(A/N) Sorry about the super long update, I had schoolwork and writer's block on my other story, which I had to get updated because I hadn't in weeks.

Disclaimer: None of these characters are my own, just the universe that they're in.

"His scent grows weak," the little boy whispered to himself as he made his way through the forest, glancing around warily for any signs of danger. Twigs snapped and leaves crackled under his feet as he prowled about, and if said danger wanted to find him it would've done so already, though one could never truly be too careful. "Why is it weak?" The night sky spread above him like a dark navy tarp, spangled with stars that glared down upon him like critical eyes, though most were hidden by the thick foliage of the oaks that stretched high, their branches swaying lazily in the chilled breeze. Normally, one would need a sweater or jacket for such a chill, but not so much as a goosebump had cropped up on the boy's skin, which would've been the first sign of trouble if the humans he just so happened to stumble across had been paying attention.

"Are you lost, little guy?" the woman asked, crouching down as her husband sidled up beside her. Her stomach was swollen, clearly with child, and he could hear the little heartbeat pulsing inside of her and couldn't keep himself from licking his lips. Looking around in slight panic, the boy soon realized that he'd stumbled across a nature trail along the way, too caught up in following one particular scent to notice the heavy stench of human that'd been nearing. He cursed himself internally for not noticing the humans' presence earlier, and even now only one of the two was actually edible; the little boy was not an animal, and he certainly wouldn't give an unborn child no chance to live whatsoever. The slightly beefy husband would have to do.

When he didn't reply, the man grunted, "You got a name?"

"Mummy said not to tell my name to strangers," the little boy told them in his meekest voice, shuffling a little and looking at the ground.

"Where is your mommy?" they asked in unison, though the man's brow knit slightly at the fact that the little boy, even if he knew he was lost, didn't seem quite fazed that he'd been wandering out in the woods alone. He sure did look like a wreck; his black hair was matted and dirtied to the point where it could've been blond if you cleaned it, and his clothes were in tatters, not to mention the fact that there was blood speckled here and there on him. He looked like a wild child, and the man had to admit that it was slightly frightening, on top of the fact that his startling emerald eyes held a bit too much intelligence for an average youth his age.

"I don't know," the little boy replied, shrugging nonchalantly as if it wasn't that big of a deal, and the woman pursed her lips.

"Do you know where she might be?" At her question the child laughed as if it were a hysterical joke, like it wasn't because she'd stumbled across him looking like he'd had a fistfight with mother earth, or possibly a bear. For a moment the mortal swore that she saw the boy's eyes slit like a viper's but immediately singled it out as her mind playing tricks. Such a morphing of the human pupil was impossible, anyway.

"Of course not! Mummy hasn't seen me in a long time," he giggled, a chilling sound that one would hear coming from downstairs during a dark night. That's when the couple began to get worried, and they exchanged a very concerned glance. The boy didn't seem malnourished in the least, bordering on plump, but still lithe and, heck, a bit muscular. His clothes, though matted, fit him quite well and didn't hang off of him, so that meant that he rather was incredible at scavenging or someone had taken him in. They were leaning towards the latter, considering that this child looked no older than five. The only problem was that his skin was sickly pale, almost as white as milk, and blue veins snaked up and down his arms and stood out as clear as day under all of the grime that he was slathered with.

"Who's taking care of you? Who's feeding you?" the man asked, gripping his wife's hand tightly. He didn't like this kid and was wary of the fact that maybe his psychotic killer father was lurking somewhere beyond, hidden away in the trees.

"Well soon you'll be."

They almost took that as a sentiment.

"By the way, my name's Alfie. And I'm looking for my brother."

-Ω-

A thick blanket of excitement, laced with anxiousness, hung thick over Camp Half-Blood. Jason was dragging his feet through the days' activities, sometimes abandoning them altogether to go sulk in Cabin One, and he'd been giving everyone the cold shoulder. Heck, he was uncharacteristically introverted, not even talking to Leo when his friend asked him what the matter was. He stayed silent, though his blue eyes, in a way were haunted and brooding, as if he'd gained the pieces of an unfinished puzzle and now as just trying to put it all together. Even his loving girlfriend, who kept trying to lift his spirits with surprise beach picnics and other things, couldn't seem to get him to open up to her.

Nico and Will were no different than the son of Jupiter, keeping mostly to themselves and talking in hushed conversations that abruptly stopped when someone came near. Though it was no surprise that the son of Hades was acting in such a manner, since his life was practically no different, campers, especially from the Apollo cabin, were beginning to fret over Will. He didn't play his lyre anymore at the campfire and sang along only halfheartedly, if not singing at all, and he sometimes didn't even attend the archery lessons he was supposed to teach, leaving the campers standing around with nothing to do. He stuck around Nico a lot more than usual, even more than when they'd first started dating and he was incredibly clingy, but it seemed that it was only his boyfriend that he would talk to, and vice versa.

It didn't take very long for the demigods to realize that the three demigods who were acting the most uncharacteristic had been the three to go on the hunt for Perseus. Perhaps they were just ashamed that they couldn't get the job done? Had they encountered him but had him slip through their fingers? Were they possessed or cursed by the terrible demon? Rumors were flying this way and that, zigzagging their way through cabins and weaving amongst the dryads and satyrs. They danced through the strawberry fields and whispered through the leaves in the forest, darted from one camper to another and sharing their tale, fighting for dominance over the demigods' standings on the matter. Even the naiads were making hypotheses of their own, and almost immediately afterwards the only talk at the entire camp was "What the Hell is Wrong with the Three Heroes?"

People whispered when one of them walked past, trying to read their stony expressions and their taciturn demeanor, but to no avail. That only made it all the more exciting. Nico, Will, and Jason, of course, knew nothing of this talk, for demigods were extra keen on making sure that they had no idea what was happening, but eventually the rumors pranced their way over to Chiron and Dionysus, tapping them on the shoulder and demanding attention..

"What d'ya think's wrong with them?" the wine god asked, taking a long swig from his Coke can, though his words didn't really hold much concern or interest.

"Something must've happened on that quest of theirs. Something that they aren't willing to tell us," the centaur replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. When he'd first asked the three if they were alright, all had nodded without any hesitation, though Chiron knew from experience that demigods were capable of lying through their teeth without remorse. The only problem was that if Jason, Nico, and Will didn't want to speak, the counselors and the other campers wouldn't be able to make them do so unless they resorted to rather unethical means. "It makes me wonder."

"Well it makes me super annoyed that my satyrs are too busy gossiping to cater to my needs," Dionysus scoffed in reply. "They'll crack eventually."

-Ω-

Perseus looked up, wearing a path within the ground as he paced to and fro, his eyes lighting up when he saw Gwen arriving with a bowl full of a deep crimson liquid. The demon inhaled the fumes and shivered a bit at the scent, his pupils blowing up in hunger and nearly covering his entire iris, only a thin lining of sea green peeking out from behind it. He prowled over, slinking towards her like a big cat stalking towards its prey, and eagerly snatched the bowl from her hands. The Roman didn't even flinch when he lifted it to his lips and drained in in several quick gulps, a small trickle of blood dribbling from his chin. and leaving a trail of red in its wake. Okay, she had to admit that that was slightly disturbing, but now that she was sure that the blood being ingested was given up purely voluntarily she was fine. He wiped the blood off of his chin and grinned. Gwen had gotten used to the monster's presence by now, eventually becoming acquainted with him and, sooner or later, befriending him at least minutely. They weren't lovey-dovey spill-your-secrets kind of friends, but they were certainly comfortable enough not to try and kill each other when they met. Gwen found that the demon wasn't as cold-hearted and ruthless as everyone perceived him to be, for in killing mortals he was only trying to survive. Hating him for killing humans was like hating a cat for eating mice, or a wolf for eating deer, but then again when that was said aloud it made her question whether it was sufficient enough evidence.

You want to know what blood time Perseus likes best? AB negative.

You want to know what animal meat he likes best? Deer, of course.

The Roman was probably the only one who knew these things about Perseus, and she'd be lying if she claimed that she wasn't proud of her feat. When she'd walked back to camp with Pluto, the reactions were priceless, heck they were pure gold, no pun intended. They met the god's demands with such enthusiasm and dedication that it was almost funny, considering all that blood they thought they were sacrificing goes into feeding the antichrist.

"So, anything knew in these woods?" the soldier asked.

"Well I've never been in an area for so long," Perseus replied, shrugging. "The animals are getting used to me." And Gwen was glad; the eagles had returned once more and Hannibal, the unicorns, and the lions were all back to normal, though everyone was absolutely puzzled on why they'd gone awry in the first place. Gwen, of course, was sworn to silence and could only watch as Reyna, Frank, and the others scratched their heads and tried to come up with some sort of explanation. The forest animals followed soon after, and a great migration of birds propelled into the camp and back into their homes one morning, not to mention the fact that the squirrels and chipmunks were finally showing their faces. Argentum and Aurum, the only two animals that seemed unfazed by Perseus' presence, still strut by Reyna's side like roosters in their coop, though they would always pause at the edge of the forest and growl a warning. Luckily the Praetor never thought much of it, blaming it on the animals within.

The fauns and Lares, however, had still not ceased their bout of anxiety, and Gwen supposed it was because of their heightened, more humanlike intelligence. She wished that they would cease their antics so that the camp would finally go back to normal, and because of their remaining tenseness people were still asking questions. Why are they acting in such a manner? What is causing it? Is it some sort of monster? Is something in the valley that shouldn't be? These questions were whispered in Gwen's ears every day, and she hoped that they wouldn't find out about Perseus until the time was right.

That "time", though, came in the form of the appearance of Frank Zhang. His cry of alarm would undoubtedly be heard all the way in New Rome.

For all who are beginning to panic, there is no Gwen/Percy. No pairings for him here

For all of the Supernatural, as well as Destiel, fans reading this, check out my new AU story Once Upon a December. It takes place in the Progressive Era. Immigrant!Dean Ward boss!Cas