care less about what you have to say. Now leave."

"Ms. Haup…"

'You know what, screw it, you were told by my employee to leave, you didn't, you're trespassing, I'm pressing charges. Tony, I know it's a bit of a come down for a detective, but could you please arrest him?"

Tony looks at me with a sigh and a grin, "Sure, come on buddy, everyone here as had enough of you already." With that, Tony grabs his arm and starts to walk him to his car calling a cruiser while doing so all the while the wind bag is yelling at him to let him go and other things, mostly unpleasant.

I look at Tad; "Sorry I'm late, who was that?"

Tad looks at me; "Reporter for some big newspaper in New York, I cut him off before he could try and impress me with his credentials. What time did the police finally leave last night?"

"About the same time that Beauclaire made his appearance in D.C. About six thirty for us, I'm just glad he timed it for morning rush in D.C. I hate to think what would have happened if he timed it for afternoon rush, they'd still be there. Why wasn't Tony helping you with the reporter?"

"Cops either hate arresting reporters, or they love it too much, either way, they always have problems afterwards. Besides, Tony was waiting for him to do something that crossed a line, I don't think he even knew Tony was a cop as he was already here waiting for you when the retard walked in. I take it you caught Beauclaire's show on TV this morning?"

"You mean the one where he appeared in the middle of rush hour right outside Congress with a host of fae warriors and announced he was sending an ambassador to Washington and thanked the government for recognizing the reservation as a separate country. I'm not sure if I appreciate him not giving credit to Adam for that one or not. I'm leaning to yes right now though. We got enough problems without that."

"You mean like Cantrip focusing on you now? What, don't look at me like that, you know full good and well that the State department is going to take over dealing with the fae after this, that leaves just werewolves for Cantrip to screw around with."

"Well, maybe the drinking and boating charges will stymie the local agents for a while." I notice that a cruiser is picking up the reporter and Tony is walking back to us. "That was quick, could you get what paper he works for, I want to add it to the growing list of groups who are not allowed to access any part of Adams interview this afternoon? By the way, what were you doing here?"

"I'll get if I can, but honestly, as that list's existence has already been made public, you can bet his company lawyer isn't going to be jumping in to help. As for the speed the cruiser showed up at, everyone's on edge after last night Mercy, your house isn't the only pack property we're watching. And no, WE are not watching werewolves, we're watching for strangers acting funny, there's already been a few minor incidents since the video went up yesterday. Combine that with a couple of really weird events, which is why I'm here, the whole pegasus thing, the unfolding tragedy in Atlanta, reporters riding our asses, you and Adam laying waste to a minor fae invasion, and you've got a recipe for major police over reaction to the slightest little thing. I take it you heard about the local cantrip agents, please tell me you guys didn't have anything to do with that."

"No we didn't, and yes I heard, The Columbia told us." He looks at me weird, and I realize that we never told him about her. "Anyway, what weird events bring you to my garage? I have to warn you though, I've had a very stressful night, and almost no sleep. And I'd actually like to be able to make some money today."

Before he can respond, I notice Tad stiffen in surprise. I turn around; "ZEE! Oh my god, Zee, it's so good to see you!"

"Ja Liebling, it is good to see you as well. And it is most wonderful to see my son here as well. Though for some reason, he seems more surprised than you." Zee's thick German accent was as hard to understand as always, but it was definitely him.

"What are you doing here Dad? Won't you get in trouble with the Gray Lords?"

"Nein! They have appointed me as their ambassador. By the deal he worked out with your congress, each reservation may send an ambassador to the largest nearby community, one to the state in which it resides, and a single ambassador for all four reservations to Washington DC, though there will be a staff there as well. This week, I'm to make contact with the local law enforcement and political leaders, then next, it's to the State House. I'm just for local and state, someone else is burdened with the Federal position, though I'm told that several other countries have petitioned the reservations for ambassadors as well."

"Any chance of that happening?" Tad asked, "You've had enough problems with just the US and cantrip, is there any chance they'll expand the problem?"

"That, my son, depends on what Beauclaire hopes to gain, and what deals he has to make with the other Grey Lords. I'd think that it will depend on how much resistance there is to our other deals we want with Congress as to whether or not we start making deals elsewhere. Now tell me, what has transpired this past day that has so completely altered the course that history seemed to be making?"

Tony looks at us now; "That's a really long story Mr. Adelbertsmiter, and unfortunately, there have been a few incidents yesterday and this morning that we need to deal with. The walking statues will undoubtedly become the work of unknown pranksters, likewise with the walking dead." Oh no, this is getting complicated again, Tony notices my face. "Yes Mercy, walking dead, just like the two fae assassins, though thankfully, neither as intelligent or violent, just gross. The officers had to tackle them and manhandle them into the paddy wagon. So far, there as only been three, but none of them were, ah, none of them were clean. If you take my meaning. We've already decided that those are going to be teenagers playing a prank on the out of towners who've shown up to see the pegasus at your place. Teenagers who are very lucky not to have been shot, but because of their age, names unreleased. Those are the things that we can 'Explain' to the press, though we'd like your expert opinion on them, if the reality will be worse, we'd like to know now. Is this just a result of the release of power? Because the most important issue, the one we're trying to keep from EVERYONE, especially cantrip and the media, is the dead man who returned to life yesterday. Plus a few things like birds and other animals acting strangely, you know, the whole apocalypse lead up thing we seem to have developed since yesterday."

"Returned to life?" Oh boy, a religious movement we do not need.

"Yep. A clinically dead man, was found late last night in the morgue. He claimed he woke up on the table in the morning, but couldn't get out as the morgue doors lock from both directions for some reason. Reasons that I'm suddenly very curious of, but I digress. The man was suffering from only mild hypothermia with no other injuries or conditions. He had been very dead the night before."

"Is there any chance that the doctors just made a mistake?" Tad asks.

"Not unless you can figure out how to mistake a decapitation for just being asleep. Thankfully, he was declared dead on the scene, so the number of people who know are limited, but this is an issue that's not going to just go away." Depends on how frightened the various supernatural critters in the area are of the implications I think to myself, and at a glance, I'm pretty sure both Tad and Zee are thinking the same thing. Heck, from his tone of voice, I'd be surprised if Tony hadn't thought it. "He's currently in the hospital being treated. His wife was injured in the accident that killed him, so we're hoping she didn't see the body, their daughter is only six months old, she won't know anything."

Zee joins the conversation; "Any other family that had been notified?"

"In the military. We've already called them and told them we got the identities of the survivors and deceased mixed up, so the Army Chaplin will be explaining that her brother was just knocked unconscious, that he didn't die. No, the problems are all going to be from police, morgue employees and the man himself. Hopefully we can contain this, but again, we need the help of someone we can trust who's used to dealing with magic. I know that you've been keeping secrets Mercy, that became apparent when you changed right in front of me. But damn it, I've no idea who we CAN trust on anything like this. Can we trust Nico?"

"You can trust me when I say this Tony, there ISN'T anyone you can trust on this. I'm a little more trustworthy than most for this, but even me, I have to look out for the pack. Keep a tight lid on this Tony, find excuses to arrest people if you have to, just keep this quite. As for Nico, I'm not really sure, if his duty is to insure the wheel of life and death continues unabated, than he might very well return him to the ground, remember his comment about vampires being an aberration in the cycle of life and death? We do need to tell him about the walking dead though. Or did they already return?"

"NO, they haven't. We have them stowed in a little used wing of the precinct, but with all the hubbub going on right now, I'm not sure how long that can keep. Plus, it weirds the fuck out of everyone, including me, it's like an opening episode of a living dead TV show. And we'd all like a little reassurance that it can be dealt with successfully before it spirals out of control. As it stands, we're getting the police psychologist in on the secret so she can treat the officers who had to tackle them without locking them up for seeing walking dead in the first place. I don't suppose you know of any psychologists who are used to dealing with supernatural events?"

"Ask Sam, he'd be able to tell you a lot more than I can about something like that. Heck, I've been making Jokes with Adam for years about him getting one for the pack."

"Could you call him now? We really need to get this done. If need be, we'll hire you, you're already on the list as an acceptable on call expert with anything supernatural."

I pull out my phone and dial Sam, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be making any money today, though I'm going to be earning my keep. I go through the whole spiel about the doctor being with a patient and leaving a message when someone takes the phone from the receptionist. "Mercy, is that you? Did something happen at the house?" It's Darryl.

"Darryl? What are you doing at the doctors?" He actually doesn't sound well either.

"Migraine headache that won't go away. Sam's in with another patient right now, did something happen at the house?"

"No, not that I'm aware, I'm at the garage, Tony is here and I was going to ask Sam a question on behalf of the local police, it's important, but not urgent, so ask him to call when he has a moment before a non-critical patient."

He pauses for a moment; "Do I even want to know? And would you telling me increase my headache, or distract me from it?"

"I think that the answer to the first and last of your questions is a resounding no, but a firm yes to your second. Just pass along the message and apologize to the nice receptionist after I hang up." I hang up before he can ask another question, mean, but hey, I've had a rough day yesterday, and today isn't looking better.

Next I dial Adam, only to have Jesse answer; "Adam Hauptman's phone, oh, hi Mercy, do you need this to be a private call, dad's driving right now, driver safety you know?"

"Please ask your father if he knew that Darryl was at the doctors?"

I can hear Adams reply just fine; "Yes Mercy, when Auriele arrived with the social workers she told me that he had called in sick to work and that he was going to Sam's to be looked at. It's the first time I've ever heard of a werewolf suffering from anything other than a combat injury or silver poisoning, so I had no issue with it. I did call Sam and ask him to call with details afterwards. How did you find out?"

"Oh, Tony's here, I had a couple of questions to ask Sam about what he thought on the second coming of the lord, walking dead, animated statues and animals acting weird. Hey Tony, how were the animals acting weird, we never got to that point?" Sometimes it's fun to make Adam squirm a little.

Tony just shakes his head; "A bunch of owls were seen flying around during the day, hooting in a manner that rather reminded everyone who saw of song birds, and all the police horses we use for mounted patrols were seen dancing around and generally acting funny. There were a couple other lesser things, but those two stand out the most."

Adam sounds strained for some reason; "Mercy, where are you at right now?"

"The garage, Tony, Tad and Zee are with me, Zee's been appointed the ambassador to the State and local level." Hey, this is how I deal with stress.

Just as Adam starts to reply, we become aware of another presence. I quickly shush Adam and glance up to see another werewolf, a stranger.