Demons, Demigods and Hunters (Percy Jackson/Supernatural)

Chapter 35

"Bast, I'm calling because it's an emergency. I need to know; since the Brooklyn Nome defeated Apophis have you had many problems with demons?" She asked, glancing behind her. Cabin 6 was still clear.

"No more than usual kitten. Although we have heard reports of other creatures rampaging. Those from beyond the veil. New monsters, ones that mortals can see. I've done what I could to keep it from Carter and Sadie, although now that Carter is Pharoah I don't know how much longer I can do that."

"Ok. I'll make a visit to you soon. There is trouble with the veil and I can't seem to track down the source." Bast growled quietly.

"That bastard is still free?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with a predatory anger. Anna nodded.

"Can't you tell me it's name? You know as well as I do that names have power." Bast shook her head.

"No Dianne, you know that. I've been bound with magic from Ma'at. To tell you could upset the natural order. I couldn't break my word even if I tried." Anna pursed her lips.

"Thank you anyways. I'll try to stop by soon. Send me a message if you find out anything about the weakening of the veil." The cat goddess nodded before Anna stirred the the oil, breaking the image. She carefully poured the oil back into the urn and replaced both items into her trunk. She let out a deep breath. She leaned against the wooden posts of her bunk.

When she had first come to camp she'd immediately pushed several of the stacks around it, both to create privacy but also as a defensive measure hidden by what appeared to be a desire to sleep surrounded by knowledge. Anna had always been good at hiding her true intentions. It was what made her such an ideal spy for Chiron during the Titian war. No one at camp even knew her real name; Isolde Ventura.

When Athena had guided her to camp after her father had died the goddess had given her a new name to hide behind. And then she had become Dianne Oriel, half-blood daughter of the wisdom goddess. None of her friends knew where her nickname Anna had really come from, assuming it was from Dianne rather than her middle name Anai. She was tired of hiding, but nevertheless she wrapped her lies and secrets around herself like a security blanket. Anna looked around her, soaking in the feeling of safety that her cabin brought her.

The arrangement of the shelves had not changed even as new campers came and older ones left or died. She was one of the oldest campers left at camp. Most of her peers had died in the intervening years, in hopeless quests before Percy had arrived, and in the wars against the titans and the giants and the romans. So many had died. Now her private alcove was home. The one place where she might let her secrets slip, where she was safe enough that she could even consider it. Camp Halfblood was her home now. Even more so than the house her father had left her. More so than any of the safe houses she had hidden around the country, and the few she had around the world. Being the emissary between godly factions lead to lots of travelling. Nico knew of most of them, considering they shared the responsibility of diplomacy.

She opened up the trunk and pulled out a small black book. On the cover a dark red pentacle was stamped on the cover. The words daemonum liber- book of demons- was written in an elaborate script. Brightly colored sticky notes stuck out from the pages. Anna had already poured over the book dozens of times, but she was prepared to look over it again and again until it showed her something useful. The book contained the known history of demonkind, how they were created, how to identify one, their various abilities, the different types of demons; both from across the veil, and from other pockets of reality that were associated with different gods and their pantheons. But most importantly it explained how to hunt, trap and kill those demons.

The biggest problem with her book was that it contained very little information on the demons that were escaping across the veil. The book was just too old. The veil and it's monsters were from recent history; at least compared to the gods. Anna had filled into the margins everything that anyone anywhere had ever learned about them. And the only particularly useful information she could find was how to supposedly cure a veil demon. Most of the time, killing a veil demon resulted in the death of its' host. Veil demons were sentient parasites. Celestial bronze could kill the demon, leaving the mortal unharmed, but often the demons had already damaged their hosts beyond repair.

Hours later she groaned, closing the book and putting away her own notes on the various demons she'd seen and killed. The cabin door opened and closed, admitting a group of Anna's younger siblings. She locked her trunk securely just as a heavy weight threw itself across her neck.

"Anna! You're back!" Bea squealed. Anna laughed and hugged the blonde munchkin. Bea was the newest and youngest addition to Cabin 6, bringing their number up to an Olympian twelve. Bea was thirteen and newly claimed when Anna had last been at camp for a visit. At the time most of the cabin had been gone for one reason or another and Anna had taken it upon herself to take care of her since Malcolm had been busy studying for his SATs at the time.

"Hey kiddo." Anna smiled and ruffled her hair. Malcolm leaned out the door he had just come through to shout across the to all the campers heading back to their cabins to change for dinner.

"Blu's back!" He yelled. Anna scowled playfully at her brother. Even though she was older than everyone in the cabin, both Malcolm and Annabeth had been campers longer, with more summers, so they had seniority rights. However being the oldest camper left, she was often treated like a head counselor. A bunch of campers yelled back greetings. Anna laughed again.

"I'm not staying very long Malcolm." She warned. Her brother shrugged.

"Either way, it's good to see you Di." Anna smiled as she waited for them both to change for dinner. Heading to the dining pavilion, she let herself be absorbed into the happy warmth of her family.