Hey everyone! It's a new chapter. Woo! \(^_^)/ And it's longer than the usual length of chapters I write. So, I'm not going to say much. Thanks to all those who reviewed, followed, favourited. You guys seriously made my day. It's good to know that people enjoy my writing. Now all I'm worried about is my exam results.. *crosses fingers*

And in this chapter we will find out who our mystery girl is... Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I'm pretty sure I don't own it in any parallel universe either.

Ch 4: I Need Your Help:

"How do you know?" Annabeth muttered.

"Hm? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," the dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

Annabeth cleared her throat and looked around to check if anyone was paying them any attention. "How do you know that? That I smell like a demon," she whispered, afraid that people would hear her and label her as a wacko.

"I have a sensitive nose," the girl chuckled. "And the scent seems fresh. But now there is the even bigger question. What were you doing near a demon? Do you know how dangerous that could be? Demons usually tend to be short-tempered. Say one wrong word to them, and then they will…" she made a slashing gesture with her hand.

Annabeth didn't need her to elaborate. "Listen, this is not the right place to talk about these things. Someone might overhear."

The girl nodded. "Believe me, I was thinking just that. How about you pay for those items while I wait here? I know the perfect place for you if you are facing problems with demons."

Annabeth paused, wondering if she could trust the girl or not. The stakes were hard, considering Percy had said earlier that he could possess a human body. Would he possess a female body as well as imitate a lady's voice? He was a demon. And demons were unpredictable.

The girl seemed to have noted her worry and she made a tsk-ing sound. "I don't think you trust me. Don't worry, you're not the first one. However, believe it or not, I'm not lying," she closed her eyes.

"It's okay," Annabeth said. "I'll – I'll go with you." It was quite a risk, but she was willing to take it. She couldn't protect herself from Percy. If he had not disappeared suddenly that morning (she still had no idea why he did that), if he had still stayed in her room, what would've he done to her? She couldn't always shout near his ear.

And now, she had a girl in front of her, who might be able to help her with her problems. Maybe she could help her to weaken Percy a bit, or maybe she could help her to stay away from the demon forever. But Annabeth knew that she may be walking straight into a trap. Yet knowing that, she agreed. Why? The answer was simple. She was desperate. Desperate enough to protect herself from the demon.

The girl nodded slowly, as if she was encouraging her decision. "Good. Now hurry up and pay for those things. I'm not really a patient person. After you are done, we will proceed."

"Sure," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I didn't really catch your name, though. I'm Annabeth, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Annabeth," the girl's black eyes twinkled. "My name is Reyna."

-o-o-o-

"Mother, you summoned me?"

"You didn't show up last night," Sally shook her head as she eyed her son. "I know you are grown up now and all, but you could have told me you would be gone."

Percy frowned. "I told Nico to tell you about that."

"Hearing from Nico will not make me calm down," Sally chided slightly. "If I heard it directly from you, then I would have been somewhat assured. Where did you disappear off to suddenly?"

"I… was summoned," he bit his lip.

His mother blinked. "Summoned? By a mortal?" Percy nodded his head. "Oh my, and how did that happen? How did a mere mortal summon you of all demons? And more importantly, what did you do to that poor soul? Killed him?"

Quite the opposite, Percy thought. And it's a her, not a him. "No, Mother."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, well you see, I found my… my… mate," he whispered the last part, hoping that his cheeks weren't red. Then he realised with a start that he was a demon, and demons don't blush. Strange, he mused. I wonder why I thought that.

For a few seconds Sally looked at him with a blank look on her face, and Percy wondered if she had even heard him or not. But all of a sudden her face broke into a dazzling smile. "You did? That's – That's – Really, my darling boy is growing up so fast! He has already found his own mate! I am very happy for you, Percy."

I am a few centuries old, Mother, Percy wanted to say. You call that growing up 'fast'? "Thank you, Mother," he replied earnestly. "However, I want your honest opinion on this. Would this work out? A demon and a human?"

Sally shrugged. "Why not? It happened with my mother and father, so why couldn't it happen with you." She paused. "Okay, so maybe some demons may not accept her because of our urban thinking pattern, but I am sure the two of you can pull it off." She smiled at him once again. "All that matters is that you should love her, and she should love you, and then everything will be fine."

The younger demon closed his eyes. "Yes." But Annabeth didn't love him. And he didn't fully love her yet. Yes, he felt possessive over her, and he was attracted towards her, but he wasn't totally in love with her for now. As for Annabeth, he had no idea if she even liked him or not. The demon inside his head growled slightly. She will get used to me. "Yes, you're absolutely correct."

"I know I am," his mother said lightly, causing him to laugh.

"So, am I allowed to leave now?"

"Why the rush?" Sally raised an eyebrow. "So eager to get back to your girl? And you didn't even tell me a single thing about her! But oh well. I guess currently you're distracted. We will have a long chat when your… business is complete."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Sure Mom, whatever you say," he shot her a grin before stepping out of the room. He could see his mother making a shooing gesture with her hand before he closed the door.

Now what to do? He could tell that it was still sunny in the mortal world, so he couldn't follow Annabeth easily. Sure, he could possess a human and follow her. But if she finds out she would trust him even less. And that was something he didn't want. Maybe I should stay away from her for some time, he wondered. I will go back to her side this night.

"Oh, Perseus!"

And here came the moment when his day plummeted into hell. Forcing a smile on his face, he turned around. "Miss Tanaka," he said politely. "I did not sense you approaching. Oh, and please call me Percy."

"Of course, of course, silly me! It's my mistake, and please no formalities, you can call me Drew as well." Drew Tanaka, another one of the highest-ranking demons. Though her rank was not as high as his, it was damn close. She stepped closer to him and winked. "Speaking with your mother, were you?" she placed a hand on his chest.

"I sure was," Percy said, fighting the urge to slap her hand away and run off from her sight. He pulled back. "And please remove your hand, Drew." He gently removed her hand, but her grip tightened.

"And why is that? You don't like it?" she leaned even more closer to him, her eyes fixed on his lips. "What if-" she stopped abruptly. "You have the smell of a human over you," Drew looked up at him with a small smirk. "Did you have a nice kill?"

That was almost enough to make Percy unleash his rage. "I think you are mistaken. Besides, I must go now."

"Then why do you have the smell of a mortal?!" she shouted at him, sniffing the air slightly.

"What does it matter to you?" he snapped back, having no idea why she suddenly became angry at him.

"It does!" she snarled at him. "You think I don't know, do you? I know that you were with your so-called mate the entire night! I heard every single thing you told your mother! What do you think these demon ears are for?"

"Were you stalking me?" Percy asked as calmly as he could.

"Why do you have to go to her side? Don't you remember that night the two of us spent together?!"

"That night was a mistake."

Drew laughed hysterically in return. "How pitiful!" she sneered. "A demon having a human mate! Surely you don't love that horrid creature, do you? Why should you, when you can find much better in the demon realm." She extended her arms. "A human will do you no good, Perseus. She cannot pleasure you the way I can. Leave her, and claim me in her place. Besides, mortals are weak, and all that matters to us is their body. Perhaps you could rip off her eyes as a memento and then-" Drew gasp as a hand encircled her throat.

She looked up at the male demon's red eyes. She growled at him, and he growled in return as his grip on her neck tightened. Drew could feel his claws puncturing her skin.

"You know Tanaka, has anyone told you that you are really infuriating?" he smirked. "I may not love her yet, but know that my heart belongs to her. And why do you desire me, Drew? Just for my body, don't you? The horrid creature is not her, in fact, it's you," he glared. "You should be more careful about what you speak. It's getting really hard for me not to kill you."

-o-o-o-

"So you're an exorcist?" Annabeth inquired.

"More like an exorcist in training," Reyna replied, then nodded at her bags. "Those seem heavy. Need help?" Annabeth shook her head. Reyna spoke as they continued walking, "My older sister runs an exorcist shop. To normal people it appears as a mere florist store, but that's just its outward appearance. It provides the greatest camouflage. Once you come in, you'll be left spellbound. It has almost everything an exorcist requires daily."

Annabeth smiled. "That sounded a bit haughty," she joked.

"It did, didn't it?" Reyna smirked. They walked for a few minutes before she halted and announced, "We're here."

Annabeth stared at the shop in front of her with an open mouth. It did look like a flower shop. The racks were filled with vases containing different sorts of bouquet of flowers. There were flowers that Annabeth knew, and ones she had never seen. Roses, lilies, daisies, dahlia, gerberas, petunias, and the list went on and on.

"It's pretty, isn't it? This is the main source of our income," Reyna leaned on the counter. "Oi, anybody there?"

"Selling flowers?" Annabeth asked as a girl with extremely curly brown hair appeared behind the counter.

"Why not? Being a florist is more than a decent profession. The flowers will keep you happy," she turned to look at the newcomer. "Hazel, I have brought a customer."

Hazel blushed, whether in annoyance or embarrassment Annabeth couldn't tell. "Reyna, it's afternoon. You know that the store is closed till-" she sneaked a glance at the blonde and paused. "Oh, you mean that kind of customer." She smiled, her eyes glistening like molten gold. "I'm Hazel Levesque. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Annabeth Chase," she said as she shook hands with the girl.

"Is my sister inside, Hazel?" Reyna piped in.

"Where else?" Hazel pointed towards a door present near the back counter. "Go on in. I will join you two in a second," she smiled.

Reyna nodded and she beckoned Annabeth to follow her. The door opened to reveal a long passage, lit by yellow and red bulbs placed at regular intervals. The walls are cold, Annabeth thought as she placed a hand on the stony wall as they sauntered forward. "You're right," she said after some time. "Nobody will even suspect that there is a secret exorcist shop inside."

Reyna simply hummed as they approached another door at the end of the passage. A huge signboard hung over the door reading 'Panacea'. Beneath it, in smaller block letters, was written 'Strictly For Exorcists'. Without a doubt, this was the store that belonged to Reyna's sister. The dark-haired girl knocked twice, until a voice shouted:

"Enter!"

Annabeth saw her companion giving her a reassuring smile (she thought it was supposed to reassure her) before she opened the door, and the two of them stepped inside.

Reyna's sister was very tall. And when Annabeth said 'very tall', she meant it (considering she was quite tall herself). And she looked exactly like her younger sister. The same black hair and black eyes, though she let her hair fall down her back instead of braiding it. Reyna cleared her throat. "So that's my sister."

"Reyna," her elder sister narrowed her eyes. "And Reyna's… acquaintance. I am Hylla Ramirez Arellano." She closed the book she was reading when they had arrived and placed it on one of the shelves. Now that Annabeth was inside she could see that the shelves were lined with books, some unique potted herbs, a few gemstones and items of jewellery placed here and there, even a few daggers and pocketknives and other handy weapons. A bundle of sceptres were present in a one corner of the room. "How may I help you?" Hylla continued when none of them spoke.

"Annabeth here is having some problems with a demon," Reyna waved her hand in the blonde's direction. "Also, you can keep your bags down. There's no need to keep holding them all this time." Annabeth nodded and did as she was told.

"Demon?" Hylla's eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared beneath her bangs. "Explain."

And Annabeth told her everything, from the ritual, to how Percy had appeared in her room in the middle of night, their conversation that morning, how eager he was to mark her as his mate when she didn't want him to. It felt nice to speak about all that stuff with someone.

"A demon male, eh?" Hylla closed her eyes once she was done talking. "I feel sorry for you, having to deal with a domineering male like that."

"Hylla hates men. Not only demon males, but also normal men in general. Like, she really hates them. Once a man tried to approach her, and you should have seen the way she punched his face and kicked him to the ground. Pure déjà vu. Though that's not the point," Reyna said.

"I see," Annabeth tried to smile, but it came out all wobbly.

"What you did back there was a demon mate ritual," Reyna bit her lip.

"I thought it was only a simple soulmate summoning ritual."

"Many people think that, that's why they are so eager to try it out," Reyna made a face. "But it reality, it's a ritual performed by people to check whether they have a demon mate or not. Suppose, you are a normal human, and you do not have a demon mate, the ritual would not work and all you would see is you reflection only, regardless of the fact if you have a human soulmate or not. That is why majority of people label this ritual as fake, because they don't see any face in the mirror."

"And you want this demon to stay away from you?" Hylla frowned.

Annabeth thought for a while. "I just want him to have less control over me. If you get what I mean."

Hylla's sour face indicated that she had understood exactly what Annabeth had meant. "You will still allow him to woo you?"

Annabeth was tempted to blush, but was afraid that Hylla would throw a tantrum and refuse to help her if she did so. "He seems nice enough… when he is not so possessive and stuff. I think that it will be nice to know him a bit. But if he still remains a jerk and whatever, I vow that I will follow your advice and swear off from boys for the rest of my life."

Annabeth expected Hylla to do many things (for instance, chucking a book at her for trusting the male species), but she did something that no one expected. She cracked a smile. "You know little girl, I like you," she smirked as she scanned all the shelves quickly. After a few seconds, she handed Annabeth a simple rose locket. "This is made of agate. Put it on that demon of yours and we will see how he will be able to say no to any of your wishes."

Annabeth stared at the locket as she took it in her palms. "Thank you, that's fine and all. But how exactly am I supposed to make him wear this?"

Hylla stared at her with a perfect poker face, all traces of a smile having already vanished. "You're smart. I can tell that. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

But what if I don't?! her mind screamed. But Annabeth steeled her resolve. Surely she could do this much. She didn't want to feel useless anymore.

"Also, take these," Hylla handed her a few strips of yellow paper. "Chant these incantations if the demon resists too much. But use only one at a time. Once you chant the entire thing written on one strip, it will soon burn away. So make sure you use them carefully."

"Take this as well," Reyna handed her a dagger. "It's made up of celestial bronze, which is deadly to demons. I know that the demon you're talking about wouldn't hurt you and stuff, considering you're his soulmate. But he is not the only demon in this world. Demons are prone to jealousy, so many can try to attack you. You can't rely on that man all the time, can ya?" Reyna's smirk matched her sister's, and those two had never seemed more alike. "Gotta stand up on your own legs and fight for yourself."

"Thank you, thank you," Annabeth felt the gratitude swelling up inside her heart. "And how much do I owe you?"

"We don't charge money for exorcism business," Hylla shook her head. "The florist shop is our main source income. We easily manage with that."

Annabeth pursed her lips and nodded, remembering that Reyna had said the same thing before. "Thank you," she said earnestly (once again).

"Feel free to come back if you're facing more difficulties. You know little girl? You remind me of myself when I was younger."

Annabeth almost laughed. "Because I go about punching random men on the streets?"

Hylla stared at her for a long time. "No, because I have faced difficulties with demons as well, back when I was your age." She closed her eyes. "And don't forget to take those bags with you."

-o-o-o-

"Say, how old is your sister?"

"Uh, she's twenty-two, if I remember correctly. Why do you ask?"

"She keeps calling me 'little girl'," Annabeth muttered.

"Hylla has a habit of giving nicknames to people who are not related to her," Reyna said. "Except Hazel, because she feels like family though she is not related to us."

Annabeth thought back of the short, curly-haired, dark-skinned girl she had met a few minutes back. "Didn't she say that she would join us after some time? Where is she?"

"Why don't you go ask her yourself," Reyna nodded towards the figure of a girl approaching them. She grinned. "Well Hazel, I see that you have been spending time chatting with your boyfriend. Did he ask you on a date?"

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Why should I tell that to you of all people?" She smiled at Annabeth. "Are your problems solved?"

Annabeth smiled back. "Yes." She had slipped the exorcism items into one of her bags. Now, the locket and incantations were fine, but she didn't know how people would react if she openly carried a dagger with her.

"And as my sister had said, you can come visit again anytime," Reyna took out her phone. "Take my number so that we can be in contact. Oh, and tell me when you manage to get that locket on that demon."

The blonde closed her eyes and sighed. Now all she had to do was to figure out an efficient way to make her demon wear that locket.

-o-o-o-

Somewhere, in a place filled with darkness, Drew Tanaka let out a bloodcurdling scream as she scratched the floor with her claws. "Damn that mortal! You - You have the guts to steal Percy from me, do you?! Ugh!" She clenched her fists tightly.

But she had nothing to fear. She had already memorised the girl's scent that had been emitting from Percy. Jasmine. Drew made a face. The girl had a strong smell of jasmine… and sandalwood. How utterly disgusting.

She gently touched her neck, feeling sure that Percy's claw marks were still visible. Drew closed her eyes. Would the male demon be mad if she accidentally killed his mate? She smirked. Maybe after that, he would realise how valuable Drew was. After the mortal's gone, Percy will be hers. And hers only. She let out a maniac laugh. "I hope you are ready for death, bitch," she spat out, grinning widely. "Because that's exactly what you deserve!"

-o-o-o-

*laughs nervously* And that is the end. Nobody thought it was Reyna.. I'm surprised. But yes, after looking at the reviews, I was reminded that there are, in fact, many people with black hair and eyes... And a braid... Guess I should have made it a bit more obvious. One reviewer thought it was Aphrodite, and I was like 'What?!'.. Ah well, at least you guys bother to read these stupid author notes.. I'm glad for that! ^_^

And, we have our very first villain! (Though more will soon follow) And the next chapter will feature a person who you will have mixed feelings (or instant hatred) for! Any guesses?

Please R&R! Until next time, then!

Kudos~!