Sorry about not updating for almost a year. Had some personal things going on, but I'm glad to be back. I Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a little long.

-Rooney1077

Her back hit the soft, cushiony bed. Her legs wrapped around his waist. He brought her closer to him, grabbing her harder. She didn't pay any mind to the slight pain his fingers left; actually, she kind of liked it. His lips ran down her body. Enticing moans escaped her lips. A loud bling, however, interrupted them.

Percy sighed, setting the strawberry blonde down gently on the bed. Lydia groaned, and grabbed her phone on the bedside table. She flipped it open, then quickly shut it, and pulled Percy back down to her. She kissed him, trying to forget about who was calling her. Percy grinned into the kiss, deepened it, and pulled her up to sit on his lap. Suddenly another ring blared. Percy and Lydia tried to ignore the phone as it continued to ring. Though, as it continued Percy couldn't take much more of the annoyance. He sighed and reached for the phone, but Lydia smacked his hand away and dove for it.

"Who keeps calling you?" Percy questioned, pulling his shirt back on. Lydia typed quickly on the device, ignoring his question, before it rang again. The strawberry blonde answered the phone.

"Jackson, hey," she began, her eyes cautiously scanning the raven haired boy's face. Percy gave her an irritable sigh, and pushed himself off the bed, going to find his jacket and shoes. Lydia continued to talk to him as Percy gathered all of his belongings. He began to walk out the door when Lydia ran after him. "Percy," she called, grabbing his hand. "Percy, stop!" She turned him around. She stared up at him, while he avoided her eyes. "Percy, I'm sorry about–"

He grit his teeth, and looked down at her. "What? About your boyfriend calling you?" Percy didn't give her time to say anything. He continued, "why should you be sorry? A guy is just calling his girlfriend, who just happens to be making out with his friend-ish. Totally and completely in the norm."

"I know this is hard, and not the best situation–"

Percy laughed. "Not the best situation? This is the worst situation ever." Percy sat down on her couch, and ran a hand through his hair. "Lydia, I can't be your side hoe. I won't be. I'm only doing this because I like you—a lot." She doesn't realize how hard it was for him, how much it went against his fatal flaw, loyalty.

Lydia grabbed his hand, and sat beside him. She brought his face up close to her. "I like you a lot, too," she said.

"Then why won't you break up with Jackson?" Percy questioned, pulling away from her.

Lydia sighed. "I–I don't know. He's just–"

"What is it? He's the guy you've imagined for yourself for years or do you...love him?" His voice was soft as he spoke, avoiding her piercing eyes. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. Percy got up abruptly and walked slowly over to the door. "I can't do this anymore, Lydia. You can chose: me or him." Percy looked back at her one last time before leaving the large house and driving back home. Percy hated giving her an ultimatum, but he had to. They couldn't keep doing this.

He and Lydia had been doing that for about a week. They would sneak around before and after school. Lydia would start with helping Percy go over his notes and read. The study session would usually end up with a hickey or two. At school they would go back to barely speaking, and would sometimes ignore each other. Percy's feelings for Lydia were strong, but every time he left her house (or wherever they were) he would feel terrible, disgusted with himself, wrong. Percy hated the lying and the secrets. He hated doing it sometimes, but every time Percy would look at Lydia it all went away. Percy didn't love her yet, but he could definitely see it going there.

It wasn't late when he got home, only 7:25 P.M. He parked his car in the driveway, and quietly closed the car door, taking his backpack with him. Percy pulled out his house key and turned the lock. He pushed open the door and was immediately hit with the smell of pizza. He grinned, that was the only thing he wanted to come home to: pizza and his family, his two favorite things in the world. He could hear laughing, talking, and soft music. Percy set his keys and books down on the table beside the front door. He followed the noise, heading into the dinning room. When Percy got there, though, he was surprised. Someone was sitting in his seat beside Kate. His stomach dropped to the floor.

Victoria looked up, her smile gleaming. "Oh, Percy! You're back early. How did the studying with Scott and Stiles go?" She asked. He wasn't listening, though. The person sitting in his seat turned her head, her beautiful blonde curls bouncing. Percy's heart bounded as he caught sight of her calculating eyes that never failed to scare the hell out of him. Her smile faded slightly. Her eyes searched his face, maybe hoping that he remembered her. How could he forget her, though. Percy felt as though he was drowning now. Funny—a son of Poseidon drowning.

"Percy." Her voice was smooth and hopeful. Her eyes were dark, studying him, as she waited for Percy to acknowledge her. She secretly prayed he had his memories. She couldn't go through the whole Hera taking away his memories thing again. But then again, maybe it would be better if he didn't. That would just tell her that his running away and cutting off all contact with her and his friends for years wasn't exactly his choice.

"Annabeth," he said, his voice low. The name flowed through his lips easily, as if he practiced saying her name everyday, as if he readied himself for this moment. Percy never thought he would see her again, though, he hoped he would one day see her again. Allison stood from the table, looking at her phone.

"Well, as much as I love awkward moments, I have to go over to Lydia's house. Says it's an emergency," Allison informed grabbing her purse.

Percy's head snapped toward his niece, not hiding the concern written all over his face. "Is she alright?"

Allison raised a brow. "Probably just a fashion emergency. Want me to tell her you said 'hi'?" Allison laughed. Percy blushed slightly, and rolled his eyes.

Chris grabbed Kate. "We have some business to attend to. When you're done here, Percy, you know where to go," Chris told him. Percy nodded. Victoria followed the two siblings out to the car and headed off. Why did everyone have to suddenly and conveniently leave them alone? Now, only Percy and Annabeth stood in the house. There was a long awkward silence between them; one of the few times in Percy's life where he wasn't sure what to say.

Annabeth stepped closer to him. "I found you," she stated the obvious.

"I wasn't hiding," Percy retorted. Without warning, Annabeth slapped him across the face, hard. Percy's head snapped to the side. He cradled his already red, throbbing cheek. "Ow, what the hell was that for?" She then promptly slapped the back of his head. Percy glared at her, only slightly confused. "Ow again."

The daughter of Athena crossed her arms and glared at him. "Oh, don't play dumb." Percy's heart pounded loudly, her glare making it jump.

Percy gave her an incredulous look. "Annabeth, I don't have play dumb. I am dumb," he scoffed and headed into the living room. Annabeth followed closely behind. Percy grabbed an ice cube and dropped it into his glass before pouring some bourbon in it. He took a sip before placing it on his stinging cheek.

Annabeth scowled at him, her hands on her hips. "You abandoned us. We've been looking for you for 4 years."

"Abandoned? I abandoned you?" Percy laughed humorlessly, sitting down on the couch. "Pretty sure you were there when the gods tried to get me to kill some kid in your place. I did everything I could to protect you. I did this for you." Annabeth glared at him, a familiar glare that always used to kind of terrify Percy. It still sent shivers down his spine. Percy studied her face as she glowered down at him. She looked older and tired. Her eyes were as stormy as ever, but under them Percy could see poorly covered up dark bags. She was paler than the last time he saw her four years ago. New, light scars riddled her neck, arms, and hands. Her hair was shorter, too. Percy thought she was still beautiful, but something about her wasn't the same. Percy could feel it as he stared at her.

Annabeth turned around and began to pace. This was what she had hoped, right? She wanted him to remember her. She prayed to the gods he had his memories, but she felt dread and hurt when she realized that Percy wanted to avoid her and the rest of his friends. She thought maybe Percy would be a monster, or guilt driven from killing that boy. He seemed fine, though. He remembered her, and for some reason he seemed angry. The daughter of Athena turned around, her eyes locking with Percy's which roamed every part of her. She remembered when Percy used to do this, but this time it was different—he was different, she could tell.

Percy took a sip of the drink in his hand, causing Annabeth to frown. The old Percy never drank, of course he was 17 when she last saw him, so legally he couldn't. Though, that never stopped most of the Dionysus, Hermes, and Ares kids from smuggling beer in camp. "You cut your hair," he stated simply. His voice was hoarse. He seemed to have trouble controlling his emotions. It was easy to tell. Annabeth could always read Percy easily.

Annabeth frowned, and took a shaky breath, ignoring his comment. "Where have you been, Percy?"

The boy—no, man—glanced up. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I just got here–to Beacon Hills–this year. My brother needed my help."

Annabeth stopped pacing, and took a seat next to Percy. "Your brother? When did that happen?" Her brow furrowed.

Percy seemed to be lost in thought before he spoke up again. "A few months after I turned 18. His father, Gerard, took me in and adopted me."

"Why?"

Percy clenched his jaw and tensed up. "That's a long story." He fiddled with the small glass in his hands, his nerves slightly getting the better of him.

Annabeth scowled. "A story that I deserve to know," she practically growled, clenching her fists so hard her knuckles were white. She was beginning to get irritated with Percy's attitude and off putting behavior.

Percy set his empty glass on the coffee table and stood. "What makes you think that, Wise Girl?" He leaned against the back of a chair with his arms crossed, a challenging smirk adorning his features.

Annabeth's scowl deepened as she stood, her hands clenching and unclenching. "You left without one damn word. You jumped off Olympus, Percy. We thought you were dead for months until Hades told us your soul hadn't entered his realm." Her voice cracked slightly. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I've been looking for you for years," Annabeth muttered softly. She was tired of trying to be strong. This man in front of her was someone she didn't used to have to be strong in front of. She glanced down at the floor, falling back onto the couch. "We all have. I went to your mom's apartment when the gods released us from Olympus, but all I found was Paul packing. He-he said Sally..."

"Died," Percy said through gritted teeth and closed eyes. His heart pounded in his chest. Not a day went by that Percy didn't think of his mother. "I know."

Annabeth's gaze softened and hesitantly reached out to place a hand on Percy's shoulder. "What happened?"

Percy was silent for a moment. He didn't want to relive the pain, but Chris always told him that talking about it would make the pain eventually fade. "Paul told me her b-body was found in a lake with bite marks and blood everywhere." His voice broke. Percy let a few tears fall before he drew a deep breath. "We thought it was a monster or something," he said softly, looking down.

Annabeth has kept her reactions silent and withheld her questions. She put a comforting arm around Percy, only reaching to the middle of his back. She let Percy break down for a few minutes before he composed himself and scooted away from her. He took a long drink of bourbon before speaking, "I haven't talked about that in a long time."

"I'm so sorry, Percy, so sorry." Annabeth's heart ached for him, but she hadn't forgotten about him abandoning her and the rest of his friends. They say in silence for at least 10 minutes before anyone moved.

Percy let out a sigh, looking down at the girl he had loved for years. This whole situation was overwhelming and confusing for Percy. But he saw the pain he caused Annabeth, and most likely his old friends, and he cracked. He knelt down in front of her, and cautiously took her hands in his. "I'm sorry, Annabeth. I really am. I wish I didn't put you through all of this. But everything I did was to keep all of you safe. Zeus was going to kill all of you if I didn't do as he said. And I couldn't live in fear knowing that he would call me again and make me do terrible things. I was selfish. I'm sorry." There was so much Percy wanted to say, but he kept it in. The daughter of Athena looked down at him and was about to say something when the front door slammed shut, and two pairs of feet stomped through the kitchen and into the living room.

"Hey, Percy, Lydia and I forgot her—" Allison stopped mid sentence seeing the two. Lydia stood by her side, silent for once, glancing back and forth between Percy, Annabeth, and their hands. She couldn't help the twinge of jealousy she felt. She mentally reprimanded herself. Percy wasn't hers. He slowly rose to his feet and took a few steps toward his niece. Allison had never seen Percy look so tired; he looked older than 17. Allison glanced over at the blonde sitting on the couch, confusion clear on her face. She'd ask later.

"Hey, Alli-cat, what do you need?" Percy plastered on a care-free, lopsided grin.

"Uh, sorry. Lydia just forgot her blockbuster movie here, and wanted to drop me off. Lydia," Allison glanced over at Lydia. "I'll be right back. I think I know where it is." Allison began and bounded up the stairs to her room.

"Yeah–okay. Please, hurry." The strawberry blonde stuttered, calling after her. Lydia turned back to Percy, who was standing awkwardly in front of her. Lydia tried to catch Percy's eye, but he just looked around. The woman on the couch, Lydia noticed, stood up and walked confidently towards them. The woman Lydia, not just 2 minutes ago, saw holding hands with Percy. Whom of which she just got done making out with a few hours ago. Lydia hid her emotions well as she studied the blonde's face.

The blonde woman looked Lydia up and down as if she were calculating every and any movement the strawberry blonde could make and every weakness she had. It was intimidating, but Lydia wouldn't let it show. She stuck out her hand. "Hi, I'm Lydia Martin," she introduced herself, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The woman stared at her hand before taking it after a moment. Percy looked back and forth between them cautiously.

The woman's voice matched her appearance and the aura Lydia got off her. "Annabeth Chase, an old friend of Percy's." Lydia couldn't hide her frown. How could she be an old friend if Percy was only 17, she thought. "How do you two know each other?"

Percy shifted his weight on each foot. "School," he replied shortly.

"We have a class together; I'm his tutor. He friends with my boyfriend." Lydia said. Percy tried to hide his flinch at the word boyfriend coming out of her mouth.

Annabeth rose an arched eyebrow at Percy. "School, huh?" Percy nodded as Allison bounded down the stairs vibrantly. She handed the disk to Lydia.

"Tell Jackson I said thanks for driving me home. I'll see you tomorrow." Allison and Lydia hugged before the strawberry blonde left without saying a word to Percy and Annabeth. Allison and Percy stared at each other, having a silent conversation. Percy's eyes pleaded causing Allison to give in, glaring at her uncle. She turned to Annabeth, forcing a smile. "I'm going to give you guys some space. Nice to meet you, Annabeth."

Annabeth modded politely and smiled, however the smile didn't reach her eyes. "And you as well." With one more glare at Percy, she bounded up the stairs to her room. When Percy heard the door shut he turned back to Annabeth and led her back into the living room.

"Annabeth, I hope you don't think that I'm going back with you, back to New York and back to the gods," Percy stated, fingering his glass.

The daughter of Athena frowned. "We haven't been looking for you for four years just to say we found you. We want you to come home, Seaweed Brain. Come home with me." His old nickname made Percy flinch. He remembered the first time Annabeth had called him that. How, much later, she'd call him that lovingly and kiss him when he said something stupid.

Percy shook off the nostalgia. "This is my home now." A thought struck him. Come home with me. "Annabeth, did you...did you wait for me?"

The gray eyed girl glanced down at her hands. Percy couldn't tell if that was a yes or a no. It was a minute before she responded in a small voice, one Percy rarely heard. "Yes."

He closed his eyes, his heart thudding in his chest so loud, Percy thought she might be able to hear it. He dreaded this. Percy had hoped Annabeth moved on and was happy. "I'm sorry, Wise Girl. I'm so sorry I did this to you." Annabeth frowned as Percy put his head in his hands. "I never wanted to hurt any of you. Me leaving was meant to keep all of you safe. I used to hope that one day I could go back to Camp, see everyone again, see you. But things changed. I kinda changed, I guess. I found a new family and my heart and loyalty lies with them." Percy glanced at Annabeth nervously.

Her mouth was slightly agape as she stared at her Percy. No, not her Percy. This wasn't the same boy she had known or loved. It hit her. He had moved on from them, his old friends, his family. He moved on from...her. All of these years of searching for Percy and it was for nothing. "You forgot about us?" It was a question even though she had wanted it to be a statement.

Percy's eyes widened. "No, no. I could never forget about you guys, especially you, Wise Girl." He was up now from his position on the couch. He reached for her hands and held them tightly in his own. "You were my first love and you never forget your first love. You were my best friend and I'll always love you, but...yeah. I moved on. I healed because of the Argents, because of my family. I'm finally okay again after everything that happened." His eyes were wet with tears at the brim of his startling green eyes. Annabeth stared down at their hands blankly. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this."

Annabeth just nodded silently. She clenched her jaw, willing herself not to cry. She spent four years looking for her boyfriend, her best friend and now here he was telling her he moved on from her, from everything. Annabeth knew she could get over the sadness, the pain. She was just scared to leave him behind; Percy was a huge part of her life. But Annabeth knew she had to leave him behind. She went over to the couch and pulled on her jacket before turning to face Percy. "I'll tell everyone to stop looking. That we should've found you by now and since we haven't, we probably never will. I won't tell the gods where you are." Percy stared at her, nodding a thank you. "Even though you aren't my boyfriend anymore, I guess...you're still my best friend and I'll always care about you. I guess this is goodbye for now."

Annabeth stepped toward Percy hesitantly and then wrapped him in a hug, savoring what he felt like against her because it was probably the last time she'd ever feel him again. "Stay safe," Percy whispered.

Annabeth nodded and headed for the door. Percy followed her slowly. Before she stepped out of the door, she turned back and said, "Try not to get into too much trouble, Seaweed Brain."

Percy smiled his old lopsided grin that Annabeth had missed so much. "I'll try not to, Wise Girl." With that, Annabeth strode to her car and drove away without another look.

Percy let out a pained sigh, slamming his eyes shut when he felt the prickling sensation of tears. He just said goodbye to his best friend, his first love, maybe for forever. He was glad she would be safe, and hoped she would happy. But it still hurt. Percy walked back to the living room and poured himself another glass of bourbon. He fell onto the couch with a large sigh and sipped his drink, trying to wash away the painful memories that clawed at his mind.

Allison's head poked out from behind the staircase. She hurried down the steps to meet Percy on the couch. She raised an eyebrow, and nodded at the glass. "I needed a drink to get through that." His voice was unusually heavy. Allison opened her mouth, getting ready to fire question after question at Percy, but he held up a hand, his eyes stinging. "Please, not tonight. I'm exhausted, and you know how I am if I don't get my full 8 hours of beauty sleep." Allison nodded, watching Percy get up from the chair and head to his room. She was sure as soon as his head hit his pillow, he was out. However, Percy relived everything from the time he got home for hours until he couldn't take it anymore and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Percy had never not wanted to go to school more in his life than today. He did not want to deal with the irritating teachers, the copious amounts of homework that he was going to, of course, put off until the last minute, Scott and Stiles watching him and talking about him behind his back, and Lydia and Jackson's PDA. The drive to school had been painful. Percy knew Allison had a million questions about Annabeth. He really wasn't in the mood to answer any of them as he was still recovering from the conversation they had had and what it meant. Percy would likely never see Annabeth or anyone of his old friends again. But he needed to try to forget about it. He had Allison to protect and other problems that involved a scrawny, pale kid; a scared, new Beta; and the Alpha they were hunting.

"Please, tell me? For my birthday?" Allison pleaded. She pulled out the big guns: her baby seal eyes (that Percy had taught her).

Percy rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face. "I already got you something for your birthday, Allison. Don't be greedy," he teased. He stared straight ahead the rest of the ride up, and practically ran into the school building—which was odd, Allison noticed, when the finally parked in the lot. Percy pushed open the big double doors, looking down at the message he got from Derek.

'S.O.S. Alpha kill. Last night. Come to house after school. -h'

Derek signed his texts with 'h' for Hale so if Chris or Victoria saw the message they wouldn't immediately guess it was from the werewolf. Percy frowned down at the bright screen. Not noticing where he was walking, Percy ran right into the sturdy body of his friend, Danny. Percy looked up, grabbing Danny's broad shoulders, Danny bracing his hand against Percy's chest. Percy laughed steadying himself and the lacrosse goalkeeper.

"Sorry, dude." Percy grinned. "Wasn't watching where I was going."

Percy didn't notice the slight blush on his friend's face as he moved his hand off the raven haired boys chest. "Don't worry about it." Danny smiled. He glanced down at Percy's phone, the message still on his lock screen. "Important?" He nodded at it.

Percy shook his head and stuffed his phone in his pocket. "Nah, just my brother telling me he's coming to the parent-teacher conference today." Percy and Danny began walking the halls to their lockers.

Danny laughed. "You have to go to that?"

Percy shrugged. "Been here 5 minutes and I'm already failing Trig." He laughed. Danny suddenly frowned, catching sight of his best friend, Jackson. He was pale, his hair unkempt, bags under his eyes. He glanced around nervously and fidgeted from time to time. "What's wrong?" Percy noticed the change in Danny's demeanor.

They came to a stop at Percy's locker. Danny leaned against the wall beside him. "Did you hear about what happened last night?" He asked. Percy stopped, a confused look on his cute face, Danny noticed. "Someone was killed at the movie rental place down on 15th street a little bit from the bowling alley. Jackson was there with Lydia."

Percy's almost dropped his books at the mention of Lydia. He never wanted to hear Lydia and murder in the same sentence. Well, unless it was Lydia murdering Jackson. "Is she alright? Was anyone hurt?" His voice was a little too urgent. Percy hoped Danny wouldn't notice.

The boy shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I don't know. Jackson didn't say anything about her." Typical, Percy thought. He pulled his books the rest of the way out of his locker, and shoved them into his backpack. Percy glanced over at Jackson, his eyes catching three vertical marks going down the back of the boy's neck. His stomach dropped, and his eyes narrowed. He knew recognized those markings. There could only be three people Percy knew that had the ability to do that.

Percy was knocked out of his musings by the high ring of the minute bell. "Shit, I've got to go to chemistry. See you at lunch, Perce." Danny called, making his way down the hall to the lab. Percy waved after him and made his way toward Jackson, not caring if he was going to be late.

Jackson flinched, hearing each foot fall come closer to him. His head pounded, splitting into a terrible ache. Sweat formed above his brow. His heart bounded in his chest as he turned around to look at who was coming. He met a startling pair of green eyes under a dark mop of hair.

"Jackson?" The voice was distorted in Jackson's ears. The jock frowned.

"Hey, Jackson? You okay?" Jackson recognized Percy after a few moments. Percy raised a dark brow and lightly clapped Jackson on the shoulder, causing the skittish boy to flinch. He shook it off quickly, though.

Jackson nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine." He watched Percy's eyes travel across his face as if he were trying to see if he was lying. Finally, the intimidating eyes found the back of his neck. Jackson noticed them darken considerably. Percy ran his fingers lightly across the three punctures with a frown. "What happened here?" He questioned. Jackson paled and shivered, remembering the marks Scott's "dealer" had left him a few hours ago.

He quickly smacked Percy's hand away. "Dude, what the hell? I don't know what you're into, but I can tell you that I'm not." Jackson spat, and quickly headed toward the chemistry room.

Percy stared after him, his jaw clenched. He pulled out his phone, sending a quick text to Derek as he headed toward his first class.

'What the hell did you do?'

Percy got a call in the middle of French. His phone blared loudly just as Ms. Morrell was going over the 'passé compose', which Percy knew nothing about. He planned on copying off of the smart-looking blonde next to him. Morrell gave Percy an irritable glare as he checked the caller ID on his smartphone screen. Derek. Percy cursed under his breath.

"Ms. Morrell, um, may I use the restroom," Percy lied easily, flashing the guidance counselor/French teacher a polite smile.

Morrell narrowed her eyes at him. "Ask in French and you may," she said.

Percy paled. The blonde next to him gave him a sympathetic look, watching him struggle. "'Puis-je aller au toilettes?'" She whispered. Percy grinned at her and repeated it, however not as well, butchering almost every word. Morrell nodded sending the girl beside Percy a stern look. Percy jumped out of his seat, grabbing his bag, and headed out of the overly decorated classroom. As soon as Percy made it to the bathroom, he called Derek back. The phone rang once before Percy heard a weak, but gruff "finally".

"I saw what you did to Jackson, Derek. Do you realize how dangerous and reckless that is? I don't think you do because if you did, you wouldn't have done it! As much as I don't like the kid, he doesn't deserve to die. Maybe beaten severely..." Percy said kind of dreamily, "but not dead!" Percy whispered into the phone. He heard Derek groan and could practically see the werewolf roll his eyes.

"I, er, don't know what you're talking about. That's not important right now. Did you get my text? There was another Alpha kill and sighting at the movie rental place on 15th."

"Yes, I saw, but chose to ignore it," Percy replied, glancing around. "Have you found out anything else about the Alpha?"

Derek let out an irritable sigh. "No. I visited your buddy Jackson but he didn't see anything. That or he's a good liar." Percy nodded, he most definitely was a good liar, he was a snake. "Unless you give me permission to torture him, I'd say there's no way we're getting anything out of him."

Percy groaned. "I'm so tempted to let you, but I think there's another way. Granted it's basically going to be torture," Percy muttered thinking about being near Lydia again when last night Percy could tell she was pissed. One things Percy had recently learned about the strawberry blonde was she was extremely stubborn, headstrong, and if she didn't want to give up any information, she would probably take it to her grave.

"I thought you liked her," Derek mused.

"I do, a lot. She's patient with me and cares. She's helpful and strong, really smart, too. But she's with Jackson still. And I'm almost positive she's pissed with me. Angry Lydia is Scary Lydia," Percy let out a breathy chuckle.

"I'd offer to go talk to her, but I don't want to and sometimes I think it brings me joy seeing you in pain. Maybe if I'm lucky and she's upset enough, she might kick you in your balls." Derek's laughter filled the speaker on Percy's phone.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Ha. Ha." He mocked. "Bitch." He ended the call abruptly and slammed his phone back in his pocket. Percy checked his watch; he'd been in the bathroom for 10 minutes. Ms. Morrell was probably about to send someone to check up on Percy. He sighed and leaned heavily on the sing. Percy looked up and stared at himself in the mirror. He really needed to shave. "You can do this. It's Lydia. She's not gonna kill you, Percy," he murmured, giving himself a little pep talk, but then grimaced. "Well...maybe. If she does, she might make it quick." Percy breathed in deeply and left the bathroom with plans to visit Lydia after lunch if she wasn't in Biology.

When Percy got to his table at lunch with Danny, he was expecting Scott and Allison to be there, Scott staring at his niece like a puppy. But all he found was Stiles, munching angrily on an apple. Percy sat down with Danny, Jackson following closely behind. When he saw Stiles, though, he turned around and walked the opposite way.

Percy frowned at Stiles. "Where are Allison and Scott?"

Stiles jumped, not seeing the other boy as he was deep in his plan to kick Scott's ass for ditching. Stiles dropped the apple and crossed his arms. "They're skipping school for Allison's birthday." He was so angry with his best friend, he didn't even bother trying to hide the fact from Percy that Scott had taken Allison out of school.

Percy almost choked on his chocolate milk. Danny raised an eyebrow at him and handed him one of his unused napkins. Percy nodded a thanks and wiped his mouth clean before speaking. "You're saying Allison is with Scott and they're ditching classes? Are you completely sure because Allison has never skipped a class in her entire life." Percy glowered at Stiles.

Stiles shifted in his seat uncomfortably under Percy's overly intense gaze. He didn't really understand the big deal; it was just one day. Stiles nodded hesitantly, watching Percy's reaction. Percy grit his teeth and shut his eyes tightly. He was supposed to be looking after Allison, protecting her and now she's out with a werewolf with control issues. Shit.

Percy stood up from the table with his tray. He glanced down at Danny. "Sorry, dude. I gotta go. See you at practice," Percy rushed out. He threw his garbage away and reached into his pocket for his car keys. When his fingers grazed the rough inside of the pocket on his jeans, his anger grew. "Allison!" She took his car and his keys. Percy seethed as he started running home. Luckily for him it only took him 15 minutes before he was there. He threw his backpack down and stashed a hunting knife in his boot before running back out of his house.

Percy took out his phone and dialed Allison's number, but got her voicemail immediately. Percy growled. She either declined his call or had her phone off. Percy dialed Scott's number next. After almost a minute, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Scott, is Allison alright? Is she there?"

A few seconds later, he heard his niece's voice. "Percy?"

He let out a sigh of relief. She was alive and probably well since she wasn't screaming for help. "Are you alright?" Percy asked urgently. Allison said yes. Okay. Now Percy was allowed to get mad. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Allison?" Before she could speak, Percy cut her off. "Why would you just leave without telling me? I'm not even mad that you're skipping school. It's just incredibly reckless and stupid of you to not tell anyone. There's something out there that's killing people. A guy died last night!"

"Percy, Percy, calm down. We're alright. I'm safe. Scott's with me."

Percy let out a cackle as he jogged down the road. "McCall is your only protection? That does not make me feel any better. Why wouldn't you tell me you were skipping?" Percy questioned. "I'm like the skipping pro." He was slightly insulted. "Just tell me where you are, and I'll come get you."

"No, Percy. I'm fine. Scott can keep me safe. And if anything happens, we'll just run to the car," she replied. My car, Percy thought. He paused. There was a couple of knives in the trunk and one under the passenger's seat. If they got into trouble, they would be okay. Percy sighed, rubbing his eyes. This would be a good time to go see Lydia, make sure she's okay, and ask her what she saw last night, if she saw anything at all.

"Fine. Fine. Stay with Scott. But be careful and if you see something, run as fast as you can to my car," Percy let up. He could practically hear Allison's grin. She thanked Percy profusely. "Yeah, yeah. Give the phone to Scott."

"Yeah?" His voice was nervous and hesitant like he was scared Percy was about to scream at him and promise to pin him against a tree with 100 arrows.

"There are knives in my trunk and one under the passenger's seat. If you come across the Alpha, run. Do not go near him, McCall. Do you hear me? I'm trusting that you will protect Allison with your life." Percy paused. "If anything happens to her, I will end your existence. Got it?" A moment passed before Scott replied. Percy assumed the beta was nodding his head and realized Percy couldn't see that.

"I promise I'll keep her safe." Was the last thing Percy heard before ending the call and heading to Lydia's house.

Percy wiped the sweat from his forehead and ran his fingers through his hair before knocking on the Martin's front door. He glanced at the unfamiliar Jeep in the driveway. After a moment, Lydia's mom opened the door, drowning his attention back to the door. "Oh, Percy! You're hear to see Lydia?"

Percy smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I heard about what happened, so I wanted to see how she was doing," Percy said sweetly, a concerned look on his face that he didn't have to fake.

Mrs. Martin nodded and stepped to the side. "Of course, come in. She was asking for you earlier," she added as she led Percy up the stairs to Lydia's room. Percy almost told her that he knew the way, but kept his mouth shut and nodded and smiled at the right times. Mrs. Martin knocked lightly on her daughter's door before opening it. Percy stepped into view of the room and his eyes narrowed.

"I shaw shuzy-" Lydia was saying, lying on her bed, looking up at Stiles. Percy frowned at Stiles. What was he doing here?

"Oh, Stiles, you're still here," Mrs. Martin chuckled awkwardly. Stiles looked past her and locked eyes with Percy. Mrs. Martin looked at the both of them in confusion as the two seemed to have a silent conversation. "I think it would be best if Lydia had only one guest at a time. Don't want to overwhelm her," Mrs. Martin reasoned, stating pointedly at Stiles. He noticed and got up from the bed. Lydia just stared at the ground.

"Oh, yeah. I had to, er, leave anyway. Thanks for having me, Mrs. Martin. I-I hope Lydia feels better." Stiles left the room awkwardly, pushing past Percy in a rush. Percy smiled politely at Lydia's mom before entering the room. Her mom shut the door quietly. Lydia continued to stare at the ground as Percy plopped down on her bed. He took her hands in his large ones.

Lydia slowly looked up at him, smiling sluggishly. "Heeyyyy," she drew out, taking one of her hands out of his and placing it on his forehead and running it through his hair. She made a funny face. "Ooh. You're sweatyyy. I like it," she giggled, pulling his head toward her by the hair at the nape of his neck.

Percy chuckled nervously and removed her hand, putting it in her lap. "Okay, er, I just wanted to see if you were alright. I know we left each other in a...not-so-great place last night, but I..." Lydia stared up at him intensely, biting her lip. Percy frowned lightly. "I was worried about you."

Lydia's expression softened slightly. "Aw, so sweet." She took his face in her hands and squeezed his cheeks.

"Oh, yeah. The sweetest. How are you feeling?"

Lydia grinned. "I'm feeling amazing, now that you're here."

Percy smiled at her. "That's good," Percy checked out her arms, looking for any bruises or scratches. Nothing, thank the gods. Get to the point now, Percy. The Alpha. Lydia leaned heavily on Percy, her head dropping on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his bicep. Percy glanced down at her. "Er, Lydia, do you remember anything from last night after I left?

Lydia straightened up and scrunched her face up like she was thinking hard. She shook her head, her eyes drifting shut. Percy shook her shoulders lightly and placed a hand on her cheek. "Lydia, Lydia, stay with me." Lydia opened her eyes, green staring into green.

"I...Jackson picked me and Allis...Allison up...took her home...went to movie place," Lydia slurred tiredly. Percy nodded along, asking what else. "I waited in the car...Jackson was getting a m-movie."

"Okay, what happened after that? Did you hear anything? See anything?" Percy asked gently.

Lydia froze, her eyes going wide, burning a hole in the floor of her bedroom. "See...I saw...saw."

Percy nodded encouragingly. "Yes, Lydia. What did you see?"

"Roaring, glass breaking. Thump...thump...thump...thump," she said slowly. Percy's eyes narrowed. Thump.

"Did you see something big? What did you see, Lydia? I need you to focus." Lydia was starting to drop again.

"Dark. I heard...Jackson y-yell," her eyes seemed to focus suddenly. "Jackson. He hasn't come to see me," she growled, her green eyes narrowed. She looked back up at Percy. "But...you did? Why..."

Percy straightened up, looking at the door, wondering if he could make a quick escape. "Well, I care about you. I needed to know that you were okay," Percy stated simply like it wasn't a big deal.

"But why?"

Percy frowned and chuckled nervously again. "What do you mean? I just told you why."

Lydia scooted closer to him. "No. You...didn't." She was about to crash from the medicine she took to calm her nerves. "Tell me...Per-Percy."

The boy shook his head. He knew it was a bad idea to say what she wanted to hear, but she probably wouldn't even remember. Percy could get it off his chest without any consequences. He took a deep breath. "I like you, Lydia, a lot. More than I should." Lydia grinned widely. "It's a bad idea. I'm older than you. I have other responsibilities. But I can't stop thinking about you or worrying. When I heard about last night, my heart felt like it just...stopped. I was scared and I haven't been scared for a long time." Percy just let the words tumble out of his mouth, not caring if they were stupid. He knew Lydia wouldn't remember it. When he heard a light snoring, Percy sighed in relief.

He detached Lydia's hands from his arm and softly set them down on her bed. He pushed her back against the pillows lightly and pulled her covers over her body. Percy jumped when he heard a small ding, glancing over at Lydia's phone. It dinged again so Percy grabbed it and turned off the ringer. He turned over the screen, accidentally pushing a couple wrong buttons with his big fingers and was taken to a black screen was it triangle pointing to the right on it. A video. Percy looked at Lydia, seeing her eyes closed and hearing her soft snoring, he pushed the play button. It showed the movie rental store's front. The lights were off expect the glow of the sign. After a few seconds Percy heard a loud roar and saw a dark, imposing figure burst through the display window, sending glass flying every direction. The video on the screen suddenly went haywire. Percy guessed Lydia must've dropped it in a fright. Percy hit the rewind button, and the video slowed as it went back to the start. The video played again, but this time, Percy saw something he hadn't seen the first time: a faint red glow.

Percy's eyes narrowed as he watched the video once more. He pushed pause at just the right moment to get a clear-ish picture of the glowing red. His eyes widened. A large, brown-black mass with distinguishable off-white fangs and glowing red eyes. It's snout was curled back in a snarl. The Alpha. Percy hurriedly sent himself the video from Lydia's phone. Hearing his own phone ding, he turned off Lydia's and placed it gently on the table where he'd found it.

Percy glanced down at Lydia; she looked peaceful, even more beautiful. Her hair had fallen in her face, tickling her nose. Her nose twitched at the contact. Percy smiled slightly, and gently pushed the hair off of her face. He took one more look at her before rising from the bed. As soon as he did, Lydia jerked up and grabbed his arm in a vice grip. Percy looked startled, his eyes widening.

"Please, don't leave. I don't want to be alone right now," she sniffled softly. Percy looked into her green eyes and easily conceded. There was no way Percy could say no to her puppy dog eyes. Lydia smiled and laid back down in her bed, pulling Percy's arm with her. He maneuvered across her so he was laying down. Lydia turned into him, putting her hands on his side and across his chest. Percy was stiff but relaxed when she snuggled her head into the crook of his neck and quickly fell back asleep. He gazed down at her, a smile tugging at his lips. Then he remembered Derek. He slowly pulled out his phone and sent the video to his friend before turning his phone completely off and settling into Lydia's soft bed. He closed his eyes with a peaceful smile.

Percy awoke hours later to the blaring of his phone. He quickly answered it, hearing Lydia groan beside him. "Hello?" He greeted quietly.

"Percy, it's Kate. Derek Hale doesn't know anything. He's useless," Kate growled.

Percy paled, his eyes widening. "Uh, how do you know?" He tried to keep the panic out of his voice. Percy had a pretty good idea. She must've found Derek somewhere, maybe went to his house. She most definitely left him bloodied and bruised if she left him alive at all.

Kate snickered and Percy heard a faint clank–a gun being thrown in her trunk. "I went down to the old Hale house with Hulman and Eric. Had a nice, friendly chat with it."

Percy shut his eyes and clenched his free fist, trying to calm himself down. Percy faked a concerned voice, "Are they alright? What about you?"

"Eric's still unconscious. Human's good; he dragged Eric to the car. I'm fine, the little bitch couldn't even get near me. It got away, though."

Thank the gods. "Shit. Chris isn't going to be happy. He told us not to engage the wolf. You're lucky Eric's not more banged up or Chris would've had your ass," Percy mused. The last time he went against one of Chris's orders, refused to let him in on a hunt for a month and he had gun-cleaning duty.

Percy could practically hear Kate's eyes roll. "I'm not afraid of our brother. Don't tell him, though or he'll be the least of your problems."

Percy laughed mockingly. "Ha, ha. You never follow through on your threats, Kate." He looked over at Lydia who was now running her eyes. She glanced around tiredly, growing more alert with each passing minute. Her medicine must've worn off.

"This time I'm serious, Percy. Do not tell Chris. Anyway, we'll be home in around 15 minutes."

Percy cleared his throat. "Oh, I'm not at home."

Kate's voice was confused. "School got out 30 minutes ago. Where are you?"

"I'm at Lydia Martin's house," Percy replied quietly. Lydia was now fully awake and was checking her phone. "I'm getting information on..." he trailed off. Kate knew what he meant. "She was there last night." His voice was a whisper now.

"Oh I'm sure that was all you were doing," Kate scoffed. Percy growled and ended the call before she could make fun of him some more. Percy checked his watch for the time. It was 4:00. Parent-teacher conferences were in an hour and if he wasn't at those with Chris and Victoria, Victoria would beat his ass. He reminded himself to call Derek or go to his house after the conference and check up on him.

Lydia had been staring at him the entire time he was on the phone, not even paying attention to the conversation he was having. She vaguely remembered him coming into her room and talking with her, not really remembering the details of their talk, but she remembered feeling safe and happy and a fluttery feeling in her chest. She remembered waking up in his arms.

"Thanks for staying with me," she spoke softly, meeting his eyes. The worried look that was previously on his face vanished. He gave her a lopsided grin.

"I was happy to. I'm glad you're okay," he replied.

Okay. Lydia wouldn't necessarily describe herself as okay at the moment. She was scared, tired, confused, upset. The list went on and on. Lydia didn't understand what exactly she had seen, but she could tell it wasn't good. Just the thought of the big, dark mass with fangs sent shivers down her spine. It's glowing red eyes made her nauseous with anxiety. Percy stared at her with concern.

"You are alright, right? It's okay if you're not. I wouldn't expect anyone to be perfectly okay after what you went through," he said, taking her hand comfortingly.

Lydia knew she could be honest with Percy. She knew she didn't have to hide or put up a front, but she didn't want to worry him. "I don't know if I am right now, but I think I will be."

"Do you want me to stay longer? I have to be at the parent-teacher conference at 5, but I can stay for a little longer." Lydia knew Percy had other places he needed to be so she let him go, but not before she pulled him in for a tight embrace, laying her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered. Percy nodded and gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead and then he was gone.

Percy got home at around 4:30, sweaty and tired. He quickly changed his clothes and met up with Chris, Victoria, and Kate in the basement. He pulled out his phone. "I found something at the Martin house. Lydia Martin took a video on her phone last night and it caught the Alpha busting out through the front window," Percy explained quickly, breaking up whatever conversation they were having. Chris took the phone and pushed play, his eyebrows raising at the sight of the werewolf. Percy nodded in understanding. "That thing is gnarly-lookin', I know."

"I didn't imagine it was that big," Victoria gasped.

Chris sighed as he glowered at the photo. "It's a Beast Alpha."

"That's what I was thinking, but I've never seen one," Percy told him.

"It's like to a Full Wolf Alpha; it walks on two legs like we do. It has our four curve spine, right?" Kate explained.

Chris nodded. "They also take on the form of their character."

Percy nodded. "So...if you're a really bad guy, you look like some grotesque beast?" Chris nodded, grimacing. Percy groaned. "So this Alpha must be one bad son of a bitch," he concluded.

"Definitely."

Percy sat outside his Biology teacher's classroom anxiously, tapping his foot against the tile of the hallway. Chris and Victoria were in there talking to Mrs. Finch about Percy. Percy didn't have to be present for this conference since he had a B in it, so all he could do was wait. They were with Mrs. Finch for about 10 minutes before they found Percy sitting on the floor twiddling his thumbs. Victoria was smiling genuinely, so that must've been an okay sign.

Percy got up raised his eyebrows. Chris grinned at him. "She says you're doing well so far. She wasn't sure how you would do with your dyslexia, but she's pretty impressed with you." Chris clapped Percy on his back.

Victoria set a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We're proud of you, Percy. We asked you to protect Allison and we didn't expect you to do this." She gestured around at the hallway. Percy assumed she was talking about school.

Percy gave her a side hug and smiled at his brother. "Thanks guys." Percy let go after a moment passed.

Chris frowned, looking down at his watch. He grabbed Victoria's hand. "We have one more of yours and two more of Allison's and then we should be done. After all of this, we can pick up Allison and Kate from home and go out to that new restaurant." Percy grinned and nodded, but then remembered Allison wasn't at home. He paled and Chris noticed. He raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Percy shook his head, laughing nervously. "Uh, no. Just remembered that you have my Trig teacher next. Unfortunately, you probably won't hear great things from him about me," Percy explained, rubbing the back of his neck. Percy watched as they walked away to the Mathematics Hall. As soon as they were out of sight, Percy called Scott's phone, knowing Allison wouldn't have hers. Scott picked up immediately.

"I know, I know. Parent-teacher conferences started. And yes, Allison is fine," Scott said before Percy could get a word out.

"Put me on speakerphone." After a second, he continued. "You guys need to get here now before Chris and Victoria and your mom, Scott, figure out that you two skipped the entire day."

"We're about 30 minutes away. Can you stall them, please?" Allison pleaded.

Percy frowned into the phone. "Stall them? How the hell am I supposed to stall them? They're talking to our teachers right now." Before the two teenagers could say anything else, Percy told them to haul ass and then hung up.

Though, they did haul ass, Scott and Allison didn't get to the school in time to escape their parents' fury. Percy trailed behind Chris and Victoria as they barged out of the high school. Chris was trying to call Allison, but she wasn't picking up. Victoria was seething, glaring at anything she saw. She was scary when she was mad.

"Allison, answering your cell phone will make discussing the terms of your grounding much easier. Well, call me back before your punishment reaches biblical proportions," Chris growled into the phone and hung up.

"Kate hasn't heard from her either," Victoria added.

Chris called back to Percy, "You heard from her?" Percy shook his head, lying. Chris's nostrils flared. "How did you not know about this?"

Percy caught up with his brother. "I was out getting information on the Alpha. I was barely at school."

"She's never done this," Victoria said, worried.

Suddenly a woman with curly, dark brown hair and darker skin walked up to the Argents. "Excuse me, you're not Allison's parents are you? I'm Scott's mom and I hate to say it, but he's not answering his phone either," her voice was warm and polite. Percy could see her anger bubbling underneath the surface.

Chris scowled at Scott's mom. "You're his mother?"

She raised an eyebrow and turned to him. "Funny how you say that like it's an accusation."

Chris's eyes narrowed at her. "Well, I wouldn't claim it as a source of pride since he basically kidnapped my daughter today!" He raised his voice.

Percy gave him a pointed look for him to calm down. Scott's mom glared at Chris. "How do we know skipping school wasn't your daughter's idea?" Victoria looked as if she was about to beat the other woman up.

"My daughter," Chris began. He glanced up when Percy nudged him and nodded over to the parking lot. He sighed disappointedly. "Is right there."

Scott's mother turned and once she saw her son, she bounded angrily toward him. Chris grabbed Percy by the shoulder and put his hand on his wife's back. "Let's go."

Percy sighed, not ready to witness the verbal beatdown. He followed Chris and Victoria to where the two teenagers were standing with Scott's mother.

"Allison." Chris pointed to the car across the lot. "In the car." Allison was about to argue, but a scream shook them out of their conversation. Percy's head snapped to the right as people all around them started to run and yell.

Percy made eye contact with Chris before he jogged away from the group toward the source of the screaming. He weaved through the parked cars, looking for what caused the chaos. He swerved out of the way of a car that careened out of the parking lot.

Percy pushed past students and parents and came to the middle of the lot. He didn't see anything, but when a low growl sounded from behind him, Percy turned.

A huge mountain lion was snarling at him, it's fangs bared, dripping slobber. Its eyes were staring intently at Percy, causing a shiver to go through him. Percy probably looked like a full course meal to the mountain lion. He wasn't scared, though. He'd faced gods and titans, monsters and other "mythical" creatures before.

Percy crouched down to the mountain lion's height. He slowly reached for his knife in his boot, keeping his eyes locked with the lion, but he came up empty. No knife. The animal started to circle him, never taking its eyes off of Percy. He turned with the mountain lion, but turned too quickly. The lion took this as a sign of an attack and pounced. Percy was able to roll to the side in just enough time to avoid the razor-sharp claws. Percy gave it a swift quick to the chest of the beast, sending it back a few feet. However, the lion didn't give up. It gave a loud roar and started running toward Percy.

The mountain lion pushed Percy onto the ground roughly slashing at Percy's shoulder and banging his head hard against the concrete. Percy lifted his aching head to look at the long scratches across his shoulder as the big cat pounced on him. Percy could faintly here someone scream his name, but he wasn't listening. He had caught the lion by where its paw met its arm on each side. He lifted it up so the mountain lion's teeth couldn't snap at him.

"Chris!" He yelled, avoiding another snap of sharp fangs. A second later, Percy heard two loud gunshots and the mountain lion's body went slack. Percy could feel the blood start to soak into his gray shirt. Percy pushed the dead carcass off of his chest and felt two people pull him up. Percy glanced at Scott and Chris, breathing heavily. Chris put his gun in his belt and looked at Percy's left shoulder. The scratches weren't extremely deep, but deep enough for him to need stitches.

Scott's mother pushed through the crowd off people and once she saw the blood and Percy's arm, she rushed to his side. She placed a small hand on his shoulder and pushed down hard. Percy winced and grit his teeth. Blood dripped onto her fingers. "Don't worry, I'm a nurse."

Sheriff Stilinski jogged up to them, his eyes lingering on the dead mountain lion. Once he saw Percy's bleeding shoulder, he pulled out his radio. "We got a 10-91D. 11-41," he said looking from the dead animal, to Percy, to Chris's gun. "I've called an ambulance. They'll be here soon; it looks like you'll need some stitches, right Melissa?" The Sheriff looked to her for confirmation. She nodded wordlessly, focusing on Percy's arm.

Percy glanced over at Chris. "I guess we aren't going out to eat tonight?" Chris rolled his eyes and let a smile slip despite the situation.

"No, Percy. We aren't."