*random noises in the background*

Well, peekaboo anyone...?

*silence*

*Cue nervous laughter*

So, I will start speaking before everyone starts screaming! (hey, that rhymed). I am so sorry! So very, very, very sorry for not updating in, like, several months. 2017 was like one of the shittiest years for me, and I know that this is no proper excuse to make up for my long absence, but I hope that you all can forgive me! I swear it won't happen again.

This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I didn't want to make you guys wait longer. (Did I just use two 'longer's in the same sentence? Ah, screw this shit)! Next update will definitely be this weekend. Pardon all the grammatical errors because this chapter was written in a rush (Oh, and I would be happy if you are kind enough to point them out).

Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favourited, followed this story and me. A big fat thanks to all of you! Even you guys who just keep reading!

Disclaimer: I own my laptop, not Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Ch 11: I Feel Weird:

Well...

When Annabeth had first heard about the fallen angel, she had expected him to be somewhat hideous, considering that it was angel who had sinned. She hadn't expected him to be, well, attractive. And when she said attractive, she meant 'holy-moly-he's-a-fucking-sexy-Greek-God-oh-you-gorgeous-soul-you.' At the same time, he gave off a creepy vibe which would make a normal person want to run off screaming.

Which perhaps meant that she was abnormal. Ah, well.

The fallen angel was blond, just like Piper had said. His unruly hair swept over his forehead and shaded his eyes. His orbs were a startling electric blue; glowing and glazing over like flames of a blue inferno. His dove-like wings were midnight black, even darker than Percy's hair, spread out in their glory behind him. Maybe if Annabeth had seen him a few days earlier, his wings could have been white.

Percy sent her a dark look. She realised with a jolt that he had felt her emotions and that made her guilty enough to blush in shame. Clearing her throat a bit, she murmured, "Is that the guy?"

"What do you think?" His voice was monotonous, but she knew that he was annoyed. The demon probably had a multiple personality disorder (and he called her bipolar!). To think he was behaving so strange hardly just a minute ago.

"Uh, he is looking at us."

"I'm well aware of that." Cue the sarcasm.

"So, what do we do?"

"Nothing."

"Eh?" Annabeth's eyes widened as she whisper-shouted, afraid that if she was too loud the guards will catch her. She was Piper's friend, but those guys didn't know that. They'd probably fling her into the jail before she could even explain. "What do you mean, Percy? Your plan was to catch him, wasn't it?"

"What I mean is that I'm waiting for him to make the first move," Percy let a smirk grace his face. "Then I'll attack."

"And what makes you think that he is going to make the first move?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his irises flashing and turning red for a moment. "Oh, he will. This fallen angel is possessed by a demon, and demons are very aggressive. They use brawn rather than brain. It's absolutely possible that he is going to attack first."

Annabeth didn't remind him that he was a demon as well. Feeling slightly unnerved on watching is sinister smile, she asked "Are you sure that he is possessed?"

"As sure as I'll ever be. He has the scent of a demon all over him. I can smell it," Percy said. Curious, Annabeth sniffed the air, but then felt embarrassed and awkward when she couldn't smell anything. Well, that was obvious. She wasn't even sure why she did that during such a crucial situation.

Annabeth turned her gaze back to the angel. He was glaring at them (that was her best guess, she couldn't really make out his expression properly), but he made no sound. He looked as if he wanted to kill everyone in front of him. For many minutes, he made no movement. Annabeth could feel her body getting stiff due to being in the same position. Percy and Mr. Fallen Angel just kept staring at each other, without blinking. It felt the world's most intense and the longest staring competition.

And then, Mr. Fallen Angel quickly raised an arm and waved it sideward. It happened so fast that Annabeth partly wondered if it had been an illusion. But one glance at Percy's face and she knew that it had been real. The angel wanted them to follow him. Annabeth frowned to herself. Just what idiot was going to fall for that trap?

"I'm following him."

Well, the person next to her was the most idiotic idiot she had ever seen.

"You can't be serious?" she said harshly and quickly grabbed his sleeve. "It's obvious that this is a trap."

"You think I don't know?" he breathed. He removed her hand and held it in a vice grip. "But I have to follow him. It's my only chance to defeat him. Besides, I believe in my strength."

Annabeth tried to pull her hand out of his cold grasp. "Alright. But I'm coming with you."

"No," he snapped. "You're not. You're going to stay here."

"But I can hel-"

"No, you can't. Listen to me Annabeth. You managed to wound Drew last time because she was overcome by her jealousy and she underestimated you too much. But the same won't happen this time. You can't defeat a supernatural without proper training. If you're there with me, then the angel is bound to target you. So use that smart head of yours and stay here."

Annabeth felt anger bubbling inside her, but she knew that Percy was right and tried to tone it down. However, he didn't understand. She knew that she was no match for supernaturals, but she wanted to fight. "If I'm not going to do anything, then what was the point of me coming here?" she gritted out.

"Again, it was you who insisted on coming here with me. I've got nothing to do with this. Also, you could stay here and look out for other demons while I deal with the fallen angel."

Annabeth's eyes widened as a sudden thought hit her. "Is that what they want?" she blurted out. Percy frowned at her. She pursed her lips and said, "I think that the person controlling the fallen angel is trying to separate us deliberately. Think about it! It makes sense! You will be busy fighting the angel, and I'll be here alone. That will give them the perfect opportunity to attack me. Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to back out from the fight, but suppose I'm overpowered by the enemy and am helpless, then you might not be able to come to my side."

Percy stared at her in dead silence, before running a hand down his face. "Shit," he muttered. "You're right. You're absolutely right. You're in danger either way." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's better if you come with me."

Annabeth shot him a victorious smile. "I'll make sure not to be useless."

He gave her a hard stare. "Don't put yourself in unnecessary trouble." He turned back to look at the fallen angel, who was still hovering in the sky (Annabeth had to salute his patience), and nodded slightly. Now, Annabeth's eyesight wasn't that good but she was sure that she could feel a smirk form on his face, before he shot off into some unknown direction.

She blinked at his sudden disappearance, but before she could comprehend what had happened, Percy grabbed her waist and ordered her to close her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut she felt a gust of wind against her body, and she didn't open them till Percy asked her to.

-o-o-o-

Though when she did, she immediately regretted it. It seemed like Percy had magically teleported them to some dark alley. Annabeth was tempted to scrunch up her nose at the cheesiness of it all (for it totally seemed like a scene out of a cliché horror movie), but then she feared that the fallen dude might notice it and zap her to death.

... Well, she was being slightly paranoid.

Then it hit her like whiplash.

Mr. Fallen Angel! Where was he? Annabeth inclined her head to glance around, just to find out that Percy was holding her in a vice-grip. She tried to wiggle a bit, but he didn't even glance at her for a second. His gaze was fixated at something above them.

Annabeth frowned and looked up. The huge buildings allowed little sunlight to fall into the alley, and even though she squinted, she was unable to find the angel. Did he turn himself invisible? she partly wondered. Isn't that cheating? Or is he too high up for me to see?

She glanced up once again and almost jumped out of her skin. There he was, hovering a few metres above, his massive black wings spread out in all their glory. Had he just appeared out of nowhere? Annabeth cursed herself for not paying more attention. In that moment, she started to regret coming there a little. Stop, she ordered mentally. Don't regret your decisions now. It will only mess up things.

Peeking at Percy through the corner of her eye, she nudged him slightly to gain his attention. His eyes focussed on her for a fleeting moment and he loosened his hold on her. Annabeth scooted away slightly. She was the sure that the fallen angel knew of her presence, but he didn't even spare a glance at her. Not that she was complaining, just stating a fact.

He seemed more interested in glaring at Percy.

And freaking vice-versa.

Those two just kept scowling at each other. Not a single movement. Nothing. They were so still that Annabeth was beginning to get uncomfortable and started shifting from one foot to another without realising it.

She wondered why the angel was not attacking. Maybe he was waiting for Percy to attack (which was ironic to such an extent that Annabeth wanted to smack her forehead against a hardcover book). Fidgeting with the handle of her dagger, she glanced around for any surprise attacks.

"I've finally found you."

Annabeth turned her head in surprise. This was the first time the fallen angel had spoken, and his voice held no emotion whatsoever. His unnerving stare was still fixated on the demon. "My master desires your death."

And then Annabeth realised with a start that he was actually talking to her. She watched as his hand slowly moved to his side to grip his sword.

"It would be an honour for me to kill you," he whispered.

There was a low growl, followed by a snarl. Percy stepped in front of her. "Try it. I dare you."

Mr. Fallen Angel just narrowed his eyes at him in return. "Well," he began slowly. "I guess I'll have to kill you first."

"Please," Percy drawled. "It's obvious that I will kill you first." Annabeth looked at him in surprise. His voice held a dark tone she had never heard before. It ...was scary, and she felt a shiver run through her. Puzzled with the sudden sensation, she blinked, bewildered. What was that?

But before she could blink another time, Percy let out a loud growl and lashed out with his claws elongated. And it seemed that Mr. Fallen Angel didn't have the time to blink either, for his sword was knocked out of his hand before he could even swing it, which made him lose his balance and land on his side ungraciously.

If all this had not been such a serious matter, such a comedic scene could have gained her a lot of views on YouTube.

Probably.

While Percy strangled the angel (well, that's what she thought he was doing), Annabeth chided herself for merely standing there and watching. But then again, what could she possibly do?

Her eyes widened as a sudden thought approached her. Get the sword! And then she faltered. What would she achieve by doing that? Ah well, at least the angel won't have his weapon anymore. But what if it was a trap...? Oh screw it all! She wouldn't be able to achieve anything if she continued to overanalyse things.

When she was sure that the two of them were preoccupied with, um, trying to kill each other, she made a dash for the sword (as stealthily as she could, which wasn't much to be perfectly honest). The golden sword wasn't hard to notice, because it was, well, shiny. Very shiny. It had landed a few feet away, and Annabeth glanced in every possible direction before glancing down and picking it up, making her feel very much like a thief robbing a house for the first time.

And then the sword turned into a gold coin, right in front of her.

Annabeth wasn't even surprised anymore.

Are you serious?! She shouted internally. What the hell just happened, huh? Did I do something wrong? Is this some sort of a timer-bomb or something? What should I do now? I shouldn't have picked this up! This is frustrating! I am stupid! Something is really wrong with my neurons. Maybe I should...

Et cetera, et cetera.

Holding the coin in her hand gingerly, she glanced around to see how Percy was doing. He was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, she saw a flash from the corner of her eye and looked up. Faintly seeing two figures, she looked back down, blinking furiously. Squinting up at them gave her a headache.

So, now what?

She had the sword-coin, and now she had no idea what to do except stand awkwardly.

Her mind started to wander. If they were fighting up in the sky, wouldn't the angel have an advantage, considering his wings and whatnot? Or would it put him at a drawback? Percy could easily aim at his wings and then he would fall down... Maybe. Was that how angels worked?

Annabeth stared at her feet. Perhaps she should walk over to a corner, instead standing in the middle of the alleyway. But going to a corner meant walking into darkness, and who knew what might be lurking there. Nope. Bad idea, Chase. Stay where you are, like the dexterous person you are.

Toying with the coin and feeling very useless, Annabeth sighed quietly, hoping that Percy was alright.

Then she heard a low growl.

It was not a Percy-growl. His growl wasn't that unnerving. This was more of a I-am-so-pissed-right-now-I-wanna-kill-someone-hey-how-about-that-chick-right-there-huh type of growl. (Though Annabeth was bamboozled how all of a sudden she was able to distinguish between different sorts of growls.) Sucking a quick, sharp breath, she turned her head.

A pair of glowering red eyes stared back at her.

"Well, shit."

-o-o-o-

Percy saw red. And that had nothing whatsoever to do with his demonic iris colour. It meant that he was angry. Very angry. Livid beyond himself. All other synonyms.

All in all, there were three things that pissed him off right then: a) the fallen angel had the nerve to threaten his mate in front of him with a straight face, b) the bastard dodged all his attacks effortlessly with that stupid smile on his face, and c) he had no idea whether Annabeth was fine or not.

But one thing was clear, offensive and direct attacks were futile with the fallen angel. That meant Percy would have to distract him and sneakily attack him. After all, demons never played fair.

"Who is this master you were talking about?" Percy desperately tried to start a conversation. The more the angel talked, the more distracted he would be.

"I would be a fool if I reveal that to you." No expression on his face.

Percy's lip curled up into a sneer. "You're enough of a fool to be fighting me right now."

"I have no intention of fighting you," the angel hissed, folding his black wings behind him and perching himself on the roof of some building. "You're the one who is making this difficult. I'm after the girl."

"As if I'll let you have her! Why do you even want her?" He tried not to sound anxious. His plan appeared to be working.

"My master desires her."

"And why is that?" Percy prodded.

The angel's face scrunched up. Finally a reaction other than glaring. "I don't know."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Really now?"

"I honestly don't know. My master did not tell me."

"And you just listened to him and went after her?"

"I don't-"

Percy cut him off. "Has it ever occurred to you that your master is merely using you?"

"He's not-"

"Why did you sin?"

Percy watched as the scowl fell off his face and his eyes glazed over. The question had absolutely caught him off-guard. Percy grinned to himself, before lunging at him. The angel was not quick enough, and his wings ended up getting scraped. With a hiss of pain, the angel stumbled and fell down ungraciously. Oh, the irony.

Percy let a smirk grace his face as he stared at him. He loved this part, torturing his enemies and getting information out of them. He took a step forward, but his sensitive hearing suddenly made him stop.

"Well, shit."

He was sure that it was Annabeth's voice. Snarling to himself, he glared at angel. He would have to take care of him quickly. It seemed like Annabeth was in trouble.

-o-o-o-

Oh my God, please don't kill me! was the first thing Annabeth thought. She stared in horror at the – whatever that thing was – as it stepped out of the shadows and bared his fangs at her. It looked like a giant dog or something, or was it a wolf?

Whatever it was, it didn't look happy.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Shit, shit, shit! What now, what now? Annabeth snapped out of her daze and yanked her dagger out of her jacket and held it in front of her. The wolf growled at her and took a step forward.

It was one of the most hideous creatures Annabeth had seen. Sharp fangs embraced both of its jaws, its mouth foamed, and its eyes were ruby red with no pupils. The growl seemed to resonate with the atmosphere. Annabeth almost shuddered. Black fur glistened in the little sunlight that graced the alley. Its claws were outstretched, ready to attack.

Damn it, she knew it was a trap.

If fortune was on her side, there was a chance that her dagger might hit the monster if she hurtled it with enough force. If not, then... She decided not to think about it. Be optimistic, she assured herself.

There was a snarl, and the monster rushed forward. Annabeth steeled herself and raised the dagger-

But the beast just ran past her.

She gaped as looked at the beast run through the alley. Where was it going? To Percy? She wondered if she should follow after it, but then glanced back. What if there were more of its kind lurking behind? Annabeth steeled herself and gave her a mental pat on the back, before following the beast into the darkness.

-o-o-o-

This chapter is... Screw it, I have no idea what this shit is.. I just hope it's not very disappointing. Yeah, cliffhanger again. Sorry.

Also, I'm like trying my best to attempt Percy POV. It's not that great as of yet, but I hope to improve.

Q1: Any idea what the beast is?

Q2: Just out of curiosity, what are the three things in life that are most important to you? For me, it's family, food and my wi-fi connection. XD LOL jk. It's hard to tell exactly three things when there are so much more. Friends, sleep, my bed, my books, my headphones.

Just want to know more about my fellow readers. :) Also, I'll start replying to reviews from next chap onwards. I don't really do that sort of thing,but then it seemed rude on my side. So I'm going to do that at the beginning of each chapter. Those who don't want to read it can just skip.

Please R&R!

~Kani