I really, truly appreciate that you guys are still reading my fanfiction. I'm pretty sure it's been 3 or 4 year!Especially you "noboOdy"! Thank you for helping me check the grammar mistakes and don't worry about coming on too strong or something, it's wonderful to interact with readers and improve my writing skills.

Alecto

Her lord celestial weapon was stolen along with Zues's master bolt. The thief was right there, hiding behind the facade of a normal child. Chiron and the young satyr hovered over the boy every singer minute readily to defend that lying half-blood.

She was too old to deal with this kind of foolishness. Did they not realize a war was brewing right at this moment.

"Leave the boy alone, Alecto." Chiron's eyes never wavered. His voice was firm and once again she was reminded of why she respected the ancient centaur. However, it didn't mean she was going to let the thief get away with his crime.

"That's no innocent little boy you're protecting!" She hissed. "Your refusal to cooperate will bring down a war on all of us!" She could felt her skin shifting (melting. It's always melting when the fire of hell and hatred burned from inside out) and the familiar ashen smell slowly filled the air as her anger rose.

" You're ready to sacrifice your other charge-"

"There will be no sacrifice! No child is going to their death just because of some false accution!"

"How dare you!" The roar escaped her throat had rattled many heroes and heroines, yet Chiron remained calm and steadfast. Again, even with her rage at full front, she admired his compassionate heart, which was why she still tried at this point to reason with him. She knew her order, and she would never dream of betraying her king, but first and foremost she was a fury, and while she didn't look the part, she was also a goddess of justice. The world have enough of blood unjustly shed.

"That your gods you're insulting! Everything would be much simpler if you brought him before the Olympian Council."

"You mean to be killed..."

The corner of her mouth twisted into an ugly expression. Alecto was angry ( she was someone prone to negative emotions, she caused it and she bore the brunt of it too. All the madness was taking a toll on her, though she got used to it, learned to live with it. The body struggled, the mind was clouded...)

(She was tired...)

"This is your last chance, Chiron." (this was her warning.) She composed herself, making sure the human shell knitted back together and carefully covered any inhuman traits. "Whatever are making you hestiate, you'd better solve it fast before something horrible happen with your precious student." ( this was her final warning). Chiron's eyes narrowed in slight confution at her repeated threat. The tone of her voice unsettled enough to make him noted that maybe...it wasn't only the gods she was talking about. This situation had become deadly and out of control before anyone knew it.

For all of his best effort in keeping the half-blood safe, he never seemed to realized that all this time, they ( including her) were standing on a claimed territory. It never fell to amuse Alecto that the lack of monsters could somehow translate to safety in the head of those demigods.

"Then again, it might already too late." She would have laugh, had she got the strength.

Did he truly not know that for years his little brat had been residing right in the middle of IT's hunting ground?

The moment she putted one foot on the street of Manhattan, her instinct screamed in her head.

A Predator.

A true predator.

There was nothing to let her know of it's identity. No scent, no dark looming or rage filled beasts with too much pride and too little brain. She only had her instinct to rely on.

Watching the monsters lurking( or were they hiding?) around confirmed her supicious. Hell Hounds were tense, moving in packs, cyclobs were no better and the numbers of empousas decreased in an alarming rate.

"I don't know! I don't know!" The empousa screeched anguishly as she talked about her kind's dissapearance( her sister was one of them), red eyes were blood-shot, and to Alecto's surprise: there was awareness in them. "We're only parted for a minute and she was gone..." The creature sobbed ( A hatchling. Still young. Only 3 century at most), because monster or not, she(it) was just a young girl (hatchling) trying to feed herself. There was no need to cry, Alecto thought. After all, they would came back soon enough( who knew how long). The weak monsters always returned faster than the the more powerful ones. It's just that when they're back, they're never the same as when they left.

Tartarus was not kind to human, half-bloods, it could be cruel to gods and goddesses, and then it was down right hell ( Hell. Hell. You would wish you were dead all over again.) to monsters. She'd know. She'd been there, done that. And then later, she was the one gave out punishments.

They're never the same.

She too was never the same.

Their core would be reformed, memories, feeling scattered, bodies's structure would be molded into something else, more suitable to adapt the living world. They would be whole again and fought their way out. They would be out or they would be crushed under other hordes of monsters, then they'd be reformed and the cycle repeated till they finally crawled out of that pit. By the time they walked on the earth surface, they might as well considered dead.( How many time was she going to die? It's been so long. It's different then. Would the "her" of present disappear too?)

Alecto flew away afterward, centuries in the underworld had shown her too many tragic stories.

"What are you doing here?"

"Easy, empousa. i'm not here to steal your prey."

"Not that!" The brunet shifted uneasily. Subtly looking around, then her focus snapped back to Alecto. Her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to converse yet no sound came out. Pen scratched across the paper's surface in a frantic movement.

"One black, no ice. One scotch..."

A stiff and too bright of a smile was plastered on her face as she asked.

"Anything else...?"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Alecto noticed a young mortal, beautiful and healthy, just the kind of prey the Empousas had always favoured. The soft opal tone furnitures and walls was expectantly matched with the creamy smell of butter, sweetened with milk and coffee. There was others seasoning which she didn't recognize, still, these mixture of sences and smell created such a lovely and delicious sight to be seen.

" None."

The empousa tore off her note, she hissed under her breath as she handed Alecto the bill, teeth and fangs bared through the smiling opened mouth ( It's a maw. Sharper. Wider. Seem like someone had been getting their fill. Less hungry. Less mad. More wild.)

"Get out! you're way too close!"

The fury paid none attention to the little monster here, she had much to ponder than staring down some brats. Percy Jackson and the stolen weapons of divinity was the most important business at this moment. ( Maybe she was just too worn out to care. )

Athough, Alecto had to admit, she did not surprise of how the empousa had reacted to her presence.

" Here's your order. Hope you'll enjoy it."

Lovely.

Exotic.

For some carnivorous monster's keen senses, the mortal's smell must be quite tempting, if the Empousa's action was anything to go by.

" If you don't mind..."

" Kaneki."

"Right...Kaneki. Just how long has that girl- that one. The brunet- been working here?"

"You mean Serene?"

The mortal wasn't that much older than Poseidon's boy. Idly, she wondered how long this youth would last before finally being sucked dried. Were he a demigod, there might be a chance he would live.

An unclaimed demigoddess. She worked here. Did she know about Serene's nature. Doubtful. She would have been dead already. She was clumsy, weak. Another easy prey.

" We have been acquatances..."

"She's worked here for few months." The corners of his lips curled up, sheepish and dare she thought... sweet, pink tinted his pale face then his expression morphed into something more gentle.

" It's her shift. So, maybe, could you wait till it's over, if you want."

Ah... So he was that kind of prey. The innocent kind. The ones that were always thoughtful and considerated. Helping and helping then getting themselves stabbed in the back. Easily giving away their trust. The kind that monsters from both human's and supernatural's world just loved to break.

Serene ( How ironic. Empousa? Peaceful and calm?) called out to the mortal, the glare was back on her face, stiff posture, frustrates settled all over her form.

If Alecto hadn't been so tired lately, she would have noticed the brunet empousa's behaviour resembled more of a scared animal than the aggressive one. After all, tiger bared their teeth even when they're terrified.